Appland: How smartphones are transforming our lives

Richard Fisher:

My wife is standing at the door to the bathroom, watching me time my toothbrush routine using an application downloaded to my iPhone. Thirty seconds on upper-right molars: done. "What are you doing?" she asks. "Nothing," I mumble through a mouthful of toothpaste. She doesn't speak, but her eyes say "I think I love you a little less." If only she understood

Ever since I bought an Apple iPhone, I have been hooked on apps (see "What's app, Doc?"). Apple's App Store is a virtual shopping mall with all the shopaholic joy of a real mall but none of the annoying teenagers. It is packed to the virtual rafters with thousands of downloadable software tools. Admittedly, the store makes a bad first impression on many people, with novelty apps such as lightsabres dominating the top 25 chart. But dig a little deeper and you will find life-enhancing riches.

I confess that I now turn to the App Store in almost every situation. In unfamiliar places, I use apps to find the nearest gas station, cinema or even public toilet. I track the length and time of my commute. All my gym workouts are logged. Finding a nice place to eat while on the move is a cinch. Even this article is brought to you thanks to a voice recorder app (iDictaphone) that I used for recording interviews, and one that helped me "mind map" my thoughts when planning it out. Sometimes I daydream about becoming the most virtually enhanced human in the world.

Virtual Properties released a location based (GPS HomeFinder) real estate broker/agent branded iPhone app earlier this year. An update will be available this fall. Our clients have deployed mobile websites as well, ranging from straightforward support for many phones to sophisticated smartphone sites.

These mobile applications use GPS and mapping data. We offer detailed, frequently updated maps and satellite imagery for a fixed fee. This means our clients can grow applications and volumes without paying more - an important factor in today's market. (Search engine map fees are based on usage - the more you use, the more you pay). Contact us at 608 271 9601 or zellmer@virtualproperties.com to learn more.