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16 Apps for your new iPhone

I have had a couple of people ask me recently what are the “essential” apps for getting your iPhone up and running. With over 100,000 apps in the app store at the moment, it is almost impossible to give an exact list. So what I wanted to do is give you my list of 16 essential (and cool) apps, which will help you fill up your first screen on your new iPhone.

The first thing you need to do is open a US iTunes account. See my post on 5 iphone tips & tricks on how to do this from a country outside of the US. This is essential to getting the best apps on the market, as many developers do not sell their apps in the South African store. After you have opened a US iTunes account, be sure to get some credit, by buying an iTunes voucher. You shouldn’t need more than $15 to get the show on the road.

(The links on the app names below all open iTunes links)

Shazam – Free
Every time you hear that song on the radio, and you don’t know what it is, use Shazam. Instantly identifies the artist and song title for you.

Layar Reality Browser – Free
If you have acquired a 3Gs, get this app. It allows you to see what is around you, using your GPS position. Going to become very useful in the future as augmented reality starts to get more popular

Skype – Free
Everybody knows about Skype.Free VoIP calls on the go. Simple, effective and easy to use.

Dropbox – Free
Keep your files in sync in the cloud, and access the on your phone. You can upload files on your computers at work or at home, and then access them on your phone.

Evernote – Free
Keep your notes synced and up to date on the go. You can also create Notes and take pictures on your phone and sync them back to your computers.

Facebook – Free
Everyone loves Facebook :) The latest update is super, and you can pretty much do everything on your iPhone that you can do on the website

PicPosterous – Free
Posterous is a fantastic site that allows you to automagically upload your photos to other services like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr etc. The app allows you to take pictures on the fly and then update them to these services.

Wikipedia – Free
The mobile interface for the ever popular Wikipedia site. Useful if you looking for info on something while on the go

Doodle Jump – $0.99
What would a new iPhone be without a game. The most addictive iPhone game of all time. Just get it. You won’t put it down

Photoshop Mobile – Free
Edit your photos on your phone. Very simple to use and has loads of cool feature.  You can also upload your edited photos to the photoshop.com site.

TweetDeck – Free
The best free twitter app. Also recently updated with some nifty features, and it syncs with your desktop Tweetdeck. Tweetie2 ($2.99) is also another great twitter app.

News24 – Free
The ultimate South African news site on your iPhone. You can also view news and storie from other 24.com platforms such as Fin24, Wheels24 and even has a function to view resturants closest to you.

ZATV Guide – Free
Keep up to date with your favorite tv programmes and whats showing today. You can also set your favorite channels for a quick glance

CNN Mobile – $1.99
Best app for international news on the go. The coolest feature of this app is that it offers live streaming for breaking news.

Flickr – Free
You can upload and view photos on your Flickr stream. You can also view your contacts pictures as well as comment on them with the app

Ping! – $0.99
A fantastic little app that allows you to “ping” another iPhone user, much like Blackberry Messenger. The app will send the other Ping! user a push notification to alert them to the message. There is also a free version available, which has limited functionality.

So that’s my list, if anyone else has some suggestions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. Who knows, we may just fill up the next screen :)

18 replies on “16 Apps for your new iPhone”

I hate you for introducing me to Doodle Jump – I have wasted lots of productive time playing this addictive game

I would put in IM+. Great little IM client that handles multiple services that you can use for a quick chat on the run. There is a lite version aswell.

@MarkB, yup it would be nice if ANY games were in the SA AppStore, well … the only ones that are there are if the author has classified them as Entertainment and not Games. I’ll go through my apps and add some recommendations as well when I get a few free minutes. Having a USA iTunes a/c does help but does mean a small hurdle for most people.

Hi Marc,

Sorry to ask the same question but I am still battling with the same problem

I reckon I am missing something. I have successfully registered to the US Itunes Store and downloaded a few applications. However when I sync “All Applications” only the South African ones sync. Am I being dof?

Hi Guys
Anybody else experiencing that there iPhone resets / looses the current date and time randomly goes back to (1/1/1970), Been happening about 3/4 times in the last week? It causes your alarm and calendar reminder not to go off, Then when u reset the date to the correct date it fires all the old reminders again…

@Vernon,
This is in line with an EOL (end of life) battery.
Because of the internal battery, the hardware does not have a capacitor or any other power backup.
Look at changing your battery if you are close to 12 months of usage. (about 15 USD) on EBAY or R250 on bidorbuy
or you can use Vodacare

Thanks @Steph
This makes some sense but sadly it a 3month old new 3Gs 16GB….. Will go see VodaCare and see what warranty covers. :{{{{ Could also not understand why i was only getting about a days life out of my batter some days less…. (Thought it ws excesive use :}}})
Thanks for the help…..
Between NashuaMobile and Vodacom Service levels do not have allot of Faith but have to try….
Been struggling for a week + to get Voice Mail Plus setup and working…. Trying to forward Voice Mails to e-mail address……

Thanks again

@Vernon – Although the QC is quite strict with Apple the had issues in the past with the suppliers of LiOn Batteries (MacBook Pro Saga)
On 3 iPhones home I get the less (excessive use as well) My wife gets a full day. And the dev unit can get almost 2 days but no PUSH or 3G activated. So maybe yes a faulty battery – insist on the fact that you can last the day

@Vernon

I ran into the same problem you had, Iphone reset itself to 1970 first and then as the batteries ran out and the phone died, I now can’t seem to charge it nor turn it on. I tried everything includind holding buttons, using Itunes and cable connections on and off… Did you get a reply from your VodaCare people of what could be causing the problem?

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