A List of Great iPhone and iPod Touch Applications

One of the great things about iPhone 2.0 is the ability to download from an evergrowing selection of third party applications. Here are some really good ones for you to try. I’ve listed my ten favorite applications at the top followed by others worthy of honorable mentions.

Click on any of the application titles to visit the iTunes store. Be sure to check back for additions to this list, and if you know of any good iPhone applications that I have overlooked leave me a comment or delicious me the link via for:franklindavis.

The Ten Best

1. Google Mobile App (Free): Google Mobile App helps you find the information you need quickly with instant access to Google Search and lets you launch your favorite Google mobile products from one place on your iPhone or iPod touch.
2. Digg (Web): This webapp is a simple and easy way to access digg.com from the iPhone. In case you have been living under a rock, Digg is a user generated news site where users submit and vote on wide ranging topics.
3. Pandora (Free): Just like the super popular Pandora Radio client for the desktop, this iPhone application streams songs similar to a user chosen artist based on data from the music genome project.
4. Remote (Free): This handy application from Apple allows the iPhone to serve as a remote control for any iTunes library. This application can also provide keyboard input for the apple TV.
5. Google Reader (Web): iPhone optimized version of Google popular RSS reader. Native solutions that sync with Google Reader for offline viewing also exist, Byline andFeeds being two examples.
6. 1Password (Free): 1Password is an indispensable application for securely storing information (e.g., passwords, licenses, identities, and secure notes) on the Mac. In short, 1Password keeps track of all your web passwords, automates sign-in, guards from identity theft, and allows you to stop worrying about your safety while online. Now they have released a free iPhone application that will sync with the Shareware Mac version. Once you use this application you’ll never go back!
7. USA Today (Free): The latest news stories, sports scores, weather and photos from USA TODAY on your iPhone in a well done interface. Weather feature is very nice as well.
8. Fieldrunners ($4.99): “Descend into the world of Fieldrunners, the most anticipated and visually stunning game in mobile Tower Defense history! Defend and control the field using a diverse selection of upgradeable towers in a limitless adventure, using a wide array of tactics and strategies against countless waves of unique land and air combatants!” (subatomicstudios.com)
9. Wikipanion (Free) : Provides quick access to Wikipedia.com. This app has settled more than a few heated debates in a bar.
10. Evernote (Free) : The rapidly growing in popularity note storing and taking application. The iPhone app gives the user access to all existing notes as well as the ability to make new text, voice, and photo notes.

Honorable Mentions

1. iWeathr (WEB): This is the best radar app for the iPhone that I have found so far. Simply navigate to iweathr.com and locate your nearest radar location. Note that you won’t be entering the city where you live but rather the location of a radar installation. For help finding the nearest one to you go here. This implementation allows both rotation and zooming in - very nice!
2. YPmobile (FREE): From the people at YellowPages.com this App allows you to search for local businesses and events from concerts and games to festivals and community affairs. Tight integration with Google Maps makes finding a business or event a breeze.
3. Zenbe Lists (FREE): A simple list application for the iPhone. Works equally well as a ToDo manager; however, I’m holding out for a native solution for this from Apple. Seriously, why does the iPhone not sync iCal.app and Mail.app ToDos? Zenbe is an excellent free solution which also offers some syncing options (between phones) which I honestly haven’t tried.
4. NYTimes (FREE): A slick interface for the New York Times website. I particularly like the ability to browse stories via photos. While this provides the same content as nytimes.com it saves time from having to zoom and scroll around on the full site.
5. Movies (FREE): Currently the fastest and best way to find out what the movie times are at your local theater. Integrates with rottentomatoes.com for movie reviews and synopsis.
6. gTalk (WEB): A webapp for the Google Talk protocol. It works well; however, I’m waiting for an iPhone version of Adium so I can retire this webapp and the AIM app. Stay tuned …
7. AIM (FREE): This application allows you to stay in touch with your AOL instant messenger buddies. The program is well implemented and is very stable; however, suffers from a huge setback — push notifications for third party applications aren’t live yet (look for this in the iPhone 2.1 firmware). Because of this limitation the application is essentially useless unless you leave it open at all times — not likely.
8. Shazam (FREE): Instantly capture and recognize any song playing nearby. This is great for saving songs from the radio that you’d like to buy later. Keep this application secret from your friends and you’ll be sure to win the ‘Name that Radio Artist’ contest on your next roadtrip.
9. Labyrinth LE (FREE): An electronic version of that wooden game where you use two knobs to adjust the level of a board, thereby guiding a small metal ball around a series of holes and obstacles. To be honest my attention span (somewhere between a snail and a newt) doesn’t allow me to play this game for very long; however, it is a great demonstration of just how sensitive the iPhone’s accelerator really is.
10. SudokuFree (FREE): The title really says it all. If you aren’t familiar with Sudoku, it is a logic-based number placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 boxes (also called blocks or regions) contains the digits from 1 to 9 only one time each. For more information on Sudoku go here.
11. BreakClassic (FREE): An iPhone version of the classic Breakout game. This is the best brick breaking game on the AppStore so far. Stay tuned for an update which will allow for a pause button.
12. Flight Control ($0.99): Flight control is a simple yet incredibly addictive action/strategy game. The objective is to guide various planes and helicopters to their respective landing strips. Sound easy right? Well it isn’t, as more and more planes arrive you will need smart strategy, quick fingers and keen eyes to succeed!
    
13. Elemental Monster TD ($3.99): “Elemental Monster TD combines trading cards with tower defense into an amazing new style of game! Deploy the capabilities of these distinctive cards to defend your base against the attacking enemy monsters.” The ability to build up points and buy new units greatly adds to the replay value of this game.
    
14. UniWar ($2.99):
    UniWar is a turn-based strategy game that features online multiplayer or solo play. Your goal is to take control of the enemy bases. Think “Command and Conquer” meets “Risk”.
    
15. Blocked ($0.99):Blocked is a puzzle game where you move blocks around with the goal of sliding the blue block out the gap in the side. Simple yet addictive. Feature 100 levels of ever-increasing difficulty. Watch out for level 64 it is a tough one.
    
16. WeatherBug Elite ($0.99): I used the free version since it came out and I recently decided to upgrade to the paid version for two main reasons. Firstly, to get rid of the space-hogging ads and secondly, to be able to animate the weather radar. Overall WeatherBug is a great app in either the paid or free format.
    
17. Park Maps ($0.99): This simple app allows one to download maps of the National Parks for offline use. The app will even place an arrow on the map where your GPS signal is located. Note that some of the maps aren’t high enough quality for this to be used for one’s sole means of navigation (for that you’ll want the more expensive TopoPointUSA). I hike a great deal and I know many ‘purists’ would scoff at using an iPhone while in the woods and I even tend to agree. However, I’ve started enjoying using the iPhone for reading in the tent at night as well as taking quick trail pics (GPS tagging is a bonus). In fact, this little app saved me from a long detour when my topo map became too wet to read and I wasn’t sure which trail to take next.
    
18. myWireless ($0.00):This app allows the one to check one’s AT&T account status (minutes,data,sms, etc). Enjoying this app might be a bit of a leap but it is certainly handy and frankly should of been released earlier. One annoyance is that the app forces you to enter your password each and every time. This doesn’t make sense for someone like myself who has the iPhone password protected already.
19. iFighter Lite ($0.00):This seems to be a free preview of an upcoming paid version. If the preview is any indication the full version should be a lot of fun. This game uses the accelerometer to allow you to pilot your plane in 2D space. Note that you don’t have to stay at the bottom of the screen but you can fly ‘forward’ and pick up bonuses.
    
20. Evernote ($0.00) I’ve started relying on evernote more and more recently. This free service provides much more than just a text based note taking service. Its ability to recognize text in images makes it super useful for storing information taken from many different sources. The new Evernote for iPhone 3.0 will even show you where you took your notes on google maps. Awesome!
    
21. Blimp ($0.99) Blimp is a beatifully implemented flying game complete with a great sound track. You assume the role as blimp pilot who must dodge enemies, collect/transport passengers and collect/transport cargo.
    
22. Car Jack Streets ($0.99) Car Jack Streets is a high octane action/driving game for iPhone and iPod Touch. Think old school grand theft auto. This fun game features a huge living city to explore, real time game-play, day and night cycles, a limitless number of missions, stunning visuals, lots of vehicles, an 80 minute soundtrack, global rankings, felonies and much more!
    
23. StoneLoops! ($0.99) Hands down best Zuma clone in the app store. In fact, this game goes beyond Zuma with a diverse game-play and 75 beautiful levels to try. This game is a steal at 99 cents! If you don’t believe me, then just give the LITE version a try.
    
24. Let’s Golf ($0.99) I picked up this game on sale at 99 cents to tide me over while I wait for Tiger Woods PGA Tour game to drop below $5. I was surprised to find out how great this simple golf game really was. The controls are well done and the graphics are better than I expected.
    
25. Battle of Pirates Bay ($0.99) Use your 3 ships to defend the base against an onslaught of pirate vessels. Each of your ships have their own unique speed and firing range. Supply ships will either refill your ship’s ammo or restore health to your base. Hint: use the base cannon as much and as strategically as possible. Good luck with those pirates!
    
26. Toki Tori ($0.99) A platformer puzzle game with great graphics and controls. Beware: some of the levels get very challenging. There is also a LITE version of this game but at just 99 cents, go for the full version.
    
27. Warpack Grunts ($0.99) I really like the ‘potential’ of a game like this and while I’m definitely enjoying playing it, I dislike the control scheme somewhat. In the game you move your finger around and your grunts will follow and then a double tap on a target will cause them to fire. This results in your finger always having to be on the screen while navigating thus likely blocking your view of the terrain. I’d prefer a single tap to place a “way-point” which the grunts would then follow and then press and hold to cause the grunts to fire in that direction. But that is just me, it’s a fun game anyway.
    
28. Harbor Master ($0.99) A Flight Control (FC) clone but with ships and a small twist. Like FC you must guide your vessels (in this case, ships) to a safe landing point (in this case, harbors). The twist comes from the fact that you must then guide the ships away from the port/s once they have unloaded their cargo. Oh, and watch out for the hurricanes …