Before I got the iPhone, all I really needed and wanted my phone to do was make calls and send & receive texts. But even with my MacBook Pro and iPod nano close by, the iPhone is just so darned handy. Here's a glimpse at what's on my phone:
[click to enlarge]I hate having a cluttered desktop on my computer. I also hate having a cluttered main screen on my iPhone. So I divided some of my apps into folders such as Entertainment, Games, Music and Unused (where I put a lot of the iPhone's native apps that I have no use for, like Stocks).
Anyhoo, these are the apps I've found to be most useful and entertaining:
P.S. All of these apps are *free* unless otherwise noted.
Social:
- eBuddy - I use this app to access my AIM and GChat friends lists. You can also access your Facebook, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and MySpace friends lists through eBuddy. Sooo convenient for chatting on the go!
- Facebook - Everyone's favorite distraction. You can do pretty much the same things with this app that you can with the regular Facebook site, right in the palm of your hand.
- Twitter - Twitter for iPhone has a clean interface and is quick and easy to learn and use, making it a great app in my book.
- AroundMe - Lets you find out information about your surroundings via GPS. For example, AroundMe can tell you the nearest Banks/ATMs, Bars, Coffee Shops, Gas Stations, Hospitals, Parking, Pharmacies, etc. based on your location. Neat-o!
- MapQuest 4 Mobile- The best free GPS app I've tested. Waaaay better than the iPhone's native Maps app. Even though this app takes you a roundabout way sometimes, it has turn-by-turn and voice navigation, which is INFINITELY helpful whether you're in your 'hood or on the highway.
- ProCamera - I love this app, if only for the tap-and-shoot camera. Look ma, no buttons to press! This app also has a zoom feature and 10-second timer.
- PSExpress - This app is sort of like "PhotoShop Lite" for your iPhone. It lets you edit, crop, rotate, and add a few filters to the pictures in your iPhone photo library. So, so handy.
- Impression - I use this app to add watermarks to my iPhone pics. Especially useful if you have a blog
- Dragon Dictation for iPhone™ - This app lets you speak into the iPhone's mic and have your words either texted, tweeted, or emailed to the recipient of your choice. Pretty useful, especially if you aren't used to the iPhone's lack of keyboard buttons.
- iRealSMS 3.0 - I actually forked over $10 for this app, but it is well worth it for all the extra features you get. These features include smilies (a big drawing point for me... what can I say, some things are just better with a smiling yellow face next to them
), a QuickReply/QuickSend option that lets you respond to texts while you're in another app or even from your lockscreen, and voice notification for texts, among other things. You can even set it up to read your texts to you as they come in; I'd never put my biz on blast like that, but if that's your thing, this app can do it for ya. Even though I'm kinda "meh" on texting all the time, this is one of my favorite and most used apps.
- Cydia - Sort of like the App Store, but for jailbroken iPhones. This app is downloaded as soon as you jailbreak your phone, and like the actual App Store, you can find loads of themes, ringtones, and other add-ons not authorized by Apple here.
- Winterboard - Downloadable through Cydia, Winterboard lets you customize your jailbroken iPhone with various themes (also available through Cydia).
On to the second page of apps on my phone... this page has a lot of folders, and each folder can hold up to 12 apps. To save time and space here, I'll pick a couple of my faves from each folder to share. The apps not in folders on this page are pretty self-explanatory, so I'll leave those out.
Blog Stuff:
- BlogPressLite - I use this to blog from my phone. It's not perfect, and certainly not as effective as typing out posts on my laptop, but it gets the job done when I'm away from my computer. It's easy to take, upload, and caption pictures with this app, but whenever I post, the app always leaves too much space at the top of the post, which I then have to go into Blogger (via iPhone's Safari internet app) and correct. Defeats the point of having a mobile blogging app if you ask me, but what can you say, it's free.
- Impression - See review under "Photography"
- 24/7 French LE and 24/7 Spanish LE - These are tutoring apps that let me brush up on my French and Spanish skills. Both apps use tools like puzzle games, write-in and multiple choice quizzes, and flash cards to test your language recall. It's like having an instructor in your pocket.
- Positivity - A little app I use when I need a digital pick-me-up. Open the app and an inspirational quote pops up, with the option to page through more.
- Horoscope - I get a kick out of reading my horoscope in the paper. Now I can see what the stars have in store for me wherever my iPhone is
- Mixology - Having this app on your iPhone is like having a bartender right at your fingertips. You have the option of browsing all the drink recipes Mixology has, browsing by category (i.e. Cocktails, martinis, jello shots), browsing by whatever ingredients you already have on hand, and you can also look up nearby liquor stores and bars using the app's built-in GPS.
- Bookworm - I could play this game forever... and I do. I even made it to my highest level of the game so far, Level 31: Bookworm Supreme! You know you're jealous. Oh, this app is also $2.99, but well worth the investment.
- Words With Friends - This game is so addictive. It's like playing Scrabble, but with strangers. Games can go a little slow since you have to wait on the other person you're playing with to make a move, but luckily you can start multiple games at a time.
- Last.fm - The iPhone counterpart to my online Last.fm account (which you can see for yourself on the right side of the blog). With this app, I can stream all the music in my library--sorta like the Pandora app, but with my own music and that of my Last.fm friends.
- SoundHound - This app will listen to a portion of a song--say, one playing over the speakers in a store--and identify it within a few seconds. Very cool. Only downside is, unless you download the paid version, this app limits you to 5 song IDs a month. Whomp whomp
- NYTimes - I'd like to point out that I read both the Times and The Washington Post, but the Times wins out because its app is free (the WP app is $1.99). I use this app to keep abreast of what's happening in the world (duh). The NYT app gets bonus points for giving users the option to save articles, either because they're cool or just to read later.
- Read It Later - Speaking of reading articles later, this app allows you to do just that. I have it synced to Firefox on my computer, so as I'm reading stuff on the web, I can mark it to be read later in my browser, it syncs to my iPhone, and then I can read whatever it is I marked for later as I'm out and about. Really saves on bookmark and inbox clutter.
- iP - I debated putting this app on my list, but it's just so useful it had to be included. iP is a discreet way of tracking your monthly, if you're a chick. It's fully customizable with different themes, smilies to indicate your mood on a particular day (choices are Normal
, and Sad
, though if you upgrade to the paid version you can get more options), a monthly average of the length and duration of your cycle, and when you can expect your next one. There's even an option to guard the app with a password, to keep suckas out of your coochie biz.
- GeeTasksLite - This app syncs with your Google Calendar, kinda like a running to-do list. It's pretty straightforward: enter your to-do list tasks into the iPhone, and tap them to cross them off your list when your done. You can access your list(s) in Gmail through the Calendar link up top.
