Author Topic: Useful iPhone apps?  (Read 39832 times)

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nick_tochelli

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #30 on: Aug 25, 2010, 12:09 am »
One of the most useful Time related apps I've found is Time Calculator. For those of you who may not use a stop watch and go by the analog time on your computer or watch, simply subtract your end time from your start time and voila: Instant Run Time. Yes, not entirely necessary if you use a stop watch, but nice tool for the alternative SM time keeper.

sealyons

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #31 on: Aug 26, 2010, 12:41 am »
I found one the other day that I thought was interesting but haven't really tried it out yet. It's called ShowTool SM and it has a Show Timer, a thing for Spike marks, check list, props list and then something to help send out emails. It looks pretty neat but again haven't messed around with it a bunch and it costs $4.99
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missliz

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #32 on: Aug 26, 2010, 11:00 am »
I found one the other day that I thought was interesting but haven't really tried it out yet. It's called ShowTool SM and it has a Show Timer, a thing for Spike marks, check list, props list and then something to help send out emails. It looks pretty neat but again haven't messed around with it a bunch and it costs $4.99

It's been mentioned here before...a few reviews/comments here:
http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,5191.msg31610.html#msg31610
I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragon and a fountain of water. One can dare anything in the theatre and it is the place where one dares the least. -Ionesco

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #33 on: Mar 07, 2011, 12:57 am »
I got an iphone for Christmas, and now that I've run one show completely using it, I feel like I can weigh in with which apps I have found most useful-

Todo List
I really like this app- I did my preshow & postshow lists with it (hard copies in the book, of course) and LOVED it. It wasn't free ($1.99 maybe?) but totally worth the price tag, I think.  You can keep multiple lists (I had one for preshow & one for postshow), and within the list you can make notes on individual tasks, color code, and sort by priority (I divided my preset list in half- "preset before house open" and "preset after house open"). I just check off the tasks as I go, and they don't get deleted- they just move down to a separate "completed tasks" section, so then when it's time to start preshow the next day I go back in and uncheck all the little boxes, and voila! So much easier than lugging around a clipboard, using a laminator, etc. Greener, too!

Time Adder
I read this thread & got the time adder app, and I've used it pretty regularly to add up overtime hours & to give a rough estimate of a run time when we've blocked scenes individually but haven't actually run the show yet. Pretty useful.

HeyTell
Basically it turns your phone into a walkie-talkie. You record a message by holding the button & speaking, and it pops up on the other person's screen like a text message alert; they can listen to the message by just clicking on it. It's faster than typing out a text message. The rest of the SM team at my theatre discovered it during the prep for the first tech of a show where we were all scrambling around trying to get props moved form the rehearsal room to backstage and sorted out & such, and it was really useful. Use the iphone headphones with the little microphone & you're like a secret agent, I swear. Also a free app.

ShopShop
Not strictly a stage management app, but I probably use it more frequently than any other app. It's a grocery list app- you can keep multiple lists (I have one for groceries and one for everything else) and every item you type into the list is saved in a master database. You can go in and edit out one-time purchases, but then it makes typing in a grocery list really easy, because everything you buy on a regular basis is already saved. I am prone to forgetting what I needed to buy by the time I actually make it to the grocery store, so this way I just have a constant grocery list going & I add things as I think of them. Best of all, it was free!
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bex

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #34 on: Apr 16, 2011, 01:34 am »
Does anyone have an app they use for weather alerts? I have The Weather Channel's app, but it is fairly unreliable and slow to update. We've been having some crazy weather lately (it's tornado season...) so I'm looking for something a bit more reliable. Someone told me that The Weather Channel also has a text message update service you can sign up for, so I'm going to do that and see if it's any more reliable than the app. Anyone have something they've used under pressure?
You will have to sing for your supper & your mortgage, your dental coverage & your children's shoes, over & over again while people in desk jobs roll their eyes the minute you start to complain. So it's a good thing you like to sing.

nick_tochelli

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #35 on: Apr 16, 2011, 11:30 am »
Does anyone have an app they use for weather alerts? I have The Weather Channel's app, but it is fairly unreliable and slow to update. We've been having some crazy weather lately (it's tornado season...) so I'm looking for something a bit more reliable. Someone told me that The Weather Channel also has a text message update service you can sign up for, so I'm going to do that and see if it's any more reliable than the app. Anyone have something they've used under pressure?

I use weatherbug elite on my ipod touch. It's decent and I'm pretty sure it's $0.99 so cheap as pretty much all the other iphone apps. It does pop up alerts for any weather service advisories so you'll be able to be alerted to any change in the weather.

malewen

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #36 on: Apr 16, 2011, 07:40 pm »
I would second what has already been said about flashlight and the Shakespeare apps.  I recently did a three act play and found an app called time:calc by Dr. Phil's Apps (www.drphilsapps.com/timecalc) that let me total up the acts.  I think it costs $1.99 and is well worth it if you're like me and really have to think about adding up a series of run times...

KMC

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #37 on: Jun 13, 2011, 04:39 pm »
Another program I've just discovered is Drop Box. Basically, it's an online filing cabinet. You download it, and it creates a folder for your desktop, and you can move any and all documents you want into this folder. And it is constantly synced with their online server, so it's always up to date. Basically, you can access this folder from any computer any time with internet. I love it. And it has an iphone app so you can see all of it there as well.

Just recently made the switch to iphone myself and drop box is one of the first things I set up.  This app would be incredibly useful for stage management (especially if you're a free-lancer and frequently on the go).  You can essentially store all of your important docs in drop box's "cloud" and have it automatically sync between multiple computers and your phone.  Eliminate annoying USB sticks, external hard drives, etc...

Best of all the basic plan and mobile apps are free which allow you up to 2gb of storage.  More than enough to keep couple of current/upcoming shows worth of paperwork. 

I've found a lot of mobile apps (regardless of platform) are gimpy, clutter and really not all that useful aside from the ONE thing for which they're designed; this is one of the rare "home runs".

Furthermore - this service is incredibly useful even for those without smartphones, sync between home/office/theater computers easily. 
« Last Edit: Jun 13, 2011, 04:49 pm by kmc307 »
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

pedroleitao

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #38 on: Sep 16, 2011, 01:22 pm »
I see that you like dropbox.
another option if you want try.
I use ubuntu one it gives you 5GB: newbielink:https://one.ubuntu.com/ [nonactive]

ambrosialx

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #39 on: Sep 26, 2011, 10:13 am »
covert units- when working internationally metric to imperial, temperature, power, weight...almost everything
and world clock which s great for touring as it has all the different time zones
i again go with myLite for a flashlight as you can pick your colour, igobo is great, i also like River...helps me sleep
"I will prepare and someday my chance will come"

Amandanellb

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #40 on: Sep 26, 2011, 11:40 am »
I do not have an IPhone. I have an IPad. I think the Rehearsal 2 App is available on both. I am completely addicted to this app.
You can load your script into it, write on it in multiple colors, Highlight things in multiple colors. You can record scenes and individual sounds and add pictures.
It is primarily for actors but I have found it more useful as an SM.
It isn't free, but it is worth it.

bpaige

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #41 on: Jan 05, 2012, 02:25 pm »
Some useful iPod apps that I use include the following:

Flashlight
iTriage (great for the rare emergencies, more of a 'just in case' application)
Convert Units (there are ALL SORTS of things that it will convert, angles, currency, data, temperature, length, etc.)
Battery Magic (I have the free version, and it's really helpful for figuring out if I need to plug in my iPod so I don't completely kill it)

I hope some of this is useful!

zddh13

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #42 on: Jun 22, 2012, 11:47 am »
I swear by Apps Gone Free, I get a push notification daily about 12:30 telling me of 5 to 12 apps that are free for the day or a short time. Its usually just games or kid stuff but occasionally there is a real gem in it.

Multi Measure- I got this one for free last week because of Apps gone Free. This app has a plumb bob, spirit level, surface level, 6" ruler, protractor, teslameter, metronome, timers, stopwatch, and a seismometer all in one.  so you know that if there is an earthquake and your table isnt level and has moved 3", and want to make sure your actors are not walking away with anything magnetic you can measure it all.  I haven'y used most of them but the time and metronome are helpful currently.

remote is a remote control for itunes over a wifi network

fast camera is a multi shot camera, taking many pictures over a few seconds

photosynth takes pictures and stiches them together to make a full panorama of whatever you want

clear record its a recorder that limits the amount of background noise it records (i use it for quick edits to curtain speeches)

Air projector used over a wifi network gives you an ip address to send a coxmputer too and you show and go thru your pictures on your iphone

SnapShop (i want this to work but I havent had a need to use it yet) another from apps gone free take a picture of an object and the people there will get back to you later with where to go to purchase that item. (maybe I should try it on my old laptops charger cable that died last week)

Cam Cam lets you watch a webcam on a laptop that you select (your own) so if you want to monitor your pet while you are out you can do it

Imo lets you do live chat over facebook as well as yahoo, Skype, MSn, Google, Aim, and others. I love it for the live chat on facebook and the fact that it saves the conversations

RM maker this one took a few minutes to learn how to use but any song you have on your iphone you can cut to a ringtone, you then have to sync the app with itunes and fine the file and transfer it over to the right spot but the app has instructions on how to do it. I made mine to when it does ring my phone sings Hasa Diga Ebowi from Book of Mormon.



I haven't stage managed in a couple years, I am doing more lighting and scenic design work as of late but these apps are the cool ones that I like a lot. also look up Light List its an app for used lighting equiptment that is for sell from lightbroker.com


pyromnt

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #43 on: Jun 26, 2012, 06:40 pm »
I have said this before, but the best apps to use as SM is iannotate for blocking/light+sound cues and scanner pro or scanpdf for scanning your scripts onto your ipaD or iPhone so you can use iannotate
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KMC

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Re: Useful iPhone apps?
« Reply #44 on: Jun 27, 2012, 09:01 am »
A couple that I have started using recently, not necessarily SM related but still fun/useful.
  • Red Laser - Scans bar codes of products in grocery, retail, etc... stores and compares prices immediately to online prices, and also uses your current location (if you allow permission) to show you better deals in close proximity.  Free.
  • Trainyard EX - Logic-based puzzle game that is a heck of a lot of fun, also free!
  • Spotify - Self explanatory.  Not a new one by any means but by far the best $10 I spend each month.  Also, the updated version of the mobile app now includes a genre/artist radio station - think Pandora - which delivers (in my opinion) the biggest piece of functionality that was missing from the mobile version.
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

 

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