“Just ask the Axis. He knows everything”: My iPhone is The Axis
“Bold as Love” is one of my fave Jimi Hendrix songs. That is where the lyric quote in this post’s title comes from. Every time I pick up my iPhone I think of that lyric. If the Axis actually does know everything, then i am officially naming me my iPhone, The Axis.
http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf
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The Axis, has been glued to my right hand since I moved to London. The apps on it have become invaluable to my getting around, knowing what is what and keeping in touch with my people around the globe. Yes, It does know everything…well, at least everything I need it to know.
One thing I want to always know is, who is playing gigs where I am. I have two great music / concert apps that help me keep in the know on local live sounds: iConcertCal & iLike’s “Concerts“.
Both work in sync with your iTunes library. There are plug-in for iTunes that use your artists to help customize alerts for concerts in your area for your “favorite” (meaning artist in your iTunes library) bands.
iConcertCal:
This plug-in monitors your iTunes music collection and spits out a customised concert listing in your area. In the “view” menu for iTunes you can set the visualizer for “iConcertCal” and a personalised calendar of concerts will come up.
The sister iPhone app works just like the iTunes plug-in, but with a few Phone-y features:
- Buy tickets and get directions to the show
- You can sort by venue, artist or by date
- Email option to send reminders to yourself of friend
- A sample button to hear what the band sounds like (but, hey, they are a “favourite” band so you should know that already…)
iLike’s Concerts:
iLike’s is similar in the way it crawls you iTunes library to find out your “favourite” artists. Here is what this one can do:
- Browse local concerts personalized to your iTunes library
- Get notified when your artists announce local shows (via “push”)
- Search by artists or venue and mark your favorites
- Buy tickets and get directions to the show
I don’t have a preference as of yet but here is what each is telling me:
Similar alerts in iConcertCal & iLike’s “Concerts”
- Jeff Beck
- Mark Knopfler
- Elton John
- Joan Baez
- The Dead Weather
- ZZ Top
- Fleetwood Mac
- Steve Earle
- Andrew Bird
- Wilco
Different alerts for each:
- iConcert Cal: David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Deer Tick, Sea Sick Steve
- “Concerts”: James Taylor
A mixed bag of results with similar and different artists for each app. Good thing I check them both or otherwise I would be pissed off at my iLike app for not telling me about David “Honeyboy” Edwards. Likewise, my wife would like to see James Taylor, but iConcertCal is trying to put me in the doghouse by not informing of his gig.
Side note: James Taylor is touring Europe in November & December. I am willing to bet he planned that tour after the World Series just in case his (our) beloved Red Sox make the series.
So, for the time being I will use both apps to keep my ears posted as to who is gigging in my neighbourhood. They each get high marks for letting be know about Ray Lamontagne at the Royal Albert Hall last Thursday. Glad I went to that one.
There is one other music app I am using on a regular basis: Wolfgang’s Vault “Concert Vault” app. I love this one for streaming shows straight from the deep, deep trove of live treasures that is Wolfgang’s Vault. If you have a Valut account (free), you can sync up your web app playlists to the iPhone app. This is my go-to app when I am in need of a live fix.
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I’m using lots of other apps to keep me going in London. Attached are screen shots of my first three screens. I have used these most often since I moved here.
My home screen has the essentials:
- All my gmail, calendar and contact apps
- Google Maps & Around Me. When using these two in tandem I have been able to find everything I need to. I look like a freak staring at the phone in my hand while the little blue ball leads me on the path to my destination…but I get there.
- My social media apps: Twitterific, Facebook & Brightkite. I need to finally admit that I am not just a geek-in-training, but an actual flown blown social media freak. using twitter a few other services I can find out and keep up on all kinds of things that interest me, specifically music related stuff.
- I have my trusty productivity apps on hand too: MindMeister (mindmapping), ReQall (note taking / reminders and Remember the Milk (todo lists). Evernote is a powerful web-clipping software that allows you to take audio and picture notes as well.
- I am also using Instapaper. This is a great app for reading things on the go. There are a lot of articles and blog posts that I like to read but don’t want to be stuck at my computer reading all of the time. This app allows you to access all of the articles (text only for easier downloading) that you choose to read later through their web app. This one is great for reading stuff while on The Tube.
My second screen is all about me getting around in London:
- My clock for showing me timezones for the US and Australia
- The London guides from Lonely Planet & Frommers
- The oh-so-handy London Tube and AtoZ apps
- XE currency exchange until I master the conversion rates
- Tripit is a great way for me to put all of my Euro jaunt itineraries in one place (off to Ibiza Spain in October!)
My third screen is all about staying in the know:
- The afore mentioned music apps are here
- The local London review and awareness apps: Qype, Yelp (very helpful so far) and What’s On
- Food and drink apps Zagat and Drink are very helpful for finding hot spots and staying away from dead spots
There are a slew of other apps (a page of sports apps) that I use, but the ones above I use most often.
Anyone have any others I should have handy…?
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