iPhone Apps

Apps.  They're great.  Everybody has them, and everybody wants them.  I have plenty myself, though not as many as I used to have. Here is a list of some really excellent apps that you may want. I find that the apps which wow me the most are the ones that turn my phone into more than just a phone.  Because we all know that smart phones ARE more than just a phone these days, I think it's a great idea to utilize the device the best way you can for your individual needs.  Here are some of my favorites.

Everyone who's into social networking can benefit from putting the apps to connect to it at the touch of your fingertips. No more having to wait until you get home just to see who likes what today.
Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, OR -- you can use ONE simple app to combine all your social networking into 1 button. Update them all at once to tell your world what you've been up to!  The one I used to use was Seesmic, but now it's Hootsuite.  You can even use it over the web. There are also other apps out there which aggregate multiple feeds this way.

Find Stuff.  Foursquare, Yelp, Urbanspoon, White&Yellow Pages. They make use of the GPS function of your phone to find relevant stuff currently near you.

iMapWeather Radio Now it's more than a phone, it's a weather radio, too! Alerts go off at the time of important events, which you can select, to keep you informed in case of inclement weather.

Yes of course it's already a PDA. But why not sync your documents between your phone and the web? Then you can get to them from any PC too and only bother with 1 copy. Evernote is one great app to allow you to do just that. Microsoft OneNote isn't as good because you can't paste in images.

Music player. Of course, the iPhone comes with the build in iPod app.  You can also listen to live streaming internet radio like Pandora. No more are the days of toting around a CD sized player. Of course, back in my day it was the cassette wielding walkman. But that's only after I got tired of lugging my Boom Box around the yard. Man, those were the days.

I know this was a post about app downloads, but let's not forget what things it comes with, too. Thanks to the built in Clock app you now have a reminder timer you can set to remind yourself of things. It's also an alarm clock, so knock yourself out. It'll wake you up when it's time to come to.

Maps. The built in Maps app is sufficient but did you know you can download Mapquest and turn your iPhone into an actual talking GPS? Also try Waze which can even interact with your calendar and Facebook events to help you find stuff.

Like to run?  Map your route and share updates with others for motivation. Because you know we all need it when it comes to exercise.

Photography.  The iPhone has a Camera so why not make use of those Photos more easily? Upload them to storage websites like Flickr and Photobucket, or send them straight to printing locations like Walgreens. Postagram will even let you put your photo onto a postcard that actually gets mailed to people, physically. Imagine that concept: non-digital mail DOES still exist!

Your phone is a Calculator. But even better, you can use it as a tip calculator through apps like AppBox. (I use lite). No more trying to do restaurant math at the last minute when your friends or loved ones are waiting on you but you have to decide how much to tip before you sign and walk away.