Geek-2-Live: October 2009

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

I Spent How Much at the App Store?!!!

Just learned about an Mac application that shows me how much I have spent at the iPhone app store. The free App Store Expense Monitor puts an item in my menu displaying the total amount I've spent. $269.21. I'm stunned. Those little 99-cent apps add up.

Of course, I've got a couple of big-ticket items in there too. $30 for a log-me-in app that I never use being the most lamentable.

The expense monitor also was kind enough to export a csv file of all my app store purchases - including free apps. Maybe this tangible evidence will curtail some of my impulse purchases.

About Me

The sound penetrates the usual quiet of my office.

“Sandy is snoring again,” I comment to my co-worker.

My co-worker hates noise; so I’m sure he noticed the intrusion.

Sandy, another co-worker, is indeed snoring. And, while we may mind it, there’s nothing we can do about it because our boss instructed Sandy to snore.

I work for a company that produces software for sleep labs, and Sandy is actually using a snore simulator to test software loaded on a monitoring device. The software tracks things like leg movements, snoring, heart-rate, etc. In short, it tracks anything that influences how a patient sleeps.

I, on the other hand, am not paid to snore. I should be so lucky.

I am paid to write software. Luckily, I love software. I am a geek who loves playing with computers and gadgets. You won’t find me too heavily entrenched in any camp in a Mac vs Windows vs Linux debate either. I love playing with whatever is the newest out there.

I am one of those early adopters who pays a premium price for stuff like iPhones so I can be one of the first to have it. Luckily for you, I report back on my purchases so you can avoid buying things that aren’t non-geek friendly.

So, if you are in the market for a gadget, gizmo or software application, check out my reviews. I do my best to get the inforamation you need to make an informed purchase - without making you snore in the process.