The iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Palm handsets are becoming an increasingly essential part of our daily lives, with apps allowing us to do everything from easing our daily commute to finding somewhere new and exciting to eat.
RedLaser Scanning App
Free
A scanning app for iPhone and Android that allows users to scan barcodes. Including:
QR codes – black and white squares found in newspapers and magazines –
Scanning the QR codes allows access to further content, from a page, text or images, to recipes and money-off coupons.
UPC codes -found on every product in the supermarket.
Scanning a UPC code in a store allows the app to check to see if the product is available elsewhere for a cheaper price (either online, or – by using your phone’s location – in a nearby shop).
eBay
Free
eBay’s app has been around for a while now, but it’s a good one! The app is very easy to use and allows you to view, buy and sell items, all from one place.
Sellers – Quickly research sale trends, list items, and make sales from virtually anywhere. You can even scan an item using the barcode scanner to effortlessly pre-populate your listing.
Buyers – The eBay iPhone app instantly alerts you if you’re outbid, or if your watched items or auctions are ending. Compare prices at the shop against eBay prices using the handy barcode scanner. Then pay for items quickly and securely from your phone.
Features:
- Quick listings: Create a listing in under a minute
- Barcode scanner: Research items and import details right into your listing
- Photo upload: Effortlessly upload photos from your iPhone camera or photo library
- Buyer alerts: Get notified on the status of your auctions and watched items
- My eBay: View a dashboard of all your eBay activities with quick access to further details
- Search: Filter by category, condition, price range, buying format and more
- Sharing: Share listings easily via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter
- Messaging: View and respond to your eBay messages
- eBay Feedback: Leave feedback scores and comments on the go
- PayPal: Pay for most transactions right from your phone
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/mobile/
Skype
Free
Skype’s great for keeping in touch with everyone, and you can use it from your phone, too! You can call, video call and instant message anyone else on Skype for free with Skype for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. It’s cheap to call and text your contacts (or any other number) at Skype’s low rates – all you need is some Skype credit.
Skype for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad is free to download and works over 3G or Wi-Fi.
- Share moments with friends via video call with front and rear-facing cameras
- Enjoy video calls with Skype contacts on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, compatible mobiles, PCs, Macs or Skype-enabled TVs
- Call Skype-to-Skype, wherever you are
- Call Skype contacts for free on 3G or Wi-Fi
- Text and call phones anywhere with Skype Credit – it’s especially good value for calling international numbers
- Send instant messages to friends for an instant response
- Excellent quality sound for Skype-to-Skype calls
www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/get-skype/on-your-mobile/
Edinburgh Parking
£1.49
This handy app helps you find the best places to park in Edinburgh. It uses geo-location abilities to show users where they can park and how much it will cost.
The app allows you to view parking zones on a fully interactive map and will even give you directions to a specific parking zone from your current position. You can view a list of parking zones which can help you find the cheapest or nearest zone. It also allows you to check when parking zones become active so you can avoid being fined and also supports resident’s permits, so if you have one it will let you know which areas you’re able to park in.
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/edinburgh-parking/id441075563?mt=8
Bump
Free
Bump makes sharing with people as simple as bumping two phones together – because that’s all you have to do. Pick what you want to send, then hold your phones and gently bump hands with another Bump user. Now, you can message with your friends who aren’t with you, just add them as a friend inside of Bump and start sending.
Share photos, apps, music, messages, locations, contacts, calendar events; become friends on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; compare mutual friends, and more. When you send a friend music or an app they’ll be sent a direct link to download the app from iTunes.
You can also now use Bump for free texting so you can send messages anytime, complete with instant push notifications. What’s even better is that Bump works cross-platform between iPhone, iPad, iPod, and many other phones.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe App – Bookings, venues and discounts
Free
The Fringe iPhone app has just been updated with all of this year’s listings. There’s just over a month to go until the Fringe kicks off so there’s still plenty of time to browse the shows and pick what you want to see. Each August you will be able to use the app to buy tickets and the Android version has now launched.
The apps features include
- Full Fringe show listings and availability
- Exclusive daily Half Price Hut listings
- Full Fringe ticket purchasing functionality (to be added in August)
- Uses GPS to locate the nearest shows and venues and displays on map
- Search for shows by name, time, or type
- Save favourite shows and use “My Fringe” personal festival planner
- Listings stored on the device so no need for a data connection
- Share interesting shows with friends by email
www.edfringe.com/whats-on/mobile-apps
Wimbledon – Keep Up To Date With All The Tennis Action
Price – Free
When Wimbledon fortnight is underway, keep up to date with matches with Wimbledon’s iPhone app! You can keep track of scores live, get the latest news updates and check the daily schedule of play.
The app has even more features including;
- Radio Wimbledon: Three channels of LIVE coverage from Radio Wimbledon including Centre Court and Court No. 1.
- Draws: The draw brackets for the 5 main events.
- Video: Daily on demand video highlights.
- Twitter: Follow all of your favourite players as they progress through the tournament.
- Visitors Guide: Everything you need to know if you’re visiting Wimbledon.
http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/interactive/mobile/index.html
RingGo – Paying for parking in the city just became simpler
Price – Free
Makes paying for parking in Edinburgh simple.Instead of searching around for change you just need to search for your nearest RingGo location and pay for parking through your account.The app will automatically list nearby zones and allows you to view the sites by Google maps.
The app also allows you to manage your account information, your previous sessions and extend them where parking regulations allow.Your favourite parking sites can be stored and then recalled easily when needed.
https://www.myringgo.com/uk/apps
Edinburgh Taxi Booking Apps – Make and track taxi bookings from your phone
Price – Free
Booking a taxi has never been so easy! City Cabs and Capital Cars have released free booking apps for their licensed taxi and private hire vehicles in Edinburgh.
Both apps allow you to get a quote for your journey, make a booking, cancel a booking and manage your favourite destinations. They also have a handy feature that allows you to track the vehicle on its way to pick you up and tells you what make/model you’re waiting for.
City Cabs Edinburgh
www.cordicusers.com/iPhone/?CityCabsEdinburgh
Capital Cars Scotland
www.cordicusers.com/iPhone/?CapitalCarsScotland
Ian Rankin’s Edinburgh – A tour of the city featuring locations from the best-selling books
Price: Free
This free app is great for any Ian Rankin fan. Specially created videos, audio and lots of exclusive content – including stunning photographs – bring both this fantastic city and Rankin’s books to life.
The tour is broken down into three mini-tours featuring in total around thirty key locations. Each location is relevant to Rankin’s novels and characters, in particular Inspector Rebus and Rankin’s exciting new character Malcolm Fox. The tour also provides a great, easy-to-use guide to the city itself, so you don’t need be a fan of Ian Rankin to really enjoy this app.
The latest winter update is enhanced with beautiful photographs of Edinburgh in winter and extra locations to visit.
Edinburgh Airport iPlane Flight Information – Realtime travel info at your fingertips
Price: £1.19
The Edinburgh Airport app lets you check flight arrival and departure times, destinations, status and terminal information. Its special feature is that you can search for cancelled and delayed flight information as well.
The latest update has made the app iPad-compatible and you can now forward flight information from the app via text or email.
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/edinburgh-airport-iplane-flight/id348237360?mt=8
TweetDeck – Combines social media feeds for easy management
Price: Free
TweetDeck allows you to manage your social world by bringing together your Twitter and Facebook feeds in an easy-to-use dashboard. Getting started is easy – all you have to do is login with your TweetDeck account, or provide your Twitter or Facebook account, and you’re ready to go.
It supports all major Twitter features – including updates, retweeting, mentions, direct messages and searching – and can make posting to multiple accounts a breeze. You can use Tweetdeck to update and browse your Facebook, as well, plus it offers the following features:
• Configurable, combined ‘Home’, ‘Me’ and ‘Inbox’ columns are standard, bringing all your feeds and notifications together
• Fully flexible custom columns allow the combination of any number of different feeds, from all services and all accounts
• Easily send long posts thanks to full Deck.ly support
• Clean and clear ‘Compose’ window features image uploading, geo-tagging and username autocomplete for @mentions
TripAdvisor – Travel reviews, listings & info on your phone
Price: Free
Still trying to book that perfect summer getaway? TripAdvisor’s handy app makes checking reviews a breeze and helps you find the best hotels, restaurants and attractions.
You can browse millions of reviews, opinions and photos and even write and upload your own. The app also allows you to find cheap flights to destinations all around the world. The latest update features the “My Saves” function, which means you can now save hotel, restaurant and attraction pages so that you can find them again easily.
Other features include;
- Use the “Near Me Now” tool to discover options near your current location or any address you enter
- Virtual tour: see a street-level view of your destination, plus nearby hotels, restaurants, and more
- Live view: Look around with your device’s camera to see an enhanced view of nearby places
www.tripadvisor.co.uk/MobileApps
Shazam – Identify & download songs on the go
Price: Free
We all have those annoying moments when you hear a song and you want to know what it’s called and who it’s by.Shazam identifies whatever song is playing just by holding up your phone.It also allows you to download the track, share with friends and watch videos.
The latest Shazam update includes the new friends feature which gives you a live feed of the music your friends are tagging.You can listen to previews of their tags, and download their tracks.Shazam uses Facebook to find your friends that are already sharing music on Shazam.
Other features include:
• Read track and album reviews, artist biographies and discographies, and view song lyrics
• Browse Shazam Tag Charts from 20 countries
• Tap artwork in My Tags and Charts for shortcut menu to preview, buy and share music
• Share Tags with friends on Facebook and Twitter
• Search music by artist, track or album
• See tour dates for tagged artists and buy concert tickets
• Stay tuned to the latest music news and insights with the Shazam Blog
T3 – A free app that allows you to purchase iPad Edition of monthly T3 gadget magazine
Price: app is free, must purchase online magazine
This free app contains the shop front for T3 -gadget magazine – allows you to download a free preview and then purchase T3: iPad Edition each month.
T3 is always the first stop when you want to know what’s going on in the world of gadgets. Their iPad app allows you to purchase and view their monthly magazines, which are always full of reviews, special features and videos.
There are a number of benefits to subscribing to the iPad edition:
✔ 360 product views: Get hands-on with the latest gadgets
✔ iPad-only features: Enjoy content not found in the print edition
✔ Videos: Watch bespoke content made specifically for iPad
✔ Photo galleries: Stylish and swipe-ready product showcases
✔ Hotspots: Revealing more about what you’re reading
✔ Interactivity: Jump to any section and back again using the content browsers
Although the app itself is free to download you will need to pay for the subscription. T3’s subscription prices look like this: free preview, £2.99 single issue, £5.99 – 90 days (3 issues), £11.99 – 180 days (6 issues), £23.99 – 360 days (12 issues).
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/t3/id392680566?mt=8#
Dropbox – Take all your photos, docs and videos anywhere
Price: Free
Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs and videos anywhere. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, to your iPhone and iPad and even to the Dropbox website! With the Dropbox app, you can take everything that matters with you on the go.
Read your docs or flip through your albums when you’re out and about. Save photos or videos to your Dropbox and share them with friends in just a couple of taps. Even if you accidentally leave your iPhone in a taxi, your stuff is always safe on Dropbox.
Technology Consult use Dropbox in their office and it’s always a great way to share and save files. The latest update now includes bulk uploads and allows you to import files from Mail and other apps for upload in Dropbox. What’s even better is that it’s free! www.dropbox.com/anywhere
Edinbus – Up-to-the-minute bus arrival times
- Edinbus App by Gordon Christie
Price: Free
The brainchild of local software developer Gordon Christie, Edinbus is perhaps the essential iPhone app for Edinburgh residents. Tapping into Lothian Buses’ Bus Tracker system.
Edinbus provides up-to-the-minute travel information for every bus stop in the city. Simply find your stop using the intuitive Google Maps interface and the app pulls up a beautifully formatted and easy to read list of bus arrival times.
Favourite stops can be saved for easy access later on and a handy map arrow even helps make sure that your bus is headed in the right direction. We were overwhelmed by glowing recommendations for Edinbus from our readers when we asked what everyone’s favourite Edinburgh iPhone apps were on Twitter and LinkedIn .
Lonely Planet Edinburgh
Price: £3.49
Ostensibly one for the tourists, Lonely Planet Edinburgh is perhaps the most authoritative and comprehensive travel guide apps available and still has plenty to offer the local.
Taking its cue from the famous series of print travel tomes, the iPhone app features a comprehensive database of places to see and things to do spanning hundreds of Points of Interest.
The guide is fully searchable and individual POIs can be bookmarked for easy reference later. Lonely Planet Edinburgh also includes comprehensive mapping functions, all of which are optimised to work offline, meaning that worries about data roaming costs can be left at home.
Urbanspoon
- Urbanspoon for iPhone
Price: Free
Urbanspoon originally started life as a website offering users a platform to post their own reviews of restaurants in major cities across America. Over the last few years, the service has expanded to the UK, Canada and Australia and has launched a phenomenally successful iPhone application.
As one of only five British cities covered by Urbanspoon, residents and visitors to Edinburgh can use the app to find restaurants based on location, type of food and price range and view menus and user reviews online.
Urbanspoon for iPhone also includes ‘Scope’, a revolutionary augmented reality feature that allows you to view the surrounding area via your phone’s camera, with restaurant suggestions and information overlaid onto the picture.
Edinburgh Secrets
Price: £0.59
An alternative to big name, corporate travel applications like the Lonely Planet guides, Edinburgh Secrets was created by Andy Hayes, a professional travel writer and longtime Edinburgh resident. Though not as thorough in its coverage of every nook and cranny of the city as some of the bigger guides, Edinburgh Secrets is nevertheless packed with information and secret spots that only a local could provide. The app has also been designed with budget conscious travellers in mind, a fact reflected not only in the its low price but in the plethora of recommendations for cheap eats and attractions. Edinburgh Secrets also includes great original photographs for each guide entry that are worth the asking price on their own.
Foursquare Edinburgh Trail
- The Dogs on Foursquare, an Edinburgh Trail venue.
Price: Free
A new initiative by Edinburgh Inspiring Capital site This Is My Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Trail uses geo-location social networking app Foursquare to guide residents and visitors to the city around 31 Edinburgh locations, with the chance to win exclusive prizes and goodies.
Foursquare allows users to “check in” at a venue from the app interface and score points for each visit, with the top scoring person at each location becoming the ‘mayor’. In order to become the ‘Mayor of Edinburgh’ and be eligible to win, Edinburgh Trail followers must visit every location on the list – ranging from pubs to tourist attractions to beauty spots like Blackford Hill – and checkin on Foursquare.
The Edinburgh Trail uses the Foursquare service rather than an iPhone specific app, so owners of Android, Blackberry and Palm devices can play too.
