Qik Video: I just discovered this beauty, which allows 3G users like myself to take video with their iPhone, and I couldn’t be more excited. Now I don’t have to have 3GS envy! Suck it, Apple! Haven’t had a chance to use it much yet, but I’m sure the beau will be getting plenty of videos of the kitties taking adorable naps or batting a piece of string very soon.
Shake It Photo, Camera Bag, Photo Filters, Hipstamatic, Fantasy Lens, Polarize, and Camera Flash: My myriad of photo filter apps have accumulated over the year plus I’ve had my iPhone. The ones I find myself using most often are Shake It Photo and Hipstamatic, but they each have unique enough features that I can’t seem to pick one to get rid of. Fantasy Lens is a little different in that instead of taking your photo and turning it into a Polaroid or whatever, it takes photos of faces and puts them in great works of art, holiday or season-appropriate scenes, and the like. Silly, but fun. Especially after a few cocktails.
I Am T-Pain: I read about this one here! You sing into it and it auto-tunes your pitchy mess into a hit made for Cher. A party favorite.
A Free Level: As its name suggests, it’s a free level. Just select the app and hold your iPhone horizontally to ensure your paintings are hanging straight. I’ve actually used this app more times than I expected to.
Google Earth: Thought it would be cool to access Google Earth from anywhere. Still haven’t used it once, but at least I know it’s on there…
FS5 Hockey, Labyrinth LE, Morocco, and Hangman: Time-waster games I downloaded, the beau played on subway trips a few times until he got bored of them, and I’ve never opened since. I am on the look-out for games that are actually entertaining that I’ll want to play more than once, so let me know if you have an suggestions.
Pandora: Since I rarely use my iPhone for music, and when I do, I’m often on the subway with no signal, Pandora has not yet been used. Seemed like a good idea at the time…
Qlock Two: Saw this on a design blog and just had to have it. It’s a very cool clock display. Except that you have to open the app to see the time, which is already at the top of your screen. Makes no sense.
Voice Memo: How cool is the idea of leaving yourself voice memos? “Tomatoes, tempeh, toilet paper, and toothpaste.” Except that you don’t and you won’t.
Remote: This is supposed to turn your iPhone into a remote for your computer. I wouldn’t know if it works because when I’ve wanted to use it it hadn’t been properly set up and I gave up and haven’t had the need for it since.
Drinks Free: A free library of cocktails… Why not? I’ve used it once or twice to come to the aid of a bartender, but have books at home that I would generally trust more. Might come in handy if I ever feel like ordering sweet shots with names that sound vaguely sexual, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
FourSquare: I’ll try any new techno-fad for a bit, especially if it might help my clients, so I recently signed up for FourSquare. I’ve only remembered to check in somewhere once, but maybe I’ll get better at it. Or maybe I won’t.
Color Snap (Sherwin Williams), Color Capture (Benjamin Moore): You’re supposed to be able to take a photo of something with your iPhone and then these apps will give you the corresponding paint color. Love the idea of this actually working, haven’t yet found anything to analyze and have no desire to take up any painting projects anytime soon. Oh, but when I do…
Shazam: Ever hear a song and you want to know what it’s called or who it’s by? Turn on this app and point it at your speaker and it’ll tell you… Or not. It’s never actually worked for me when I’ve wanted to know, only when I already knew and was testing it. Oh well.
The Weather Channel: The weather app that comes standard with the iPhone is crap. This gives you much more detail, as well as forecasts. I find myself using it often.
Urban Spoon: A pretty good app for finding restaurants in the area. Have mostly used it when out-of-town and generally decided on going somewhere we passed that afternoon.
That’s What She Said, iHandgun, Zippo Lighter: Total useless time wasters. But if you ever need a button that says “that’s what she said” in different voices and intonations, you know where to find it.
Wifi Track: Finds wifi signals and tells you which are password protected and which are the strongest. Helpful if you’re in a non-3G area.
Yum Yum: Vegan recipes with amazing photos. Still have never cooked anything out of this app, but I could if I wanted to…
Crosswords Light: I love my crossword puzzles and was so excited at the idea of not having to carry my books on the train with me anymore… Until I actually tried to complete a puzzle. It’s no fun on the teeny tiny screen—way too much scrolling. I’m going to upgrade to a paid crossword app, maybe something from the New York Times, and hopefully I’ll have better luck.
Bump: Other people with this app and an iPhone should be able to “bump” iPhones with you to exchange contact information. Haven’t bumped yet.
Yelp, Fandango, Mint.com, The Weather Channel, eBay, Facebook: Because it’s easier to access an app than to go to the webpage.
Kick Light: A totally non-interactive New York City subway map. Actually very useful for figuring out alternative routes when the conductor announces that there’s a police investigation at the next station. It’s just a map, but every New Yorker needs to have a subway map on them.
WordPress: I can write OMFGstyle articles on-the-go! And I have.
Kindle: If you have an iPhone, there’s no need to buy a Kindle—just download the (free) app and *viola* your iPhone’s a kindle (and back-lit at that)! Love the idea, just have never actually used it. I think I’ll probably stock up on Kindle books next time I travel so I don’t have to pack books to weigh me down. Although I’ll still need magazines for the beach!
Veggie Passport: As a frequently traveling vegan, having an app that literally spells out my diet restrictions in 33 different languages is a great idea! Again, I haven’t had the opportunity to use it (yet), but I have the feeling I will!
Okay, so now that I’ve showed you my apps, you show me yours: What’s on your iPhone? What life-changing app am I missing? What will keep me occupied and entertained on long cab rides home? I look forward to adding to the mess that is my iPhone. And maybe, just maybe, I’ve helped you add to yours.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
An app I love is Smart Dial! Instead of searching for a contact, you just start to spell their name and it will pull up the number (you know, like regular cellphones!). Surprisingly, one game I have found very handy on boring subway rides with no book or headphones is Tetris. The old throwback hasn’t gotten old! I also just found out about ‘Younicorn’, which turns any picture of you, your friend or your pet into a mystical, magical unicorn! There are a variety of backgrounds and even though I may just use it twice, I think it’s 99 cents well wasted!
I wanted to share a response my friend Rhiannon sent me via Facebook:
“apps I actually use are: yelp, did you know you can check in when you get places? Words Free, its online scrabble and you can play with friends (LOVE) Jeopardy… is awesome to play by yourself or when your bored driving/on subway with friend. This American life is a great app, if your obsessed with Ira Glass and his shows, the new ones stream right onto your phone once a week! And of course there is Taxi Magic which really works! -xoxo”