5 apps for the dead

Sometime a wiseacre editor (we have a few) suggests we do a Five Apps post for a particularly offbeat area of interest. And sometimes we actually start brainstorming these. While "Five apps for the lemur owner" isn't likely to hit TUAW any time soon, "Five Apps for the dead" is about to have its day.

The last thing you want to worry about (literally) is whether or not your estate is in order. Last Will by Cybermill (US$9.99) provides an interactive legal form (US only) for you to fill out on your iPhone or iPad. Create a last will that details your beneficiaries and other final wishes. The app then uploads your details to Cybermill's servers, where a customized PDF or RTF version of your will is created for you to download. Wills are specific to individual states and regulations vary, so Cybermill recommends that you still have legal counsel review your documents.

Frankly, trying to produce your will just on the phone is counterproductive since you still need to deal with the downloaded file eventually. While there was a Mac OS 9 version of Quicken's WillMaker product, the current version is Windows-only; however, you can use Nolo's online will tools to do the same thing.

Speaking of your final wishes, for just $2.99 the scarily named PTAJ Marketing will help you understand further details about Estate Planning, helping you to learn what it means to die intestate, what kinds of estate plans are available, and, well "much more." Three dollars isn't that costly, but you can probably get as much information or more from Ye Olde Google, the aforementioned Nolo.com site or even (gasp!) your local public library.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead is supposed to help you navigate through the afterlife where your sins will be weighed, compared against a feather, etcetera. You're also going to meet up with Anubis, who -- if you believe the Red Pyramid -- is supposed to be rather hunky. You'll probably not be in any state to appreciate that then, but right now you can appreciate this lovely free companion app to the British Museum exhibition that closed this past March.

For those newly dead folk looking to understand what bits aren't working any more, we offer you the Human Anatomy App by Enlightened Games. Retailing for $1.99, this application shows all the wiggly parts under your skin, including "all the major processes and anatomical features of the human body."

Finally, we round out this five-app collection with the Arlington Cemetery app. For $6.99, David Berndt introduces "some of the less known and most remarkable stories behind each and every headstone and marker." Full of maps and photographs, it's a way to honor the fallen who rest at this special United States military cemetery by preserving their memories and stories.