iPhone Applications
I finally got my iPhone last week! Two of my friends already have iPhones and so I had a lot of help getting started. Initial setup was pretty easy. Configuring email was also a breeze. So far I have installed five iPhone applications, of which, two I really like.
‘AroundMe’ is the most popular iPhone application among my friends. It is free. I love it. It figures out your location based on the iPhone’s GPS (I have iPhone 3GS). You can then search for points of interest near you by either clicking one of the categories or entering a keyword. I searched for FedEx and found one within walking distance. I tested several categories and found the database to be fairly accurate. However, searching for keyword ‘halal’ did not show the local halal market and resturant. Both have the word ‘halal’ in it. Oh well.
The second iPhone application I installed was ‘iSalat’ which I purchased for $0.99. As the name suggests, it displays the salat timings based on the location. The timings were fairly close to my local masjid. The application calculates the timing based on location and preference of either Hanafi, Shafi’i, ISNA or Umm Al-Qurra. The application also features a qibla locator.
I also installed Pandora a couple of days ago. I didn’t get a chance to play with it. Everything I have heard is positive.