Before you comment on how empty or boring my iPod touch home screen may be let me quote Leonardo da Vinci, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” I hope that doesn’t set the bar too high for this post.

Probably like you my home page is made up of apps I use most often. It’s also the landing place for new apps I’m playing with or reviewing. I hardly ever take advantage of all of the available space. You happen to see my home page in transition. Some apps have graduated to other pages, some didn’t make the cut.

Write briefly about any apps you particularly like on your home screen.

My two favorite apps on my home page are Tweetie and Pandora.  After using pretty much all of the Twitter clients available I found Tweetie to be my favorite. I’d like to see the features of the iPhone/touch app make it to the desktop client. If you love music you should really checkout Pandora.

Which app is your guilty pleasure?

Bejeweled 2 – It’s my go to game when there’s some idle time.

How many screens full of apps do you have?

I have five screens. I categorize them as: home page, fun & games, utilities, audio & video and a holding area for apps rarely used and the Apple apps you can’t delete. 

How many times a day do you use your iPhone/iPod touch?

My touch is always within reach. I pretty much use it on and off all day.

What is your favorite feature of the iPhone/iPod touch?

To paraphrase the quote I used at the beginning of this post – the iPod touch is sophistication in simplicity.

If you were Steve Jobs, what would you add to the iPod Touch?

A CAMERA!

Anything else you’d like to share?

I would like to highlight a few apps hidden on the other pages of my iPod touch:

WhiteNoise – Provides ambient sounds to help with relaxation or sleep.

Convert – Unit of measure converter.

Evernote – Allows you to access the Evernote service from you iPhone/touch

1Password – Securely stores your passwords. Syncs with desktop 1Password client.

OrbMedia – Allows you to stream media from a home computer to your iPhone/touch.

nin: access – Nine Inch Nails official app. Interact with other fans, listen to streaming NIN music, news, etc.

Nikon: Lean & Explore – Quick and easy access to Nikon supplied photography information. A great “how-to” app.

Thanks Steve!

 

This week’s featured home screen belongs to my friend, Don McAllister. Don is the host of ScreenCastsOnline.com and also blogs at themacscreencastguy.com. If you ever get the chance to meet Don you’ll immediately discover he is, in every way, exactly like that friendly Liverpool accent you hear on his screencasts: kind, friendly, sincere, and infectious. One of the highlights for me every year at Macworld is seeing Don. 

 

 

I’m a huge fan of the Apple Remote application as I have the Apple TV, several Macs and an Airport Express. The way it just works allowing me to have control over all my media playback is simply amazing.  

Snatch is there to allow me to access my Mac mini media centre – I control Plex using some dedicated keyboard overlays and when not in Plex, Snatch allows me to control the Mac mini via a touchpad and keyboard from the iPhone

Tom Tom is hugely convenient to have the GPS at my beck and call, even if it is very expensive.

Clock is my multi day alarm clock with separate times for week days and weekends

The four dock icons are the ones I use the most – Settings to switch on and off WiFi, etc, Mail, Tweetie 2 and the iPod 

 

What is your favorite app?

Probably Remote or Tweetie 2

 

Which app is your guilty pleasure? 

Canabalt, although I keep saying I’ll have to do a recipe from Jamie Olivers 20 minute meals – a very well put together application

 

How many screens full of apps do you have?

10 but not all fully populated. I keep meaning to organise them properly but even with the management app in iTunes, they quickly become disorganised and I never get around to re-sorting them. Thanks goodness for search!

 

What is the app you are still missing?

One that I don’t even know I need…..yet

Or one to control and remotely program my Virgin Media cable box

 

How many times a day do you use your iPhone/iPod touch?

Lots, it’s my constant companion and never strays too far away

 

What is your favorite feature of the iPhone/iPod touch?

 How even after a couple of years use, it still feels like alien technology from the future

 

If you were Steve Jobs, what would you add to the iPhone?

Got to be HD video recording and a front facing camera for video iChat. Once the networks can cope with the extra bandwidth requirements that is!

 

Anything else you’d like to share?

How disappointed I was to miss the Macworld keynote when the iPhone was launched. I was actually in San Francisco that year and It was my first Macworld.  Being a newbie, I didn’t realise that you needed a special ticket to get into the keynote and was mortified to discover that they didn’t even show it on screens unless you were a conference attendee (I’d just bought a show floor ticket that year). At the same time the iPhone was being launched to the world, I was sitting in the Starbucks next door to the Moscone center, watching proceedings via the usual blogs and second hand feeds. 

So close and yet so far!

At least I did get to be one of the first people to gaze into the cylindrical glass case containing the iPhone during the show.  Amazing to think just how far the iPhone has developed in just a few short years, and how it’s become some widely adopted and such an indispensable tool.

I am starting a new series at MacSparky where, once a week, I will feature the iPhone/iPod touch home screen of some notable Mac podcaster, developer, or other interesting person. For the inaugural posting, I will be featuring Tim Verpoorten.

 

Tim is the producer and host of the Surfbits MacReviewCast Podcast where he, and his merry gang, regularly review Mac software and hardware. Tim has tirelessly put our 232 episodes and is still going strong. This podcast is special to me because it was the first one I ever submitted content on and I continue to contribute regularly. So here is the iPod Touch home screen of my friend, Tim.

 

David: What do you like best on your home screen?

Tim: I think that it’s important that the major utilities you use everyday on your home or office Mac are ported over to the iPhone/iPod touch platform. DropBox, 1Password, iDisk, Textexpander and Evernote are all apps I use everyday on both platforms. They make using a Mac a full time experience. Until recently, I had to use a Windows machine all day at the office and my Mac was only available to me at home, but with the iPhone platform, I was able to bring my Mac and my favorite apps, the ones that help me complete my everyday online activities, along with me wherever I went. 

 

 What is your favorite app?

Each app fits a purpose or solves a problem. But I think my favorite iPhone app is also my favorite Mac app, and that’s Evernote. It brings my whole world along with me wherever I am and whatever I’m doing. It’s a great app and a great app is great on any platform.

 

Which app is your guilty pleasure?

WordNerd is the game I open the most when I have a few moments to kill. I love all the graphic shooters, and RPG games such as Underground, but WordNerd gets played the most I think.

 

How many times a day do you use your iPhone/iPod touch? 

Between 4-8 times. I use it when commuting to the office and I use it during the day at the office, more when I did not have my new MacBook Pro at the work, and I use at home in the living room when I want to check email and browse from my recliner rather then getting up and going to my home office. It saves me a lot of grief when my wife wants me to share a movie or TV show with her before bed. 🙂

 

What is your favorite feature of the iPhone/iPod touch? 

Instant on and off and the ability grab Wi-Fi connections easily. It makes connecting to the Internet a real no-brainer. 

 

If you were Steve Jobs, what would you add to the iPhone?

A SD card slot, and a USB port for plug-in accessories. (Maybe a printer)