Finally, Thumbnail Photos for Craigslist: CraigsPro iPhone App

I finally found something that lets me view thumbnail images of Craigslist postings while browsing a category.

It's an iPhone app called CraigsPro, and I stumbled upon it by accident.

Above is an example of what browsing listings in the clothing+acc category in the craigslist in my city, Washington DC, looks like, with this app.  (This is low-res, but if gives you the idea). So much better to get a glimpse of what's lurking behind each posting than having to click into each one.

Another thing CraigsPro does is lets you search multiple cities at once, and also post to the site and manage your account. You can use photos taken with your iPhone camera or ones stores in your Photo Albums.

   Another cool thing it does is lets you return to the main search screen with one shake of the iPhone, if you went deep into the results and want to get back.

See a listing you like and want to email it to yourself to print out from your printer? You can do that too.You can also call the poster from a listing, and use Google maps to see where the item is located or to get directions for it.

The overall rating for this app is 4 stars, with 353 ratings at this writing. The app is also FREE. I'm very psyched to start using it.

Do you have experience using this app, or recommendations for other iPhone apps? Post a comment here.

iPhone Vs. Droid: More Differences

With the big article in USA Today today ("It's an app world, and it could swallow all computing"-  http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2010-03-31-1Aappworld31_CV_N.htm) lauding the various apps for smartphones and how much we're all using them, I'm happy I joined the iPhone world. 

And I'm using all kinds of apps -- everything from useful stuff like MapsBuddy, which helps you find restaurants, coffee shops, etc. near you -- to silly stuff that's just plain fun, like the VoiceChanger and SkeeBall apps.

One reason I chose the iPhone over the Droid is it has more apps, at least as of now. But I know a die-hard Droid convert who thinks the Droid (based on Google's Android operating system) is better.

However, she concedes that one thing the iPhone has over the droid is "one can search the web while on a call."

But, then again, she names something the iPhone doesn't do: "tethering to pc, so if one is on the road the pc can access the internet through usb tethering to droid." She says she and her husband have used this when camping at the beach.

Do you prefer Droid or iPhone -- or something else? Post your thoughts here in a comment.

Droid vs. iPhone

Are you trying to decide whether to buy a Droid or an iPhone?

I recently bought an iphone and have been loving it, but I also know a few Droid users who swear by it. I picked their brains as to their top reasons they like the Droid better.  (The user with these tips is my cousin, a software systems analyst and needs to do a lot of work on her phone):

- Droid has "documents to go." MS apps / Word are available from the phone. They are stored on the phone as a "d card" and you can search them. 

- Navigation voice. The Droid's GPS app will talk to you as a voice. (It's a woman's voice..I was joking with her they need to get an app with a man's voice for women to listen to).

- Speed. With docs to go, everything is fast, "unlike Quick Office," she says.

- Multiple things can be open at a time. 

- Security. Droid has much better security apps, according to her. There is "mobile security" -- you can find Droid on a map with this should you lose it. You can use your pc to track it down. (You do have to set this service up/register with it).

This is useful whether you lose it or it is stolen. You can also lock it remotely.

OK, so what about the iPhone crowd?

- Better camera. My cousin conceded the camera is better on the iPhone. This is important to me because I like to take a lot of pictures for my blog, sharing, etc.

Although for my eBay auctions, I need to use my good camera with the digital macro setting. (Tip: she says professional photographers lean their hand or arm against something when taking a picture to steady the lens and get better pictures. Phone Camera photos tend to be blurry if you do not keep your hand very steady).

- Droid harder to learn. My cousin says it took her a lot of time to figure out the various features of the Droid/get used to it.

- Apps. "Apple has 93,000 to Android's 11,300. But how many applications do you really need?" asks CNN Money's Philip Elmer DeWitt. http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/10/29/droid-vs-iphone-lets-count-the-apps/

I kind of think the apps thing is a big one. However, one may point out that you don't "need" that many. On the other hand, part of the iPhone raison d'etre (and the whole Apple world, in my mind) is that it's fun. Some of the apps are just plain fun. 

One of the first apps I put on my iPhone was the VoiceChanger. It had my kids in stitches. 

The iPhone is very intuitive, of course. I am happy with my iPhone, and I did sign a two-year contract. I'll keep my eye on the Droid world, however, and see how it goes down the road.

What do you think? Droid or iPhone, and why? (OK so there's also the BlackBerry, which one friend says is the best smartphone for doing a lot of email, but that's for another day). Post a comment here!