UMB’s Guide to App Stores

Apps are all the rage at the moment, with most major retailers, banks and publications all launching their own app. It’s not just news and shopping though, most of the big names in gaming are also developing for the various app markets, releasing some of the biggest titles in the gaming world for mobile phones.

While you might not give that much thought to the app stores, it’s worth spending a few minutes to understand the different stores and how they operate as it may play an important role in choosing your next phone. Once you’ve committed to spending money on apps for one platform, there’s every chance that you’ll want to stick with that platform when it comes to choosing your next phone, in order to keep all your apps.

Having so many Apps to choose from is great as it means that you can now do much more on your phone than you ever thought you’d be able to, but with so many App stores out there it can get a little confusing, so we thought we’d put a quick guide together to explain the differences between the main App stores and point out a few things that are worth bearing in mind before you make your next phone purchase.

Apple iTunes App Store

Apple kick started the App revolution when they launched their app store a couple of years ago and since then every other handset manufacturer has followed suit and launched their own version of the App store. It’s no surprise then to find out that the iTunes App store is the largest of the bunch and has more apps than any other App store. All App purchases need to be made through your iTunes account and can be downloaded through your computer or directly onto your iPhone or iPod touch.

Apple have a very strict approval policy, which although heavily criticised, does mean that the apps are of a very high standard, are generally reliable and can be fully trusted. There are thousands of free Apps available, with the paid Apps starting at 59p and most paid ones will have a ‘lite’ or trial version that you can use to try it out before you buy.

Last year Apple introduced a system called in-app purchase. This allows you to purchase extra levels, extend your subscription or add functionality to the app without having to buy a separate version. Some of the extras can be expensive, so always check out the top in-app purchases section to get a full idea of the cost before you commit to buying an app as there are no refunds.

If you upgrade your iPhone or iPod touch, all your apps will sync across to the new one with no hassle.If you have multiple Apple devices in your house, you can use Apple Home Sharing in iTunes to install the App on upto 5 different devices at no extra cost.

Cydia

Slightly controversial, Cydia is an App store for Jailbroken iPhones. We wouldn’t recommend jailbreaking your device as it will leave you open to a number of security risks, but if you do decide to do it, Cydia is the place to go. They have a wide range of apps – including those that Apple have rejected. The Cydia store isn’t policed and there is no one monitoring the Apps to make sure that they’re not compromising your data or doing things that they shouldn’t be.

If you upgrade your iPhone or iPod touch, you won’t be able to back up your phone to iTunes and any apps may be lost unless you use a third party application to back up your phone.

Android Market

Android is the next biggest smartphone OS after iPhone for touchscreen devices. Their App store is much newer than Apple’s, but it’s filling up with Apps quickly. You can only download through your phone, and the Android Market is only available on handsets that are classed as a “Google Experience” handset. Fortunately, most Android handsets are, but there are a few exceptions. To avoid any disappointment I’d recommend trying the phone before you commit to it in order to make sure that the Android Market is installed. For non-Google Experience phones, you can still get Apps on to your phone, but you’ll normally need to download them directly from the developers site and then transfer them to the phone manually.

Unlike Apple’s App Store, the Apps aren’t as strictly vetted and not all apps behave as they should, so take time to read the reviews of an App before you download and install it.

If you upgrade your Android phone you can quickly and easily re-download any apps that you’ve purchased through the Android Market. You can also use a back up app to transfer your apps to a memory card.

Nokia Ovi Store

Nokia have had a download service for years, but it wasn’t particularly popular and only ever had a limited range of applications. Since the introduction of OVI services a couple of years ago, their Download! service has been re-branded and relaunched as the OVI Store. The Nokia OVI store is slightly different to that of Apple and Android as it offers themes, wallpapers and ringtones for your phone, as well as games and applications.

The other thing that you’ll notice with the OVI store is that not all apps will work on all devices. Unlike Apple and Android which only have one operating system, Nokia phones run on several different versions of software, some phones have smaller screens and keypads and others are touch screen. This does make developing Apps for them more difficult, so you’ll need to make sure you filter the apps by phone model before you buy anything.

Apps for Nokia phones are generally available for phones running S40 and S60 software. Other phones can still run Apps, but these will normally need to be a Java application. More on that later. Apps in the OVI store are checked by Nokia so you can be confident that the App will do what it says it will do.

You can d ownload apps from the OVI website or directly through the phone. You can transfer Apps between phones, but it’s not particularly easy unless you downloaded the app through your PC, but you’ll need to make sure that the app is compatible with your new phone when you upgrade.

BlackBerry App World

BlackBerry were one of the first to follow Apple and launch their store. It’s been around for a while now and there are plenty of Apps to choose from. Apps will generally work on all models of BlackBerry, so compatibility isn’t normally a problem.

You can download apps directly to your phone using the BlackBerry App World app, or you can download them to your PC and sync them over manually. There are plenty of free apps to choose from, along with hundreds of paid apps.

Switching BlackBerry isn’t a problem, just use the Desktop Manager to backup your old phone and restore it to the new one and you’ll find all your apps in place and ready to go.

Windows Marketplace

Windows is going through a massive change at the moment, with an all new Windows Phone 7 due in September/October. Along with it will come a new way to download apps and a new App Store. Microsoft are following in Apple’s footsteps, all apps need to be approved by them and there will be strict rules on what they can and can’t do. In future, all App purchases will need to go through Microsoft, rather than third party websites.

Their current app store is a little all over the place. The latest version of their phone software, Windows Mobile 6.5.3 has Windows Marketplace built in and allows you to download apps directly onto your phone. If you’re running any other version of Windows Mobile 6 you’ll need to download the App in order to shop at Microsoft, a lot of effort really considering that there are only 700 apps available. You’ll find lots more Windows Mobile Apps on sites such as Handango, but these Apps aren’t tested on every device, they’re not policed and may have performance issues.

In a questionable move by Microsoft, any Apps you buy for your current Windows Mobile 6.X device won’t work with Windows Phone 7 when it comes out later this year, so when you upgrade all your apps will be lost.

LG Application Store

The LG Application Store is probably the most confusing of them all. They use different operating systems on their phones and their store doesn’t make it particularly clear which apps work on which phone. Apps can be downloaded either through your computer or directly onto your device, but to avoid any confusion I’d recommend downloading through your device. Most apps for LG phones are Java Applications, this means that they will work on pretty much any phone, but as they’re usually protected files, you can’t always transfer them from one phone to another.

If your LG handset is running Android or Windows Mobile I’d recommend using the Android or Windows Marketplace.

Samsung Apps

Samsung seem to be missing a trick with their App Store as they only currently support four handsets. The main one being the Samsung Wave, which is the only handset that uses the Bada menu system. There over 1500 apps to choose from, but with such a small range of supported phones, you’re likely to be disappointed.

If your Samsung runs Android or Windows, stick to those App stores, for standard Samsung phones you should be able to find plenty of Java Applications, just not at Samsung Apps.

Everyone else

You’ll notice that Sony Ericsson, Motorola and HTC don’t have their own App Stores. HTC only produce Android or Windows Mobile phones, so having their own App store is unnecessary. Motorola and Sony Ericsson are in a similar position, both are now switching to Android on their smartphones, while their standard feature phones will happily run any of the readily available Java Apps.

Java Apps are the most universal type of app. While they won’t work on every phone out there, most phones support them which is why they’re still one of the most popular formats for mobile phone games. You’ll often find that Java Apps are protected files though, so you won’t always be able to transfer them between phones.

10 of the best iPhone Bike Apps

Following on from my post on iPhone Bike Mounts, here is the list that I promised containing the top ten iPhone Bike Apps. Some are free, some are paid but they’re all available in the app store now and are designed to make tracking your movements and recording your progress as easy as possible, in addition, some of the apps will provide some form of navigation or integrate with maps from the Ordinance Survey.

Whether you commute to work  on your bike, cycle for fun or to keep fit, there will no doubt be an app here that will come in handy. I’m not going to pretend to be a cycling enthusiast – my bike only comes out of the shed about 4 times a year, but writing this gave me a good excuse to fetch it out and take it for a spin to see how these apps measure up.

Reviewing 10 apps in full would probably have killed me, so I only tested the main, basic features of the app. For a more detailed review of some of the features, you’ll need to read the reviews in iTunes, but you’ll find a summary of the app and my initial thoughts listed below.

1. MotionX GPS

I was keen to try Motion X as it’s had a lot of mentions and recommendations on various iPhone forums. As with most of the apps here, there are two versions, a Lite version and the fully functioning app. The full version has more features than the lite version and is well worth the £1.79.

It’s one of only a few apps that have iPod support built in, allowing you to change/control your music without having to quit the app and lose your data.  Controls on screen are clear and simple and can be used even when cycling. It can store over 300 waypoints, 100 routes and has the option of sharing them using Google Earth, Google Maps or Facebook/Twitter. As well as recording your route, it will allow you to monitor your speed, distance and journey time.

MotionX Lite – Free

MotionX GPS – £1.79 

2. RunKeeper

There are two versions of this app available, the free version and the pro version – I tried the free version and was pretty impressed. The App isn’t just for cycling, it can be used for a number of sports and has the ability to change activity in the app settings. It tracks your speed, distance travelled and number of calories burned off and tracks your progress on a map. All workouts can then be synced to a website where you can monitor your progress

It has built in support for iPod so you won’t need to close the app to change tracks or switch playlists, but as with every app on this list, if you get a call or a text it can interfere with the data it records. Hopefully when iPhone OS 4.0 comes out next month this kind of app is one that will be able to run in the background.

The extra features in the Pro version don’t add any extra features to the core purpose of the app, but allow you to do more with the camera & iPod, as well as giving you audio updates on your progress through your headphones.

RunKeeper –  Free

RunKeeper Pro – £5.99 

3. Cyclemeter

At just under £3 this is a great app. In terms of functionality it’s similar to RunKeeper, (to be fair, the functionality of all the apps on this list are very similar) but the main difference is that this app has been designed specifically for cyclists, with other dedicated apps for running & walking. Featurewise this is a real challenger to RunKeeper as it’s half the price, but has pretty much all the same features – possibly a couple more.

I liked the fact that you can start and stop tracking by using the answer button on your earphones instead of having to touch your phone. Voice prompts and alerts are another prominent feature of the app – you can set up alerts that tell you your speed, distance etc at pre-defined intervals, or just tap your headphone remote for an update.

Recorded routes can be uploaded to Google Maps and shared with others and it’s got twitter and facebook support too -but to be honest most of your friends will be too busy playing farmville to notice that you’ve just been on a bike ride.

Cyclemeter - £2.99 

4. SportyPal

SportyPal is essentially a speedometer for your bike. It uses GPS data to calculate your speed and distance travelled. It stores your routes and lets you upload them to the SportyPal website, where you can analyse and review your trips.

It’s simple, works well and has a nice clean interface. It’s jumped on the Facebook/Twitter bandwagon, but I’m not really sure what the point of it is.

It’s a good app if you’re just looking for simple tracking and speed data, but there are other apps that do more for slightly less, although none of them are quite as clean and simple to use.

SportPal – £2.99 

5. B.iCycle

This is a really nice app that’s been designed specifically for cyclists – and it shows. The screen layout is clear and uncluttered. You have 3 screen options – split screen shows your speed and position on a map, big map for full screen tracking on a map and a data screen that shows all the stats you could possibly want to see.

There is an export option – at the end of your trip the app will ask you if you want the route emailing to you as a KML or GPX file. You can then use this file in Google Maps/Earth to see where you’ve been. Maps in the app are downloaded as they’re needed, but once downloaded, it saves it on to the device, allowing you to continue to use the app even if you’re out of signal.

It’s not as fully featured as some of the others in this list, but it’s still worth looking at, although there’s no lite or trial version, so you’ll need to pay to try it.

B.iCycle – £5.99 

6. OutDoors

Outdoors is a great app, but not one for the casual cyclist. Mountain bikers, trekkers and walkers who enjoy venturing cross country will absolutely love it, but for your average city commuter it’s probably got way more than you’re ever likely to need.

It has maps from Ordnance Survey maps included with the application that allow you to browse and plan routes across your chosen region. As you’d expect with OS maps, the level of detail is excellent and in 1:250000 scale. Maps are stored on your phone, so even if you lose signal you can continue to wander about. You can build and plan your own routes on the device or import them from the web and save them on your phone.

The App isn’t designed exclusively for cycling as it gives you the choice of either walking or cycling. The only downsides to this one are that it’s not cheap – The main app is free but for more detailed regional maps, you’ll need to download them as an in-app purchase – these are currently going for around £10 each – so for the whole of the UK, it could get expensive. Having said that it’s still an awesome app. Tracking isn’t as detailed as some of the others in the list, but this is more about route planning and navigating than it is tracking your route and recording your progress.

OutDoors is free, but regional maps are £9.99 via in-app purchase 

7. Every Trail

EveryTrail is similar in a few ways to Trails but has a lot more functionality. It allows you to track your routes, attach geo-tagged photo’s to your route and then share your routes with friends and family either through Facebook & Twitter, or through the EveryTrail website (Pro Version only). You can save your trips and can also search through trips made by other app users.

To be honest, for commuters and those who cycle to keep fit you might struggle to find a use for this. It can be used for walking as well as cycling, and I’m more likely to use this again then next time I go camping or on a trekking weekend than I am the next time I go out on my bike. It’s a great app for recording and sharing where you’ve been and is a must have app if you enjoy leisurely walks or bike rides out in the country.

I tried the free version which is ad supported and didn’t really bother me too much. The free version doesn’t give you the option to sync your routes with the EveryTrail servers or let you save maps for use offline, so if you’re out cycling in the middle of nowhere and lose signal, you could have problems. Start off with the free version to make sure it’s what you need, and if it is upgraded to the Pro version – the £2.39 is well worth it.

EveryTrail – Free

EveryTrail Pro –  £2.39 

8. The Bike Computer

The Bike Computer is a relatively simple, no frills app that tracks your route and displays information on your progress. It’s from the same developer as EveryTrail, but is clearly their budget offering.

It does an ok job, information is clear and easy to read while you’re cycling, but I found it a little on the buggy side. Updates are promised soon, so if you only cycle for a hobby and don’t need anything too serious it’s an ok app to go for.

Cost: Free

9. Trails

This is more of a tracking app than a monitoring app. It’s all about recording where you’ve been, recording gps data for photos. It has got some monitoring ability, but speed is recorded as minutes per mile, suggesting that it’s aimed more at walkers than cyclists.

I tried the free version, which was fine, but it only lets you store 5 routes at a maximum of 5 minutes in lenght, so if you’re often going out and about and want to record where you’ve been, you’ll need to pay for the full version which gives you unlimited routes. Routes can be imported and exported in the GPX and KML formats – standard formats for handling GPS data to geo-tag photo’s and record your journeys in google maps and various other online sites.

Trails Lite – Free 

Trails – £2.39 

10. Trailguru

This is a really simple, basic tracking app. It tracks distance, speed and elevation. You can view where you’ve been on a map and post your route to the Trailguru website.  It’s pretty basic, but does what it sets out to do.

There’s no iPod integration either, so you’ll may lose data when trying to change track. Although it’s a free one, there are other, better alternatives.


Trailguru – Free

One app that’s worth a small mention that I already had on my phone was CoPilot Live. While strictly speaking it’s not a biking app, it does have a cycle mode and is better at getting you from point A to point B than some of the others listed above. What it lacks though is any form of tracking – but if like me you end up in a random field in a part of town you’ve never seen before you’ll be glad you had it!

So there we go, that’s my top ten iPhone Bike apps. If you use any of the apps listed here, let me know what you think of them, or if you think I’ve missed any out add it to the list by leaving a comment below.