My Top 15 Favorite iPhone Apps (non-gaming)
I have had a few people ask me lately about my favorite iPhone apps, knowing that I have downloaded 200+ and keep up to date on the latest entries. So I though I would post this information on my Top 15 Favorite iPhone Apps (non-gaming) for future reference.
- 15. Craigsphone (Free) – An adequate but useful Craigslist app.
- 14. Free RSS (Free) – A good free RSS Feed Reader.
- 13. Ambiance ($2.99 – New Version; Free – Old Version) – Relaxing sounds like ocean waves and lake side to lull you to sleep.
- 12. ShapeWriter (Free – Light; $9.99 Pro) – A great input alternative for much quicker and more accurate typing of longer messages. The free Light version does not have a landscape keyboard. The $10 Pro version has the landscape keyboard and is worth it if you frequently type longer emails or SMS. Even with the soon to be built in landscape keyboard with the new 3.0 OS this app will still be valuable for long messages.
- 11. Lose It (Free) – Excellent daily nutritional information tracking app manages all your nutritional and exercise data for just minutes of input a day.
- 10. Now Playing (Free) – Find theater showtimes, purchase tickets, read movie reviews and manage your Netflix queue.
- 9. Routesy ($2.99) – If you take public transportation in San Francisco this app is gold. It uses the GPS data in the muni system to give the user accurate and up-to-the-minute muni bus and BART arrival times.
- 8. Free Mem 1.4 ($0.99) – Quickly check and free up memory to keep apps from closing erratically. It also displays the battery charge level.
- 7. Evernote (Free) – Clip web articles, posts and sites on the computer and view them on any other computer or on iPhone. Also take voice memos from iPhone and check them later on your computer or in any web browser. The Evernote client on the Mac or PC is extremely useful and the iPhone client is just a great enhancement and convenient extension.
- 6. Stanza (Free) – An eBook reader with thousands of free public domain books and the option to buy some newer books. It allows you to invert (black page, white text) and resize the text. Don’t even bother with the pricey and lame Kindle app. I have read Treasure Island and am now reading Robinson Crusoe and I find it convenient and pleasant reading eBooks on the iPhone.
- 5. Yelp (Free) – Quickly access Yelp restaurant reviews, searches and your account bookmarks.
- 4. AP Mobile News (Free) – I believe that the Associated Press (AP) is THE last remaining neutral and unbiased news source and one that refreshingly delivers, “just the facts, maam”. I use this app for 99% of my news info. and no longer watch any TV news.
- 3. Wikiamo (Free) – The best of the free Wikipedia apps. Good formatting, live searches and quick TOC links make this app highly accessible and convenient.
- 2. Pandora (Free) – An amazing app that brings music streaming goodness based on the favorable traits of any song, artist or genre and provides interesting details on artists, songs and albums.
- 1. Facebook (Free) – Access your Facebook status, photos and friends faster than you can access them on the computer. The best app, hands down.
Honorable Mentions:
- Air Sharing ($4.99) – Copy PDF, Office, HTML or Media files to/from your computer and iPhone and view them on the go.
- Vlingo (Free) or Google Mobile App (Free) – Both these apps allow voice activated web searches. Vlingo has slightly better voice recognition but Google’s interface may feel more familiar.
- SaveMyDocs (Free – Lite; $3.99 – Full) – Download, save and read PDF, HTML and Docs from the Web.
- Bloom ($3.99) – Visually create your own harmonious music in seconds or listen to the soothing algorithmically generated music. This mesmorizing app is good for all ages.
- Night Camera ($1.99)- Take clearer photos with this app which snaps the shot when your hand is most steady.
Also, here is a great list of 34 Essential iPhone Apps compiled by Gizmodo.