My friend Nathan just bought an iPod Touch and asked me what my essential iPhone apps are. With eighteen-hojillion apps out on the App Store now, I figured we could all use a “Here’s what I’m using” thread to share the stuff we really dig.
Apps
• WriteRoom ($5) – A nice if somewhat pointless text editor that can be had for free if you buy the excellent Mac version at the same time. It has landscape text entry if that’s your thing, though.
• Stanza (Free) – Essential eBook reader, with 40k free books available for download. Were it not for the screen, this would kill the Kindle.
• Mobile Fotos ($3) – Fantastic Flickr interface, including the ability to upload full-resolution images. (The iPhone email default is 640 x 480 pixels.)
• CameraBag ($3) — Beautiful retro filters for the Lomo dork can make crappy iPhone camera (not that you have a camera, Nate) look decent, but I’ve lost at least one irreplaceable photo to its crashiness.
Games
• Fieldrunners ($5) – A Tower Defense-style game, I’ve probably wasted more time with this than any other game on the iPhone. Needs more levels and units, but still, I’ve probably put 20 hours into this in the last month. Very well-behaved crash-wise, too.
• Galcon ($5) — Fun arcade strategy hybrid. A free demo gives you a lot of play, too. [My review]
• Flick Fishing ($1) – I haven’t spent a ton of time with this, but I love fishing games and this is pretty top-notch at first glance, especially for a buck.
For When You’re High
• RjDj ($3) – Weird ambient noise remixer, but pleasingly trippy. [My review]
There are probably at least another dozen apps I keep on there that I use to show off the device or mess around with occasionally, but those are the ones that I use on at least a weekly basis. Oh, I have two different Twitter clients — Twitterific and Twinkle — but both of them have quirks that I don’t like.
I second the recommendations for Fieldrunners and Galcon, they are both really fun. Also, check out Jelly Car – it’s really amusing, free, and gets updated pretty frequently.
Other apps I like are IQ Boost, which is a dual N-back memory game, scienticiously proven to ripen your melon. It’s $4 or so but implements the game really well.
The only app I really use that isn’t for fun is Grocery IQ. Great for shopping lists.
@1
Can’t live without Grocery IQ.
You should try Tweetie for your twitter-business.
Grocery IQ is decent, but I prefer iNeedStuff which is better for sharing your grocery list with your wife! Automotive lovers should check out Dynolicious too.
Shazam is fantastic for when you hear a song on the radio and want to know what it is. I use it all the time.
i.TV to check what it on the local tv wherever I am, and to check movie times.
Decibel, a nice decibel meter with screen inversion to point the mic at the source
Bejeweled 2 the classic time waster.
Flashlight comes in handy when you need a quick light source.
Joel;
I acquired Galcon when you reviewed it.
In the interim time period, there have been no fewer than ten instances of the “OMG I see tiny triangles and planets when I close my eyes!” phenomenon.
There’s also been two missed bus stops.
I blame _you_. You, you, you, you.
@bardfinn: Uh oh! Better not go get Fieldrunners then or you’re going to be seeing tiny little army men squishing in your sleep.
Joel;
When my back goes out from lugging around the AC adapter because Fieldrunners is power-hungry, I shall blame you then as well.
My husband, who is not a big gamer, loves Flick Fishing. He can play it for hours. Then he curses me for buying it for him.
Love fieldrunners, simple fun and well designed. It definitely needs more maps, but you get plenty of game for the money.