My Favorite iPhone Applications
I resisted purchasing an iPhone for two years, but became instantly attached to mine when I finally broke down. Although I rarely use it as a phone, it has become an essential tool in my daily life. Provided below is a list of my favorite applications (links all go to AppShopper review).
What are yours?
The Basics
- Google Mobile App (Free): The voice search capability is excellent, and incredibly handy.
- WeatherBug (Free): Has replaced the native weather app as my default. The Weather Channel comes in a close 2nd.
- Facebook (Free): Very good mobile version.
- Tweetie 2 ($2.99): As you can tell by this list I don’t often pay for apps, but Tweetie rocks as a Twitter client. TweetDeck is a good free option.
Entertainment
- Showtimes (Free): Find out what’s playing at your local theater, with links to reviews, ticket sales etc. Movies app is good as well.
- foursquare (Free): Location based check-in game scratches my scavenger hunt and geocaching itches.
- Shazam (Free): We’ve all had that moment when we hear a great song and have no idea what it is. Shazam uses your microphone to listen to the song and compare it to its vast database of music. If the volume is loud enough I almost guarantee it will return a correct match. It also stores your searches so you can go back and refresh your memory later. Love this!
- Ambiance Lite (Free): Not really for entertainment, but don’t know where else to put it. This app serves as a free sound machine if you need some white noise. There is a pay version if you want more than five sounds. I like to fall asleep to the soothing sounds of the ocean, and appreciate the built-in timer.
- KEXP Radio (Free): Perfect companion app since I stream KEXP all day at work. You can stream the station within the app, view the playlist and bookmark favorite songs for reference later.
News
- NYTimes (Free): Easy access to the NYT’s most recent content.
- USA TODAY (Free): Best part about this app is the ease with which you can share items you find via email, Twitter, FB etc.
- NPR News (Free): Stories, syndicated programs, local stations all available via this handy app.
- IlliniMobile (Free): If you work on campus this is a great resource. Good map with landmarks, Daily Illini, the 217, Buzz content.
Recreation
- RunKeeper Free (Free): Awesome app for running/exercise! Track mileage/pace and map your runs.
- Geocaching ($9.99): One of the few apps I’ve actually paid for, and it’s well worth it. I was curious about geocaching, but didn’t want to invest in a GPS unit. Not only does this turn your iPhone into a worthy GPS, it syncs with the world-wide database of caches so you don’t have to look them up online and plug them into a separate GPS. This has turned into an awesome app for the whole family. Who doesn’t like scavenger hunts?
Utilities
- Textfree Lite (Free): I rarely text, but when I do I don’t want to pay AT&T for it. This app is a bit tricky to set up, but once you do you can text for free.
- Grocery iQ ($0.99): I saved the best for last. I love this grocery list app - it is perhaps the best 99 cents I’ve ever spent. Essentially you create a list of favorite groceries using the million+ items in the database, or simply use your phone’s camera to capture the bar code and automatically identify the item. Once you do that you scan your favorites before you head to the store and mark items you need, which then becomes your list (a separate tab from your favorites). You can add multiple stores and arrange the aisles so your list matches how you browse at different stores. You can also email a list, or sync a list with a spouse who has the app on their phone. I do most of the shopping in our house and am a list junkie, so this app is a serious time-saver.
