Jan Zdarsa The next work in the evaluation of the best games and applications on the Appstore of 2008 will be evaluation of the best free apps. In the free applications, we found real gems and must-have applications. No one should miss these apps on their iPhone. So, enough chatter and push for the leaderboard.
10 Google Earth (iTunes) – Most of you probably know this perfect program from the computer version of Google Earth. Thanks to it, you can move around the world and discover the unknown. Compared to classic maps, Google Earth shows you the environment in 3D. Google Earth is, in short the whole world in your pocket. But the iPhone sweats quite noticeably with this app, and it's a battery killer and data eater anyway. But it's definitely worth a try.
9. Wikipanion (iTunes) – Wikipedia is not only used by students and is certainly an important source of information (although relying only on information from Wikipedia is not the best idea). Using this application, we will have all this information with us on the go (of course, where we have an Internet connection). Why not just use Safari search? This app it formats the text perfectly and thus directly optimizes the search results for the iPhone. You can directly from the application search in text, adjust case, search in Wiktionary, email the article, bookmark it or open it in Safari.
Is that not enough for you? So what about the option of displaying the sections to which the given term belongs or displaying the content of the article and the option of moving to the given section. In addition, it is possible in System Settings set multiple languages and then you can switch the searched article to a search result in another language with two clicks. Even that is not enough for you for a free application?
Do you still find it unnecessary to have this application on your phone? So there is an option to switch to the paid version, which offers the ability to save articles for offline reading and much more. I think now you have no doubt that this app belongs in this ranking.
8. Facebook (iTunes) – The social network Facebook has become a phenomenon of the time. It is being talked about everywhere, although not everyone is completely familiar with Facebook. I personally don't use Facebook intensively either, but after downloading this application I started using it much more often. I like to read what happened to my friends, what photos, comments and so on they added.
The Facebook application is very pleasant to use and even looks nice. I only have one problem with her. Sometimes he gets angry and sometimes even falls down. Anyway, whoever has a Facebook profile, this application is a must for them.
7. Showtimes (iTunes) – The application uses the GPS module in the iPhone 3G, according to which it locates you and then searches for the nearest cinemas. It will tell you how far these cinemas are from you, and you can also view the cinema on the map. But that's not all, this application he will also find a program in cinemas and will list not only which movies the given cinema is currently playing, but even at what time.
This application would display even more, but unfortunately the Czech movie titles give it a bit of trouble (which is no surprise) and so it cannot find the details of the movies in the movie database. In addition, some cinemas are unfortunately missing from the application. But still, it's a very useful app for many people.
6. Twitterrific (iTunes) – The perfect Twitter client that's free. I wondered if I should even include one here, because there is quite a crowd for the best Twitter client, but in the end I ranked Twitterrific quite high. Reason? I used it very often and it is therefore necessary to reward it somehow. This client in my opinion it looks the best and is very pleasant to use.
A built-in browser is a matter of course. Against Twinkle, for example, there are missing posts from people who are around me, but this feature didn't work very well in Twinkle, so I stopped using it. This is, in my opinion, the nicest Twitter client that is free (it shows a tiny ad once every 50 posts).
5. Evernote (iTunes) – I simply cannot allow this note-taking program. If you need Mrnotes with you at all times on different computers or platforms, then Evernote is right for you. If you don't know the program, be sure to check it out homepage of Evernote. You can have notes available via the web, via phone (either Windows Mobile system or iPhone) or via a desktop client on Mac or Windows.
You can write text notes, take a photo with the camera or save a voice memo from your iPhone. Everything after syncs via Evernote web. If you save an image with text in Evernote, it can later be searched because Evernote runs the image through OCR.
Evernote can do so much more and I really recommend it for learning. The only thing that bothers me is that the recording of notes cannot be paused and continued after a while, or texts saved for example from the web cannot be corrected, you can only write notes under them.
4. Stanza (iTunes) – A completely sufficient and perfect ebook reader, which is free compared to the competition. You can buy books through the Fictionwise eReader Store or you can upload them to Stanza using desktop program, which is available not only on Mac, but also on Windows. Or is that too complicated for you? So use the services PalmBooks and add the address to the catalog of books in Stanza palmknihy.cz/stanza/. Uploading ebooks couldn't be easier. You can, of course, change the color of the background or letters, the size of the letters and so on.
I personally liked the black background and the slightly grayish font, which is perfectly readable. Browsing between books is done by touching the edge of the screen, and if you turn off the application, you will appear exactly where you left off when you return. For book lovers ideal free solution.
3. Instapaper Free (iTunes) – Instaper allows you to save an article from Safari for offline reading. In short, you load a page with an article, click on the Instapaper tab, and the article is saved in text form on Instapaper.com page. This article will be downloaded from the server when Instapaper is turned on and you can read it offline.
Articles can also be saved to the Instapaper server from your desktop browser, and then all you have to do is synchronize the application. This application also offers its paid sibling, which offers a lot of extra functions, but this version is certainly more than enough.
2.Shazam (iTunes) – It certainly sometimes happens that you hear a nice song on the radio or somewhere else, but you can't remember the name or you don't know the song at all. Shazam will serve you perfectly for this. You press the Tag Now button, the iPhone records a snippet of the song, then sends it to the Shazam server for evaluation, and you only get the result.
You will find out song title, group, album, you can watch the song on YouTube and much more (if the program recognizes the song, of course). It saves the tagged songs to your list.
1. Palringo Instant Messenger (iTunes) – Palringo is a great instant messaging program. It handles protocols such as AOL, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, Gadu-Gadu, ICQ, Jabber, iChat or Windows Live. It is also possible to leave via Palringo send photos or voice messages. Palringo logs out of the network after turning it off, which, for example, paid programs do not do.
Anyway, it's a perfect free IM and promises many new features in the future. The only gripe is that you have to register on the Palringo website to use the service.
Again, it was very difficult to select only 10 applications and to assign some weight to them. But I think that this is how I ranked the applications mainly according to importance and usability. But I'm sorry that they didn't fit into my ranking some other applications and so I decided to at least mention them here.
- SteadyCam (iTunes) – Used for image stabilization. The program waits for your hand not to tap so that the photo is as sharp as possible. I'm about the program wrote earlier.
- Remote (iTunes) – The program is used to control iTunes using your iPhone. A great application directly from Apple. So if you often listen to songs from your computer via iTunes, you should not miss this program.
- 1Password (iTunes) – You will use it to store passwords for various sites, payment cards and the like. Ideal for use with the 1Password desktop program.
- Easywriter (iTunes) – For me, the best program for writing landscape emails. It handles enlarging or reducing letters, e-mails are continuously saved, so you won't lose them even if someone calls and so on. I found the best of the free programs.
- Midomi (iTunes) – Midomi is a similar service to Shazam. Midomi has a lot of other great features compared to Shazam (such as recognition by spoken text or by humming a song), but I included Shazam for that reason, because I find it more reliable and I prefer the program.
And what they are Your most popular app, which are on Free app store? Write your opinion, which application is missing or remains in the ranking. I would love to read your opinions in our forum.
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Thanks for the tips! I tried Showtimes but the app says I'm actually in Eastport, ME. Is location detection working correctly for anyone?
@Jan Kubr: Are you in the building by any chance? The good localization works especially in outdoor areas (or with a dense GSM network).. I use it really often and it works correctly :)
I am, but I thought the phone remembered my last location outside. At least the maps so I'm working.
I tried it elsewhere in the building and it charged me to the cinema in Benesov. So it's getting closer :-)
@Jan Kubr: nope, it doesn't remember.. but you can also enter the city where you are in the settings, manually, that's also a solution.. :)
I came across Evernote here yesterday. Tried it and… it looks very interesting. Finally, a well-thought-out note-taking app. If it proves itself during longer testing, I will only be happy. Thanks a lot for the tip!
Evernote reminds me of YouNote, but then I can't judge it regularly. Maybe YouNote looks better at first glance - after starting it, you can see a list of notes, you can sort them by alphabet, date or color, and at the top there is a bar with icons for creating notes - text, photo, voice, drawing and ... I don't know what it is . And tags it with my geographic coordinates. It really looks interesting, it should also work with the desktop version, I recommend trying it - it's free.
since easywriter is one of the unavailable Slovak applications, I recommend touchtype.
it's a pity that the stanza is also not in Slovak itunes. tip for another good free quote?
jablickar: I came across him yesterday, thanks ;]
easywriter and stanza are in Czech