# I have an iPhone! Recommend me some apps, please. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784 "2009-05-17T22:38:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/1 "2009-05-17T22:38:31Z")
I’m generally quite the Luddite when it comes to change or anything new, particularly technology, but my beloved has arranged for me to be the proud if slightly suspicious owner of an iPhone. It’s quite nice, I’m sure, and I seem to be overcoming my usual steely-eyed skepticism of New more rapidly than normal. I have used it to both make and receive calls, and now I’m intrigued by the life-enriching possibliities of apps . So far, I have an app for weather forecasts and one that turns the screen into a flashlight (nifty!). That seems a bit bare, given the myriad choices out there. So, what other apps should I have? What’s neat, what’s fun, what’s useful, what will impress my 12-year-old with my Mama Cool? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/2 "2009-05-18T00:37:05Z")
Pocket God ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/3 "2009-05-18T00:48:02Z")
> [@shantih](#): > > I’m generally quite the Luddite when it comes to change or anything new, particularly technology, but my beloved has arranged for me to be the proud if slightly suspicious owner of an iPhone. It’s quite nice, I’m sure, and I seem to be overcoming my usual steely-eyed skepticism of New more rapidly than normal. I have used it to both make and receive calls, and now I’m intrigued by the life-enriching possibliities of apps . > > So far, I have an app for weather forecasts and one that turns the screen into a flashlight (nifty!). That seems a bit bare, given the myriad choices out there. > > So, what other apps should I have? What’s neat, what’s fun, what’s useful, what will impress my 12-year-old with my Mama Cool? It makes phone calls too ?? The important apps Facebook Weather eye from the weather network Now Playing new release films, dvd and blu ray DVD releases and netflix lots of twitter apps for free, local govts and police seem to be using for updates Anything else is part of the discovery phase of your iphone, lots of free apps to look at and delete when you find they lack. Declan ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/4 "2009-05-18T01:07:59Z")
I just got a new iPhone, too. I [started a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=517601) in IMHO soliciting good free iPhone apps. I’ll quote myself and give you some of my favorites. > [@What are your favorite free iPhone applications?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-free-iphone-applications/496439/1): > > Mine are: > > **AOL Radio** , **Tunin.FM** , **SHOUTcast** , **Pandora** , and **Slacker** , all streaming radio apps. > > **Weather Bug** , an application that gives you detailed weather forecasts for your area. > > **Action Bowling** , a free stripped-down bowling game. You can’t customize balls or play against other players, but you can bowl a full 10 frames. It’s very easy to play. You just flick you finger up the screen to roll the ball, or you can move your hand like you’re using a Wii controller. > > **Shazam** - Have you ever heard a song on the radio and wanted to know the title? With Shazam, you just hold your iPhone to the speaker to sample the song, and within 30 seconds, it gives you the song’s name, artist, and the album it was released on. > > A couple of more that aren’t really apps: > > **[TV.com](http://TV.com)**, which puts a bookmark on your main screen. It takes you to [TV.com](http://TV.com), which is owned by CBS and has full QuickTime episodes of current and classic shows, such as _CSI_, _Numb3rs_, _MacGyver_, and _Star Trek TOS_ available to stream over 3G. > > **[NBC.com](http://NBC.com)** is similar. Just go there in Safari and set it as an icon for your main screen. Similar to [TV.com](http://TV.com), they also have full QuickTime episodes of shows such as _Parks and Recreation_, _The Office_, and _30 Rock_. Some more cool ones are: [I Retro Phone](http://iphone.objectgraph.com/iretrophone/), which puts an old-fashioned rotary phone dial on your home screen. It actually works. Put your finger in the appropriate hole, drag it to the stop, and watch as it returns the dial back to position, with realistic sounds. Couple that with the bell ringtone in your iPhone, and you can be totally retro. You can even type your own phone number into the little sticker in the center of the dial. It’s only 99 cents for a limited time. Stanza is a free e-book application with a library of free books for download. Amazon also has a Kindle reader. The application is free. Amazon has a library of free books for download, but you can also purchase books from Amazon if you desire. Lots of other good applications in the other thread, too. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/5 "2009-05-18T01:19:07Z")
It’s completely useless, but I like Koi Pond. You choose how many fish, how many plants, color scheme and ambient sounds, and watch the fish swim about. You can make splashes in the water, and encourage them to nibble your fingers. I don’t use it that often, but when I want to show off my cool phone, that’s the first one I go to. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/6 "2009-05-18T02:25:40Z")
[Photon](http://www.yappler.com/App/2040/Photon/Default.aspx) - Free online photo storage/sharing. Click “sync” and it uploads all your new photos to their site. Move them to different folders which can be public, private or invite only. Order prints, etc. [Roll Swap](http://www.yappler.com/App/10892/Roll-Swap/Default.aspx) - Allows you to have 5 camera rolls, I have separate rolls for personal, work, etc [Google Mobile App](http://www.yappler.com/App/1352/Google-Mobile-App/Default.aspx) - Quick access to everything Google has. Includes voice search. [RSS Runner](http://www.yappler.com/App/14259/RSS-Runner/Default.aspx) - Simple, free, rss feed reader, if you use rss Not free: [RSS Player](http://www.yappler.com/App/17948/RSS-Player-Podcast-Client/Default.aspx) - If you like podcasts. [Mail Photos](http://www.yappler.com/App/16441/MailPhotos-in-high-resolution/Default.aspx) - The iPhone only allows you to email one photo at a time. This allows you to email multiple photos. Other suggestions: Find a file manager which allows you to browse the phone from your computer via the webdav protocol. A TV listing app. I rarely watch TV but still find this very useful. A units conversion program. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/7 "2009-05-18T06:47:55Z")
**Yellow Pages** - Never forget that business’ phone number again. **Shazam** - One to impress your daughter. Let it listen to a song and it’ll identify it. It’s had 100% success with me so far. **Google Earth** - Another good time waster. Same as the PC one. Another useful one is called **9-Toolbox**. A ton of common aps all packed into one. Currency converter, level, loan calculator, unit converter, etc. All in one. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/8 "2009-05-18T10:09:55Z")
Very nice! Thanks, **cochrane** , for the link to your thread, which of course led me to **Gadarene** ’s thread (and why did I put my thread in CS when you two were smart enough to put yours in IMHO? Well, iPhones have screens, and CS is about screen things, among other stuff … okay, I got nothin’.). Looks like I’m going to be busy this afternoon! ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/9 "2009-05-18T14:10:02Z")
It’s not free, but _Flight Control_ is an addictive little time waster. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/10 "2009-05-18T14:18:00Z")
I think you can get a compass app, IIRC. I got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/11 "2009-05-18T17:37:49Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > I think you can get a compass app, IIRC. Not sure if this was meant as sarcasm, but since many people are genuinely confused on this point, be careful. There is NO actual compass app for the iPhone, as in something that will always point north. The iPhone has no way to read the Earth’s (or any) magnetic field. The apps that look like a compass (especially the one featured on the TV commercial) allow you to find your way back to someplace you’ve been. Like to find where you parked your car. When you park, you run the app and tell it “remember this spot”. Then after you’ve wandered around, the app will simply point towards that spot. A must-have free app: Sol Free. The best solitaire app on the iPhone, and it’s free. A really cool free app: Jelly car. Interesting graphics, great physics, and a fun game. To show off how cool the iPhone’s accelerometer is, the free apps Labyrinth LE and Cube Runner. If you’re into the stock market, a great free app: eTrade Mobile Pro If you want an app to help you find other apps: fluke. It’s free also, and it shows you random apps from the app store. You can limit it to just free apps if you want, and/or limit it to various categories (e.g. free arcade games, paid business apps, etc.) Really crappy user interface, but kinda fun and free. For paid apps, I second FlightControl, it’s pretty addicting. Also FieldRunners, Enigmo. For paid non-games, check out Air Sharing. It lets you put pretty much any type of document on your iPhone (Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, HTML, webarchives, etc.) and view them. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/12 "2009-05-21T05:48:42Z")
I just downloaded two essential camera tools that should have been built into the iPhone in the beginning. They both cost a little money, but are well worth it, IMO. [Camera Zoom](http://www.tuaw.com/2009/04/18/first-look-camera-zoom-for-iphone/) - adds a digital zoom to the iPhone camera for an up to 4x zoom. 99 cents. [Photogene](http://www.i-photogene.com/photogene/main.html) - lets you edit photos on your iPhone. You can crop, adjust color, sharpen, and add effects to any picture on your iPhone. Not expensive, it’s only $2.99. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/13 "2009-05-21T15:24:32Z")
Some of my favorite apps: **Google Earth** is free, I think. I really like that one. **Netflix** has an iPhone app; you can manage your queue on your phone. **Wikipanion** is the Wikipedia app. **Urbanspoon** helps you find local restaurants in your area; I find it lists about 20% of what’s actually available and doesn’t seem to be updated very often. **Toast!** is a wonderful, useless timewaster. Yes, you make virtual toast. Then take a picture of it. Then “eat” it. Nothing but silliness. **Bubble Wrap** – see Toast; nothing but silliness. You pop bubbles on virtual bubble wrap. Not work-meeting friendly. \*\*Public Radio \*\*-- I really like the NPR app – streaming NPR from dozens of public radio stations across the country. Then, there’s one called **Ringtone** , that allows you to hold the microphone up to a sound (like the sound of my dogs snoring), record it, and then use it as a ringtone. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/14 "2009-05-21T15:56:41Z")
I have an Ipod Touch. But the apps are the same. Here are a few Apps that I use more than others. :: On my first screen, I have the apps I use most often, daily, if not more: \*\* Dictionary\*\*by [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) – FREE **OFFLINE** Dictionary. **Bank of America** – Free I have my account there, and I can check my balance, and make account transfers, etc. **AOL Radio** Free – More than enough Radio stations, of next to every genre. – This app gives my XM Radio subscription I used to have, a run for it’s money. Non first page items: \*\* Stanza\*\* E reader – Free E reader for books. And boy, are there a TON of books here. Most of them are Public Domain == Free. This one gets more use than my Kindle App (below). Joost, [TV.com](http://TV.com), [NBC.com](http://NBC.com) – Apps and bookmarks to safari pages that allow for Full streaming TV episodes. – I hear that [HULU.com](http://HULU.com) is making an app, and I will get that the moment it comes out, but untill then, this is what I got. **Public Radio** – Free Tunes in nearly every NPR stationin the US. \*\* Kindle\*\* by Amazon – Free version of the Kindle. **AIM** = AOL Instant messenger. Games : **Trism.** This game cost 3 bucks, but trust me, it is worth it. It is the game that Bejeweled wants to be. To say that this game is Hypnotic, and Addictive doesn’t do enough. It also has advanced controls, once you get good enough, to influence how new pieces are added to the game. Also has achivements. – Well worth it. **Arcade Bowling** : A game Similar to Skee Ball. Your finger becomes the arm motion for the on screen ball. **Kdice Trainer** (Think the game RISK, for people with ADD.) and \*\*Wolf3D \*\*(The complete Wolfenstein 3D MS DOS game, 60 levels, for 2 bucks.) and **Tap Tap Revenge** (Gutiar Hero like game for Iphone? – With free additional Tracks – from real artists?) Round up my games that I recomend. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/15 "2009-05-22T00:30:38Z")
> [@Roadfood](#): > > Not sure if this was meant as sarcasm, but since many people are genuinely confused on this point, be careful. There is NO actual compass app for the iPhone, as in something that will always point north. The iPhone has no way to read the Earth’s (or any) magnetic field. The apps that look like a compass (especially the one featured on the TV commercial) allow you to find your way back to someplace you’ve been. Like to find where you parked your car. When you park, you run the app and tell it “remember this spot”. Then after you’ve wandered around, the app will simply point towards that spot. That’s probably the one I’m thinking of. But hey, not a bad feature anyway… Wait, what if I tell it to remember the spot while I’m standing near the _north magnetic pole,_ and then go back home? I don’t see _any_ problems with that idea! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-iphone-recommend-me-some-apps-please/496784/16 "2009-05-22T02:09:02Z")
In the spirit of “give a man an app and he’ll download for a day, teach him to find apps and he’ll be set for life” I give you [appshopper.com](http://appshopper.com). Grab a RSS feed reader app, such as [RSS Runner](http://www.yappler.com/App/14259/RSS-Runner/Default.aspx) which I mentioned earlier. Then subscribe to the feeds at [appshopper.com](http://appshopper.com), such as the [newly released free apps](http://appshopper.com/new/free) or the [price dropped free apps](http://appshopper.com/prices/free), which lists the newly released free app and the apps that have gone on sale for free. There were over 50 new free apps today, I grabbed 4 which I’m trying out. Three look like keepers and I would’ve never heard of them otherwise. The cool thing about the price drop apps is that if you buy an app while it’s on sale for free, you never have to pay for it again. I’ve grabbed a few that seem like very nice apps, but which I really don’t have a use for right now. But if I need those apps in the future, I can download them for free no matter what their prices are. There are also appshopper feeds for paid apps and for all the categories, so you can watch for anything you want. Just click the buttons until you get to the page you want (say newly updated paid medical apps, for example), click the RSS feed button in the upper right, and put that address in your feed reader. > [@Roadfood](#): > > Not sure if this was meant as sarcasm, but since many people are genuinely confused on this point, be careful. There is NO actual compass app for the iPhone, as in something that will always point north. The iPhone has no way to read the Earth’s (or any) magnetic field. There [may be](http://www.iphonehacks.com/2009/05/asahi-kasei-providing-magnetometer-digital-compass-for-apples-new-iphone.html) a real compass in the new iPhone rumored to be coming out soon.