Posted by Nirav Ashara in 5 Great iPhone Apps, Top 5s on Wednesday, May 27, 2009
5 Great iPhone Apps
5: Music Making: iShred LE
iPods and iPhones were invented to play music, not make it. Many developers have tried to create apps to help you make music on the iPhone, with limited success. As a result, you can turn your iPhone into any number of musical instruments, including a cowbell, triangle, guitar and even an ocarina. Technically, these apps make music, but in most cases, it's not something you'd want to send off to a recording company in search of a contract. There is one app, however, that could actually make this possible. Well, almost.
iShred LE takes iPhone guitar apps to new levels of reality and utility. Even the best guitar player will appreciate the breadth of sound options available. What truly sets iShred LE apart, however, is that the developers designed the interface so you play it the way the iPhone works. Strum or pick out a tune with one finger and play chords using a series of buttons above the digital fret board. They didn't duplicate a guitar for the iPhone, they created a guitar for the iPhone.
The app uses actual guitar sound samples and passes them through your choice of eight effects pedals and a simulated amplifier. Play with the effects pedals to your heart's content, or choose from several pre-set styles including Heavy Metal, Psychedelic 60s, Surf's Up, Area 51 and New Waver.
For even more capabilities, you can move up to an enhanced version that allows you to create your own chords, select an actual model of amplifier, use multiple effects and more. The fact is, there's a guitar superstar lurking in almost everyone. iShred LE is a fun way to set yours free.
4: Reading: Stanza
Digital reading devices have been around for a long time, but they never really caught on until Amazon introduced the Kindle. This device downloads books from a selection of thousands and displays them in a readable, clean interface. There's a Kindle app for the iPhone and it works extremely well. But, there's another reading program that has legions of dedicated users, can be downloaded for free and includes access to thousands of classic book titles at no charge. This may explain why this application was recently acquired by Amazon.com.
Stanza makes reading on your iPhone easy. While there is nothing the app can do to make the screen larger, the interface gets the most readability out of the space available. You may find that, once you read a few pages and begin getting involved in the book, you completely forget about screen size.
Stanza provides access to more than 50,000 titles for purchase from the Fictionwise eReader store. Prepare to be amazed by the number of books, newspapers and publications available for free. In addition, more than 50,000 items can also be downloaded at no cost from Project Gutenberg, Feedbooks and other sources. A particular favorite is a site called "Now a Major Motion Picture!" Here you'll find dozens of free books that became popular movies.
Install Stanza, download a bunch of good books and curl up with your iPhone.
3: Social Networking: Twitterfon
When it comes to social networking, Twitter is one of the hottest sites around, and has become the online home for celebrities, politicians, sports figures and lots of folks like you and me.
Twitter is a simple concept. The key element of the site is the "tweet," a 140-character answer to the question "what are you doing?" If you care about what a certain person (tweeter?) is up to, you can follow them with a single click. It's a simple and fast way to keep up to date with friends, stars and even the White House.
Twitterfon is an easy to use app that enables you to read other people's tweets and send your own. It includes support for all major Twitter features, such as links and direct messaging. Using the iPhone as a Twitter machine somehow seems right, given the simplicity and speed of the site itself. Launch Twitterfon and see the latest entries instantly. Oh, and did we mention Twitterfon is free?
2: Relaxing: Karma Art
Let's say you've got some time to kill, or things are getting a bit tense. Imagine if your iPhone could help you relax and pass the time. And, you could create something fun to send a friend or your significant other. That's what Karma Art is all about. It's simple, fun and won't tax your tired brain. Not even a little.
Begin by choosing from eight background textures, and then add elements from categories such as transportation, people, animals, scenery, clouds and more. The developer promises many more design elements in future releases.
You can resize and move the design elements to your heart's desire. When you tilt the phone, the image automatically adjusts from portrait to landscape mode. Finally, pop up the on-screen keyboard, add a special message, save your artwork and e-mail it to someone important.
It's fun, it's easy and you don't have to know how to draw. Nice.
1: Reference: The World Factbook '09
What would take an iPhone app from release to number one in less than a week? How about the opportunity to have the world at your fingertips, or the chance to impress your friends with interesting information about Auckland, or a quick satellite view of Gabon? The World Factbook '09 shot up Apple's most popular paid application rankings fast, because it seemingly puts the whole world in your hands.
With detailed information on more than 250 countries and territories, you're sure to discover something interesting every time you launch the app. In addition to the basic information you would expect, such as population, imports/exports and land mass, the World Factbook '09 includes political information, military issues and up-to-date details on specific areas of the world whose status has not been resolved, such as the Middle East.
By linking directly with Google Maps, World Factbook '09 allows you view satellite images and maps of specific areas of interest in any country. This is a great app to have on hand when you're watching the news. And free updates are included, so you'll always have the latest facts on hand.
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