That’s Da Guy’s name for applications available via Apple iTunes for use on iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. Here are some of his favorites, both the free ones and those that cost you a few bucks.  Some of these are iPad-exclusive, others work on both iPhone and iPad, and a few have versions optimized for each one.

• 1Password – simply the best secure password application running on your PC, iPad or iPhone — always sync’d and ready-to-go where you are.  Awesome.
• ABC News — headline news the ABC way
• Accuweather — weather reports
• Angry Birds — yup, Da Guy likes it too
• Apple Remote — control iTunes from your i-device
• California Traffic — check out the conditions
• Conversions — of just about everything to anything
• Currency — when you’re on an international road trip
• DirecTV — search and control your receivers
• Distant Suns — the heavens above; a favorite of Arthur C Clarke
• Earthquakes — when and where
• Flickr Studio — the best way to reach the world of Flickr on your iPad.  SIMPLY GREAT!!!
• Google Earth — on your i-device
• Holiday Countdown — countdown to your favorite dates
• iControlAV2 — control your Home Pioneer Receiver
• If Found Plus — builds a default graphic lock screen for your iPhone with “if found, please contact” info
• iTrans NYC — maneuvering the subway and transit system
• Kindle — read your Amazon.com electronic books
• Koi Pond – it’s just plain cool and nothing else
• MobiLinc HD Home Automation Controller — Control your Smarthome Smartlinc Insteon and X10 devices
• Moon Phase — watch out for werewolves
• MotionX GSP — super fabulous app to track your location; Super for walks, bike rides, and more
• My TSA — good app for airport preparation
• Netflix — watch streaming movies
• NY Times — New York, NY headlines
• Pandora Radio — free internet music
• Pinball HD — great app for your iPad
• QuakeZones Pro — monitor earthquakes around the world
• QR Code Reader HD — decifer on the fly those funny little codes on things
• Radar Motion — live weather
• Scrabble — a great game
• Seafood Watch — what you shouldn’t be eating if you care about the environment; maintained by the Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Shanghai Mahjong — great game
• Slingo Supreme — Da Guy’s favorite iPad game
• Solitaire City — Da Guy’s favorite iPhone game
• Star Walk – 5 Stars Astronomy Guide — wow, great app especially on the iPad
• Surf Report — Kowabunga!
• TWC — The Weather Channel weather reports
• USA Today — headlines
• WiScale — view your Withings scale info and control your blood pressure monitor
• Yahtzee Adventures — another great game
• Zinio Magazine Newstand  & Reader — Magazines online; Save a tree

You gotta be connected to the rest of the world, right?

For some people, it goes beyond reasonable with those things plugged in their heads or texting all the time.  For Da Guy, its first about being available for business and family emergencies, while having voice connections when he’s in airports or about town. Have you noticed pay phones are hard to find any more?

Being able to use productivity applications on the same mobile device, or even his favorite solitaire game when in a doctor’s waiting room is a plus. Having access to his personal contacts and calendar, synchronized with his home computer is a real help …and having internet connectivity when he’s not at a full-blown personal computer is a real bonus when he’s sitting in his easy chair, on the back patio, and sometimes away from home.

A Bit of Da Guy’s History with this Stuff

Da Guy loves his technology toys, especially those that tie the personal computing world together. He was a Palm user for years after their introduction in 2002. When Palm (actually Handspring in those days) came out with an integrated cell phone — the Treo — Da Guy was bit by that bug, saved a lot of cash, and gave it a go. Unfortunately the Treo 600 was a real bust with unreliable phone connections. After several months of trying to live with inferior cellular support and at times, tenuous software challenges, he finally threw in the towel and went back to a basic cell phone for a few months.

He couldn’t stand not having his integrated phone and PDA functionality, so he purchased a new Palm Treo 650 when it became available in 2004. Connection was better and it had a higher-resolution screen like most of the competition by then, but there were significant memory management problems (ultimately resolved after many months of crashes and at least 4 times reinstalling all his applications – not a fun process). Unfortunately, the ongoing volume control problems threw him over the top and he donated the unit and all his Palm accessories to the Goodwill. In disgust, he went back to a good ‘ol Motorola RAZR which was great. Da Guy has hung up Palm probably forever as a result of these expensive trials and errors. Sad, very sad.

History has a tendency to repeat itself, and it was only a matter of months before Da Guy started to get frustrated with the really sloooowwwww and limited web access on his RAZR. He had a short-lived BlackBerry experience for his business use which was really great, but it didn’t last when his company changed their cellular plan policies and his ability to keep a solid connection waned even at his own home. In true geeky style, he moved on to a new Samsung Blackjack II Smartphone for a few months.

That was great, but when time was up to get some new technology, a new Apple iPhone 3G tickled his fancy, followed two years later by an iPhone 4 one week after it hit the streets. One may get locked-in to one manufacturer’s technology and applications, but nothing can beat Apple’s seamless user interface, attention to detail, and phenomenal customer support especially at an Apple Store.

…and then there was the Apple iPad, but you must read another article to find out more about that.  When it comes to mobile devices, Apple appears to have more than their share of this Guy’s wallet share every time!

Before we go there and without getting overly personal, Da Guy has to let you know why standard Apple ear buds are not on this list.  Let’s just say there is something about the formation of Da Guy’s ears — as none of the free-bee ear buds that come with any music player will stay plugged into his head. It’s a very annoying problem. So, Da Guy has sought alternatives.

iTunes

Listening on his home Macintosh or via Airplay to his home receiver or other Bluetooth device is still Da Guy’s #1 way he listens to audio these days.

Etymotic Research ER-4S

If you want some high-end earphones that work really well, try Etymotic Research ER-4S available from HeadRoom (a terrific distributor with a fantastic web site). These earphones are super small, plug directly in your ears (you’ll quickly get over any negative thoughts about that point), are superb at sound isolation, and do a great job.  Da Guy has had these for several years and used them for thousands of hours of listening pleasure.  Etymotic Research has since come out with some similar types of earphones that are less expensive versions of what Da Guy has.  Check them out.

Bose QuietComfort 2

The drone on every airplane keeps up your stress level, especially on those regional commuters. While it takes a lot more space in your precious carry-on bag, will muss your hair with its over-the-head loop as compared to the ER-4S’s above, and make your ears feel like they’ve been in a sauna after several hours of use, the Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones work like a champ to take out a significant amount of the background noise beyond what the ER-4S can do.  When Da Guy was doing a lot of airline time, this was his device of choice.

Jawbone Jambox

Wow.  Da Guy’s newest way to listen to music when he’s close to his music player.  It’s small.  It can be loud, and the quality is great.  It’s a Bluetooth device that works well with his iPhone and iPad for those occasions when you want to share the sound, or you don’t want to be tied to something attached to your ear.  It works great such as when you’re on your patio, doing chores around the house, yard, or garage.

Da Guy dabbled with his Amazon Kindle for more than a year and liked the concept — even getting back into the daily newspaper routine (albeit, now a wireless and paperless version) for a while. As good as the resolution may be and how easy the viewing is on your eyes in all sorts of lighting that the iPad just doesn’t match, black and white does not replace color found in real books and magazines. The iPad not only has its own native iBooks, but an application to view purchased Kindle content. A paperless world may be on the horizon for Da Guy.

Other applications of more secondary interest are using the iPad as a photo frame, some specialized applications, occasional email, and a game or two. Being able to use this device anywhere in his home and in his backyard patio chair via his home Wi-Fi network is a real plus.

Let’s put it this way, it’s one beautiful device. It’s a logical non-voice extension to what he loves about his iPhone, bridging the gap between a desktop or laptop computer. Da Guy is in love.

…and when the iPad 2 came out in early 2011, Da Guy was ordering his within the first hour of availability.  It became a great excuse to upgrade his technology and pass his “old” iPad to his Mom for her game, music, and occasional internet access.  It’s become a daily routine for her.