{"id":2938,"date":"2010-11-21T21:03:57","date_gmt":"2010-11-22T04:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bspcn.com\/?p=2938"},"modified":"2010-11-21T21:03:57","modified_gmt":"2010-11-22T04:03:57","slug":"10-of-the-best-iphone-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress\/2010\/11\/21\/10-of-the-best-iphone-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"10 of the Best iPhone Apps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by David Pogue<\/a><\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

From left, SoundHound, FakeCalls and Dragon Dictation.<\/p>\n

I noticed that the No. 1 most e-mailed New York Times article for all of last week was Bob Tedeschi\u2019s list<\/a> of great iPhone apps. It\u2019s still on the most-e-mailed list. Wow\u2014hot topic, eh? O.K., fine\u2014two can play that game. Here are my top 10 iPhone apps.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Dragon Dictation (free)<\/h3>\n

Speak to type. In general, excellent accuracy. After the transcription appears, one tap slaps the text into an outgoing e-mail message, text message, Twitter or Facebook update. Or just copies it to the clipboard. Not as good as dictating directly into any box where you can type, as on Android phones. But much faster than typing with your finger. My review is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Ocarina ($1)<\/h3>\n

People complain about their kids becoming addicted to their gadgets. But on long rides, I\u2019m delighted that my son and daughter spent hours practicing this bona fide wind instrument. Blow into the microphone, learn the fingerings of the four \u201choles\u201d on the glass screen\u2026beautiful music. It was one of the first apps I reviewed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Google Mobile (free)<\/h3>\n

Speak to search Google\u2019s maps. Now with Google Goggles built in: Point the phone\u2019s camera at a book, DVD, wine bottle, logo, painting, landmark or bit of text, and the hyper-intelligent app recognizes it and displays information about it from the Web.<\/p>\n

Bonus suggestion: Google Voice. Hot off the presses! This app finally surfaced on the app store after a year and a half in limbo, as Apple mysteriously refused to approve it. But it\u2019s here, it\u2019s sweet, it offers free text messages, cheap international calls, free transcripts of your voicemails, and a raft of other useful features. I reviewed it just this week after its release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. LED Light (free)<\/h3>\n

The LED \u201cflash\u201d on the iPhone 4 is incredibly powerful; you could practically light up a runway with it. It\u2019s fantastic for reading menus and show programs in dim light, for inspecting plumbing and car parts in narrow spaces, and for removing splinters. Unfortunately, turning it on involves opening the Camera app, switching to video and turning on the video light. Right? Not anymore. Just open this app to activate the LED instantly\u2014bright and easy.<\/p>\n

5. FlightTrack Pro ($10)<\/h3>\n

Incredible. Shows every detail of every flight: gate, time delayed, airline phone number, where the flight is on the map, and more. Knows more\u2014and knows it sooner\u2014than the actual airlines do. Better yet: the Pro version auto-syncs with Tripit.com. You book a flight online; you forward the receipt to plans@tripit.com; and Tripit puts the flight details into FlightTrack Pro wirelessly and automatically. You never do any data entry at all. I reviewed<\/a> it last year.<\/p>\n

6. FakeCalls<\/h3>\n

When you tap this icon on your Home screen (it\u2019s disguised and labeled only FC), in about ten seconds, your phone rings. It\u2019s a fake call from\u2014anyone you\u2019ve selected in advance. (I have mine set to Barack Obama, but that\u2019s just me.)<\/p>\n

The simulation of the iPhone\u2019s traditional incoming-call screen is perfect\u2014ringtone, contact info, Mute and Hold buttons, the works. Ideal for extricating yourself from difficult situations, like meetings or bad dates.<\/p>\n

7. Line2 (free)<\/h3>\n

Gives your iPhone a second phone line with its own number\u2014one that makes or receives calls over WiFi when you\u2019re in a hot spot (no AT&T minutes!), or over AT&T when you\u2019re not. Unlimited texting, unlimited calling, $10 a month. I\u2019ve reviewed<\/a> it several times, most recently in September.<\/p>\n

8. Twitter (free)<\/h3>\n

Most free Twitter apps are a bit on the baffling side. This one is the official app from Twitter, Inc., and it\u2019s simple and clean.<\/p>\n

9. SoundHound (free)<\/h3>\n

Beats Shazam at its own game. Hold this app up to a song that\u2019s playing on the radio, or even hum or sing the song, and the app miraculously identifies the song and offers you lyrics. It\u2019s faster than Shazam too.<\/p>\n

10. Bump (free)<\/h3>\n

If you and another iPhone owner both have this app, you just bump your phones together to exchange business cards. Sadly, it\u2019s gotten a lot more complex as it\u2019s matured, to the extent that a buddy and I could barely figure out how to store the received \u201ccard.\u201d But although there are many similar apps, this is the one most people are most likely to have already, making bumping extra convenient.<\/p>\n

What else is on my iPhone? Red Laser. Glee. Kayak. FlightBoard. OnTime. The New York Times, of course. Skype. Kindle reader, B&N eReader. Dictionary. Facebook. WeDoodle. TEDPlayer. Mint.com. FingerFoos. Scrabble. Remote (for Keynote). SpawnHD. FourSquare. Pandora. MobileMe apps (FindiPhone, iDisk, Gallery). Yelp. Flickr. And about 65,000 little games and fun apps deposited by my kids on car trips.<\/p>\n

Happy apping!<\/p>\n

Bonus:This Video Will Blow Your Mind (Probably)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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