There are plenty of powerful GPS applications available for the iPhone platform. This segment of the market is so hot that companies such as TomTom have allocated resources to try and dominate this market as well. Let’s not forget that personal navigation devices are deeply in trouble. You can a get a GPS app for iPhone for as low as $9.99 or as high as $149. It really comes down to the brand and the features that you get in an app. Navigon is one of the companies that are trying to take the iPhone GPS market to the next level. MobileNavigator, Navigon’s iPhone GPS app, comes with a lot of features that we used to see on Navigon’s standalone GPS. It may be expensive but it does everything you would expect from your personal navigation device

While you got the amazing 3D maps, the lane assistant, and accurate directions, you didn’t get live traffic updates with the app. At least until now. Navigon has announced that you can now purchase traffic updates for your app for only $20 (introductory price) and enjoy traffic information on the go. The good news is, you’ll have even a more powerful tool to avoid traffic and get to your destination faster. The fee is also a one time one. The bad news is the app is even more expensive now, and almost as expensive as a dedicated GPS device. Read the rest of this entry »

If you told me a couple of weeks ago that Apple iTunes would allow an app that can show you where to find pot (legally, of course), I would have just laughed at it. Let’s not forget that Apple is known for striking down any app that is even slightly controversial. By no means I am suggesting that a pot finding app is worse than Baby Shaker, but it’s interesting to see Apple take the hit from a lot of folks and still allow such apps to make it to iTunes. Cannabis is really a simple app that can be helpful to folks who are looking for a doctor or a special type of medicine. But add the keyword Marijuana to it all, and you’ve got a viral app!

Hearing the web go nuts over Cannabis was truly eye opening. But youve’ got to give Fox News credit for jumping on the story to prove to its fans how there is a culture war in this nation, and this app may be a game changer. Those guys never miss their chance with stories as juicy as this one. And I am sure the developers behind this app are smiling for all the coverage that they have gotten in the past couple of days.

The question at this point is how long Apple will allow Cannabis to stay on iTunes. Apple is certainly not shy about removing already approved apps, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it did the same with Cannabis. I do believe that Cannabis belongs as long as it’s fully functional. Apple going around striking down any app that could be annoying some folks sets a bad precedent. To its credit, Apple has not announced anything on this issue, so Cannabis is here to stay for now. Nobody knows for how long.

Talk about an earth shattering development. According to the latest rumor discussed on AppleInsider, Apple may be softening its stance on application sharing, making it possible for iPhone users to share their applications with their family members. If you own an iPhone, you know that you don’t get to test an application before purchasing it. You probably do what I do which is trying the lite version of the app you want to buy to find out whether it’s worth spending money on. But not all developers offer lite distributions, and they are a hassle to deal with anyway as once you have bought your app, you’ll have to go and delete the lite version.

It seems the latest feature being considered by Apple will make it easy for anyone to share their applications they love with their friends or family members. But here is the catch: they won’t be able to play the full-version until they’ve bought their own license. Apple may even consider allowing people to play with the full versions but with a limit with a number of times you can use it. And to make matters even better, Apple may introduce a commission system to allow you to earn money or credit once the other side has purchased your application.

Overall, this is a wonderful development that could provide a lot of value to app buyers. I have personally bought a lot of useless applications. You can never be sure about the quality of reviews you see in iTunes, which means you can easily fall for fake reviews. With this new feature, you can test an app before purchasing it. Apple ends up selling more apps, and you and your friends end up getting the best apps. Everybody wins!

Giving away useful things to others can help you get some exposure on the World Wide Web, and potentially attract new customers (and readers). There was a time that giving away WordPress themes and plug-ins was a novelty. Folks who had the skills to write code could write simple themes and plug-ins and gave it away in return for backlinks. With the emergence of the iPhone, it seems giving away applications is becoming a norm now. But should you give away your application for free?

It really depends on your overall strategy. If your goal is to make quick bucks, you can just ask folks to pay for your apps right away. I personally like to think long-term. You can always give away something for free and use the goodwill and exposure you get to make folks want to buy your paid applications. You can also create standard and professional versions of your app and ask folks to pay for the premium features available with your pro edition.

Should you give away your iPhone app? It’s really up to you. If you have 3 apps ready to go, you may afford to give one away to gain exposure for the other two. But if you have spent 6 months to create an iPhone application, unless you don’t need the money you probably don’t afford to give your app away for free.

It took a while, but it seems financial companies are just getting into the iPhone app business. Financial companies are notoriously slow in adopting new technologies (except maybe Bank of America), but Chase has just joined the small group of banks that have a mobile presence on the iPhone.

What I like about this new app is the ability to check balances and paying bills online on the go. It’s not a super exciting app but Chase Mobile does the job well.

What’s been your experience with Chase Mobile?