Tap, tap, there’s an app
One of the things I really like about my iPhone is the iTunes App Store. For those of you who’ve been sleeping the last couple of years, app is short for "application," as in computer program. In this case, the computer is the iPhone, and the programs are apps.
The iTunes App Store is the place to shop for apps that do all sorts of cool things. You've probably seen a commercial or two about an app for this, or an app for that. Apple (ticker: AAPL, Nasdaq) has been running full-page ads touting many of the third-party apps in several weekly news magazines and in national newspapers. There are more than 15,000 apps available and more than 1 billion have been downloaded.
Many apps — thousands and thousands — are free. Many carry a modest price: a buck, or two, or five. Some carry hefty prices, more than $20 in some cases. These are the really productive apps or those with a lot of data, such as a full, searchable version of the Bible. My phone has about 50 apps now, including those that come with the device. I know people with twice that many, and I'm guessing some folks out there have hundreds of apps.
One app that caught my eye recently, although I haven't downloaded it yet, is from Weber Grills (www.weber.com), the folks that make the cooker that sits on my patio. I signed up for the company’s e-mail newsletter after buying a new grill a couple of years ago and find a tempting grill-ready recipe in my e-mail inbox every Friday. I've tried a couple and have saved a dozen or so for future culinary consideration. These weekly offerings arrive like clockwork and are free for the asking.
The Weber app, "Weber's on the Grill" (www.weber.com/
If I start saving all my e-mails I will have a pretty good grilling library. And I have been known to search for recipes on my phone on the fly right on the patio while the grill is preheating.
I know, I know, the cost isn't for the recipes, but for the development of the application and the ease and convenience of having all of them just a few touches and scrolls away. For now, though, I think I'll save my five bucks for a nice fowl that I'll turn into my famous beer-butt chicken. I found that recipe online, on my iPhone, for free.
