The Apple Keynote is over and the most interesting tidbit, in my opinion, is that iPhone apps do not require the use of a snap development kit (SDK). Creating an app only requires the use of web standards based design and AJAX functionality. This makes me wonder what truly useful applications could be built in time for the June 29th product launch.
Here are a few ideas:
- Where in the World is Tom Cruise? — Not for stalking, but avoiding any possible chance encounter with the Grand Wizard of Scientology. Would require that we get Katie to shoot Tom with dart gun and then install a GPS enabled collar like they use for polar bears in the Northwest Territories.
- I heard it on KAPL — For war-dialing radio stations around the world just in case they are holding a call-in contest. The app would not only dial repeatedly but also tell you what station you are calling and what to say in order to win a free lunch.
- R2-D2 — For when you find yourself in a giant trash compactor and need something a bit more powerful than a RS232 interface to shut the damn thing down.
- Avalonstar — Can't quite cope with your online life? Just open this app and a finger-tap on the "Easy" button shuts down your blog, deletes your 9rules account, and sends a call-in order to the nearest Starbucks with an order for a venti double-chocolate Frappuccino.
- iCoholic — Had one too many for the road? Breathe into the iPhone and have the results sent directly to the local police authority. If they don't come in fifteen minutes then you must be good, go ahead and drive home.
- Get Real — Ask your iPhone if you should meet with clients and it will reassure you with a firm 'no' and let you get on with life.
- Hoverboard — For those who will own two iPhones, put them on the ground, launch Hoverboardz and then get ready to rollerskate on air but without wheels because you're hovering, you know, in the air.
- DrinkingBirdr — Because no-one needs to live their life pressing the 'Y' key at work. Potential productivity increase of 300% possible but not probable.
- Tron Disc — The iPhone looks aerodynamic, so maybe we could use them as boomerangs of the 21st century? Hells yes! This app won't do much but make really cool sounds when you throw your iPhone at people. Still, it's gonna rock.
What else we got?
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
YourMom — Provides you a list of "Your mom" jokes and let's you easily send them to your contacts.
Shitter -- A global community of friends and strangers answering one simple question: Where is the nearest bathroom?
WiilyWantOne: Calls every store in town until it finds a Wii, secures the Wii, and opens Google Maps to direct you to it.
You know, Beerzie, that's the most brilliant web service idea I've heard all decade. Seriously: people are so into geotagging now, and when traveling one occasionally really needs to find a public toilet. So get people to sign up and precisely geotag toilets they use, classified by type: public, customers-only, pay (European style), etc. Let people rate and review the toilets. Bam! Instant community! It's brilliant! Brilliant!
Of course, to be fully Web 2.0tastic, that'd have to be Shittr. Also, you'd want all the glassy-floor reflections to be tinged yellow.
> You know, Beerzie, that's the most brilliant web service idea I've heard all decade.
Second that. Beerzie, get the funding and hire Airbag to produce it for you.
But to be politically correct, you'd probably want to call it Crapr.
Brilliant idea. Where's your sign-up page?
The "Get Real" one made me LOL.
Shitter is a spetacular idea. But maybe the questions we could answer should be: "Where are you shitting?"
Beerzie you had a fantastic idea. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. All you have to do is pick an agile development method. Pay airbag an insane amount of money for a "design-less" solution, and make sure your web app is constantly down and/or timing out. You will soon be a millionaire.
How about BubbleGum -- Your Mint stats on the go. Once you've got your fix just pop the iPhone in your mouth for long lasting flavor.
Also, I fourth the brilliance of Crapr.
Feel free to contact me regarding my idea. I am always looking for ways to escape from Big Blue.
LightSaberPhone -- Turns on speaker phone with light saber noises being played over the top of the phone call.
"where to you want to shit today" iShitrr provides the clues. Yes, please do get some Venture Capital into that boy's hand folks. And Greg make sure it's well designed. And make it Bidet Aware... oh yeah. Tres bon .
In addition to a big "ditto" on Crapr and BubbleGum (although I like "MintTac" better), I'd love to see an app that can pinpoint other iPhone users in your vicinity, and then allow you to text message them all and meet up in a very public location to be able to show off all the cool things the iPhone can do in one big technological circle-jerk.
That, and a BlueFlavor Hiring Tracker to keep up to date on all the latest web gurus moving to Seattle...
The most useless app would be iPhoneFinder which would show you the nearest Apple or Cingular store that had an iPhone available in stock and ready for purchase. Use your iPhone to find other iPhones. Almost as cool as dehydrated water, just add water!
> Use your iPhone to find other iPhones. Almost as cool as dehydrated water, just add water!
It would be fun to see how many people actually download and try to use it once.
Fantastic! Crapr functionality could be built onto Australia's Public Toilet Map website (http://www.toiletmap.gov.au) - just needs some expansion.
This post is hilarious.
I'm waiting for them to add a button that calls your mom to come pick you up
It's software development kit, not snap development kit :-p
ilazer!!!
Isn't it about time we have a lazer gun, can't someone turn this iphone into a freakin lazer!
I mean it is 2007, and I'm pretty sure I was promised flying vehicles with freakin lazers attached by the year 2000.
A reboot Cardero app? It'll automatically kick all the sand box kids squarely in the g'nads and then reboot Apache/MySQL.
UpChuck - A robust database of Chuck Norris facts.
CallDropper—tallies how many dropped calls you get from at&t and runs an unbiased tally against other cellphone calls so that that us long-time suckers who were lured into a contract with cinglat&t can know the REAL stats behind their supposed "FEWEST DROPPED CALLS" bull&#!*.
Magic8Ball - random responses to help you make the crucial personal/career/health decisions in your life.
Luke, I never get dropped calls and have been with Cingular for 3 years, but a co-worker was dropped twice when he was trying to call support to complain about getting dropped calls X-)
This is interesting, seeing that there was a peepod already and I asked for something like that during my wherecamp talk: http://www.slideshare.net/cheilmann/human-accessible-mapping-applications/14
> I never get dropped calls and have been with Cingular for 3 years
I've been with AT&T (which has gone by several names including Cingular) for nine years and I get more dropped calls now than ever before. It's been better recently but still frustrating.
Greg, when was your last firmware update? I'm with Sprint and my phone never worked in my house and it drove me nuts. One day in the Sprint store the guy was like let's see your phone then ran a software update and voila no dropped calls and it works perfect in my house.
Anyways, I think there are fantastic apps to write for the iPhone. Companies could really do some interesting stuff for employees working out in the field. Seriously, someone should make a site called Shitter and geotag public bathrooms.
I would just like to say Shittr is a wonderful idea. I have Crohn's disease, you have no idea how often Shittr would be useful to me.
ok.ok .. i come up with a very funny story!
Vienna/Austria/last Sunday/Barcamp.at/4pm - 5 people start with a nasty/funny project called www.shittr.com (yep, no joking)
we worked 3hours on it and have a little live demo at the end of the barcamp:
photo from live demo.
and our goal is to bring the shitty baby online next week. So what is our shittr app all about? ..hmm. .*should i say it?* - well it is kind of an homage to twittr. but no more infos. the rest will be a surprise.
check out www.shittr.com at the end of next week.
this is definitely one of this "people have the same ideas cross the earth at the same time" stories. crazy!
Guess it didn't take long:
http://www.mizpee.com/web/index.html
Mizpee? I know I'm just showing my dude-centric bias, but I was thinking of providing a service to those who have an urgent need to void their bowels, not somewhere where a girl can go tinkle. As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to the need to take a whizz, the world is my urinal.
(Greg, sorry about the scatological turn this is taking.)
> Greg, sorry about the scatological turn this is taking.
My mother is going to kill me for writing this but, shit happens.
I think Crapr is the winning name - it's got to be something postable on the public net without content filtering in order to really take off and get enough users to cover the planet! :) Completely brilliant - an app I'd use!