Wayne Schulz

As 2008 draws to a close I thought it would be fun to spotlight some of the most popular iPhone applications that I’ve used.

On a daily basis I carry two phones. My main phone is an iPhone 3G which drives almost all of my mobile web browsing. For email I’m currently using the BlackBerry Bold.

Why two? Each excels at their particular tasks. I’ve found that the iPhone is still more of a pro-sumer grade email device whereas the BlackBerry Bold is industrial grade professional email delivery. Unfortunately the applications for the BlackBerry largely suck. For this reason I use the iPhone 3G heavily for mobile web.

This year there were dozens of iPhone applications  I downloaded. Only 6 made my “must check daily list. Which six?

1. Facebook – An absolutely perfect example of how iPhone is kicking the ass of every other mobile provider on the planet.

Compare the relatively new iPhone application to the more mature Facebook applications for BlackBerry and Palm which have been out FOREVER and made exactly zero point zero improvement in functionality. Along comes iPhone and I can easly see all the Facebook comments people have made about my odd ramblings, chat in real time to friends, upload photos quickly (somthing the others do but require that you send from your picture mail app).

This is the single best testimony to how iPhone became so popular so quick. It’s all about the apps. Anyone can make a touch screen. Getting applications that truly utilitize the functionality is quite another matter.

2. Twittelator Pro – This Twitter (click here for explanation of what Twitter is and why people use it) client is the single best choice for the iPhone.

It isn’t perfect – for example sending pictures from within the application is hit or miss (more miss than hit) and the tiny icons that are on the screen, while functional, are damn near impossible to navigate for anyone with thumbs bigger than a sixth grader.

Overall I love this program and the way it streamlines Twitter usage. I chuckle (loud and often) when I read about the newest Twitter client for iPhone  (there are tons) because quite honestly they all still look like garbage stacked up against Twittelator Pro.

Some of the key features I like: Bookmarks (review all the tweets of your favorite twits), groups, trending topics, easily read replies and search for tweets. Awesome. If you Twitter (and admittedly using the service is a lot like loving NASCAR – you either “Get it” or you don’t) – Twittelator Pro on the iPhone is THE way to go. Period.

My typical usage is a combination of Twittelator Pro and plain old SMS text messaging.

3. Amazon - This native application has only been out around a month and already I use it when I’m comparison shopping in a B&M store (Bricks and Mortar).

My latest usage was at the local SAM’S Club where they had a USB Smart Drive on sale for $30. Or did they?

A quick check of my Amazon iPhone application revealed it cheaper by $10 at Amazon.

I have one click ordering enabled and when I find an item cheaper  I’ll order it while standiong right inside the store. I love that I can take pictures of items and upload them to Amazon and a team of worker bees somewhere classifies my item and sends me back a link to the place I can buy it on Amazon.

It won’t be too long before this whole integration has progressed to the point of allowing you to scan in a bar code and then chose from several sites online. If I were to guess these sites may also “bid” on the item that you’ve just scanned to say whether they would undercut the price.

For now this Amazon shopping application for Iphone is about the closest thing to perfection. Be sure you are signed up for the Amazon Prime program which for $79 per year gives you free 2 day shipping on a huge selection of Amazon items.

4. Orb Live – I have been waiting like forever to get Sirius Radio to create an iPhone client (or any remote client that supports all their channels) that allows me to listen to my favorite satellite radio channels remotely.

My BlackBerry has an XM Radio client that offers an ultra limited selection of stations for $8.99 per month. Instead, because I’m a subscriber to Sirius, I pay Sirius $ 0 extra per month and bought the ORB for iPhone for $9.99 (one time).

What Orb does is take an audio (or video) source on a connected computer (Windows only) and redirect the stream to the Internet. Then you log in from your mobile phone and watch movies, TV or listen to your MP3 or Internet Radio.

In my office I’ve setup Sirius Satellite using the free uSirius application to stream via Orb. The quality of the audio is superb and XM/Sirius can go ahead and whistle past the graveyard while twiddling their thumbs about releasing a GOOD native iPhone client for another year. I’m streaming (legally) the audio 24×7 to my iPhone and BlackBerry and Sirius isn’t seeing an additional cent.

5. Weather Channel – It’s free. The weather radar is great. The forecasts are great. What’s not to like.

Oddly enough this application is free for iPhone but costs $50/year for BlackBerry users.

There are a whole slew of weather applications for iPhone. At one point I think I tried them all. This is the best combination of cost (how can you beat free) and functionality. In all honesty I don’t require much more than:

Weather map

Accurate forecast for today

Accurate forecast for the next three days

Beyond three days, any forecast seems to be largely a crap  shoot. Until NOAA comes out with a free iPhone app, I think Weather Channel will be the best bet for accurate weather forecasting.

This is now my main weather application on iPhone.

6. USA Today – I love USA Today.

The application has just launched but already has replaced NY Times and AP as my most referenced news application. The integration to Weather Channel is awesome. Great program that I refer to several times per day.

Worth noting that Amazon just launched the Kindle version of USA TODAY at $13.99 per month. The iPhone app has zero pictures, updates in real time, integrates a real time weather forecast. All for free.

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About Wayne Schulz

Wayne Schulz is a CT CPA and consultant. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, New York City, blogging, technology and searching for the perfect smartphone. He lives in Glastonbury CT with his two children. Contact Wayne by email at wayne@wayneschulz.com. (Important: We are not the manufacturer or seller of any items we've blogged so unfortunately we are unable to provide support or answer questions about them).