Well, I finally broke down and got myself an iPhone! My Verizon contract was up, and my phone was getting pretty beat up. Verizon had been getting on my nerves over the past few years with shenanigans such as this one; last week I think this one was the last straw.
So here’s a question: what iPhone apps should I get? Are there any apps that are absolutely essential? What do iPhone users think?
Skulls in the Stars 
I tend to use Wikipanion and the Google app a lot. I also like Night Stand, one of the few digital clock apps I’ve found which displays seconds as well.
I thought you were having problems with the service and reception…hmmm.
I use “Stanza”, an e-book reader, frequently. You can also read Amazon Kindle books with a Kindle app. Internet radio (Pandora) is popular, and you might want something to manage and view PDF files outside Safari.
Basically it’s a small computer, and will do almost anything you can think of that a small computer ought to do. A while ago I was at a science museum with some students, and I wanted an electric tuner/tone generator to experiment with some of the sound exhibits beyond how they were already set up. No problem – I went on the app store, found one, and minutes later I was using it with the kids.
Another time I was on a bus and someone wanted to play Taboo, so again I went to the store, and minutes later we were doing that. So that’s my suggestion – don’t go looking for apps to make the phone do things. Go the opposite way – think of things you want the phone to do, then go looking for the right apps.
Welcome to the iphone world 😉 I also got myself one a month ago (couldn’t resist it). The tools I use the most often are:
1. Mail (synched to my Google mail)
2. Calendar (synched through CalDAV to my Google calendar)
3. Tom Tom GPS: a life saver for those trips into the unknown
4. Contacts (synched to my Google contacts via iTunes)
5. Units: converts various units of measurements and currencies (updated via internet)
6. StarDefense: addictive tower defense game which always comes handy when waiting for the girlfriend shopping/hairdressing/etc.
Enjoy your new toy!
IronMonkey – I have a feeling that Dr. Skullstars will be downloading StarDefense in the near future. He usually brings a book along anytime we leave the house just in case he gets stuck waiting for me.
Thanks for the suggestions, all: there’s a daunting number of apps out there, and it’s nice to know which ones people have found useful (I don’t necessarily trust the ‘star’ ranking system).
The Wife: Yep, I can use my iPhone to entertain myself on those occasions when you surprise me with a shopping excursion! 🙂
I sorted out the service issues, BTW…
Honey – you need to set up your voicemail!
I don’t have an iPhone, but all my colleagues do and they tend to lord them over me.
One much fun app can identify songs from small snippets:
http://www.shazam.com/music/web/pages/iphone.html
Then, don’t under-estimate the mindless joy of the “That’s What She Said” app: http://www.thatswhatshesaidiphoneapp.com/download-now/ . Perhaps only berak that one out at work once you find out about tenure…