Today's Contents

• Good morning from the Maldives!
• Gravity cleans up on the Nokia platform
• Meeting Magician is a life saver for rubbish meetings
• Tesco's Clubcard app hits 200,000 downloads
• Nosey Parker helps you find car parks
• Right, that's it...

Wednesday 10, March 2010

Good morning from the Maldives!

I've got another raft of applications that caught my attention this week. 

We've also managed to get the website operational (www.theapplicationreview.com) so you can begin to review some of the previously covered apps.

As always, if you've any suggestions for apps we should include next week, drop me a note or reply to this email.

Ewan

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Gravity cleans up on the Nokia platform

One of the most annoying things Rafe and I have been having to deal with over the past few months is Gravity.  It's annoying in a good way.  But hugely frustrating when you're filming.  You see we've been asking lots and lots of people about their favourite application on the Nokia platform.  It's like asking someone to name a vegetable.  Were you thinking 'Carrot?'  ;-)  Almost every single answer we get on camera is 'Gravity '.  That's because it's one of the best implementations of a Twitter client, ever.  When it comes to the Nokia / Symbian platform, Gravity is one of those apps that the hardcore install first.  Indeed, many find it so intuitive that it continues to keep them from wandering to other platforms. Although Janole hasn't released download figures, the smart money is on this being one of the most popular paid applications on the Ovi Store.

The application has made it's creator, Janole (of mobileways.de), into a mobile superstar.  And with good reason.  Fans simply love the fact he sends out new feature releases on a regular basis and is hugely responsive to making enquiries via Twitter (@janole). 

You can pick up Gravity for £8 on the Ovi Store.  Ovi Store link.

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Meeting Magician is a life saver for rubbish meetings

Reader Simon emailed in with this suggestion -- Meeting Magician is one of his agency's creations.  I should point out from the start that Meeting Magician is not necessarily intended as a productivity application.  It's name alludes to the fact that the helps you manage the arse of sitting in boring, ridiculous, unnecessary meetings.  The app has quite a few features that will be hugely useful to anyone stuck in a 16-person project facilitation and progress update meeting.  The 'life saver' fake-call facility will give you a quick excuse to get a bit of fresh air.  Tell it when you want the app to 'fake call' you and - boom - your phone will ring.  Hugely useful ;-) 

I particularly like the concept of Word of The Day -- that you and your colleagues have to try and include in your meetings with the boss.  Buzzword Bingo is another one that's a sure fire winner, especially if you work in the Civil Services ("Incentivise, Client Focus, Take it Offline, Proactive").  Nice one Simon!

iTunes link (£0.59).

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Tesco's Clubcard app hits 200,000 downloads

Nick Lansley runs a website called Tech For Tesco and provides some illuminating information on the retail giant's recent mobile application launches. Tesco's Clubcard app is -- as you might have already determined -- dedicated to the company's loyal members of it's Clubcard scheme.  Whilst it is a considerable annoyance being asked 'Have you got a Clubcard?' every time I go to the check-out, some people absolutely love the idea of getting points when they shop.  Tesco will have a look at what you're spending and then send you various special offers that are likely to appeal. 

But what's a self-respecting iPhone user to do at the check-out nowadays?  Get their plastic Clubcard out of their wallet?  Or run the Clubcard app and get that scanned instead?  Hell, yeah!  So congratulations to Tesco who have knocked back over 200,000 downloads of this particular application in just under a month.  They're currently seeing a whopping 14,000-15,000 downloads every day.

Nokia and BlackBerry users shouldn't despair: Janet Smith, Tesco's Clubcard director, announced (through Nick's piece) that they'll be extending support to those platforms very shortly.  Good news!

iTunes link (free)

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Nosey Parker helps you find car parks

Here's another application that's a piece of genius.  I simply love applications that really do help with the challenges and frustrations of day-to-day life.  A friend of mine drives up and down the UK every week meeting businesses.  One of the biggest arses she has to deal with is finding and locating public car parks quickly, especially in larger towns and cities.  Google Maps is simply rubbish in this regard.  Searching Google isn't that reliable either, especially when you get the information in text form.  Hardly useful.

Enter Nosey Parker.  Another iPhone app set to become a must-have for legions of regular business drivers.  Fire up the app, it'll automatically locate you and display the nearest car parks complete with payment details.  It also tells you if they take credit cards.

Fantastic. £1.79 on iTunes. iTunes link.

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Right, that's it...

Back next week!  Oh, and in case anyone was wondering about the top headline today, I am unfortunately sitting in boring, cloudy, London... and not the Maldives.  Wishful thinking.

Drop me a note with any feedback: ewan@mobileindustryreview.com

Regards,

Ewan

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