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What's Good (and Free!) in the iTunes App Store
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 2:00 AM on July 11, 2008
More than 550 new applications arrived for the iPhone and iPod touch this morning in iTunes' brand new App Store and more than 130 of them are available for free. Today we're taking a look at the best free applications for your iPhone and iPod Touch, available after the 2.0 software update officially arrives (or after you've grabbed the unofficial update). Check out our list after the jump.
Note: Most of the apps listed here work with both iPhones and iPod touch models, but we've noted where an app requires the iPhone's voice, SMS, or GPS capabilities to run.
Remote Controls Your iTunes Library
The iTunes App Store's marquee freebie, the Remote app turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control for your media library. Remote works almost exactly like the iPod application on your device—the main difference being that rather than playing back music on your iPhone or iPod touch, you've got access to your entire iTunes library and you're playing it over your computer's speakers.<
Google Mobile is Quicksilver for the iPhone/iPod touch
Google already has a fast and slick iPhone version, but this app is hyper-optimised for quick searching. Search-as-you-type results spin up for web pages, click-to-call business and residential phone listings, nearby stores and restaurants, and more—and Google Mobile's brought to you by the guy who made one of our favourite free launcher desktop apps, Quicksilver.<
Evernote
The universal stuff-gathering site Evernote gives you all the major tools of its desktop and web software in its iPhone app—add text, snap a phone cam shot, record a memo, or upload a photo, and it's all available for organizing, tagging, or searching later. New in this interface is a straight-forward voice recorder. Given that even free users of Evernote can have the service scan their pictures and extract visible text, Evernote's app makes your iPhone a serious universal capture device. NetNewsWire
As Adam has detailed, users of desktop-based readers like NetNewsWire (Mac) or FeedDemon (Windows) have their reasons for sticking with them. NetNewsWire for iPhone syncs with either of those clients, meaning you won't read the same items twice. There's a "Clippings" feature for setting items aside for later (or when you'll be offline) that also syncs to your desktop, and the interface is straightforward—and that's about it. If you're a Google Reader addict, you're already set up with GReader's iPhone beta view.Zenbe Lists
Free service Zenbe works as a multi-account mail organiser in its web form, but they've stuck with to-do-style lists for their iPhone app. Those lists, however, can be edited on any browser and synced back to your Zenbe account, or published on an iGoogle page. The real benefit, though, is sharing with other Zenbe Lists users. Anyone you share with can then edit and update your list and sync them back to you—a kind of nifty no-real-computer-required list wiki. Talking Phrasebook (French, Italian, German, Spanish)
Translation tools and dual-language dictionaries are great, but sometimes, you really just need to ask "How much to park here?" in German. The Talking Phrasebook apps offer phrases you'll want to know translated from English to Spanish, French, German, and Italian, and you can click to hear them pronounced (or, perhaps, just have your iPhone speak for you).Midomi
iPhone only: This one's not terribly productive—unless you're the type to spend far too much time trying to name that song you just can't remember. For those moments, or for proving a friend right/wrong, Midomi is a true gift. You can type in an artist or song name to get more info (and you can write it phonetically), but the true joy is in humming or singing a few bars into your iPhone, waiting a bit, then seeing your song title come back. You can also hold your phone up to the music itself, and Midomi will try to ID it. Seriously neat stuff.AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
Send and receive instant messages over Wi-Fi, EDGE, or 3G networks, and manage your AIM buddy list right on your device with the AIM iPhone app. PayPal
Send money from your iPhone or iPod touch to anyone—like your dinner companion when you're splitting the bill—with the PayPal app.
Aside: Gedeon Maheux points out that six iTunes Store Apps listed under Productivity use the check mark as their icon. Group-think! [via Daring Fireball]
We'll be updating this list with more free apps as we download and test 'em out. What should we look at next? Post your favourite free iPhone application in the comments.
Tags: iphone | iphone 2.0 | iphone apps | itunes store | work
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
Jayant
Posted July 16, 2008 1:12 PM
Isn't the Screenshot for Talking Phrasebook wrong? It says the translation is from English to German, but the translation is in Spanish. ?? Is that the quality of the free app?
pixelkid
Posted 2:44 AM 11/7/08
This is what I've been waiting for!! Bye bye Viewty...hello iPhone 3G :D
pixelkid
4DoorSkyline
Posted 2:25 AM 11/7/08
I myself am a diehard pocket pc user, and have been for years (I currently own an HTC Titan aka Sprint Mogul)(And in 4q 2008 the owner of an HTC Rafael aka Touch Pro) and there are THOUSANDS of apps out there many of them free....but I have been looking for something like that REMOTE app for a while, until now I have been VNCing into my comp (Which doesnt require wifi, only an internet connection) but it would be nice to have a dedicated lightweight app that does this...
4DoorSkyline
jarhead
Posted 2:18 AM 11/7/08
@pcx339: I have a Blackberry as well. Only reason I still use it is for corporate e-mail and the Blackberry as modem feature.
This new iPhone firmware with the "official" support of apps is just awesome. And the Remote is wonderful.
jarhead
jarhead
Posted 2:15 AM 11/7/08
Jott for the iPhone is excellent. Great thing about Jott for iPhone is when you run the app, the first screen is to record. Just tap your screen and begin talking... it must activate the speaker phone because I have tried 10 test Jotts without placing the phone to my ear and all have come back 100% accurate...
Clicking the Notes button will (obviously) list your notes. Dragging your finger across a note in the list view will strike through it. When done, hit the Edit button and then hit Clean Up and it will automatically delete all notes with strike throughs. Very cool feature. You can create Lists as well.
Still playing with Evernote... and for Twitter fans, the Apps store has both a free version as well as paid version of Twitterrific (previously only available on a Mac)
jarhead
pcx339
Posted 2:07 AM 11/7/08
Wow, my blackberry is starting to look less cool.
That remote control app alone gets me salivating. I keep wondering why my smartphone isn't a remote too. They should put an IR led on the iphone so it can run your multimedia center!
pcx339
SamburgerHandwich
Posted 3:17 AM 11/7/08
Until they make, scratch that, *release* a slingplayer for iphone I'll be sticking with my AT&T Tilt.
SamburgerHandwich
drsphincter
Posted 2:57 AM 11/7/08
couple weeks until it's available for unlocked phones?
drsphincter
davelawrence8
Posted 2:56 AM 11/7/08
I was hoping they'd put an Evernote app on there. Hurray - now I can scan everything I'll ever come in contact with ever. Forever. It's delicious for our whole life, and a handy replacement for my memory-deficient brain.
davelawrence8
adventurat
Posted 3:50 AM 11/7/08
I'm liking that Remote Control app. Still hoping that there will be a Shopping List app, to replace HandyShopper on my about-to-be-obsolete Palm.
adventurat
xxdesmus
Posted 3:46 AM 11/7/08
really hoping for a native version of MobileScrobbler (Last.FM) soon ...I will miss that app.
xxdesmus
token1
Posted 3:39 AM 11/7/08
@SamburgerHandwich:
I feel your pain.
The lack of Slingplayer and Citrix clients are the only think keeping me on the fence.
token1
jarhead
Posted 4:07 AM 11/7/08
@adventurat: There are quite a few shopping list apps available although I have not tried any
And although not free, SplashID is now available ($9.99)... finally, a password manager on the iPhone... also syncs with desktop client wirelessly
jarhead
jjkean2
Posted 4:03 AM 11/7/08
@adventurat: try OneTrip. It's not even an appstore app, it's just a website (in other words, FREE)
www.onetrip.org.
It's not bad, best part is you only have to actually load the list once, so even in the grocery stores that you don't get a signal you can still use this (providing you have it loaded up before you walk into the cell-phone black hole)
jjkean2
jdoree
Posted 3:55 AM 11/7/08
@xxdesmus: I too will miss MobileScrobbler. Is Touchpad or equivalent there?
jdoree
silencedotcom
Posted 3:55 AM 11/7/08
MLB At Bat is my favorite app. I get my baseball fix all the time, and that's priceless.
silencedotcom
Hyperplasia
Posted 4:31 AM 11/7/08
just to make sure...purchased apps today on our iphone will transfer to our 3g iPhone tomorrow...right?
Hyperplasia
mw2006
Posted 4:22 AM 11/7/08
This is all really exciting. Does anyone know if this is a good time to buy a new ipod touch? I'm worried that I'll buy one right before a big upgrade.
mw2006
VakeroRokero
Posted 5:07 AM 11/7/08
But, I'm my country (Mexico) we don't have itunes store, how can we download stuff from it? or how can I open a free account?
VakeroRokero
mrakins
Posted 5:35 AM 11/7/08
Am I the only one thinking that Talking Phrasebook doesn't look too useful? Unless you're talking to a Spanish-speaking German, that is.
mrakins
smcutter
Posted 5:50 AM 11/7/08
I love the fact that it translates into "German" using Spanish words...
smcutter
Hermagoras
Posted 5:47 AM 11/7/08
I'm going to be much happier when Lifehacker gets back to normal. Right now it's iPhone 24/7.
Hermagoras
bosspants
Posted 5:46 AM 11/7/08
The "Talking Phrasebook" screen shot says it is translated to German but the text is Spanish. Hehe.
bosspants
baest
Posted 6:33 AM 11/7/08
Yeah, stop this - you are tempting me, evil Likehacker! (My Palm Centro will go cry now...)
baest
caedus
Posted 6:28 AM 11/7/08
does the update work on jailbroken phones? I'm looking to pick up a first gen iphone soon, so i'm just curious before i do..
caedus
PhragMunkee
Posted 6:15 AM 11/7/08
For those of you missing MobileScrobbler, there is a Pandora app that works pretty well. It doesn't scrobble, but it at least plays music from Pandora! Now, if someone can make PandoraFM for the iPhone, I'll be set!
PhragMunkee
MrBloggerificHimself
Posted 5:01 AM 11/7/08
THANK YOU for the "eject button" link!
MrBloggerificHimself
dpiddy022
Posted 4:20 AM 11/7/08
does anyone know when the upgrade for ipod touch will be available? Can't seem to find it anywhere.
dpiddy022
MrBloggerificHimself
Posted 3:58 AM 11/7/08
De-lurking today to say: Thank you for the iPhone eject button to show the listing of non-iPhone related articles. Feel free to do that with Linux related articles as well.
In fact, if there were some sort of account settings to make this permanent...
MrBloggerificHimself
seth.trimble
Posted 6:57 AM 11/7/08
Most importantly: Any news of VOIP? Skype, anything?!?
seth.trimble
Greystoke
Posted 5:55 AM 11/7/08
Apologies if this redundant, but for those of us considering buying the 3G iPhone without any previous iPhone experience:
How much storage space do these apps generally occupy on the device? I'm not planning on playing much media on the phone, so choosing between the 8Gb and 16Gb versions basically comes down to application & data storage space.
Greystoke
Dguinta1
Posted 7:20 AM 11/7/08
Any luck with the update and iTouch'? Please advise and LIFEHACKER rocks! =]
Dguinta1
sithel
Posted 7:16 AM 11/7/08
I wonder if the 3rd party API gives people like facebook/myspace access to personal information on your phone that they could swipe. I mean... if any app can access your contacts, for instance, via the API, then those social networking sites might be very interested in doing so.
sithel
da5id_nz
Posted 9:14 AM 11/7/08
As a Touch user in a country with not a lot of wi-fi access, I don't think I can make a lot of use of these apps.
da5id_nz
theNolan
Posted 9:07 AM 11/7/08
Wow. 2.0 ruined any hope I might have had for productivity today. Lifehacker, which usually gives me great tips on how to be more productive, has fed the fire of 2.0 hysteria and wrecked what would have been a solid workday. And I'm so very thankful! =)
theNolan
Craig
Posted 10:11 AM 11/7/08
@caedus: The update installed without any problems on my ZiPhone-jailbroken iPhone.
Craig
gyffes
Posted 12:11 PM 11/7/08
Here's another vote for SplashID; I'm delighted to hear it's coming to the Touch.
Actually, as my Touch has replaced a dead Palm, I'm most anxious for the eventual Palm Emulator release. I've a ton of excellent apps I still rely upon and being able to pay for ONE app (the emulator) will definitely make me happier than buying replacement apps piecemeal (even assuming Mobipocket puts out an ebook reader and Legacy2 comes to the iPod and.. well, ok, so I won't be doing much wordprocessing on the Touch...).
I love how far into the comments the whiners get; don't wanna read about something -- DON'T.
*sigh*
gyffes
da5id_nz
Posted 12:42 PM 11/7/08
@Craig: And did you lose the apps you had on the phone? (the apps you installed while it was jailbroken).
da5id_nz
CrunchFlake
Posted 7:26 PM 11/7/08
maybe it's a stupid question, but how do I download/get the 2.0 update for my iPod Touch?
I've looked everywhere so far in the App Store, but couldn't find it!
I need help, please!
CrunchFlake
littledan124
Posted 11:06 AM 11/7/08
I cannot wait to get an iPhone 3G. All of these apps look great. Does the AIM app use data charges or SMS? I've seen that it can use both, does it depend if you are using Wi-Fi versus the 3g network?
littledan124
Bob1967
Posted 9:01 PM 11/7/08
@seth.trimble: Oh yeah, O2, AT&T and the like are really gonna let you make free calls and give away revenue.......or not.
Bob1967
Bob1967
Posted 8:59 PM 11/7/08
@CrunchFlake: Yup it's a stupid question, it's not for the touch....yet.
Bob1967
Bob1967
Posted 8:58 PM 11/7/08
@da5id_nz: Yep you'll lose the lot and end up back on a 'clean' version, no summerboard, no funky battery meter, no SNES emulator but you can now pay for Sketches if you wish (you know the one thats free on installer.......)
Bob1967
bermygal
Posted 10:42 PM 11/7/08
I love how the translated phrase for the talking phrasebook isn't even in German. Good advertising. Guess which language I am translating for you?
bermygal
seth.trimble
Posted 1:10 AM 12/7/08
@Bob1967: Umm actually Apple has said they wouldn't stop VOIP from happening. Apple couldn't care less how many minutes users do or don't use. Thanks though...
seth.trimble
angusf
Posted 9:55 PM 11/7/08
The apps Jott and Google mobile are not available in the australian store.
angusf
Sathane
Posted 9:50 PM 11/7/08
Talking phrasebook would be cooler if the English -> German translation was actually German and not Spanish. Either that or the translation was intended to be English -> Spanish (as suggested by the flags at the top) but the heading for the translated part is wrong. In either case, someone made a big mistake.
Sathane
aoberoi
Posted 11:41 AM 11/7/08
I can't find Jott in the AppStore? Did they take it down?
aoberoi
Debaser42
Posted 11:52 AM 11/7/08
Fence over with. Blackberry traded. N95 is now secondary phone.
Debaser42
mastaassmasta
Posted 8:13 AM 12/7/08
this just makes me excited for the android. Its gonna have all over these but better
mastaassmasta
Rev. Vike
Posted 11:16 AM 12/7/08
I should say, this is based only on the apps I installed today - 9 in all, and didn't even make a dent in my 8GB iPhone.
Rev. Vike
Rev. Vike
Posted 11:15 AM 12/7/08
@Greystoke: These apps use a surprisingly small amount of memory. Most are in the 200-600 kb range; one app (my favorite, OmniFocus) is 1.1 mb. If you're managing your music and podcasts well, you won't find memory usage to be a problem at all.
Rev. Vike
OKHorrific
Posted 12:17 AM 13/7/08
I'd advise against downloading Where if only because it simply doesn't work, is ill behaved and will occasionally lock up the phone. Great idea, awful implementation.
OKHorrific
rod townsend
Posted 12:41 AM 13/7/08
Thank you!
(that is all)
rod townsend
maines19
Posted 1:47 AM 13/7/08
You can manage apps same as playlists or video, and switch them out according to what you are likely to need, if space is an issue. For example, I might only need the Talking Phrasebook when I travel, so I'll uncheck that one in the iPhone sync Apps tab until I'm going somewhere, but I'll leave OmniFocus checked all the time because I always use it. (I'm also likely to check and uncheck games depending on whether I need to avoid temptation on a given day!)
maines19
showergrrl
Posted 1:15 PM 13/7/08
Most of the recommended apps here work well, but "Where" just seems to hang at the opening screen and then exit itself. Anyone have any thoughts on that?
showergrrl
peetah
Posted 1:24 AM 14/7/08
I got the same problem, I opened evernote for example it loads then kicks back to the home screen
peetah
Vestan_Pance
Posted 5:12 AM 14/7/08
@showergrll: Where is hanging for me too
Worse, is that I can't even find google mobile in the app store... what am i missing?
Vestan_Pance
maines19
Posted 2:10 PM 14/7/08
I've had the phone hang and then kick me back to the home screen on several apps (Scrabble rebooted the iPhone one time), all of which had worked fine before, and worked fine again later. Might be the apps, might be the firmware handling them poorly, especially with all the back-and-forthing of playing with all the new toys.
maines19
blinkie
Posted 7:14 AM 16/7/08
Google mobile is not available from the UK App store.
I am also having problems with Evernote - all my notes are stuck in Pending (one snapshot, one text).
blinkie
EarlBelus
Posted 7:04 PM 17/7/08
that's great.... 90% of this great apps are not available in Portuguese Store!! Come on Apple! This is bloddy unfair! Anybody here has any hack for it ?
EarlBelus