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iPhone Apps I'd Totally Buy
Merlin Mann | Jul 17 2008
But it got me thinking about the stuff I want -- the itches I want to scratch. So, iPhone developer friends. Please make these three apps. Prime ThisElevator pitch: Scan barcode to instantly order an item via Amazon Out and about and see something you want to buy? Maybe a book, CD, or DVD that you want, but don't want to buy/carry/pack right now? No problem. Take a photo of the item's barcode, hit one button, and the item is instantly ordered through Amazon 1-Click using your default credit card and shipping preferences. Done. Yeah, I know; I know. You want price comparisons, and wish lists, and an API for tagging and "mashups." Well, suck it up; you're not who this is for. This is for hardcore, mainlining Amazon Prime power users. That's why it has exactly one button: "Prime This." Suggested price: Free (developer will make a killing on affiliate money) iParkedElevator pitch: Location-aware parking reminder Open the app, hit a button, and your location is noted and added to a map. Optionally add an alarm (for the parking meter or street cleaning), notes and photos ("3rd level; Area G"), and other pertinent data ("Closes at 1am; after hours number is...."). When you're ready to go to your car, the app reminds you where you parked (with a walking map), and off you go. Suggested price: $5 That Reminds MeElevator pitch: Lightweight, location-aware alarm app Tell TRM the really mushy kinds of things that fall somewhere between a todo and a wish and a curiosity.
Using functionality similar to OmniFocus's flexible, location-aware contexts, add new items to your list with optional alarms and start/end dates. Then forget about it. Next time you're geographically near where you need to be, you get a reminder and a map to get you there. Suggested price: $5 The Question to YouWhat’s the iPhone app you crave? What would take great advantage of Location Services, the camera, SDK features, or what have you? What itch do you want to have scratched? 52 Comments
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 Everyone thought about doing PrimeThis ;-)Submitted by lgerbarg on July 17, 2008 - 2:47pm.
A lot of people I spoke to at WWDC considered doing PrimeThis (at least half a dozen). As people have noted, the two big issues are the camera, and the fact that it is against Amazon's terms of service. I know there are a few apps using AWS, but they either have special permission from Amazon, or more than likely they are (unknowingly) violating the TOS, and could be turned off if and when Amazon notices. As for the camera... The iPhone's camera has a fixed focal length that prevents most naive approaches of barcode scanning from working. There are some more complicated techniques that work directly on the image as opposed to trying to clean it up optically. The catch is that writing such a decoder is a major undertaking. There are a few companies who have code like that for grabbing barcodes using low rez fixed focus webcams. I know of one person has such a codebase running on iPhone at least well enough to demo, though I have no idea if it works reliably enough to ship an app, and I have no idea what he intends to use it for. » POSTED IN:
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