NASA TweetApps

(This will be a quick post, as I’m finishing it while sitting at the airport.)

I use my iPhone 4 and iPad 2 all the time.  There are thousands of apps available for iOS devices…many of them junk.  However, there are also lots that are done very well – both for the functionality they provide as well as for how they deliver it.  Below I’ll list and discuss the apps I expect to use leading up to and during #NASATweetup for the STS-134 launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour.

NASATweetApps for #NASATweetup

FlightTrack Pro | [iTunes link] | This app has one of the best looking interfaces I’ve seen in an iOS app.  The app allows you to store a list of flights and displays the latest status for the flights along with gate, baggage claim, and airport information.  The pro version is integrated with TripIt.com, which lets users forward an email containing a flight itinerary to an email address and have that itinerary automatically synced with FlightTrack Pro.  This app includes push notifications, letting you know (often before the airport displays) if your flight is late.  This app is great for both iPhone and iPad.  iPad shows a map display during most uses of the app, while the iPhone can show a map display on request.

Twitter | [iTunes link] | While the official Twitter app  is good in iPhone, it really shines on iPad.  This app lets you tap or swipe on @names, #hashtags, and URLs and display that information in an overlapping pane to the right of your Twitter timeline.  Swiping the panel towards the right moves the panel mostly off screen, allowing you to view your timeline again, but still leaving access to that pane.  Check out some screenshots in iTunes.

MissionClock | [iTunes link] | I’ve only used this app for a short while, but it provides LOTS of information about various space missions.  Most important for #NASATweetup, it shows information for the STS-134 launch.  This is a universal app (designed for both iPad and iPhone), but the iPad version just appears to be a larger edition of the iPhone app.

Foursquare | [iTunes link] |  This app is just fun to use in general, as it lets you see how many other folks are checked in at a location as well as offering deals and coupons in some cases.  For this trip, it should be awesome to have a Foursquare check-in at the Kennedy Space Center press site and Vehicle Assembly Building!  This app is only designed for iPhone, so don’t expect anything fancy on the iPad.

WordPress | [iTunes link] | This is a great app to use to keep this blog up to date.  This is a universal app, although I’ve mainly used it for iPad.

Notability | [iTunes link] | I have only used this app a bit, but it allows you to type notes (great for capturing info from #NASATweetup speakers) as well as take pictures and sound recordings and associate them with those notes.  I’ve only used it on iPad, and it has a decent interface.  This app is only available for iPad.

NASA official app| [iTunes link] | This app has lots of good NASA info as well as streaming access to NASA TV.

Here are some other good #NASATweetup related apps:

• Friendly Pro for iPad| [iTunes link] – This is a great third party Facebook app for iPad.  I like the pro version because it gets rid of the ads.  A free version is also available, though.
• Facebook | [iTunes link] | (This app should be a lot better and is only available for iPhone.)
• Dropbox | [iTunes link]

What great apps for #NASATweetup have I missed?  Let me know in the comments below!