Seven awesome iPhone freebies

(Credit: Joost)

As a mostly ecstatic new iPhone owner, I've spent considerable time checking out--you guessed it--the hundreds of freebie apps available from iTunes. Here's a list of seven I'm loving right now. (Note: all links are for iTunes.)

• AroundMe Instantly find nearby banks, gas stations, coffee shops, and other businesses and services.
• Dashbuster Manage your Blockbuster or Netflix queue anytime, anywhere. Great for those times when a friend recommends a movie and you think, "Yeah, I gotta rent that."
• Movies This Flixster-powered app finds cineplexes near you, then serves up show times, trailers, and even upcoming theater and DVD releases.
• Google Earth Like the desktop version? The iPhone app is even cooler because it can pinpoint your current location and "tilt" your view as your tilt your phone.
• Joost Though buggy and crash-prone in its first release, Joost brings a boatload of free streaming TV shows and movies to your iPhone. Just one catch: it requires a Wi-Fi connection.
• Melodis Voice Dialer No voice dialing on the iPhone? No problem. Just press and hold a button to voice-search for contacts, or say "call" and then a name to auto-dial. Best freebie dialer I've seen (or spoken to) yet.
• TapDefense It's an iPhone version of the mega-popular Tower Defense game. Need I say more? (Productivity be damned!)

What fab freebies have filled your iPhone? Hit the comments and list your favorites. And don't miss my earlier list of iPhone goodies.

[Perry_Clease]

A couple of freebies I use on a regular basis:

"Remote" - From Apple but it doesn't come pre-installed on the iPhone. It lets you control your computer's iTunes and/or your Apple TV

A Free Level - Like a carpenter's spirit level. I use to it check the level or plumb of stuff, when I don't have access to my tools

Shakespeare - All of the Bard's plays, sonnets, the complete works.

NYTimes - A New York TImes reader

What's On? - A TV listing.

MyLite - A flashlight and flashing light app, there a number of such apps.

Easy Wi-Fi - Well it is free for another day or so. It makes it super easy to use the free Wi-Fi at AT&T hotspots. Just configure it with your iPhone's phone number and the app takes care of sending the info and receiving the SMS from AT&T

There a are some free apps i use less often, but I find real handy

[loose_screw]

What's On is not free.

[loose_screw]

What's On is not free. Easy Wi-Fi is no longer free as of this Friday.

[Perry_Clease]

What's On, your right it is not free, my bad

[cust0mb4ll3r]

easy wi-fi for ATT is still free...

all that matters for me :)

[twolf2919]

You missed the best one of them all: Google's Mobile App. You can now search google, maps, etc. via VOICE! No more entering searches on that rinky-dink virtual keyboard.

[Hep Cat]

I've found the Google voice search to be about as accurate as the first Newton Message Pad.

[rickbroida]

I agree -- great app. I've found that as long as you speak slowly and clearly, the voice recognition is outstanding.

[dcalkinator]

I second Tap Defense - awesome game, although I can never get past level 27...

A couple other free games I've enjoyed: Zynga's Live Poker, which lets me play Texas Hold 'em with friends or strangers anytime.

And in a similar vein, Chess With Friends - I can have multiple chess games with friends going on at once. Plus, it's turn-based, so I don't have to wait for them to be available for live play.

[loose_screw]

Thanks! Can't wait to try Live Poker...

[bigmc6000]

Try to horde your money and invest all your halos in increasing your % return. You'll eventually need Freeze towers and shock towers for the 40+ levels are very helpful... :)

[grebebird]

Don't forget the free game "Trace". The UI is super basic (adding to its charm), but the actual concepts to complete each board get harder and harder. My only regret is that there are so "few" boards (120 in all). I haven't completed them all yet, but I know once I do, I'll want more.

Top 3 other fun free game apps: Aurora Feint, LuxTouch (Risk), & WordWarp.

[loose_screw]

Word Warp is not free.

[rickbroida]

Word Warp was indeed free the last time I checked. Been playing it for a month or two...

[Pishkado]

How can anyone with an iPhone, who is presumably paying close to if not over $1,000 a year for the service, claim to be a "cheapskate?" Kinda like someone with a BMW 750 saying he's being economical because the dealer washes it free when he brings it in for service.

[loose_screw]

I bought a used iPhone and am paying for a basic $15/mo voice plan (an added line on a family plan). I get 80-90% of the functionality without paying for a data plan because I have wifi at home, work, and most places I travel to.

So, don't assume everyone who carries an iPhone is paying out the wazoo for it.

[rickbroida]

Fair point. I held off for a long time, but I had too many iPhone-related writing opportunities. Had to pull the trigger. But the monthly tab is indeed painful!

[darkpoet25]

Who on here ever claimed to be a 'cheapskate'? The article was about the author's current fave apps in the iStore. Yes it can be costly, but for everyhting that you get, to me it is worth it. Well that and the fact that my job gets a 15% discount on your monthly bill. :)

[b_baggins]

Would you and other morons stop it already with the stupid 'cost of service' strawman, already. EVERY phone has an annual cost for the service. The $30 a month for unlimited data is extremely competitive. You're just p***ed that the phone blows the socks off your Treo for less money.

[dukey88]

Mobile News from AP - I find this more stable, less bulky, and more up-to-date than the admittedly robust NYT reader

Sportacular - Excellent for sports scores

i.TV - TV, Netflix and movies rolled into one.

Shazam

Amazon.com app

And finally Drinks - Simply the best drink database.

[severdia]

The Complete Works of Shakespeare on the iPhone is brilliant! And free!
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=285035416&mt=8

[imntacrook]

My best apps - Caissa for Chess, Recorder for Voice recording, Ambiance for zoning out, TeeShot for golf, SplashID for private stuff, Pandora for music, Mobile Files for FTPing. I wouldn't line my birdcage with the NYT's so why would I put it on my iPhone? Drudge and Fox work much better anyway.

Vlingo

[daridenus]

My favorite list of iPhone free applications:
Urbanspoon
Shazam - music reader
Airsharing - turns your iphone in memory stick
Aurora Feint - one of the best games
Box.net - free 1G external storage space
Bloomberg
Linkedin
Facebook
Evernote - voice recording tool
iTV
Movies
Pandora - internet radio
Nibuzz - Skipe phone
Stanza - Iphone ebook reader

[daridenus]

Also add TapDefense

[elmaestro_dotmac]

Some of my free faves:
Wikipanion
WhitePages
Facebook
Twitterific
LinkedIn
Palringo
Stanza
iEphemeris Lite
Units (yellow icon)
AirSharing
Network Speed Test
Shazam
Pandora
The Weather Channel
PhoneFlix
Last.fm
Amazon
Joost
Evernote
1Password
PanoLab

Other apps I use regularly that are not free:
FourTrack
GuitarToolkit
Metronome (both versions)
Decibel
AtomicClock
City Transit
Clinometer
Snap
Net Utility
CameraBag
Photogene
Photobard
myConvert

[Benlofton]

My movies app that blows flixster out of the water is i.TV it has so many better features that the flixster app. Yes they are both good but I wouldn't feature just the flixster app.

[MisterLeek]

Thanks for the list!

[superflykoo]

Here's my favs:
Shazam
Pandora
Wikipanion
Facebook
Bloomberg
Movies
LinkedIn

[schizomaja]

Live Poker!!! it is the best one I think... Love the app... and its free!!!

[MisterLeek]

Don't forget Shazam! Great for looking up music title and artist on radio or anywhere.

[rickbroida]

I actually just used this yesterday for the first time. My wife and I were having breakfast out, and she remarked about how much she liked the song that was playing in the restaurant. I was able to download, install, and run Shazam before the song ended--and use it to identify the tune. My wife was blown...away.

[hemroids]

shazam is the ROCK.
-with love

[darkpoet25]

I like using The Weather Channel, AOL music feed, iSports which is great for looking at stats and scores. It automatically updates the scores and stats for all current games, shows who has possession, field position, etc. iSports is a truly great app, and it is free to boot.

[adrianj]

R O L A N D O

it's impossible to mention a game and not mention Rolando. That game is the standard.

Dr Awesome is also excellent.