Ten iPhone Programs to Check Out
I’ve spent part of the weekend downloading and trying out dozens of the more than 800 new third-party iPhone applications that launched with the debut of Apple’s (AAPL) “App store.” The store is part of the new iPhone 2.0 operating system, which not only comes with the new iPhone 3G, but is also a free upgrade on older iPhones and a $10 upgrade on the iPod Touch.
These first applications range from serious programs for doctors and pilots to silly parlor tricks that take advantage of the iPhone’s motion sensors. One, called PhoneSaber, merely displays an image of a Star Wars-like light saber and makes varying light saber noises as you wave the phone in the air.
Here are ten apps I think you might enjoy checking out, in no particular order. These aren’t meant as full reviews, just pointers to interesting items. There may be ten others, or 200 others, you think worthier of attention. Feel free to add comments with your own suggestions.
- AIM. Finally, a native iPhone program for accessing one of the world’s most widely used instant-messaging networks. It lacks some of the more rarified features of the PC or Mac versions, but does the basic text-chat thing quite well. One downside: because Apple isn’t allowing third-party programs to run constantly in the background, you can’t receive new messages in AIM while doing other things. This will supposedly be remedied by new Apple server technology due later this year.
- MotionX-Poker. This is a simple poker game played with dice instead of cards. But it can be mesmerizing, because it makes full use of the iPhone’s graphics engine and motion sensors. You play each hand by shaking the phone to roll gorgeously rendered 3D dice, which even sound like dice. The $5 game comes from Fullpower, a company developing many motion-based programs that was founded by software industry pioneer Philippe Kahn.
- TruPhone. This is an Internet phone-calling program that works over the iPhone’s Wi-Fi radio, potentially saving you big money over using the device’s regular cell phone capability, especially when calling internationally. Biggest downside in my initial tests: it sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t.
- FileMagnet. One of the frustrating things about the iPhone is that it has no easy way for users to transfer files from their computers and store them on the phone, even though it is capable of viewing many types of files. FileMagnet, which costs $5, places a small program on your computer, and then wirelessly transfers any files you drag into it to the FileMagnet program on the phone. It works with Microsoft Word files, PDF files, images and more. Biggest downsides: it only works on Macs, but I’d bet a similar Windows program will come along soon.
- SpeechCloud Voice Dialer. This free program allows you to dial anyone in your contact list by simply saying his or her name.
- Movies. This is a free service that lets you find movies in your area, watch the trailers, buy tickets to them, and view a map to the theater.
- Remote. This free program, written by Apple itself, allows you to control any copy of iTunes, on any Windows or Mac computer, over a local wireless network. It also works on Apple TV boxes.
- Where. One of many new IPhone apps that attempt to provide information based on your location, Where, which is free, aggregates local content from services like Yelp and Eventful, which also have their own iPhone apps.
- Pandora. The new iPhone version of the wildly popular Pandora music-streaming program, is also free. It creates personalized radio stations based on artists you like.
- MLB.com At Bat. This $5 program lets you track games in progress, which is no big deal. The big deal is that you can actually watch video clips of key plays before the games are over.
Comments
Since list…
Another great app is the AOL Radio app. You can now listen to internet radio! Local and all over the world!!!
I hope these apps can be ported to the Apple TV soon? I’d love this app and the Pandora app on it!
Posted by Shawn Bauer at July 13th, 2008 at 8:07 pmI am yet to fully explore all the apps. So far I found the following to be interesting. Al l are free ones.
shazam - ( Listens to a few seconds of a song and tells you what it is. Very cool program )
Posted by Singer Sam at July 13th, 2008 at 11:19 pmKarajan Beginner - fun music lessons,
Voice notes - leave yourself voice notes
Zipcodes
AOL Radio
Pandora
PhoneSaber
RubyRepeat - increase memory
Bloomberg - financial news
AP Mobile news
puluwal - real estate search
TapTap - just a fun thing to do with beats of a music
Another app that just got added to the store, is a much needed simple speed dial app — called “SpeedDial”
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObj.....3&mt=8
Posted by Kelly Heffner at July 13th, 2008 at 11:41 pmGreat list.
Just tried Pandora on the drive from New Haven to NYC and it worked flawlessly the whole way. Streaming free music with no ads, who needs satellite Radio anymore?!!
That MotionX Poker game is amazing also - tried it and can’t put it down. The dice look and act completely real. Found a cool video of it here on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZqNi06tdBU
Posted by Robert Rodriguez at July 14th, 2008 at 1:48 amIn order of awesomeness:
Urbanspoon. Finds restaurants nearby. Can search by shaking. Like playing slots. Really.
PhoneSaber. Luke, you are a nerd. You know it inside, just look into your phone. Give in to the nerd.
Jott. Voice recognition notes. Try it, you’ll see. So much better than Voice Notes, or the old keyboard Notes bug.
Tap Tap Revenge. Probably the best free game available now. Guitar hero for your fingertips.
AOL Radio. This is the game changing app and the paradigm shifter in mobile. Free streaming radio, including internet radio stations (all Pearl Jam, all the time, anyone? anyone?). Just wait until they have TV.
Box Office. Walt! Box Office is, like, 100 times totally better than Movies. It has Rotten Tomatoes Reviews! and movie times!
Yelp. Nice implementation of the restaurant (and other things) reviews site.
Loopt. Ping your friends and see where they are.
Weather Bug. More accurate weather, weather web cams, and radar maps than the apple’s built in Weather.
SportsTap. Sports scores from all sports.
Scratch. Who doesn’t need to scratch records hiphop style while waiting for public transportation?
All the above are free.
Notes on Walt’s choices:
Speech cloud works about 50% of the time, and is slow.
TruPhone charges fees.
MLB AtBat app is not really that great if you have SportsTap.
It is unclear how Where is any better than google maps.
Can’t get Pandora to give me an activation code.
Posted by Afek Nam at July 14th, 2008 at 2:42 pmGood list, but we’re a bit partial to one more
Please check out our iEnvision software. It lets you view Web images the way they should be viewed on the iPhone, including 100s of comic strips, works of art, newspaper headlines and much more. Details at we-envision.com.
Posted by Alan Oppenheimer at July 14th, 2008 at 5:24 pmOoooh! I missed some of these. Gotta go get some.
I just wanted to say that I’ve been entertained with the Dizzy Bee game. For me the best thing out there, specially for the price they sell at.
I love Pandora and the AOL radio stations. It’s so nice to have radio on the go.
Love your posts and input ~ thanks!
Posted by Karen Salsa-Momma at July 15th, 2008 at 8:43 pmMovies is a reasonable program and may have some benefits the two others I know of do not, but unless I am missing something Box Office and another, Showtime, let you use the location function to find movies where you are. As a visitor in Seattle this last week, knowing no local zip codes, this was great. My solution? The programs are small, and I have all three.
Posted by Michael Edelstein at July 21st, 2008 at 10:42 amWalt, I’m an iPhone fan but on iPhone overload at the moment and when I came to your site was hoping to see other articles which aren’t iPhone related - it seems 7 out of 9 feature articles are on this subject. Is there an end in site?
Peter
Posted by Peter Johnson at July 21st, 2008 at 1:38 pmwonderful tips to me
Posted by lomos ~ at July 22nd, 2008 at 6:03 pmCaravan is way better than FileMagnet. You don’t need an app on your Mac, instead it uses http://FTP. This means it also works on Windows, and you can upload/download files wherever you are, you don’t have to be at home. Caravan also lets you create and edit text files on the go.
http://web.me.com/notsosoft/Caravan/Caravan.html
Posted by Per Sillrén at July 31st, 2008 at 5:04 pmHi, Walt - “myLite” is not only the top flashlight app, but de rigeur rock concert equipment, since it has Strobe, Trippin’, and several color flasher features - even a lighter.
It surged into the Top 15 Free Apps just a few days after the App Store opened and hasn’t left since. It’s currently at #12 and still ahead of big-name apps from the likes of Google, AOL Radio, AIM, MySpace, and the NY Times…
cheers,
Posted by Graeme Thickins at August 1st, 2008 at 3:44 amGraeme
http://www.doapps.com
http://www.twitter.com/doapp