Top 10 iPhone Applications You Shouldn't Live Without

The iPhone has come a long way the last year. While the interface is brilliantly designed, fast and has an overall functionality not found on other Mobile Operating Systems, what has really impressed me is the number of wonderful applications currently available on the relatively new OS.

In this article I’ll examine in brief some of the more popular iPhone applications, specifically some of the apps I have found to be the best performing on the iPhone OS.

 Super Monkey Ball is by far the most well thought out game for the iPhone, the playability is smooth, the levels are concise, and its just an overall fun experience. The point is simple, navigate your “Monkey” in his “Ball” through various navigated levels without falling off the mazes open sides.  Personally I like the smooth movements created through the use of the iPhone accelerometer. I have played the game for the Wii and the iPhone is surprisingly close in its accurate movements of the characters. At $10 the price is also right for Super Monkey Ball, especially compared to the $40 price tag on a system like the Wii. If you’re a game enthusiast, or even if you simply want to test out a new feature on your iPhone, in this case the accelerometer, its well worth the money, more so than any other iPhone game to date.

Pandora.com offers some of the best music streaming channels I have ever used. Personally throughout my workday I listen to Pandora rather than CD’s or other internet radio stations. The program literally lets you select your favorite band and then it streams their music, along with other bands considered to be close “companions” to the band you have selected. For instance, Jason Mraz would also play Jack Johnson and John Mayer songs, while a Led Zeppelin channel may also play the Who and other Rock bands. Best of all the program works well on Edge Network speeds which means users of the original non-3G iPhone will still receive excellent playback. The best part of the program? If you hate a song you can ask it to never be played again, while your favorites can be bookmarked and remembered by the program for later playback.



In terms of Pandora however I must mention one slight drawback, it’s a stand along application, meaning while it can be played on your iPhone, you can’t be doing anything else in the background, in other words its great if all you are doing is listening to music.

Being a huge audiophile I had to include another music app, this time for its innovation that actually works. Shazam is a free application with a simple function. Hold your iPhone to any music source, whether its coming out of a stereo, a tv, whatver it doesn’t matter, and Shazam within seconds will tell you what songs your listening to, what artist sings it, and where to buy it.



The program works by users placing tags on their favorite music, which then helps identify the music.  But wait, there’s more. Users can also view related YouTube videos by clicking on a defined icon, and they can even email their contacts the music info for download and listening purposes.



If you tend to forget songs, or you really want to know what your listening to, this is the perfect application for you.

It’s probably a good thing that Google doesn’t fight with Apple as much as it does with Microsoft. In this case the Google App for the iPhone is an all inclusive search program. Users can search their phone for items such as Contacts, Applications, etc. Almost like using Google Desktop for a Windows Based PC.



The application would be great if it stopped there, but as the sub section title states this program also searches the Internet. Using the application users can discover web pages, local business contact information, and much more.



The program also features smart search, essentially as you enter letters the available programs that match those letters will appear first in search results. As an example, if I type “TYPE” two options may come up, one may be “Type Pad Interface” while the next closest may be “Typewriter Teacher” when I type “TYPEW” the “Typewriter Teacher” program would then display first based on relevance to the letters I entered. If you’ve used Firefox 3, the Google iPhone Search App offers the same type of “Suggestive Search” as shown above.



Overall a great app that makes overall search capabilities easier to digest, especially if you tend to store everything on your device, and with the iPhone 3G data connection if you surf the net from your device almost as much as from your computers.

There is no question in my mind that the OmniFocus app is the best Location based software available for the iPhone. The program developed by The Omni Group is a perfect “Location Based Organizer.” For instance, lets say you have an appointment at the corner of Main and Front Street, and you need to pick up groceries and get a hair cut that same day. If your appointment is close to a hair salon and a grocery store the application will actual remind you of each task while providing directions and location based reminders for the stores to complete each task within your area.



Taking this app one step further, if you have created a list of food for instance that you need the program will store your shopping list alongside the closest grocery store.



Eseentially OmniFocus in the words of the OmniGroup allows users to “Keep track of actions by project, place, person, or date. Bring up a shopping list, agenda items to discuss at work, tasks for home, and any other lists you need.”



At only $19.99 this application is one of my all time favorites in terms of the iPhones so far short lived life.

NetNewsWire is a great free application. If you’re a MAC user there is probably a good chance that you use the desktop version of the reader, in which case you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the functionality of the iPhone version. Using the two programs in tandem you can actually sync your RSS feeds making reading where you left off easier than ever.  



Personally I chose this app because it gives the option to Del.icio.us feed stories for easily giving credit for stories where credit is do.



I also chose the NetNewsWire feed because it works easily with a very simply interface that gets you right to your news without unneeded menu options. But most again I chose it because of the built in sync feature.

Loopt Mobile is a location based social network. Think of it sort of like Facebook for Mobile users on the go. Lets say your in an area and want to find fun places to go, you simply log into Loopt and any suggestions tagged in that area by your friends will show up with their comments/suggestions.



You can also find out where your friends and what their doing there at that time. The program does require users to approve their list of friends, which means complete strangers can’t track your whereabouts.



You can also send your friends comments and location suggestions, tag your photos, and even find “suggested” locations based on popular services such as Yelp.



Overall a great on the go mobile network for location based use. Does it replace Facebook? No. But it does offer an alternative with on-the-go functionality.

Do you like to read on the go? If you do then eReader is for you. The application is free and offers the ability for users to download ebooks directly to their iPhone. The lettering comes through very clear making reading easy. It may not be perfect for all of your reading needs on the iPhone’s 3.5 inch screen, but its great for commuters, or if you have a short wait in a line or a break at work and want to catch up on your reading.

While you can obviously check whether on your iPhone Safari browser, there is an excellent stand alone application that I wanted to mention. WeatherBug offers over 45,000 locations worldwide which should satisfy even the most traveled users.



Aside from the location database the application also brings up satellite information, radar maps, current radars that stream to your device in seconds, detailed forecasts, weather cameras, and in the cases of extreme weather alerts sent directly to your device.



With WeatherBug gone are the days of sitting in front of your radio awaiting news of the most severe weather, now you can get those updates at any time, and even on the Edge network the downloads are fast and offer very concise information.

I’m a self proclaimed sports nut. If I can’t watch my Cubbies or Bears (Can you tell I’m from the Chi-town area) play, I feel at a loss. However with SportTap I’m able to keep up with my favorite teams when I’m not able to attend a game or watch it on TV. The application covers all the major U.S. Sports including MLB, NFL, and NBA sporting events, along with the NHL, PGA, Tennis and even some international sports.



Simply request a game score and within seconds the updated score is sent your way. The user interface is not in any way cluttered and makes finding the games in question a breeze.



The one downfall? You can’t bookmark your favorite teams, but at a cost of FREE its well worth the cost. All kidding aside it’s a great app that makes finding scores for events around the world easy.



While there are many more applications for the iPhone that deserve mention, I wanted to show the apps I personally find useful. The iPhone continues to product excellent applications, check back soon and we’ll have more applications listed in more depth throughout our iPhone Channel.

Those are my top 10 iPhone applications to date. As new applications trump these software offerings I'll continue to update this list. Whether your looking for Games, Business Applications, Mapping Programs or other offerings the iPhone is finally coming into its own, i'm sure in the months to come newer and ultimately stronger programs will emerge. Personally given the strength of the young programs listed above i'm already impressed and waiting for the next wave of iPhone programs to emerge.