JulianSchrader.de

My Top 10 iPhone Applications

Right now I have 54 apps on my iPhone—including Apple’s pre-installed ones like SMS, Calendar, Safari and Mail. 27 more are stored on my computer, but iTunes is configured to not sync these ones as I don’t want them to clutter up my iPhone’s home screens.

But which apps are entitled to one of the 16 spots on my first home screen or even part of the dock? I’d like to introduce you to my top 10 third-party iPhone applications. Wait, third-party? Yup. Of course I also use Mail, Calendar, Safari, iPod, Text, Phone and Maps on a daily basis.

#1: Things

You may have heard me talking about Things before. Things is my task manager of choice, an amazing tool made by CulturedCode. Things touch is the same great task manager, streamlined for iPhone and iPod touch—and in case you own a Mac, it syncs wirelessly with the desktop version. Awesome!

Things is an essential part of my daily workflow. Truly recommended.

Get Things at Apple’s AppStore (€ 7,99).

#2: Twitterfon

Since Twitter became mainstream, more and more people try to sell you their software to access Twitter—searching for “twitter”, I just found 126 applications on the AppStore (not all of them are Twitter clients—but enough).

I’ve always used The Iconfactory’s Twitterrific on both my Mac and iPhone. But since I stumbled across Twitterfon lately, the former is gone—much to an amelioration of my mobile Twitter experience.

Get Twitterfon at Apple’s AppStore (Free).

#3: Brightkite

Brightkite adds location to social networking. Thanks to GPS on my iPhone I can check in at home, at the Uni or whereever I am and attach photos and maps to my Twitter updates. And post those photos to Twitter, as well.

Get Brightkite at Apple’s AppStore (Free).

#4: Pennies

Not just since the recent financial crisis do we have to watch our expenses. Pennies lets me set a monthly budget and provides an easy-to-use interface for adding entries to a list of expenses, so you can always see whether you can afford to pay for another round.

Get Pennies at Apple’s AppStore (€ 2,39).

#5: ZugInfo

I’m commuting between the Uni and home everyday, but at different times. ZugInfo provides me with the next available combination of public transport routes at a glance, so I don’t have to wait at the bus stop anymore. Except for…well, sometimes.

Get ZugInfo at Apple’s AppStore (Free).

#6: NetNewsWire

I didn’t have a hard time to choose NetNewsWire as my newsreader on iPhone since I already used NNW on my Mac. They both sync online with Newsgator.com so I don’t have to click away articles I already read on my phone while on public transport.

Get NetNewsWire at Apple’s AppStore (Free).

#7: OneTeam

The latest addition to my collection of tools. OneTeam is a very capable XMPP-/Jabber-Client which supports Transports to communicate with other Instant Messaging networks like ICQ, MSN, Y! or Google Talk. It enables me to stay connected on-the-go.

Missing: For all kinds of Instant Messaging, we really need Apple to activate the Push service they advertised with the iPhone in the early beginnings. Please, flip the switch, Steve Phil/Tom!

Get OneTeam at Apple’s AppStore (€ 4,99).

#8: Night Camera

One of iPhone’s flaws in my opinion is its camera. Well, at perfect conditions (light!) I am able to take pretty decent pictures with it—but it gets considerably worse as soon as it’s darker outside. There is no flash, so the exposure gets longer. You don’t want to shake your iPhone while taking a picture—the results aren’t nice at all.

Night Camera uses the iPhone’s Accelerometer to determine whether you’re holding your phone still or not—and takes a photo as soon as the latter is the case.

Get Night Camera at Apple’s AppStore (€ 0,79).

#9: UsedBudget

Data is unlimited on my iPhone plan, but I have a certain budget on text messages and minutes for talking. UsedBudget hijacks T-Mobile’s online account center and displays the current usage along with a projection for the whole month. Very useful to take a look at from time to time to avoid high bills.

Get UsedBudget at Apple’s AppStore (€ 1,59).

#10: Shazam

This list wasn’t complete without Shazam. Imagine you’re at the discotheque with your friends and you wonder what the title of that great tune you hear was? Open Shazam on your iPhone and let it listen. A few seconds later, you’ll know title, artist and album of that song—and there’s a link for a direct download from iTunes as well.

Get Shazam at Apple’s AppStore (Free).

These are my top ten—now it’s your turn to tell me: What are your favourite and/or recommended apps on your iPhone or iPod touch? I’m curious

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