A friend of mine recently purchased an iPhone 4 and asked me “So what apps can I not live without?”<\/p>\n
I started to list off several that I use regularly, but realized that the list was going to grow rather large, rather quickly. So, I sent him a quick email of the ones I have on my first two pages and promised him a follow-up email with the rest. Then, I compiled the list into a blog post for all of you out there just now getting an iPhone or an iPod touch for the first time. This is, by no means, an exhaustive list, and if you’d like to know what other apps I recommend, please check out my iPhone category<\/a> for all posts I’ve made about the iPhone.<\/p>\n Apps that I feel are 100% necessary are rare, but there are several that I swear by for their “WOW!-factor” or just because they’re so much fun. This is that list. I’m sure, I have forgotten several, and I know that I’ll have to make another one eventually (thus, the use of penultimate above). But, it’ll get you started. So, without further ado. Okay, maybe one more ado.<\/p>\n Twitter<\/a> – There are several of these apps, but the official Twitter app is probably the best.<\/p>\n Boxcar<\/a> – So you can get push notifications when someone mentions you on Twitter, or when you receive an email at an email address that doesn’t support native push email, or any number of other things.<\/p>\n Facebook<\/a> – This one’s obvious. If you have a Facebook account, you need a quick-and-easy way to keep in touch with those on the site. This app is not as feature-rich as the full site, or even the “touchOS” version, but it has push notifications and some other really nice features, so check it out.<\/p>\n Chirpie Pro<\/a> – Let’s you quickly post to Twitter and Facebook simultaneously. There’s a free version, as well, but Pro is well worth it, if you use both Twitter and Facebook.<\/p>\n qStatus<\/a> – Same idea as Chirpie Pro but with some other neat features, such as letting you see through your camera while typing (for tweeting on the go).<\/p>\n Simplenote<\/a> – Best note-taking app on the store. Text is displayed in Helvetica for easy viewing, syncs automatically with server, has a pro version that stores revisions of your notes in case you accidentally delete or modify one and need to go back, and way more.<\/p>\n Meebo<\/a> – Let’s you log in to AIM, MSN, Yahoo, gChat, and more and remain logged in for 24-48 hours after the app is closed. You’ll receive push notifications from anyone that sends you a message and chat history is saved on the server (unless you turn it off) so that you can even see what someone is talking about if they don’t respond for days. This is a must-have, in my opinion.<\/p>\n Byline<\/a> – Syncs with Google reader for easy reading of your RSS feeds. Has a free version, as well, but this is one of the best ones I’ve seen on the app store in terms of features and interface. There are some visually amazing ones for iPad, but haven’t seen any of those that translate well to the iPhone.<\/p>\n NotifyMe 2<\/a> – To-do app that lets you set reminders for events with push notifications OR local notifications (no Internet required, but affects battery life a bit more). Excellent companion for reminders\u00c2\u00a0 you don’t want to put in Calendar for one reason or another.<\/p>\n Audio Flashlight for iPhone 4<\/a> – Free flashlight app that uses the LED flash for a flashlight, strobe light, and audio strobe.<\/p>\n The Weather Channel<\/a> – I’ve tried several different weather apps for the iPhone, and while I stopped using this one for several months, the interface is still the best and the performance is (usually) rock-solid.<\/p>\n Dropbox<\/a> – If you use Dropbox<\/a>, this app is indispensable, as you can quickly and easily view your files, send links to them by email, and even save some to the internal memory of your device for quick access. If you don’t use Dropbox, sign up free here<\/a>, and get an extra 250MB of storage for free.<\/p>\n 1Password Pro<\/a> – If you already use 1Password for Mac & Windows (a password, software license, identity, credit card, and secure notes database program), this app lets you sync your data to your iPhone so you have it on the go. The latest version of the app synchronizes your info with Dropbox, so that you can keep everything up-to-date, no matter where you are. 1Password is shareware on the Mac (and Windows), so you can test it out and see how you like it.<\/p>\n SoundHound \u00e2\u02c6\u017e<\/a> – You’ve probably heard of Shazam, which is okay, but SoundHound goes above and beyond, letting you hum a song, or even just type the lyrics in to find out what it’s called. There’s a free version that works like the free version of Shazam (limited number of song requests per month), but the full version is well worth the money if you are constantly hearing a song on the radio and want to know what it is.<\/p>\n Netflix<\/a> – Instant streaming from Netflix over WiFi AND 3G. This can eat up your data plan VERY fast, so be mindful of that when on 3G. The quality is phenomenal, even over 3G.<\/p>\n 5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself)<\/a> – All [adult swim] games are on sale for a short period of time, so you need to pick them up as soon as possible. You can play any of them for free on the [adult swim] site<\/a> (Flash required) and decide which you like the best. This one is pretty fun and takes 5 minutes or less to play. I think the title explains it well enough.<\/p>\n Robot Unicorn Attack<\/a> – Another [adult swim] game, and easily their most successful to date. It plays similar to Canabalt and other “endless-side-scrolling-sprinters” that you may have seen, but it has an awesome soundtrack and amazing graphics. Plus it’s hilarious.<\/p>\n N.O.V.A. – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance<\/a> – If you like first-person shooters (and especially if you like Halo), this game will have you feeling right at home. With a pretty impressive campaign, gorgeous graphics, and a rock-solid multiplayer experience, this game really shows that the iPhone can play just about any game type you’ve ever experienced.<\/p>\n Pinball Remote<\/a> – When coupled with The Pinball<\/a> on your Mac, turns your iPhone into the ultimate pinball machine controller. One table is free and two more can be purchased from within the app. Very cool.<\/p>\n Plants vs. Zombies<\/a> – The ultimate in “backyard defense” games. Honestly, anything by PopCap<\/a> is going to be amazing on your iPhone, but this one goes above and beyond. The iPad version<\/a> has additional features, but the iPhone version still contains the entire core of the game.<\/p>\n Final Fantasy<\/a> – The game that started it all, now on the iPhone. If you’ve enjoyed any Final Fantasy game and you want to see where it all began, you need to check this out. Even if you played the original NES classic, this version contains new graphics, a new translation, and some gameplay tweaks to make it work playing all over again.<\/p>\n Wolfenstein RPG<\/a> – The iPhone lends itself perfectly to RPGs, and this reinvention of an id Software<\/a> classic is no exception. If you love Wolfenstein and you love RPGs, you’ll love this.<\/p>\n Ocarina<\/a> – Turns your iPhone into a working Ocarina. I even have songs I’ve transcribed<\/a> for easy playing on my website.<\/p>\n Epic Citadel<\/a> – This is a tech demo of a game that Epic<\/a> (yeah, the guys behind Gears of War and Unreal Tournament) is currently developing. Graphics like this have never been seen on a mobile phone. Ever. And they make the PSP look weak.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So that’s it. That’s the list of iPhone apps I recommend to anyone picking up an iPhone or iPod touch for the first time and completely overwhelmed by the content on the App Store. I hope that it has helped you, at least somewhat, to make your new device sing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A friend of mine recently purchased an iPhone 4 and asked me “So what apps can I not live without?” I started to list off several that I use regularly, but realized that the list was going to grow rather large, rather quickly. 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The majority of the posts on this blog lately are about what apps I recommend. However, not all of my friends or readers have an iPhone. For those of you that have purchased Android phones, I thought I'd take the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple"","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/zepfhyr.com\/blog\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1096,"url":"https:\/\/zepfhyr.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/inkkc-interview-about-iphone-apps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1744,"position":1},"title":"InkKC interview about iPhone apps","author":"Jared Cash","date":"March 19, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Several weeks ago, my friend Chase, of Swindlr & Zappn fame, gave my name to a reporter for InkKC that was doing an article on iPhone apps. 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