Appiphilia: Shaken by all the earthquakes? Grab your iPhone

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Feel that earthquake today, SoCal? In California, we know how to roll -- and how to shake and rattle, too. We’ve got five iPhone applications to help you get the details when your nerves are shaken by a quake -- or to check in with that nutty West Coast relative as you sit safely tucked away in hurricane country.

Of course, in preparation for a more serious temblor or disaster, you can check out apps that are made for emergencies, including a GPS locator.

Epicentral (Free)

What it is: The app pulls data from the U.S. Geological Survey page, lists it and plots it on a map. There are links to the USGS page, related Google News (say ‘California’ and ‘earthquake’) and Google Maps to plot the longitude and latitude of the quake and maybe even get directions to the epicenter. When you relaunch, it alerts you to the last update and prompts you to update from the latest USGS feed.

Bottom line: It takes a little time -- like 10 to 30 seconds -- to unpack and sort all the data it collects. But, hey, it’s free.

Earthquakes (99 cents)
What it is: List of latest quakes with details and link to the USGS. The magnitudes are color coded.

Bottom line: Good for quick, basic info. Data updates with latest information from the USGS. A little confusing because it doesn’t seem to use a local time zone for the phone.

Seismometer (99 cents)
What it is: Truth in advertising here: It’s a seismometer. You can add a high-pass filter and adjust the sampling frequency, scale and measuring axis.

Bottom line: Not sure about you, but when I’m dashing for a doorway or desk, I’m not particularly inclined to tap an app on my iPhone to watch some lines move -- I’m too busy noticing the windows rattling. But maybe you’re just a quake junkie who has to see the visuals on how a quake registers. It also works for heartbeats, by the way.

iFeltThat ($2.99)
What it is: Tracks shakers from the northern to the southern hemisphere and breaks them down by regions of interest.

Bottom line: I love that it figures out how far you are from the registered epicenter. It also updates in the event the quake is downgraded or location is updated. You can click to check the USGS site, plot the epicenter in the native Google Maps app or e-mail the info and a map link to a friend. It would be nice, though, to see where other people using the app felt the shaking.

Mappity Quakes ($4.99)
What it is: Maps quakes by time and magnitude.

Bottom line: Yeah, it costs a bit more, but it’s also got a little bit more. The app lets you be the epicenter of interest using the internal GPS to list and plot on the map the closest, but it also links to USGS site’s ‘Did you feel it?’ area to log your report and to Twitter (the iPhone-optimized Twitter search page) and Google News for more info about your chosen shaker. Although, for $5, it might be nice to have a Twitter client included.

Have you tried any of these? Share your preferred apps for natural disasters in the comments area below.

-- Michelle Maltais

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