In this post, we check out 20 of the best iPhone 5 apps
for creating music and videos, editing photos, catching up on news,
watching shows, being productive, and then having a break by slicing up
giants, racing like a loon, and solving devious puzzles.
1. GarageBand (£2.99/$4.99)
Software
instruments on which GarageBand relies are notoriously
processor-intensive, and so the iPhone 5's added grunt makes for a
stabler, faster, smoother music-making process. The wider screen is also
beneficial, giving you a few extra keys when composing and enabling you
to see more notes when editing MIDI. Download GarageBand from iTunes
2. iMovie (£2.99/$4.99)
One of the more ambitious apps on the iPhone, iMovie is a movie-making
studio in your pocket. The iPhone 5's camera is great for shooting HD,
and iMovie enables you to rapidly edit your creations and publish them
to YouTube, Vimeo or Facebook. Download iMovie from iTunes
3. Photogene for iPhone (£0.69/$0.99)
Photogene's interface is a mite quirky, but we prefer it to the rather
opaque iPhoto for image-editing. The app includes a number of basic
editing tools, export options, special effects and other features, and
on an iPhone 5 it flies. Download from Photogene for iPhone iTunes
4. Camera+ (£0.69/$0.99)
The
iPhone 5 includes the best iPhone camera yet, but Apple's Camera app is
pretty basic. Camera+ is therefore worth investing in if you're serious
about iPhone photography.
You'll get access to touch exposure
and focus, a stabiliser, a surprisingly reasonable digital zoom, in-app
cropping and effects, timers and burst-shooting. Download Camera+ from iTunes
5. iBooks (free)
Apple's iBooks might play second fiddle to Kindle in terms of selection
and pricing, but it offers a wonderful reading experience on the iPhone
5. The high-quality screen combined with its revised height (thereby
providing more words per 'page') makes it a no-brainer free download. Download iBooks from iTunes
6. Flipboard (free)
Although perhaps better known on tablets, Flipboard is an essential
download for iPhone 5 owners. With minimal set-up, it can become your
personal news magazine, filled with beautiful imagery and engaging
stories.
Again, the iPhone 5's taller screen enables you to see
more of anything at any one time, and the device's A6 chip ensures
perfect performance. Download Flipboard from iTunes
7. Reeder (£1.99/$2.99)
For any iPhone 5 owner wedded to text-based content, Reeder is a
must-have download. The client works seamlessly with Fever, Readability
and Google Reader, enabling you to easily keep up with your favourite
websites. On Apple's latest smartphone, Reeder is blazing fast and looks
wonderful. Download Reeder from iTunes
8. Tweetbot (£1.99/$2.99)
Many
smartphone owners would be lost without a Twitter client and Tweetbot
is the best there is for iOS. The iPhone 5's taller screen improves the
app from a usability standpoint, displaying more tweets and replies at
any one time, along with giving the posting screen room to breathe. Download Tweetbot from iTunes
9. BBC iPlayer (free)
BBC
iPlayer has long been the standout on-demand TV app on iOS, and it's
even better on the iPhone 5, where the picture fills the gorgeous
widescreen display. It's also fantastic to see the BBC regularly
trumpeting about AirPlay rather than, in the case of many of the
corporation's rivals, hobbling it. Download BBC iPlayer from iTunes
10. YouTube (free)
The
Apple-created YouTube app was unceremoniously ditched from iOS 6, but
Google rose to the challenge and created a replacement. On the iPhone 5,
the tall screen's great for browsing, and when flipped 90 degrees, it's
perfect for watching widescreen video. Like BBC iPlayer, YouTube also
supports AirPlay. Download YouTube from iTunes
11. Google Maps (free)
Google's
data was also ousted from iOS 6, with Apple instead using its own data,
with - to be charitable - decidedly mixed results. This free app is a
better bet; it's fast and beautifully designed, and the iPhone 5's
bigger screen is handy for browsing and also checking out step-by-step
directions. On the move, turn-by-turn on 3G also proves effective. Download Google Maps from iTunes
12. Fantastical (£2.99/$4.99)
Apple's
own Calendar app is fine, but Fantastical has two advantages: excellent
natural input for events, and an emphasis on a list view, thereby
making it easier to see upcoming appointments at a glance. Naturally,
the iPhone 5 means being able to view more of these at once, which is
fab (unless any of said events mention 'dentist'). Download Fantastical from iTunes
13. Soulver (£1.99/$2.99)
With
lots of people banging on about skeuomorphism in apps, it's perhaps
surprising more products like Soulver don't exist. It rethinks and
reinvents the calculator, making it relevant for modern computing, and
the result is half spreadsheet, half 'back of an envelope'.
On the iPhone 4, it feels cramped, but on the iPhone 5 there's plenty of room for its line-based calculations. Download Soulver from iTunes
14. 30/30 (free)
Task
managers are commonplace on iOS, but we have a real sweet spot for
30/30. It's beautifully designed, and the straightforward manner in
which you can set up task loops makes it perfect for Pomodoro-style time
management. IAPs provide extra icons or a thank-you to the author, and
the iPhone 5 screen really shows off the sleek interface. Download 30/30 from iTunes
15. Dropbox (free)
Apple's
vision of the future is files existing within apps, which is fine if
you only use few apps with few documents. For the rest of us, a file
system is still required and Dropbox brings this to iOS. On the iPhone
5, the taller screen enables you to see more items at once, but even if
Sir Jony Ive had given the device a two-inch square screen, we'd still
be recommending Dropbox. Download Dropbox from iTunes
16. Infinity Blade II (£4.99/$6.99)
Swipey
swordplay with RPG levelling up is what Infinity Blade II is all about.
The visuals are gorgeous and the iPhone 5's full resolution is
supported. Given the demanding nature of the app, you'll be grateful for
that A6 chip, too. Download Infinity Blade II from iTunes
17. Need for Speed Most Wanted (£2.99/$4.99)
The
best arcade racer for iOS, Most Wanted is a stupid amount of fun as you
speed about, smashing up cops, drifting for miles, and generally being a
menace on wheels.
On slower hardware, though, dropped frames
periodically pull you out of the experience; no such problems on the
more powerful iPhone 5. Download Need for Speed Most Wanted from iTunes
18. Super Hexagon (£1.99/$2.99)
The
perfect twitch arcade experience, Super Hexagon is a bit like playing a
wire loop game in fast-forward while being flung about the place on a
merry-go-round.
Although visually simple, the game is far more
fluid on the iPhone 5 than other iOS devices, and the widescreen display
keeps your thumbs out of the way as you wrench your tiny ship left and
right, avoiding infinite walls of doom. Download Super Hexagon from iTunes
19. Beyond Ynth (£1.49/$1.99)
iOS
isn't what comes to mind when you think of platform games, and virtual
controls often make us shudder, but Beyond Ynth bucks trends by being
brilliant at both.
This puzzler/platformer is all about helping a
bug traverse 2D levels. Its method of travel: increasingly complex
boxes. On the iPhone 5, the game looks lovely, your thumbs cover less of
the screen, and you see a fraction more of what's coming. Download Beyond Ynth from iTunes
20. The Room Pocket (free)
The most atmospheric iPad game of recent times loses little in its
translation to the widescreen iPhone 5. The demanding graphics means The
Room's perfectly suited to Apple's newest smartphone, and the game is a
masterpiece.
You're alone in a room with a strange box, left to
become immersed in a creepy, frequently chilling few hours of discovery.
Our advice: avoid the hints, wear headphones and play in a dark room.
Just don't blame us when you leap out of your seat. Download The Room Pocket from iTunes
Summarized version of a news article optimised for iPhone
Nick D'Aloisio launched Summly in December 2011 as a tech summarization prototype that garnered significant interest worldwide. With backing from Horizons Ventures, and help from many natural language processing and artificial intelligence experts around the world, Nick and the Summly team have been able to further develop summarization technology, the first result being the new Summly mobile news app.
Angel Investors and Advisors include; Ashton Kutcher, Betaworks, Brian Chesky, Hosain Rahman, Jessica Powell, Joanna Shields, Josh Kushner, Mark Pincus, Matt Mullenweg, Seb Bishop, Shakil Khan, Spencer Hyman, Stephen Fry, Troy Carter, Vivi Nevo, Yoko Ono and many more. We are also working closely with News Corporation on the summarization of their content.
Updated Top apps for iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S - download them today!
These are the best free apps for your iPhone
There are now hundreds of thousands of apps available for your iPhone
5, iPhone 4S, iPod touch and iPad, and, surprisingly, many of the best
are free.
The following list showcases our pick of the 70 best
free iPhone apps, and includes iPhone applications for social
networking, travel, news, photography, productivity and more.
Most of these apps are also suitable for the iPod touch.
If your top free iPhone apps aren't covered, tell us all about them in the comments.
And don't forget to check out our iPhone 5S rumours and iPhone 6 rumours.
You can also take a look through the top 10 free iPhone apps with our nifty video.
1. Facebook
The
world's biggest social network brings a tightly honed experience to the
iPhone and iPod touch, but nonetheless still enables you to access your
contacts, feeds and other important information. This sense of focus
makes it in many ways superior to using Facebook in a desktop browser.
2. PhotoSynth
We did a bit of a double-take on seeing Microsoft's name attached to this, not least given the lack of a price-tag. But PhotoSynth
is a really great panorama app; it's user-friendly and fun to use,
especially when watching your panoramas take shape while you capture
them.
3. RunKeeper
The prospect of Nike+ but better and for free might sound unlikely, but that's what RunKeeper
provides. Previously split into 'pro' and 'free' versions, the
developer now generously includes all the features in one free app.
That
means you can spend no money, yet use your iPhone's GPS capabilities to
track your jogging and cycling routes, and examine mapping and details
of your pace and calories burned. Activities can be shared online, and
treadmill runs and other exercise details can be entered manually.
.
4. Pulse
RSS has a reputation for being a rather dry technology, feeding you dull lists of headlines. Pulse
flips RSS on its head, providing streams of feeds that grab your eye
with photographs. It's perhaps not for the hardcore RSS crowd, but if
you follow a small number of feeds, it's a great choice.
5. Dropbox
Plenty of apps exist for transferring content between your computer and your device, but Dropbox
is free and easier to use than most of its contemporaries. Dump files
you want to sync in a folder on your computer and Dropbox for your
device will enable you to access them, download them for offline
viewing, and, in many cases, view them.
6. National Rail Enquiries
For anyone commuting by train, National Rail Enquiries
is a handy app to have installed. There's journey planning, timetables
and a location-aware 'next train home' option, along with progress
tracking, so you can see when a train's likely to show up. It's not as
usable nor as pretty as UK Train Times, but it is broadly similar - and five quid cheaper.
7. Skype
FaceTime
is a great alternative to standard voice calls, but it's no good if
you're trying to contact someone without a Mac or compatible iOS device.
Therefore, Skype
remains an essential download. The interface is simple and usable,
enabling anyone with a Skype account to make free calls to other Skype
users and cheap calls to anywhere in the world. If you're on Pay and Go,
this is particularly handy, but the app also enables iPod touch users
to utilise their devices for calls.
8. Movies by Flixter
Although some aspects of cinema listings app Movies by Flixter
are disappointingly US-centric (notably regarding details on upcoming
movies and DVDs), it succeeds where it matters. Select a film and the
app figures out where you're located, lists nearby cinemas, and displays
times your chosen film is showing. Efficiency can be further increased
by pinning favourite cinemas to the top of the list.
9. TonePad
Virtual pianos and guitars are all very well, but purely digital musical toys are more suited to Apple handhelds. TonePad
is the best of them, using a grid-based interface that enables you to
turn notes on and off and compose pleasing and harmonious loops; your
creations can be edited, saved and uploaded to share with other users.
10. Thomson Reuters News Pro
There are many free news apps, but Reuters News Pro
offers a breadth of coverage that makes it a winner. Preferences enable
you to tailor the app's output to the UK, and the toolbar provides
swift access to news, pictures, videos and stock markets coverage.
11. Twitter
The official Twitter app might lack some of the features found in the likes of Tweetbot,
but it does provide a sleek and simple means of using the service. It
also directly mirrors the latest navigational scheme on the Twitter
website.
12. Comics
In all honesty, Comics
is a little awkward compared to using it on an iPad, but you won't find
a better comics experience on an iPhone. The app is free, as are dozens
of downloadable comics - and once you run out of those, many more are
available to buy. Reading works on a frame-by-frame automated 'zoom'
basis, and is surprisingly usable.
13. Wikipanion
The Wikipedia website works fine on iPhones, but a dedicated app is a better bet. Wikipanion
is a freebie which gives you quick access to article sections,
in-article search, viewing options, bookmarking, and the ability to
tweet about whatever odd fact you've just unearthed. Also, wonderfully,
there are no ads.
14. Evernote
Clients
to access the popular Evernote service for storing notes and ideas
online are available for so many platforms that we half expect a ZX
Spectrum app to be announced tomorrow. On the iPhone, Evernote is efficient and usable, enabling you to rapidly scan your notes and also create new ones.
15. Kindle
With iBooks on the iPhone, you might wonder why you should bother with Amazon's Kindle.
After all, the app's not as pretty as iBooks, nor is there an
integrated store (you buy in Safari and sync purchases to the app).
However, Kindle offers a massive selection of books compared to Apple's
app and the reading experience is great.
16. Around Me
Around Me
figures out where you are and lists local stuff - banks, bars, petrol
stations and, er, Apple Retail Stores. The app's reliance on Google Maps
info means there are gaps, but it's nonetheless handy to have installed
when in unfamiliar surroundings, and the 'augmented reality' landscape
mode is amusing, if flaky.
17. Dictionary.com - Dictionary & Thesaurus
Over two million definitions, synonyms and antonyms are available in the palm of your hand with this free, offline dictionary and thesaurus.
The app is fast and efficient, includes phonetic and audio
pronunciation of words, and its interface seems perfectly suited to the
iPhone.
18. Air Video Free
Air Video Free
can stream (and convert as necessary) video from any computer running
the free Air Video Server. You only get access to a small number of
items per folder or playlist, but some careful planning can get around
that limitation.
19. Adobe Photoshop Express
If you're looking for Photoshop-style power, Photoshop Express
won't impress. However, if you're after a quick, free, highly usable
tool for making edits to your iPhone photos, Adobe's app is ideal. Use
it for cropping, straightening, exposure adjustments, colour effects,
sharpening and more.
20. iHandy Level Free
One of the tools from the excellent iHandy Carpenter toolkit app, iHandy Level Free
turns your iPhone into a spirit level. By default, it'll show just how
wonky your device's accelerometer is, but tap the calibrate button and
you get an accurate and great-looking level.
21. Pocket
The
service formerly known as Read It Later enables you to save pages from
websites, to read them later, bereft of the advertising and other junk
on the original page. The service is free, as is the Pocket app, which downloads your articles, so that you can digest them without a web connection.
22. PCalc Lite
"But
I've already got a calculator on my device," you might argue. True, but
we'd recommend stashing the default Apple app in a folder and replacing
it with PCalc Lite.
The reason: this is without doubt the finest free calculator for iOS,
with a great interface and plenty of options. You can also bolt-on
features from the paid version via in-app purchases.
23. iBooks
Effectively
iTunes for books, the app combines a reader and store, in Apple's
typically usable and integrated fashion. Usefully, iBooks includes PDF support and bookmarks automatically sync across devices.
24. Red Laser
The Red Laser
bar-code scanner is pretty accurate, even if you're still saddled with
an iPhone 3G. It's great for checking prices while shopping, and also
enables you to get your media collections into Delicious Library if you make use of AppleScript.
25. eBay Mobile
On using eBay Mobile,
there's a good chance you won't go near the eBay website again. The app
is fast, has great saved searches (which flag new finds), and enables
you to create listings. The last of those things is also improved by the
built-in bar-code scanning.
Before reading on, why not check out our demos of the best photography apps for taking pictures and editing them on your iPhone:
26. Tube Map
At its most basic, Tube Map
is a London Tube map on your device, for free. In landscape, even the
ads get out of your way, which is rather nice. And if you've a web
connection, the app also provides live board info, a station finder and a
route calculator.
27. Google Earth
"Hold the world in the palm of your hand," says Google about Google Earth,
which enables you to fly across the planet by swiping your finger. More
integration with content and features from Maps would be good, but
Google Earth's Wikipedia articles and a Panoramio layer at least ensure
it's a great app for seeing the world from your living room.
28. XE Currency
XE Currency
is a fine example of an app that does what it needs to, without fuss.
You configure a list of currencies, and it shows current conversion
rates. Double-tap a currency to set its base rate or to define values
for custom conversions.
29. Shazam
Shazam
is an app that feels like magic when you first use it. It's deceptively
simple—hold your iPhone near to a music source, and wait while the app
listens and tells you what track is playing. But the sheer technology
behind this simplicity is mind-boggling, and while Shazam doesn't always
guess right, it's worth a download.
30. Bump
Another contender for the 'surely, that's witchcraft?' award, Bump
enables you to select up to four contacts, then 'bump' your device into
another iOS device running Bump to transfer details, or to compare
contacts. And, yeah, we know there's an email-based 'share contact'
option in Contacts, but where's the fun in that?
31. Yell.com
As you might expect, Yell.com
enables you to find local stuff. Select from a bunch of built-in
categories or type in your own term for a list of local amenities, and
use the map to navigate. Avoid the clunky augmented reality view,
though.
32. BBC News
BBC News
has a mobile website that works very nicely in Safari. However, the BBC
News app is designed to give you quick access to breaking stories,
complete with playable videos and zoomable text. The navigation's a tad
on the quirky side though.
33. Find My iPhone
For the paranoid souls out there (or the unlucky ones who've had their devices pilfered), Find My iPhone
is a must-have download. Assuming you've a 2010 or later iOS device,
you can set up a free account and locate your devices within seconds.
(Note that older devices can also be added to Find My iPhone - you just
need a recent one to get things going.)
34. Dragon Dictation
Fed up of typing on the tiny iPhone keyboard? Use Dragon Dictation
instead, which happily converts your speech into text (with slightly
spooky levels of accuracy for a freebie app). You can even punctuate
("Comma! Full-stop!"), and when you're done the app enables you to fire
your thoughts at Facebook, Twitter, Mail or the iOS clipboard.
35. iHandy Torch Free
It's a torch! It's a cheesy neon light! It's a hypnotic spiral effect! With slightly annoying ads! (In reality, iHandy Torch Free
is a mostly a handy app to have installed in case you get up for a
midnight snack or toilet visit, don't turn on the light and want to
avoid smashing your toe annoyingly hard into an unruly cupboard.)
36. TVGuide.co.uk TV Guide
TV Guide
is an app that's come a long way. At one time, this was a disappointing
UK TV listings app. Today, it boasts now-and-next and scrollable
listings views, reminders, and calendar, Twitter and Facebook
integration. Only avoid if you hate TV or don't live in the UK.
37. Zoopla Property Search
There are loads of property search apps on the App Store, but Zoopla
is the best of them. Its listings are comprehensive and there's also
local market data, including local sale prices and estimates on market
value. The location button is a bit rubbish, but the app soon finds
properties when you manually type a location.
38. IM+
If you're an instant messaging fiend, IM+
gives you access to GTalk, Yahoo, MSN/Live Messenger, AIM/iChat, ICQ,
MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and Jabber. With multitasking and push
notifications in iOS 4, IM+ has been transformed from a curiosity into a
must-have freebie app.
39. Atomic Web Browser Lite
The lite version of Atomic
is missing quite a few features that are found in its paid-for version,
including even basic multitasking support and content resumption on
reopening the app. However, for times where you need a single-session
browser that automatically dumps everything on exit, such as when buying
gifts, this is a handy app to have installed.
40. Virtuoso Piano Free 3
Virtuoso Piano Free 3
won't turn you into a virtuoso, but it's a perfectly serviceable mini
piano. You can amend the number of keys shown on screen, and buttons
enable you to rapidly navigate the full keyboard. You get two built-in
voices for playback, to which you can add variable levels of sustain.
41. TuneIn Radio
Don't bother buying a DAB radio - just install TuneIn Radio
instead and plug your device into a set of speakers. TuneIn Radio has a
great interface for accessing over 50,000 digital stations; it also has
AirPlay support, and you can use it as an alarm clock.
42. 4oD Catch Up
Technically,
more like '4oD Catch Up With A Specific Chunk of Channel 4's TV Shows
Only' (archives are minimal in the iPhone version); also 4oD Catch Up
lacks subtitles and AirPlay support. But it's free, unlimited, and
gives you a month to catch up with Channel 4's programming on your
device.
43. Jamie's Recipes
More
a gateway drug for the tasty treats of Jamie Oliver, this IAP-infused
app nonetheless flings ten freebie recipes your way and a few videos.
The interface in Jamie's Recipes
is lickable, and there's a handy shopping-list feature, for those of
you who don't fancy arriving back home after fighting the crowds in the
supermarket, only to find you accidentally picked up 500 lemons and
forgot the chicken.
44. Instagram
Take a photo, smash a filter into it, and upload it. Instagram's
service is now used by millions of people to share nuggets of visual
loveliness, and the app itself is a pleasure to use, and also to browse
during moments when you're not feeling quite so inspired.
45. Google Translate
Assuming you're online, Google Translate
is a great app for translating text between 64 different languages;
handily, 17 of the most popular also enable you to speak into your
device and listen to translations. It's also considerably cheaper and
more portable than 63 translation staff.
46. iMotion HD
We
say a big PFFT! at CGI. Real animators use stop-motion, until they
inevitably go crazy at only being able to craft about three seconds of
footage per week. iMotion HD enables you to create such painstaking animations with your device.
The
sting in the tail: a £1.49 IAP for export, but if you don't care about
that, you can play your creations on your device to your heart's
content. There's also the free iMotion Remote to use as a remote controller over Wi-Fi for iMotion HD, to avoid you accidentally moving your 'camera'.
47. TED
TED
is brain food. The app provides access to talks by insanely clever
people, opening your mind to new and radical ideas. You can also save
your favourite talks locally, for even easier access, or ask the app to
inspire you, based on your mood and available time.
48. Remote
The remote for Apple TV is a bit of a joke when you need to do anything more than play or pause. Remote
is a free app which provides much better control and the ability to
stop yourself going mad when typing things into search fields. It'll
also happily use Home Sharing to pull content from computers on your
network to your device, or fire said content at your Apple TV using
AirPlay.
49. Skyscanner
Skyscanner's a great website, which enables you to punch in airports and find out the cheapest way of getting from A to B. The Skyscanner app
is the same, but it's on your device and with a spiffy AI. Well worth a
download, even if only to check flights for an upcoming holiday.
50. Apple Store
Apple fans with a lack of self-control should steer clear of the Apple Store app,
which enables you to buy shiny Apple products directly from your
device, and also to locate your nearest shrine of tech loveliness (aka
Apple Store).
51. BBC iPlayer
Watch live TV and browse featured and recent BBC shows in the BBC iPlayer
app. There's a favourites section to get easier access to your top
shows, and AirPlay support for firing footage at your Apple TV. (This
uses the system AirPlay functionality - start playing a show,
double-click the Home button, swipe right twice, then choose 'Apple TV'
from the AirPlay button.)
52. Netflix
Brits might rightly grumble that the Netflix
selection leaves a little to be desired, but it's still a very
affordable way to get a ton of TV in front of your eyes. The app works
much like you'd expect: browse, watch, realise it's three in the morning
- again.
53. Camera Awesome
Sounding a bit like a rubbish superhero, Camera Awesome
is in fact a tool for powering up your device's camera. You get some
useful adjustment and composition options, and a load of varied filters
are available via IAP.
54. Amazon Mobile
A great app for anyone regularly suckered by ads but also afflicted with impatience, Amazon Mobile enables
you to browse and buy from the mammoth online store with ease. You can
also sneakily scan bar-codes in brick-and-mortar stores to see how much
cheaper the attached goods would be online.
55. TVCatchup
In all honesty, we're a little surprised TVCatchup
still exists, but here it is, in app form. It's not so much TV
'catch-up' as TV 'watch what's on right now', but that's good in itself
with support for over 50 channels and AirPlay.
56. SoundCloud
SoundCloud
is becoming one of those indispensable online services, storing a huge
range of songs and audio clips. Although this app is suitable for
browsing and playing, you can also use it to record and upload your own
sounds.
57. Flipboard
It would be a hard ask to expect the Flipboard
experience on the iPhone and iPod touch to match that of the iPad
version, but it nonetheless has a good go, transforming your favourite
feeds and news sources into a tiny, beautiful digital magazine.
58. Wunderlist
The
App Store has so many to-do apps that it's in severe danger of tipping
over, due to the sheer weight of digital checkboxes, but Wunderlist
is one of the very few that really stands out. The interface is very
usable, and the app's ability to seamlessly sync across devices and
platforms makes it a great download.
59. Wikihood
This location-aware sort-of Wikipedia client figures out where you are and fires local knowledge at you. Naturally, Wikihood
can be a little scattergun in terms of information, but it's handy for
when you're in an unfamiliar place and have a few hours to kill. There
are also offline packs available via IAP for regular users.
60. AirPort Utility
Apple's
increasingly freeing its iOS devices from any reliance on a Mac or PC,
and this utility continues the trend. If you've some shiny white
wireless kit at home with an Apple logo, use AirPort Utility to see what your network looks like, muck about with settings, and troubleshoot.
61. 30/30
Timers
and task managers are usually designed with extreme efficiency, to the
point they practically yell NO FUN ALLOWED in your face. 30/30,
however, provides a streamlined, tactile interface that happens to look
great, is fun to use, and that makes it a breeze to create lists and
define timers. It also enables looping for anyone addicted to the
Pomodoro Technique.
62. Google Authenticator
This one
falls under 'essential' rather than 'amazing'. If you've turned on
two-step verification on your Google account, chances are it'll
regularly ask for a code. You can get this sent to you via SMS, but it's
much less hassle to have Google Authenticator instead provide the numbers to type in.
63. Chrome
Safari's a perfectly decent web browser on the iPhone, but Chrome
has a couple of particular advantages. First, the card-like tabbing
system (technically unlimited, but Chrome does tend to get a bit crashy
if you open /too/ many) is really very nice indeed; secondly, you can
send tabs to your iPhone from the desktop version of Chrome.
64. YouTube
Apple
binned its own YouTube app from the iPhone, presumably because it hates
Google far more than it loves online video. Google's own YouTube app
works much as you'd expect, enabling you to search and watch an almost
limitless number of cats playing pianos, people moaning about stuff to
their web-cams, and more besides.
65. iPlayer Radio
BBC
Radio was once shoved into a corner of the iPlayer app, despite the
brilliance of 6 Music and Radio 4, but now it has its very own iPlayer Radio
app within which to dance, shout and generally assault your ears.
There's an EPG, an alarm option, alerts for upcoming shows, BBC podcast
integration, and AirPlay.
66. Sums
Although we're fond of PCalc, mentioned elsewhere in this selection of apps, there's something really lovely about Sums.
The visual design feels sleek and modern, with a handy tape-style path
of totals displayed; even better, operations are performed via gestures.
This is a bit weird at first, but it soon becomes second-nature.
67. Cards
You might wag your finger at us for including Cards,
given that you use it to design cards that then require you to lay down
actual money to send to people. But Cards itself is free, and it's
actually quite fun to mess around with. As for the cards you send, they
cost three quid, but that includes postage and they're of a very high
quality.
68. The Onion
There's often a sense with satirical news site The Onion
that you can read the headlines and skip the rest, but it's a
frequently funny publication that also manages to make some important
points on a regular basis. The iPhone app is free and has a 'shake for
news' feature for the lazy and indecisive.
69. Photo Editor by Aviary
Another image editor, but Photo Editor
is a good 'un. The interface is clear, and it contains all the tools
you'd expect: filters, enhancements, cropping, and the ability to fire
that picture of your frothy coffee/amusing dog/current skyline to
Flickr, Tumblr, Facebook or Twitter.
70. Gmail
"But
Gmail works in Apple Mail," you might say. And this is true, but it
works really badly, only making accessible recent messages. By contrast,
the Gmail app provides a fuller experience, enabling you to search, thread, star and label items to your heart's content.