 I'm in love with my iPhone. I've had it since January, and I'm wondering how on earth I ever lived without it. It's APPealing for so many reasons; it's so much more than a phone. It's my portable computer, customized to my every whim and organizational need through its thousands of available apps. After all, it's the apps that make the iPhone the iPhone. Admittedly, I was APPrehensive about switching from my Blackberry, but (I'm APPy to say, I'm loving all the things I can do on my new phone. Did you know there are over 425,000 apps for iPhone these days, and at the rate we're going, there will be over 500,000 apps by year's end?
Staggering, isn't it? How's a person to stay on top of them all? Don't even try! Figure out what you need (social networking tool, calorie tracker, recipe finder, shopping list or whatever)...then search Google or go to the app store and type in key words, or search under categories such as games, health & fitness, etc.). Then read on-line reviews. MY FAVORITE iPHONE APPS.... I hope you APPreciate them and find them APPlicable, and that you APPlaud my picks! FYI - They're all free Flashlight - I love this one! Use it to turn your iPhone into a flashlight, and a bright one at that. I use it in movie theaters, dimly-lit restaurants, and when I don't want to disturb the husband at night by turning on a light. Skype - Use Skype for text-based chat or incredibly affordable international phone calls. For the globetrotter or person living abroad, this is essential. Bump - trades contact info like you've never seen before: Bump exchanges your contact information with someone else over Bluetooth by literally bumping your phone into theIrs. No more clunky, "Here's my number. Call me right now so I can save yours." Trade numbers with a fistpound! The Weather Channel - Keep track of the current and upcoming conditions with help from The Weather Channel. Browse weather radar maps, look forward a week or more, and never let the rain surprise you again. Movies by Flixster - Use Movies by Flixster to watch trailers, read reviews, and get showtimes on movies while you're out and about. You'll never be bummed out by spending $12 on a bad movie when you can lean on this free app. Shazam - Shazam is the closest thing to real magic you'll ever see on a phone. You're out at a bar or a party and there's a song playing that you don't recognize. Simply hold up your phone, let Shazam hear the music, and it will tell you the song, artist, and album. Google Mobile App - Imagine having one-touch access to your Google calendar, email, and maps. And you can search the web by voice. Merriam-Webster Dictionary - is so much fun to use. It uses either voice recognition (no addditional software to download). Either say or type in the word you'd like to look up, and presto! up pops the definiton. Admittedly, it's not perfect. When I told it to look up "apparent", voice recognition thought I was saying "parent". Around Me - quickly identifies your position and allows you to choose the nearest bank, bar, gas station, hospital, hotel, movie theater, restaurant. It also shows you a complete list of all the businesses you tapped on along with the distance from where you are. Pandora - Tell Pandora what type of music you like and it will generate a steaming radio station customized to your tastes. All you have to do after that? Listen. HopStop - Provides detailed public transit directions and information. Whether you're traveling by bus, subway taxi or walking, this app will get you there. Amazon - Buy things even when you're not at home with this app. it's cool to be able to send someone a gift while you're waiting for a plane or buy something you forgot at the store. Open Table - With OpenTable for iPhone you can make free restaurant reservations at more than 15,000 OpenTable-enabled restaurants in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. Plus, OpenTable members earn valuable Dining Rewards Points. CardBank- Stores the bar codes from those little loyalty cards you get at the gym, grocery store, etc. No more fumbling for the pesky little cards any more. Card Bank will work with every retailer with a hand scanner. Red Laser - Scan an item using Red Laser, and instantly have access to a bunch of online prices and information. Scan movies at the store and beam them to your TiVo. Scan a book and check for online reviews. Scan a food item and add it to your grocery list. I LOVE this one. Lose It - For all you calorie-counters. Keeping track of calories can be a pain, so let Lose It do most of the work for you. This handy app enables you to keep track of how many calories you're consuming. DropBox - is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your iPhone and iPad and even the Dropbox website! With the Dropbox app, you can take everything that matters to you on the go. Want to check out more amazing apps? check out Top 50 iPhone Apps . See if you have an APPtitude for some of the latest and greatest ones. I think you'll find an APPropriate one for all your needs! As always, be well, be safe, be organized! xxx,s Nancy | 
