Mobile Phone Apps Round-up 7/3/09: Saving With Mobile Phones

This week a couple of new apps arrived that might just help you save some money. And it is a sign that we could see more transaction-related applications coming for mobile phones. Among these is a new application from T-Mobile USA called Green Perks, a mobile app that offers exclusive discounts on environmentally friendly products and services.

This app, which is offered free of charge, provides green-focused offers and promotions from various Green Perks partners, including Method, Jamba Juice, Volcom, Roxy and Quicksilver. The idea behind this is to reward consumers who make more environmentally responsible purchases. This is also designed to be an opt-in program that will deliver electronic coupons directly to a user's handset, which can be redeemed manually at a tore via a point-of-sale system. The partner brands will have control over offer timing and other details, but the offering must qualify as "eco-friendly" to be listed. T-Mobile subscribers can download the Green Perks online from http://www.t-mobile.com/mobilize.

Yowza! Revolutionized Coupons
T-Mobile isn't the only company to roll out mobile coupons. TV Star Greg Gruberg (Heroes) is co-founder of Yowza!, which has released an app designed to save consumers money. This free app is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch from the Apple App Store. Instead of clipping coupons from the newspaper or circulars, the app offers a digital version.

So far the company has signed up many large retailers including Sears, McDonald’s, Finish Line, ESPN Zone, The Container Store, Islands Restaurant, Sports Authority, Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, Pier 1 Imports, REI, Saks Fifth Avenue, Regency Shopping Centers, California Pizza Kitchen, American Golf Corporation, Cavallo Point Lodge, Marmalade Caf?, Traditional Jewelers, American Car Movers, Aveda Salon/Spa, Inner You Pilates, JRK Hotel Group, Cheeseburger Restaurants, Kiehl’s, Midway Car Rental, Santana Row Shopping Center, Seaton, Jill Roberts, and Paige Premium Denim, as well as Sysco, a national wholesale distributor. More retailers are expected to follow suit in the coming months.

After Hours Mobile Apps:

Wattpad - With new Google Android phones on the way, the arrival of the Wattpad app for Android is perfect timing. This is among the world's most widely used mobile ebook apps, and each month more than 10,000 stories are published by thousands of writers, including many well-known story tellers. The app, which has been popular for the BlackBerry and iPhone, is now available from the Android Marketplace.

U-Verse - Don't want to miss your favorite show, but forgot to set the recorder? Well, now you can pull out your iPhone and never miss your show again. AT&T has released this free app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which allows u-Verse subscribers to control their DVR (Digital Video Recorders) systems remotely. This includes options to view and search within the channel guide, set favorite shows, channels and more. Think of this as a really remote remote control.

Scuzzleword - Rather than another shooter or action game, Ymedia has introduced a mobile game that might help your vocabulary. The new Scuzzleword for the iPhone and iPod Touch is a word puzzler that combines crosswords with Soduku. It features more than 50 different puzzles, and offers two modes of game play: beginner and challenge. Get ready for a battle of the words. Scuzzleword is available from the Apple App Store for $1.99.