To say I can't live without these iPhone Apps is an overstatement, obviously. When I got my iPhone 3G in January, I knew there would be Apps I'd find useful for lots of different things. I didn't know how much I'd come to use them, though.
With Apple's "no return" policy, I have mostly stayed away from paid Apps. Some I have purchased have been ok while others I've deleted almost immediately.
The list below started with five Apps. As I thought about it more, two Apps are on here for the same reason and I grouped them together. Then I thought of three more Apps I wanted to mention because of their potential.
All told, below is a list of nine Apps that I have come to rely on for different things, in no particular order.
Pandora Radio (free) If you like music and don't know what Pandora is, you should go to Pandora.com and sign up for an account. Pandora has a single mission, according to their site: To play only music you'll love. To do this, they rely on the Music Genome Project? to stream music directly to your device. You can use it through a browser (free) or downloadable program (paid) on your home or work computer and via a free App on your smart mobile phone (they support five types right now with Apps). I love my music I have on my phone via iPod, but Pandora allows me the freedom to create personalized radio stations (with limited interruption, although you can pay $36 a year for no ads or limitations) with music I know I'd love, too.
Waze (free) There has been a lot of talk about turn-by-turn directions via the iPhone. There are several very expensive products out there and then there is Waze. Waze is an App which has the ability to be a simple turn-by-turn program, but it is so much more. Using a network of "Wazers", Waze is a realtime look at what traffic is like where YOU are driving.
FreeMemory (was $0.99, but not currently available) This App allows you to do what the name says -- Free memory up on your phone. Prior to downloading this application, I was resetting my phone at least once every few days. Now, when I think my phone is running low on system memory, I launch this App, it clears out programs from it's internal memory and I can move onto whatever was next. Apple, for some reason, has asked the publisher to remove the feature to free memory from their Apps, so it is not currently available.
AT&T's myWireless (free) Sort of a no-brainier app for your iPhone. Ever wonder where you are on your minutes or the number of text messages you've sent? Behind a password login, you can get answers to each of these questions, add features to your account and even pay your bill.
MLB At Bat Lite (free) and ESPN ScoreCenter (free) I put these two together as "sports" Apps. The MLB App gave live updates to games. I thought a few times I'd upgrade to the free version, but never pulled the trigger. There just wasn't enough of a reason to do it. The ESPN App is a great all-around sports information tool. If I want to know the score of any game at any time, it's here in my hand.
Here are a couple of cool apps with a lot of potential. Starbucks Card Mobile (free) For all the Starbucks fans! In several Silicon Valley and Seattle locations, Starbucks is testing iPhone payments. Register your card number with the App and your device will display a barcode used same way as a Starbucks Card to make purchases at their stores and coffee houses. For me, it will be one less card to have to carry in my wallet. Hopefully the testing will go well and they'll outfit my local Starbucks soon!
Google (Voice) (free) and Skype (free) I grouped these two because they basically do the same thing. Each allow for calling over the Internet. The Skype App is actually available now, but is limited to when you are connected to a WiFi location. There have been reports AT&T will open up their 3G network to allow this sort of activity across it, but it has yet to be done. The Google Voice App has been built, but was rejected by Apple. Apple says it wasn't rejected, but it hasn't been approved yet. In both cases, if you subscribe to these products, you will be able to make calls across the Internet rather than using AT&T's cellular system.
There you go
There are obviously other Apps I have on my phone. Today, I have 120 Apps, including those that came with my phone. About 30 are games, some I loaded because I was curious about and haven't removed yet, and some are Apps I use from time to time, but not a lot (like WiFi finders, eBay and Craigslist, for instance).
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