Applications really do make the platform; I had no desire to have an iPhone until they announced the SDK, and then I couldn't wait to get one. There's a lot of power in that little device, and developers have found many clever ways to take advantage of it. Most of the apps on the list below are free, and the rest are inexpensive.
If you know of an app I've missed, let me know in the comments.
Productivity
- Evernote --I use Evernote constantly; it keeps track of my daily to-do list, it stores my Taekwon-Do notebook and my work journal; even notes from my weekly D&D game go into Evernote. Having this app on my iPhone means all of that information is available to me anywhere.
- Grocery Gadget -- Personal finance blogs often say that making, and sticking to, grocery lists is a good way to save money; it makes you buy what you need, and not what you don't. Sure, you could just as easily keep a grocery list on paper, but for me that's just one more thing to lose or forget at home on shopping day.
- Air Sharing -- This app turns your iPhone into a WebDAV server, allowing you to use it as a file server on a wireless network. I don't often use it, but it's handy when you need it, and saves me from carrying around USB drives or blank CDs.
- 1Password -- I use 1Password on my Mac to generate, store, and fill in passwords and other information. The iPhone application syncs with my desktop, meaning I have that information with me (and encrypted) at all times.
- Gas Cubby -- I'm one of those people who keeps track of gas milage, repairs, etc. This app replaces the little book in the glove box.
- TouchTerm SSH -- I think of my iPhone as less of a phone, and more of a pocket-sized computer with an always-on data connection that happens to make phone calls. I have two requirements for any computer I own; this SSH client fills the first.
- Peggle -- This is a must-have game. Simple to learn, difficult to master, and puts a smile on your face every single time you play it.
- Bookworm -- Another game from PopCap; this one even traps my wife Hanna in its spell, and she usually hates games.
- Civilization Revolution -- The first day I had this game, I found myself sitting at my desk at three in the morning, hunched over my phone still playing.
- Worms -- Another classic, compressed for the iPhone.
- Chess with Friends -- This app allows you to play casual games of chess with people you know, or complete strangers. The games are stored on the server, so you don't have to sit down and dedicate time to playing more than one move at a time. It doesn't keep track of ratings or detailed statistics, but for casual play, it's great.
- Words with Friends -- Same as Chess with Friends, but with Scrabble.
- Deep Green -- There are many chess programs available for the iPhone; this one is simple to use, looks great, and plays good chess.
- Frenzic -- Frenzic was originally a Mac game (yes, they do exist), but after playing it and seeing how perfect it is for the touch interface of the iPhone you'll be amazed it wasn't designed for it from the start.
- Rogue -- You know how I said I had two requirements for any computer I own? This is the second one.
- Puzzle Quest -- Puzzle Quest lays RPG elements over Bejeweled-style gameplay; that may sound strange, but when you actually play the game, it's fantastic.
- Trism -- Another must-have puzzle game for the iPhone.
- Pandora Radio -- If you know about Pandora, you'll want this app. If you don't, you're missing out on a great service for discovering new music.
- Last.fm -- This is another streaming music service worth your time, this one connecting to the online service of the same name.
- Public Radio Player -- I am a public radio junkie, and this application allows me to listen to it anywhere; who needs a simple FM player when you can stream it over the Internet? (That's not actually a joke; I stream my local NPR station on my home stereo instead of using the FM tuner, because the quality is so much better.)
- Facebook -- If you are Facebook user and have an iPhone, you'll want this app.
- LinkedIn -- A former boss told me not to underestimate the value of LinkedIn for getting job referrals, and time has proven him correct; this app lets me update my current projects and scout out new clients.
- AIM -- I don't often use AIM on my iPhone, but it's handy when traveling.
- Skype -- I use Skype quite a bit for work, and so this is another app that's handy to have when I'm away from my desk.
- Google Mobile App -- Voice-activated Google searches; that's all you really need to know about this app.
- Cocktails+ -- An app providing a searchable database of cocktails. Good for aspiring bartenders.
- Dictionary.com -- It's always good to have a dictionary about, especially one that will pronounce words for you. This app also includes a "word of the day" feature, which I keep hoping will improve my Scrabble game.
- Wikipanion -- Wikipedia now has a fairly nice iPhone-optimized version, but I still find this app handy.
- Yelp -- There are several apps to point out nearby resturants, businesses, etc., including UrbanSpoon, and AroundMe. Yelp still seems to be the most complete and most useful.
- Google Earth -- If you want to show off what your iPhone can do, this is the app to do it. I find that the built-in Google Maps application on the iPhone is more useful for finding directions or consulting a map, but for sheer "wow!" factor, it's hard to beat zooming to your location from space.
3 comments:
Note that there is not yet an iPhone app that prevents your wife from hurling the phone off the balcony or dunking it in a cup of tea when she loses her mind because you spend EVERY WAKING MINUTE playing with a phone. Thus, if you are in a relationship don't have Dane's martial arts training, I'd advise you not to install all of the applications he suggests. If you're not yet in a relationship and would like to be, forgo the iPhone entirely.
Well, I don't have Dane's martial arts skills and want to keep my girlfriend, so I got a G1.
Paul has one, and he bought me one. Now we're both on it incessantly. :)
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