TekPicks

Three of my favorite sporting events happen in the span of about 30 days: the NCAA Tournament, The Masters and the NFL Draft. So far there has been a shiny iPhone app for each one. Luckily for us, unlike the CBS NCAA app, the app for the Master this weekend is completely free. Features include live video of Amen Corner (holes 11, 12 and 13) plus coverage of holes 15 and 16 along with video highlights, a live leader board, interactive course map with video flyovers and more. Looks like perfect companion for a weekend on the couch to us.

Grab It: iPhone Masters App

The PogoPlug makes a lot of sense. It is a wicked simple and affordable way to share and access your files over the intrawebs. Just plug in any USB drive (flash or external HDD plus you can use a USB hub to support multiple drives) setup your Pogoplug account and you are good to go. The downside? The interface is web based so if PogoPlug crashes and burns as an enterprise your are left with nothing more than a paper weight. Still its much cheaper and just about another other NAS solution out there and requires no additional hardware a la Windows Server so it is definitely worth the look. Oh yeah, it has an iPhone app too which mean you can do cool things like stream your entire MP3 collection to your iPhone…pretty sweet.

Grab It: PogoPlug

Doubling you up on iPhone app goodness this week. CBS has launched a live video feed app for the iPhone letting watch the tournament even if you stuck somewhere without a TV like work. You also get brackets updates, highlight videos and team by team analysis. Only caveat is if you are on 3G the feed is audio only. Gotta be on WiFi for the video to come through.

Grab It: CBS March Madness On Demand

I have been lapse in the last few weeks posting my favorite iPhone apps but not due to a lack of options, rather just a lack of focus. But the feature is back this week and with a great app for you – JotNot. I came across it today and was so impressed with it inspired me write a review tonight.

In a nutshell, here is what it does. Take a picture of a whiteboard or really any document and then upload to the app. Then JotNot allows you to select the text you want to enhance and runs it through a series of filters to improve the readability. The proof is the in the pudding just check out the before and after shots above. At just $3.99 it is super cheap too. [via]

Grab It: JotNot for the iPhone

I am not too sure what to think about the Kindle iPhone app just yet. I like idea, but at least on the surface, it seems to defeat the purpose for which the Kindle was built. The Kindle and other e-book readers work because of their use of e-paper, a display that requires no back lighting so there is no strain on the eyes. Honestly, I cannot imagine trying to read a book of any length on the iPhone’s bright, small (in comparison) display. Not only would battery life be terrible but I imagine it would be headache inducing experience in just minutes.

That being said, there are some rather nice features the app brings. Its is free, for everyone, not just current Kindle owners. You can download books directly to your iPhone (via Amazon’s site using Safari, no neat interface unfortunately) and Amazon’s Whispersync network automatically syncs your purchases if you are a Kindle owner.

I get what Amazon it trying to do but I am just don’t think it is really all that practical in application.

Yes we realize that you can easily backup your contacts to your computer, but we think this app still has a lot of merit. First, not everyone regularly syncing their phone to their computer. To be honest, based on my experience, the average user does NOT sync on a regular basis. So if you lose your phone, you stand to lose several contacts as well. Next, its free so why not add one more layer of protection to help ensure you never lose your contacts. Finally, it allows you to export your contacts so if you ever switch to another phone you can easily restore everything. Did we mention its free?

Football season might be over but with pitchers and catchers reporting in a few weeks, March Madness next month followed by the NFL draft in April and oh yeah the second half of NBA and their 8 month playoff there is still plenty of sporting action to keep track of.

With easy access to scores, stats, standings, schedules, rankings plus the top headlines Sportacular is our pick for the best sports app on the iPhone. Best of all its free, so go download it already.

Between the shear incompetence of the airline industry and the unpredictability of winter weather, there is a pretty good chance we will experience at least one travel delay this week (we hope its only one). Eliminate at least part of the headache that comes with frequent travel by singing up for a free TripChill account. Once you forward your itinerary to the site, you will begin receiving real-time mobile alerts for delays, cancellations or gate changes. Plus it alerts your friends and colleagues about your travel status and provides the ability to book car and hotel from your phone. There is even a TripChill iPhone app.

Sure that stuff is cool but my favorite feature of the site the picture of the frustrated traveler rocking a Moto TimePort circa 2000. Rather funny for a service that promotes its wireless phone integration since that phone was not even capable of SMS… Then again, I am a cell phone nerd…

Grab It: TripChill

SnapTell just released a pretty cool and free iPhone App appropriately named the SnapTell Explorer. Just take a picture of any CD, DVD or book cover and in a few seconds you get links to all kinds of information like any wikipedia entries, reviews and price comparisons.

No iPhone, no problem just email your picture to fun@snaptell.com and the paste the link into your phone’s browser. In all my tests the service worked flawlessly so hopefully the service will expand to other products soon.

Grab It: SnapTell Explorer