The Top 40 Free iPhone Apps 2010 - PC Magazine

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1. Apple iBooks 1.1
Apple Inc., www.apple.com
Apple's iBooks isn't just an e-book reader; it's also an excellent PDF reader. The app uses an attractive bookshelf metaphor to arrange your virtual books and PDFs, and Apple makes quite a few older books available for free through its online store. As with many Apple apps, iBooks becomes more useful if you have more Apple devices; you can sync your bookmarks and notations with your iPhones, iPod Touch, and iPad.




2. AT&T myWireless 1.3.2
AT&T Services Inc., www.att.com
AT&T's myWireless app tells you if you're coming close to your monthly 200MB or 2GB data limit, how many minutes you've used, and when your next bill is due. It also allows you to upgrade your plan if you're using your iPhone much more than you expected. Checking this app periodically is the best way to protect yourself from unexpected AT&T charges.




3. Bing 1.2
Microsoft Corp., www.bing.com
On the desktop I prefer Google, but on the iPhone I prefer Bing. Why? Because Bing offers more than just simple search. This app provides a scrolling photo search, voice search, and local shopping searches; it even has a bar code scanner to look up prices on goods in stores. The Social tool lets you connect to Facebook and Twitter and search your results from friends. Search engines might be a matter of preference but Bing actually makes search look fun.




4. CNBC Real-Time 1.3
NBC Universal Inc., www.cnbc.com
One of the best business news sites has one of the best free business apps on the iPhone. CNBC's app starts with business news alerts, but we really like it because of its detailed stock portfolio tracker. Plus, we dig its well-rendered graphics.




5. Cube Runner 1.5
Andy Qua, andyqua.co.uk/CubeRunner/Welcome.html
This diabolically simple and addictive game lets you control an arrow that flies through rows of digital cubes. The point of the game is to avoid the cubes and fly for as long as you can. In the background, fun electronic music jams along as you pilot your arrow. Sure, the graphics look like a 1983-era arcade game, but that's what you get for zero dollars, and some older iPhone users might enjoy the resemblance to the Atari games of yesteryear. Another decent free game in a similar vein is Alpha Runner.




6. Dragon Dictation 1.3.4
Nuance Communications, Inc., www.nuance.com
Ever wanted to dictate a long series of notes and then e-mail or text them? Dragon Dictation can do that for you. Just load up the app, tap the red button, and dictate for a one minute at a time. One downside: Some users have complained that Nuance goes through your contacts to ensure accuracy when you speak names. It's a breach of privacy, but is it any worse than Facebook? Probably not. And we'd rather have the names spelled correctly.




7. Dropbox 1.2.2
Evenflow, Inc., www.dropbox.com
I assume you have a lot of gadgets and computers. Dropbox lets you access your personal files on any of them. Dropbox gives you 2GB of file storage that can be accessed from any computer. On iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, the app allows you to view documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and some videos and photos that you've put into your personal file space. Occasionally, we've seen some instances where it simply won't work, but it's useful enough that we're willing to overlook a few glitches.




8. eBay Mobile 1.7.0
eBay Inc., www.ebay.com
Have you been losing eBay auctions because you weren't in front of your PC? Pick up eBay Mobile, and you'll be able to swoop in at the last second from anywhere with an Internet connection. The app lets users search, bid on items, update their info, check bids on items being sold, and much more. Power sellers and frequent bidders should consider this an essential tool for keeping up with auctions.




9. eBuddy Messenger 3.6.0
eBuddy B.V., www.ebuddy.com
Instant messaging may not have the buzz of Twitter and Facebook, but many people (and businesses) rely on it. Nowadays, people use many instant-messaging clients, so it's important to have a multiplatform solution. eBuddy is the best free app we've found on the iPhone. It lets you log in to multiple services at once, including AIM, Yahoo, Facebook, Google Talk, ICQ, MySpace, and MSN. It will push you notification of new instant messages even when it isn't running, and you can tell it to log out automatically after a set period of time.




10. Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List 2.1
Condé Nast, www.epicurious.com
If you're a foodie, you probably know about Epicurious and its more than 100,000 recipes. The site's iPhone app lets you turn your favorite recipes into a shopping list that you check off. If you miss flipping through food-stained pages, you can turn your favorite recipes into a paginated cookbook. There are a few ads here that can be annoying, but we're willing to put up with them for a free app. Epicurious is also a very good iPad app.



11. ESPN ScoreCenter 1.5.3
ESPN Inc.,www.espn.go.com
Sports fanatics with iPhones should download ESPN Scorecenter. It allows you to keep track of your favorite sports teams on a single page, read the latest analyses from ESPN, and provides push notifications when games start or teams score. Sportacular is also a smart sports app with similar score-tracking abilities, but we think ESPN's design is a little cleaner.




12. Evernote 3.3.5
Evernote Corporation, www.evernote.com
If you've got a memory that's more emu than elephant, then Evernote can help you out. The app provides you with several ways to keep notes—including text, voice, and photos—and it gives you a way to access them from any desktop or phone with Evernote's software. The simple interface makes it easy to write down important to-dos, locations, phone numbers, or just about anything you might need to reference at any time.




13. Facebook 3.1.4
Facebook, www.facebook.com
If you're an active social networker, you're probably on Facebook. And if you have an iPhone as well, there's no reason you shouldn't be using this well-designed app. The home screen is a 3-by-3 grid that gives you access to almost everything Facebook has to offer. The app also integrates with the iPhone's own features well, allowing you to call or text any friend who has publicly posted their number. This is a must-have app for iPhone users on Facebook.




14. Fandango 3.2.2
Fandango, www.fandango.com
Looking for movie times on the go? Fandango is your friend. It can show you movie times, help you buy tickets, and show you user reviews of the latest blockbusters and indie flicks. Since some theaters sell tickets through competitor Moviefone, you should also download Moviefone's app if you want to be able to buy tickets anywhere you go.




15. Flashlight. 2.1.1
John Haney Software, www.johnhaney.com/software
As simple (or dumb) as it sounds, having a flashlight app on your iPhone or iPod touch is never a bad thing. Turn up the iPhone screen's brightness and you can use it as a reading light, or even as a backup on a camping trip. If you feel like starting a party on the go, the app can display a strobe light or other light effects.




16. Foursquare 1.9.0
Foursquare, foursquare.com
Any modern social networker with an iPhone should be on Foursquare. It's a hip, fun app where you check in to places you go physically and earn badges when you accomplish various things. It sounds a bit silly (and maybe it is), but there are rewards—being the person who checks in the most (called the "mayor") at a restaurant can earn you a free meal, drink, or dessert.




17. Google Earth 3.0.0
Google, earth.google.com
Google Maps is fine and dandy, but Google Earth ups the ante and takes you to wherever you want in the world. You can digitally climb mountains, browse geo-tagged photos all over the word, check out city info with Google Local Search, and search in many languages. The latest version of Google Earth for iPhone includes road layers and native support for the iPad (which makes the app even cooler).




18. Groupon 1.1.0
Groupon, www.groupon.com
Groupon offers decent-to-great coupons on stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in 65 cities. There's one deal a day and if not enough people sign up, the deal is cancelled (hence the name Groupon). It's a smart system that makes sure users and businesses alike get something from the deal. It even has a little green cred because with it you no longer have to print out coupons.




19. Kindle 2.1.1
Amazon.com, Inc., www.amazon.com
While Apple's iBooks app might be slightly flashier, Amazon Kindle's library has been around longer, has more titles, and works with more devices. For those who want to read on the cheap, Kindle also has a lot more free books for download. The app allows users to read the beginning of any e-book, making it a good shopping tool.




20. Mint.com Personal Finance 1.3
Mint.com, www.mint.com
Users of Mint.com know the site can help you keep detailed account of your finances. If you are new, just sign up and begin tracking your expenses. The iPhone app extends the experience, so users can keep track of their spending while on the go. Just enter a few data points in the iPhone, and you'll be able to see your spending patterns as an easy-to-read chart. However, if your bank account is anemic, cool-looking animations probably won't make you feel much better about it.



21. NYTimes 2.3.3
The New York Times Company, www.nytimes.com
So you're wondering why a news app would be included in a list of a top apps when you can just go to the Web site? Simple: It allows you to save stories for reading when you don't have an Internet connection. (Thanks AT&T!) Plus, The New York Times has depth of content—even as newspapers across the country are cutting back, the Times still has niche sections like Technology, Health, Books, Travel, Fashion, and Dining.




22. OpenTable 3.0.2
OpenTable, Inc., www.opentable.com
You're out on a date that's going better than expected, but you didn't make dinner reservations. What to do? Time to bust out the OpenTable app for iPhone and make a reservation for a nearby restaurant. OpenTable makes the process so fast and easy that you might be able to do it while your date isn't looking.




23. Opera Mini Web Browser 5.0.2
Opera Software ASA; www.opera.com
Many in the tech community (including us) were surprised when Apple approved Opera Mini for the iPhone. Since the beginning of the App Store, Apple had never approved a real alternative Web browser because it wanted iPhone users to use Safari. However, lousy connections on AT&T prompted Apple to approve Opera Mini, which uses less data and can sometimes eke out a complete Web page when Safari can't. We like Safari better overall, but Opera Mini is good to keep around for the times when your network connection isn't optimal.




24. Pandora Radio 3.1.1
Pandora Media, Inc., www.pandora.com
For most of its existence, Pandora has been a smart, reliable choice for customized streaming radio. Pandora creates custom stations based on artists or songs you like. It uses elements from the song itself and the user's preferences to pick new songs to listen to. You're likely to hear some unfamiliar bands mixed in with a lot of bands you already know and like. Plus, if you use Pandora on your desktop, the iPhone account will sync your thumbs up or down on song selections.




25. Photoshop.com Mobile 1.2.2
Adobe Systems, Inc., www.adobe.com
With the new iPhone 4's 5-megapixel camera and better photo capabilities, there's a good chance more users are going to use the iPhone's camera. Naturally, they will need a photo editor if they want to maximize their photos. Photoshop.com Mobile doesn't do everything, but it does allow you to crop, rotate, change exposure, and apply other effects to your iPhone photos. When you're done editing your photos, you can upload your work to an account on Photoshop.com.




26. Remote 1.3.3
Apple Inc., www.apple.com
Apple's Remote app turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control for music on your computer or Apple TV. While music is playing, album artwork is displayed on your phone and you can even edit playlists. The app only works over your home Wi-Fi connection, so you don't have to worry about anyone else controlling your tunes—except other people in your house, of course.




27. ShopSavvy Barcode Scanner 1.5
Big in Japan, www.biggu.com
Have you ever wanted to do a global price check on item at the store? There's an app for that, and it's called ShopSavvy. All you do is load up the app and then take a photo of any bar code to find out prices from online and local retailers. If you think a product is overpriced, you can simply buy it from someone else. If ShopSavvy doesn't find what you need, check out pic2shop, another accurate barcode scanner.




28. Siri Assistant 1.1.1
Siri, www.siri.com
Siri's smart search app is so compelling that Apple bought the company. Will this app be folded into iOS 5? We're not sure, but downloading it now will let you see what Steve Jobs thinks is worth spending money on. Siri Assistant is a smart search app with learning A.I. built in. As you use Siri, it begins to remember your preferences and locations, which means more accurate search results. The most recent version added the ability to post to Twitter and do math problems. Let's just hope Siri doesn't become Skynet and use the data in its computer systems to take over the world.




29. Skype 2.0.0
Skpye Software S.a.r.l,
While the iPhone version of Skype doesn't yet do video calls (you'll have to stick to FaceTime on the iPhone 4 to do that), it finally does 3G VoIP voice calls, Wi-Fi Skype-to-Skype calls, and paid Skype-to-landline calls. Skype's international rates are much lower than AT&T's, and this app can be a real boon if you use it in a Wi-Fi zone while traveling. Skype promises to run in the background on iOS 4 devices soon, which will make it much easier to receive calls when you aren't expecting them.




30. Slacker Radio 2.1
Slacker, Inc., www.slacker.com
Want to listen to professionally programmed radio stations on your phone? Then meet Slacker, which never slacks in finding you great music. If you enter an artist, it finds similar music you might like and you can ban or like songs to help the system fine-tune your listening experience. Like Pandora, the more you use it, the better the app works.



31. Surfacer 1.0.0
Lexis Numérique, www.lexis-games.com/
Half digital art project, half addictive game, Surfacer takes a very simple concept and makes it an enchanting showcase for arcade-like game design. The game is easy: Cover as much surface as you can with circles without hitting any of the moving balls. As you complete levels, more moving balls are added and it becomes harder to cover the surfaces with the allotted amount of circles. The fuzzy, sparse electronic music in the background works extremely well as a soundtrack.




32. Tap Tap Revenge 3.5
Tapulous, tapulous.com
It might not be the most innovative game, but at this point, Tap Tap Revenge is an undeniable touchstone in the iPhone app canon. For the uninitiated, TTR is a music-based game that has its users tap their fingers along with the beat of popular songs. Think of it as Guitar Hero for Dummies. TTR developer Tapulous has a bright future ahead of it because it was acquired by Disney in early July, so we're hoping to see a lot more add-on packs and music for TTR in the future.




33. TripIt 1.6.1
TripIt, www.tripit.com
Mobile Managing Editor Sascha Segan—who's also a travel writer—never hits the road without loading his information into TripIt. The app helps you keep track of all those annoying little confirmation numbers and flight statuses. It might seem like a simple thing, but when your flight is cancelled, it can save you precious minutes rebooking. On a related note, the similar app TripCase isn't as good at importing your data, but it's even better than TripIt at giving you updated gate and alternate flight information.




34. Trundle 1.2.1
Mobile Bros LLC, mobile-bros.com/
This frustrating but rewarding platform game will keep you entertained and puzzled for hours. You control a gear (yes, a piece of metal) that's trying to get from one side of a level to another. You move the iPhone side to side to control your gear and tap the screen to jump. It's harder than it sounds, especially once you start having to master the game's smart physics. Plus, the graphics and ambient music are unusually good for a free game.




35. TweetDeck for iPhone 1.3
Iain Dodsworth, www.tweetdeck.com
There is an unending debate about which free iPhone Twitter client is the best. Among TweetDeck, Twitteriffic, Twitter (formally Tweetie), and Echofon, our favorite is TweetDeck. You can sync to your TweetDeck account on the desktop and it has a depth of features (including multiple accounts) that's unmatched by other free clients.




36. The Weather Channel 2.82
The Weather Channel Interactive, www.weather.com
Just like Twitter clients, there are many, many free weather apps for the iPhone. The Weather Channel's iPhone app is our favorite for its rich range of options. It displays current and extended forecasts, maps, severe weather alerts, pollen counts, videos, and more.




37. Wi-Fi Finder 2.0.1
JiWire Inc., www.jiwire.com/iphone
Ever needed to find a good Wi-Fi connection in a hurry because your data plan or AT&T's signal wasn't cutting it? Wi-Fi Finder by JiWire helps you find a good connection nearby. You can download a complete directory of free Wi-Fi spots in the U.S., and it even works without a data connection. The app works best in populated cities, but that's where you're more likely to find free (and paid) Wi-Fi connections.




38. Words With Friends Free 3.0.9
Newtoy, newtoyinc.com/wp/
Digital Scrabble has become a bit of a national pastime, with thousands of people playing on Facebook and the iPhone. Words With Friends is basically a generic version of Scrabble that you play iPhone to iPhone. It has push notifications to see when someone else has played a word, and a very simple interface to keep track of your games. Couple this with the free "Dictionary?" app and you might be unbeatable.




39. Yellow Pages 2.9.3
Avantar LLC, www.avantar.us/
Have you ever used Google Maps to look up an address and then gone to that location only to find the store is closed? It's happened to me, and it's very frustrating. While it isn't the sharpest looking app, the latest version of Yellow Pages can help you solve that problem. Being tied to the extensive (and mostly accurate) Yellow Pages database for business queries means few wrong numbers or addresses. In our tests, we found Yellow Pages to be more accurate and complete than the competing YPMobile app.




40. Yelp 4.3.0
Yelp, Inc., www.yelp.com
Looking for a good new restaurant in your neighborhood? Look no further than Yelp, which has an extensive database of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, movie theaters, and shops. The best part of Yelp is, arguably, the unusually high number of user reviews by average people. Thanks to Yelp's large community, a consensus forms around the best places in each neighborhood, which can help keep you from not-so-great places. Yelp community members can use the iPhone app to write their own review or offer a tip about a venue. The competing Urbanspoon app, which features professional reviews, is also a fun addition if you're a foodie on the lookout for good restaurants.