AppShopper

Though more than 60 million people in the US alone use Craigslist every month, the incredibly popular classifieds site does not have its own iPhone app in Apple’s App Store. However, there are at least 50 apps in the App Store that let you access Craigslist on the go and Silicon Valley-based Mokriya has added another selection for your downloading pleasure: Mokriya Craigslist debuted in the App Store this morning.

Mokriya Craigslist is free to download and lets you browse Craigslist ads from around the world. With a $.99 in-app purchase, you can add the ability to post ads, set alerts so you can be notified when something you want is listed, and mark ads as favorites for viewing later.

Mokriya created this overview video that highlights the paid features of the app:

I’ve been using Mokriya Craigslist for a few days now and it’s got a polished and eye-pleasing interface. One of the most useful features is the map view for the housing section, which could make Mokriya Craigslist indispensable to anyone looking for a place to live.

Mokriya is not new to the App Store – the company has previously partnered up with Side.cr (to create SideCar Ride) and Path (the folks behind the social networking app of the same name). Mokriya Craigslist is another sleek notch in Mokriya’s App Store belt and it’s worth a download if you post ads on Craigslist frequently or like to keep an eye on those Missed Connections posts in case you think you may have passed by your one true love at the grocery store the other day.

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  Mokriya craigslist app for iPhone

  Last Changed:

  2 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (85)

  Version:

  1.8

  iOS iPhone

  The BEST, OFFICIALLY LICENSED craigslist app with NO ADS! ***** TIME ***** Mokriya Craigslist is a thoroughly slick, modern piece of software — one which looks like what Craigslist might be if it...

If you’ve been following the smartwatch scene at all, you’ve probably heard of the Pebble, a smartwatch developed by Palo Alto, California-based Pebble Technology. Pebble made headlines last year when its funding drive to develop its smartwatch through Kickstarter blew past its goal and hit $10 million in May 2012.

The Pebble smartwatch was originally slated for release in September 2012 but the project was plagued by delays. At CES earlier this month, Pebble Technology CEO Eric Migicovsky announced that Pebble smartwatches would begin shipping to Kickstarter backers on January 23.

Smartwatches are intended to be companions to smartphones, providing quick bits of information like caller ID for incoming calls and alerts for new voicemails, emails, and text messages at a glance. In order to know what to display, the smartwatch needs to connect to the smartphone and be configured and this can be done through an app. Pebble Technology just released its smartwatch manager app in the App Store today, just in time for the recipients of the first batch of Pebble smartwatches shipping out this week.

The Pebble Smartwatch app is free and available now in the App Store. You can’t do anything with it unless you have a Pebble smartwatch, which I don’t, unfortunately. The app’s description describes four things the app does:

• Notifies you when software updates for Pebble ready [sic] to install
• Installs and remove custom watchfaces onto your Pebble
• Sends ping test messages to your Pebble
• Helps you troubleshoot issues

We covered the release of another smartwatch manager app for another company, Metawatch, who has also released a smartwatch that works with the newest iPhone models. Metawatch Manager debuted in the App Store in October 2012 as the company’s own smartwatches started shipping out to customers.

If you’re wondering about the differences between the two when it comes to software, Pebble has opted to offer an SDK so that developers can create apps for the Pebble Smartwatch and these apps are installed directly on the Pebble and run on the watch itself. Metawatch also has an SDK but it’s for developers to create new or modify existing iOS (and Android) apps to interface with the Metawatch smartwatch. So with the Pebble smartwatch, its functionality will come from apps installed and run right on the watch itself while the Metawatch smartwatch will pull information from compatible apps running on your iPhone or Android smartphone.

I was tempted by the Pebble Smartwatch but didn’t participate in the Kickstarter for it. I did fund the Metawatch Strata Kickstarter project and expect to receive it within the next couple of weeks. The two watches are very different cosmetically but that aside, I’m interested in seeing how the functionality of each works out in the long run given the constrasting approaches the two companies have taken from the software side.

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  Pebble Smartwatch

  Last Changed:

  5 weeks ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (18)

  Version:

  1.0.6

  iOS iPhone

  PEBBLE - E-PAPER WATCH FOR IPHONE AND IPOD Pebble is the first watch built for the 21st century. It's infinitely customizable, with beautiful watchfaces and useful internet-connected apps. Pebble...

Ever get tired of pulling your iPhone out of your pocket or purse just to check a text message or see if you’ve got any new emails? What if your iPhone could connect wirelessly to your watch so you could see status alerts like this at a quick glance without having to pull out your iPhone? If this appeals to you, you’ll be excited to know that the app to manage such a watch is now available in the App Store. And then you’ll be sad to know that the watch that goes with it isn’t available quite yet.

MetaWatch is a Dallas-based company that makes smartwatches for iOS and Android smartphones. It introduced its first consumer smartwatch model, the Strata, through KickStarter, the online crowd funding platform, earlier this year. The Strata reached its minimum funding level in August and the first batch of watches are now ready to be delivered pending FCC approval at the time of this post.

Getting back to the new app, MetaWatch Manager debuted in the App Store over the weekend and will let you control what’s shown on the face of your MetaWatch smartwatch. The Strata can show you information in on-screen widgets all of the time, like the current time, date, and temperature, stock prices, and your iPhone’s battery level. Using MetaWatch Manager, you can customize and arrange these widgets and control other features, like Caller ID and text message notifications. Additional control features are planned soon to add email, Twitter, Facebook, and alarm clock notifications.

Here’s a brief demo video MetaWatch created showing MetaWatch Manager in action:

The Strata smartwatch will connect to the iPhone via Bluetooth, using a low-power mode that’s available only in the newer iOS devices with Bluetooth 4.0 radios (the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPad 3). MetaWatch Manager also requires iOS 6.0 or higher.

I backed the MetaWatch Kickstarter campaign and should receive my Strata next month and I’m really, really excited about it. I expect my Strata to be particularly useful while I’m exercising or otherwise have my hands full or occupied and my iPhone is tucked away in my purse or somewhere else out of reach. And since smartphone thefts are on the rise, I’ll also be happy to have an alternative to pulling it out of my pocket to check new text messages while I’m out and about in downtown Boston.

If you want a Strata but missed out on the Kickstarter campaign, you can sign up to hear when they’re available for sale to the public through MetaWatch’s online store.

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  MetaWatch Manager for iOS

  Last Changed:

  4 days ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (38)

  Version:

  1.2.2

  iOS iPhone

  The MetaWatch™ Manger app (also known as MWM) connects your iPhone 4s, iPhone 5 to your MetaWatch smartwatch via Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology. The MWM app in conjunction with your MetaWatch...

Up until September 2011, the only way you could give someone a gift card or certificate to a specific store was to purchase one from that store and then deliver it in paper, plastic, or electronic form to your desired recipient. Since then, Giftly, a San Francisco-based start-up, has been trying to change that by letting you gift almost anything to anyone without the need for a gift card. Giftly lets you purchase an item or service for someone else and then credits the amount of your gift directly to their credit card without requiring them to show anything to the merchant.

Previously, these transactions had to be done via Giftly’s web site from a computer or web-capable phone. But Giftly released a free iPhone app late last week that makes the process much easier and allows more personalization options using the iPhone’s camera.

Click the thumbnails to enlarge

Say, for example, that you want to give a friend a manicure at your favorite salon for her birthday. Using the Giftly app you can take a picture of your own freshly-done manicure while you’re at the salon or choose from several cute icons to represent the manicure, specify the location of the salon and the amount of your gift, and then send it to your friend via email, text message, or even Facebook. To redeem this gift, your friend only needs to go to the salon, buy the manicure and then use the app to mark it as used and Giftly will credit the amount you gave to the credit card associated with her Giftly account.

Speaking of Facebook, you can also connect the Giftly app to your Facebook account and use the Gift Watch feature to keep tabs on where your friends check in and have the opportunity to send them Giftlys for those locations. If your friends share their birthdays on Facebook, they’ll also show up on the Gift Watch tab to make giving a Giftly as a birthday gift even easier.

You can track the Giftlys you send through the app to confirm that they’ve been used and see any Giftlys you’ve received from others.

Giftly makes its money by charging a service fee when you purchase a Giftly for someone else based on the amount you give, though they don’t post the schedule for these service charges anywhere so you won’t find out how much the service fee will be until you buy one. The recipient of a Giftly isn’t charged anything and Giftys never expire.

I haven’t purchased a Giftly for anyone else or received one yet but I love the concept (except for the fact that I have no idea what the service charge will be in advance of purchasing a Giftly) and definitely plan to try it out this Christmas.

Giftly is free and available in the App Store now and requires iOS 5.0 or later and works with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, 3rd-generation or higher iPod touch, and all iPad models.

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  Giftly

  Last Changed:

  7 weeks ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (87)

  Version:

  1.0.3

  iOS iPhone

  Giftly makes it easy to give a gift card for any local store or restaurant. The Giftly app was named one of the Best Apps of 2012 by the App Store. With Giftly, you can quickly give a gift card for...