Return to the Planet of the Apps
Nov 1, 2010 3:20 PM, By Chriss Scherer, editor
Last month I highlighted some apps that may be useful to a broadcast engineer. We received lots of additional suggestions.
Speedtest.net
While mobile device apps abound, we have received a few recommendations that are not specifically mobile apps. One website, Speedtest.net, is an Internet access bandwidth test that verifies upload and download rates. And if you want an app for your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, one is available.
TuneIn Radio
TuneIn Radio is an iPhone/iPod Touch app that accesses more than 40,000 streaming radio stations. While it’s designed as a consumer app, it’s handy to monitor a station when you’re out of town.
Spyglass
Spyglass
Augmented reality apps use the iPhone’s camera to overlay additional information in the display. Spyglass displays a military-spec compass, tracker and finder for GPS locations, constant bearings, sun, moon and star locations, inclinometer, sextant, rangefinder, angular calculator, maps and other data over the active camera view or a map. Objects can be assigned a primary target to easily locate them when in view.
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Return to the Planet of the Apps
Nov 1, 2010 3:20 PM, By Chriss Scherer, editor
Net Status
Want to keep an eye on servers, routers and other network devices connected to the Internet or LAN? Try Net Status to check availability and verify their status. The app runs on an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.
Another useful app to check on the integrity of a network is Scany. This app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad performs a dozen of queries at once to see who is on a network, look at data a hacker might seek, identifying potential malicious intruders on a Wi-fi hotspot, scan ports, look at which IP addresses are in use on a DHCP network and more.
MathU RPN
MathU RPN calculator is a Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) scientific and financial calculator for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The calculator supports double precision accuracy and has 96 functions including 15 financial functions, four number bases and 10 statistical functions. There are 20 memory registers. It supports a portrait and landscape keypad. The company (Creative Creek) also makes calculators for Palm, Windows Mobile and soon Droid.
Good Reader for iPhone (and iPod Touch) is a multi-format file reader. It can read PDF, TXT, MS Office files and graphic files. Its claim to fame is that it can handle very large files (200MB+) with ease, which can be handy if you need to open large equipment manuals as PDFs. It can also highlight and mark text and create sticky notes in files. These markings can be saved and read on other computers.
Satellite Sliderule Pro
Satellite Sliderule Pro for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad emulates a mechanical slide rule used to find elevation and azimuth angles toward a satellite in geostationary orbit. By setting the satellite latitude and longitude, the calculator will return elevation and azimuth angles for the ground antenna.
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Return to the Planet of the Apps
Nov 1, 2010 3:20 PM, By Chriss Scherer, editor
Awyse Atomic Clock
Atomic Clock CS2
There are several clock apps on the iTunes App Store. Two recommended to us are Atomic Clock from Awyse and Atomic Clock CS2 from Compulab. The Awyse version claims accuracy within a microsecond. The Compulab version has a familiar interface: It looks like a clock used on Gorgy Timing clocks.
Got an app to share? We’re looking for your picks for a favorite remote desktop app.
November 2010
Choosing a computer audio interface, a tour of the CBC/Radio-Canada’s upgrade, multimedia for digital radio, calculating STL fade margin and more….
