Fresh iPhone Apps for Jan. 6: WebCamera, Localscope, Blogging Ideas

Turn your iPhone into a webcam for your computer, a tracker for finding businesses and local attractions, and a source of information for the beginning blogger with today’s Fresh Apps list. We’ve got details on three interesting apps, all of them helping your iPhone become something it normally isn’t. Read all about them below.

WebCamera (iPhone) $2.99

Turn your iPhone into a working webcam by plugging it into your computer. After downloading developer Mobiola’s free software onto your computer, connecting your iPhone using its USB cable enables you to use its built-in camera as a webcam for a number of services, including Skype, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger.

Web Camera doesn’t currently support sound, but Mobiola is working on it, so expect it in a future update. Even so, WebCamera is a lot cheaper than purchasing a webcam in an electronics store, and it seems to have almost the same level of functionality.

Localscope (iPhone) $0.99

Using GPS functionality and information from services like Google, Bing, Foursquare and others, Localscope checks for what’s cool in your area. Once you’ve done a search for businesses and attractions, you can view them as a list, overlay them on a map, or have them pop-up on your screen using your iPhone’s camera and augmented reality.

Localscope includes a lot of different functions once you’ve got results, too — you can make calls and open maps from the list, or even create contacts. It also includes a 3D compass that monitors direction and distance for you, so you know how much further you have to travel to reach your destination.

Blogging Ideas (iPhone) $0.99

For potential bloggers who don’t really know anything about blogging, there’s Blogging Ideas, a simple app that runs down a lot of general info about the process of blogging. The idea is to help you hone the idea of a blog before you start, as well as make it easier to figure out how to actually get started.

Blogging Ideas is divided into tabs for different information, ranging from the really abstract, like various reason why you might want to start a blog, to the more specific and helpful, like listings of different blogging services online. It’s not the sort of thing for people who know something about blogging, but for the total layman, Blogging Ideas will help give you a place to start.

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