# DIY Smart phone Apps - Are they any good?



## Davey_82 (Nov 13, 2012)

Just been on the Apple App store and theres a few DIY apps with material calculation etc and decent tutorials but 'm not sure what to get.

Has anyone else ever downloaded any of these apps, and if so were they any good? I'm starting to renovate my new house and its got no internet so I'm looking for something that covers a lot of material without a net connection to help me out a bit.

So far there's DIY DO IT which looks the most promising and a few others that I cant remember.

Any opinions welcome, cheers :thumbsup:

Dave


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

There are some really nice construction calculator apps in the Google world I have played with. I suspect some may be the same as in the Fruit world. You could not give me an Apple device. And yes, so long as you put accurate info into them they do a more than decent job with all kinds of calculations. 

You might explore on your computer first before selecting a smartphone application. There are also some freestanding construction calculators that are not expensive. One more thing to carry around though.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

There's an app for this website that is pretty cool. As far as construction apps, the construction calculator I got from the App Store couldn't even calculate concrete right, so I don't really have a lot of faith in them. Of course, I got the free one, but I have a thing about paying for apps (I don't do it), so the paid ones might be better.


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## jakeubu (Nov 10, 2012)

I actually have some experience making apps. What kind of things are you looking for in a good DIY app?


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## Davey_82 (Nov 13, 2012)

Thanks for your help so far guys!

I took the plunge last night and downloaded some free apps and paid for others.....I know, I know, but if you stick to the ratings then it should be ok I think, unless I'm just really naive! 

The thing is some of them call themselves DIY/maintenance apps but from the screenshots and fine print they're simple things like guides on how to remove chewing gum from clothing and knitting craft etc. This is all very well.

The best Home maintenance and repairs apps with loads of content and useful tools were Wiki How (free), Handyman Sidekick ($1.99) and DIY Do It ($0.99).

If Wiki How had material calculators then it would be brilliant, DIY Do It had a hefty bit of decent content and had decent calculator utilities, the best Utilities only app was the Handyman sidekick, but it's a bit pricey for my liking.

It all depends on what youre looking for really!

Dave


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## jakeubu (Nov 10, 2012)

So you would like a free app with material calculators?


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

How quickly the paradigm has shifted! And the reign of terror imposed by software companies may soon be over? I remember being furious having to pay $800-1,200 for software to the point this laptop is, wherever possible, populated with nice open source options. 

But now, we groan forking out $2-3 for an application. Part of the logic for expensive software was that for every person like me that bought licenses, 1,000s of others thought nothing of "borrowing" a copy for their use. They never got a copy from me! Early on, Osborne suggested if you sold it for $20 it would be so cheap nobody would steal it. Seems he might have been right? That is if a developer can hope to pry even $3 from a user who I guess thinks software should be developed for them as some sort of entitlement.


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## hamburglar (Nov 18, 2012)

I have and use the Construction Master Pro app on my Bionic. It comes in handy from everything to material estimation to calculating stair jacks to calculating angles, etc... Instructions for the different functions are built into the app. Just long press the function you are looking to learn about and they pop up.


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## jakeubu (Nov 10, 2012)

Dont forget these free apps generate a lot of revenue, both directly through built in ads and also indirectly through brand awareness.


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