Comments on: Six must-have iPhone freebies

Games, music, NPR, and more, all free for the download. Mancala FS5, NPR Mobile, Slacker Radio, Sportacular, Stanza, and Topple are suitable for the iPod Touch too.

[MCVanOLinda]

How about a list of some WinMo apps that people should get? Not everyone has an iPhone/iTouch.

[rickbroida]

It's a fair request, but as I haven't touched a WinMo device in a year or two, I can't really compile a list of the latest and greatest apps.

[Dalkorian]

Slaves aren't supposed to ask for help, they're supposed to do as they're commanded. Take your beating and shut up already!

[jaxstephens]

Windows Mobile is crap for installation of additional apps. There are no fewer than three ways to install apps, and none of them are particularly intuitive. (Three methods: install from EXE on PC, install from CAB on mobile device, install standalone EXE on mobile device.) All in all, this leads me to procrastate even trying out Win Mo apps because it's such a pain-in-the-butt process. And this is coming from a staunch Win Mo defender over the years. My current phone is an AT&T Tilt with Win Mo 6.1.

I've been a heavy PDA user since the original Palm Pilot a decade ago. After Palm lost its ability to produce compelling OS upgrades, I switched to Win Mo PDAs and eventually smartphones years ago and have used and championed them ever since as the most full-featured mobile devices. As IT director of my company, I even replaced all of our "Crapberry" devices (can only do email and phone well, not other PIM tasks) with Win Mo phones.

How did it go? The experience was a disaster as the average end users choked at the complexity and horridly non-intuitive Win Mo interface--a reality that became ever clearer with the release of the iPhone. After hating their Win Mo phones so much, several users went and purchased $400 iPhones out of contract and from their own wallets. I can tell you that they have been extremely happy with them and literally almost never need support from me--unlike the Win Mo devices that I receive a constant barrage of support calls for even over a year after the switch.

Fact is, the iPhone has the most elegant and user-friendly interface of any smartphone created thusfar, which should come as no surprise considering Apple's legendary GUI design chops. The iPhone may very well have one of the most elegant interfaces of any computerized product ever made. Yes, as a power user, I cringe over the lack of certain "features." (Copy/paste anyone?)

But you know what I've found? The average end user DOES NOT CARE like us techno-geeks. They want their smartphone to give them what they basically want, to look good, to be simple, and to just work. You want to know how Win Mo devices make users feel? This is what an actual end user of mine emailed me today about a problem he's trying to diagnose with his Win Mo phone: "Have you found that throwing the phone against the wall is a successful remedy."

Alas, poor Win Mo, I knew thee very well, and even defended you for years, but the next time we refresh our phones, everyone is getting an iPhone. Although I was planning to retain a Win Mo device myself, even I have been convinced to switch. (I'm still skeptical about Android, but Palm's Web OS admittedly looks quite interesting.)

[dcarley]

I'm confused, how is this a fair request? It is an iPHONE BLOG...

[rickbroida]

Heh... Actually, dcarley, this post originated on The Cheapskate, but got cross-posted to iPhone Atlas.

[dcarley]

Very well then... nothing to see here... :)

[mtmaloney]

The best part of Sportacular is the ability to put together your fantasy sports team and be able to look at their stats in a nice, easy list. (Specifically it's great during football season)

Also, as far as Pandora vs. Slacker Radio goes, Pandora doesn't make you listen to ads. It has little ad banners underneath the album art, but that's about it. It has also added a CoverFlow view when turned sideways. I don't know anything that the Slacker App has that Pandora doesn't; from a pure music perspective they seem to be pretty similar in features.

Anyways, the only thing I might add to the list is Shazam, which I've found increasingly useful lately when I need to know the name of a song. It's even worked in a crowded restaurant, which I thought was impressive considering the background noise.

Oh, and Amazon.com's app is great when you're out shopping. You can take pictures of products and Amazon will find the item you were looking at on their site so you can easily compare prices (It usually takes a few minutes for it to fully process). It's also just a much better interface for the iPhone than their normal site.

[loose_screw]

Funny you should mention ads, it looks like Pandora is bringing them back:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10146978-2.html

[brohan81]

another good one for this is SnapTell. You can take a picture of any media product and instantly get reviews and competitive pricing.

[iBuzz]

Someone has to pay for the party. If you don't want to listen to ads in Slacker Radio, just upgrade to the $3.99/mo deal and you won't get them. You also get unlimited skips. What does that work out to... 13 cents a day? One could say that it sucks to have to pay for something that one enjoys, but these streaming services have to pay for their content. You're actually supporting the artists when you listen because they get paid as you listen. That's why people are wondering how much longer Pandora can stay in business. But if you don't want to pay while listening to Slacker, instead of complaining, maybe you can thank Turbo Tax and Lending Tree for footing the bill for you.

[iBuzz]

Oh... and the biggest difference between Slacker and Pandora for me is the audio quality over 3G. Pandora only sounds good over WiFi. I simply can't stand to listen to the low-quality, mono streams that Pandora delivers over 3G. With Slacker, I'm hearing the same high-quality, stereo sound over 3G and EDGE as I hear over WiFi.

[rickbroida]

I'll second that, iBuzz. To my ears, Slacker sounds fantastic, even over EDGE!

[bonesbautista]

I'd stopped using Pandora after hearing the same music over and over again - their "library" is evidently limited. Thanks for the tip on Slacker - I'll give it a spin!

I really wanted to like Sportacular, but gave up when I just wouldn't stop crashing when ads were loading (Pandora and a few other apps crash when waiting for ads, too). Sportacular is in my dust bin since they can't put a stable app in the App Store. I would rather pay for an app and not deal with ads anyway, even a small monthly subscription works for me if I can get a app that works!

[corridor5]

i.TV has to be on that list! You can't let a day go by without knowing what's on when.

[sanjayb]

I like the Facebook app.

[Perry_Clease]

I recommend NYTimes, the New York Times reader.

Also Shakespeare for those of you who like the Bard.

[adamberberich]

You should also give it up to Remote and Shazam. When set up properly, Remote works very well with a dedicated iTunes library on (most usefully) a desktop computer with speakers.

Shazam lost some brownie points thanks to their latest release featuring ads, but still reigns supreme in the "who's this on the radio" market.

[dnrbnx]

On January 9th I responded to Jason Parker's column "iPhone apps of the week" by recommending Mint.com. It truly is the BEST iPhone app (as well as website) to handle personal finance.

Then again, I've been fortunate that all of my various financial accounts load properly. Some people aren't as lucky. As far as I know, the majority of financial services work with Mint.com.

Try it out Rick, and if it works for you, you should post it!

[radhops]

I just got an iphone a couple days ago, and have been blown away with what it's capable of.

As far as applications:
-Google mobile app. Being able to search google by voice revolutionary.
-Flixter. Being able to quickly view movie showtimes for theatres based on your current location is great. It also allows you to view theatrical previews.
-Live Poker. This is the only poker game I've seen which allows you to play hold'em against real people.
-Concert Vault. Depending on the type of music you like, there are some great live sets here.
-iTalk. Real simple voice recorder for people who make notes to themselves, or like to record lectures or meetings.

[brohan81]

my most commonly used free app is mint.com. it is revolutionizing my ability to manage our money.

In terms of free sports apps, check out Score Mobile. In addition to all the basic scores and data, they have rather entertaining live blogs of key games. Also ScoreMobile has much more comprehensive game previews.

[j6wbs]

Try 'Rabbit Run Lite' http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=297589788&mt=8

The last three levels of the free game are real braintwisters.

(full disclosure: I am the developer of Rabbit Run, but it's still neat, and I have to tell somebody :-) )

[Nerfman]

Rick,

I have to agree with your first comment: How about other operating systems? I personally have a BlackBerry and I know they are finally *DUH* getting an application store set up and would love to hear your thoughts when it is.

Thanks

[scmigo]

Scott Goldberg from Zizzle toys here.

I wanted to chat with you about anew handheld game?Jenga!

Featuring a real ?Jenga Block? built in to simulate the actual game this electronic portable version is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year! The game also features a ?zoom-in? technology with split screen graphics. Play against the computer or with a friend!

To date we?ve sold over 4 million of our handheld games worldwide. Previous licenses include Disney, ESPN, Nickelodeon and Marvel. While many of our games over the years have either featured segment graphics or dot-matrix this is the first one to feature both.

[jimrob78]

I found RepairPal the other day. It is extremely useful.

[techgeekdude]

One of my favorite apps is Theseus which is a twist on the labyrinth game. You have a minotaur (basically a marble with horns) chasing you (a marble) through a maze. I actually tried the lite version first which got me hooked enough to go with the full paid version. For me, it's a game combining wits with strategy. At the least, I hope my description about a marble with horns gets you to check it out.

[zschork]

ahh topple. so addicting

[nate2551]

Brain Toot (Free)
Trace
Bix Lite
MiniPiano

I know these aren't the newest, but of all, and I mean ALL the apps that I download, play for a bit, and forget, these are continually in use

[mclarensr]

Mint.com very useful was able to load all my accounts (including the ones Money and Quicken could not find), NYTimes, Amazon.com, Bloomberg, Handy level.