Downloading applications for your iPhone adds extra functionality and enjoyment to a phone that is already attractive. While there are hundreds of thousands of apps on Apple's iTunes App Store, some of them are better than others. Here are a select few apps that you may want to download on your iPhone.
Find My iPhone
One of the most important applications for you to download on your phone is the Find My iPhone app. This is an application that does exactly what the title implies. If you lose your iPhone, it can help you track it down. Using the GPS locator inside your phone, you can pinpoint the exact location of it. You will simply need to log in to your MobileMe account from another computer to help you track it. While MobileMe is a paid service, Apple has made Find My iPhone a free service. You can even lock the phone or erase it remotely. You can also make it emit a loud sound so that you can find it once you narrow down the location. The application can be activated on iPhone 4, iPad and the iPod Touch for free. If you have an iPhone that is older than iPhone 4, you can still use the app, but you must activate your account from one of the newer devices. Then you can download the app and use it on an older iPhone.
Angry Birds
Angry Birds is one of the most popular smartphone applications of all time and it is available on the iPhone. This one actually comes in several varieties, but the basic concept is the same. You launch birds across the screen by using a slingshot. The purpose of the game is to knock the structures down that are housing pigs. The birds are angry at the pigs for stealing their eggs and are willing to go on a suicide mission to get rid of them. It is a very entertaining game that can provide you with hours of enjoyment. This app can be purchased for 99 cents from the App Store. You can also download a minimal version for free.
Evernote
Evernote is a notes application that is more advanced than the notes app that comes standard with the iPhone. With Evernote, you can take notes in text, picture or video formats. You can even take a picture of something with text on it and it will convert it into a searchable format. You can download it for free from the App Store.
One of the most popular applications on the App Store is Facebook. The Facebook Mobile application allows you to access all of the functionality that you would expect from your computer. You can read the latest status updates from your friends, find new friends, look at photos and chat with your contacts. You can even tag photos from your iPhone.
Newspapers
If you are into reading the newspaper, the Newspapers app is one that you may want to check out. This app costs $1.99 in the App Store as of May 2011 and it can give you access to thousands of different local newspapers around the world. This is an easy way to keep up with what's going on in the world around you.
MotionX GPS
The MotionX GPS app is one of the leading map apps available for the iPhone. With this application, you can not only get driving directions, you can also get detailed GPS information for walking, biking and hiking trails. You can check in and see where your friends are. The app, which costs $2.99 as of May 2011, even provides information from Wikipedia about some of the places that you are visiting.
References
- iPhone App Cafe: 10 Must Have iPhone Apps For 2011; Robert Zak; February 2011
- Tech Tip: 9 Awesome iPhone Apps; Asad Salman; January 2011
- New York Times: Top 10 Must-Have Apps For The iPhone, And Some Runners-Up; Bob Tedeschi; November 2010
- Lifehacker: How To Enable And Use Find My iPhone For Free On iPhone 3GS And Other Pre-2010 Devices; Adam Pash; Nov. 22, 2010
