As an App store addict since Steve Jobs kickstarted the service in July 2008, I reckon it's time I put together a roll call (listophiliac that I am) of my favourites little apps out of the hundreds I've downloaded over the years, grouped together below:
Reading
Reeder - the best RSS reader out there, and believe me I've tried a few. If you channel most of your news and online life through Google Reader, then this is the app for you. Readibility is a great feature and the design is so much more intuitive than the competition.
Instapaper - integrates beautifully with Reeder and most web browsers, a must have app for reading links you've saved for later.
Guardian - still good value at £3.99 a year, it's more user friendly and interactive now and I love the customisation options and goal alerts.
Stanza - iBooks is definitely a sleeker design, but Stanza's been around since day one and offers a much wider selection of free books.
Keeping Track
Momento - my favourite app of 2011 so far, it's the first diary I've maintained for more than a month since my Adrian Mole adolescence, and I love that it integrates with my Facebook and Twitter feeds. Plus you can add picture moments and there's a whole world of tagging I haven't explored yet.
Evernote - I have this as a Chrome extension, a Mac app and also on my iPhone. For me, this universality gives it a slight edge over Simplenote as a mobile notebook.
Hipstamatic - just plain cool, love the old school Kodak look, even if the wife thinks it's naff.
Toodledo - best "to do" list manager I've tried by a country mile.
RunKeeper - for years, I've used the free version and now the full Pro version is free too. This has been my long-term running companion round Greenwich Park, and I love that I can analyse my jogs online.
Entertainment
Spotify - you need to be a Premium user (£10/month) to benefit, but I've never looked back. A music lover's dream.
TV Guide - what's on the box tonight? Eastenders again.
Viber - the app is free and enables gratis iPhone to iPhone calls using VOIP.
Layar - the best augmented reality app I've tried; particularly like the Panoramio layer.
Travel
Tube Status - essential for London commuters, I'm always keeping an eye on the Jubilee line's latest weekend closure or signal failure.
Wolfram - the world's first computational search engine, but a lot of fun too. Compare Tesco's turnover with the GDP of Bhutan.
Dropbox - a wonderful, free cloud that stores most file types for easy access on your phone, laptop, etc
Genius Scan - if you want to keep a virtual cache of your receipts, or have a physical document you need to scan and e-mail, this is a handy app.
Seasons - going to the fruit & veg stall and want to know what's in season? There's an app for that. Helps me cultivate some country credentials among my Norfolk in-laws too.
Fun & Games
Backbreaker 2 - the App store is obviously overrun with games, and Angry Birds is clearly ace, but nothing for me is more addictive than running for the end zone while avoiding tackles.
Words Free - Scrabble on speed. I've found it hard to find decent competition though.
BabyFirst - keeps our toddler happy for hours and hours (OK, minutes and seconds).
Star Walk - on a clear, starry night this App comes into its own. Will seriously impress fellow campers and educates the stargazer in us all.
That's it, my highly selective and edited list of favourite iPhone apps. Let me know if I've missed anything; I'm always open to recommendations.
Reading
Reeder - the best RSS reader out there, and believe me I've tried a few. If you channel most of your news and online life through Google Reader, then this is the app for you. Readibility is a great feature and the design is so much more intuitive than the competition.
Instapaper - integrates beautifully with Reeder and most web browsers, a must have app for reading links you've saved for later.
Guardian - still good value at £3.99 a year, it's more user friendly and interactive now and I love the customisation options and goal alerts.
Stanza - iBooks is definitely a sleeker design, but Stanza's been around since day one and offers a much wider selection of free books.
Keeping Track
Momento - my favourite app of 2011 so far, it's the first diary I've maintained for more than a month since my Adrian Mole adolescence, and I love that it integrates with my Facebook and Twitter feeds. Plus you can add picture moments and there's a whole world of tagging I haven't explored yet.
Evernote - I have this as a Chrome extension, a Mac app and also on my iPhone. For me, this universality gives it a slight edge over Simplenote as a mobile notebook.
Hipstamatic - just plain cool, love the old school Kodak look, even if the wife thinks it's naff.
Toodledo - best "to do" list manager I've tried by a country mile.
RunKeeper - for years, I've used the free version and now the full Pro version is free too. This has been my long-term running companion round Greenwich Park, and I love that I can analyse my jogs online.
Entertainment
Spotify - you need to be a Premium user (£10/month) to benefit, but I've never looked back. A music lover's dream.
TV Guide - what's on the box tonight? Eastenders again.
IMDb - all you ever need to know about film, and a British creation too.
MoMA - heaven might just be the 5th floor.
TuneIn Radio - Video still hasn't killed the Radio star.
Social
WhatsApp - 59p and all your texts to other WhatsApp users are free.Viber - the app is free and enables gratis iPhone to iPhone calls using VOIP.
Layar - the best augmented reality app I've tried; particularly like the Panoramio layer.
Travel
Tube Status - essential for London commuters, I'm always keeping an eye on the Jubilee line's latest weekend closure or signal failure.
Kayak - simply the finest flight search app I've used by miles.
thetrainline - the best (free) train timetable app for UK travellers.
Useful
Google Translate - definitely has the wow factor! Of course speaking as a linguist it's still far from perfect, but there's no doubt it's an amazing piece of technology and a user-friendly interface.Wolfram - the world's first computational search engine, but a lot of fun too. Compare Tesco's turnover with the GDP of Bhutan.
Dropbox - a wonderful, free cloud that stores most file types for easy access on your phone, laptop, etc
Genius Scan - if you want to keep a virtual cache of your receipts, or have a physical document you need to scan and e-mail, this is a handy app.
Seasons - going to the fruit & veg stall and want to know what's in season? There's an app for that. Helps me cultivate some country credentials among my Norfolk in-laws too.
Fun & Games
Backbreaker 2 - the App store is obviously overrun with games, and Angry Birds is clearly ace, but nothing for me is more addictive than running for the end zone while avoiding tackles.
Words Free - Scrabble on speed. I've found it hard to find decent competition though.
BabyFirst - keeps our toddler happy for hours and hours (OK, minutes and seconds).
Star Walk - on a clear, starry night this App comes into its own. Will seriously impress fellow campers and educates the stargazer in us all.
That's it, my highly selective and edited list of favourite iPhone apps. Let me know if I've missed anything; I'm always open to recommendations.
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