AWAY

Motion-X GPS and the GOgroove FlexSMART

From 1999 to 2003 I drove a lot. I'm talking "I've Been Everywhere Man", new-town-every-week sort of driving. Though GPS recievers existed, they were expensive, and I preferred my Microsoft Streets and Trips software for plotting my travel (and Waffle House rest stops). Since moving to New York (where owning a car can be a liability) it's a rare occasion that I'm behind the wheel for any length of time. On those occasions I now have a brilliant GPS reciever using my iPhone 4 and the Motion-X GPS app.


I don't ask much from a GPS device; find where I am and point me where I want to go. Motion-X shows a map of your location on the iPhone screen crowned with an orange arrow and big blue line directing you to your route. Voice directions ring clearly from the speaker with plenty of warning as you approach your turn. The top of the screen displays the distance to your next waypoint, ETA at your destination, and total miles remaining. Motion-X also has in-app controls for playing your iTunes music (music temporarily mutes during directions), and incoming calls can be answered and completed with the app continuing where it left off.


The cost of of the application is what seals its position as my default GPS software. $3 buys you the program and includes an introductory month of spoken turn-by-turn navigation. Additional months cost $3, or you can pay $20 for the year. At a maximum $23 per year, Motion X is incredibly cheap compared to stand-alone GPS receivers and GPS applications. If you don't want to pay beyond the initial $3, you can still use the application's maps and trip plotting, but you won't have live navigation.

So where do you rest your iPhone while you're traveling the highways and byways? If you didn't score the rental car with a perfectly placed cup holder, I recommend the GOgroove FlexSMART. The Flexsmart is 3 handy products in one. It's a flexible mounting stand for your iPhone, it charges your phone while it's docked, and it sends the audio from the phone to the speakers of your car using an FM transmitter. In dense city environments, you may experience some competition from the local Lite FM channel, but you can easily choose other frequencies which the Flexsmart will use to broadcast to your car's radio.


iPhone speakers do a good job in many situations, but being able to hear your route directions over the drone of the highway is essential. It's also great to listen to your own music over the cars speakers, and the Flexsmart puts out clear sound quality overall. I was worried that a stand suspending my phone in the air might shake and risk the phone falling, but my device feels secure on the solid stand. $39.95 may seem high, but the 3-in-1 functionality makes the price reasonable.


If you're an occasional driver who owns an iPhone, I encourage you to invest the small fee and give Motion-X a try. If you know you've got some extended road time in your future, consider adding the GOgroove Flexsmart to give your phone an adjustable charging dock with enhanced audio.

SWIPE

GoodReader App for iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch

I first discovered the GoodReader App when I was looking for a way to transfer documents from my computer to the memory of my iPhone for later use.  A multi-function document viewer, GoodReader allows your computer to see your iOS device as a network attached drive (when it's connected to the same wireless network).  Dragging and dropping files onto your iPhone or iPad is easy and, whether the document is a PDF, Microsoft Office file, or even in audio/video format, GoodReader stores and displays it without need of additional internet connectivity.

iPhone version

GoodReader can also be connected to many different file repositories.  Connecting the app to your email account will display only messages with attachments and the option to save those files to your device's memory.  Connect GoodReader to your Dropbox account to have access to that folder sync service.  Connect it to your NAS (network attached storage) drive at home and download files stored remotely.

iPad version

GoodReader can view many file types, but what if you're trying to open one beyond it's abilities?  The app offers you a list of additional applications on your device capable of displaying it and will send the file there.  Add the ability to notate and email documents and GoodReader is the first app to purchase for your new iPhone/Ipad.  $4.99 in the iTunes App Store.

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 Torchwood : Miracle Day

Starz Network, beginning July 8th

What if everyone stopped dying?


When I was eight years old I remember watching a British TV show on Canadian public television called Doctor Who.  Doctor Who was a benevolent alien who traveled the galaxy in his police box-shaped time machine saving humans (and humans dressed in foam-tentacled suits) in peril.


In 2005, Russell T Davies (Queer as Folk) revived the family friendly scifi adventure on BBC to wild success.  That success led to his creation of the spinoff series Torchwood.  Aside from being an anagram of Doctor Who, Torchwood was the name of a fictional government organization tasked with engaging and investigating alien threats on earth.  The series took a notably darker, more adult tone than Doctor Who.


After three seasons on BBC (airing on CBC in Canada and BBC America in the United States) season 4 begins tonight on the Starz network and July 14th on BBC One.


Why you should watch.
If you like your science fiction with grand ideas and unexpected consequences, Russel T Davies is a man whose media you want to consume.  The premise of Torchwood:Miracle Day revolves around a sudden halt in the earth's mortality rate. This mysterious phenomenon leads to the return of the remaining members of Torchwood, led by John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness.  Though I'm not the biggest fan of Barrowman, Davies gives him so many cool and tragic things to do that I can't help hopping on the band wagon.  You should too.

Promotional billboard at 42nd St and 8th Ave, New York