Superior Replacements to the Boring Stock iPhone Apps http://lifehacker.com/5946895/superior-replacements-to-the-boring-stock... Like 660 With every iteration of iOS, Apple tweaks its software a little, but for the most part, the default lineup of apps remains unchanged since launch. For a lot of us, these apps just aren't cutting it anymore. Here are the best app to replace them. The design and function of many of Apple's apps is beginning to feel a bit stale, and many people are growing dissatisified (http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/26/survey-ios-6-leads- to-decrease-in-device-satisfaction-among-iphone-users/) with the experience as a whole. On top of that, many of the apps lock you into Apple's data ecosystem and iCloud. However, plenty of superior replacements exist for Apple's stock apps. From Maps to Notes, we've got you covered regardless of where you're looking for better options. 1 of 19 6/8/2013 6:40 PM Superior Replacements to the Boring Stock iPhone Apps http://lifehacker.com/5946895/superior-replacements-to-the-boring-stock... Application to avoid: Maps Indictment: Apple's new Maps app has been getting its fair share of bad press lately (http://lifehacker.com/5945235/whats-a-good-replacement-to-apples-funky-new-maps-app) for numerous mistakes ranging from poorly updated maps, to badly implemented search. Thankfully, you have a few really solid alternative choices. Superior Alternative(s): Waze (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/waze-social-gps-traffic- gas/id323229106?mt=8), MapQuest (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mapquest /id316126557?mt=8), Google Maps (in browser) (http://maps.google.com). Notes: Replacing Apple's Maps app really depends on what you're looking for in a maps app. If turn-by-turn navigation is your thing, then Waze is the best of the free apps that provides it. However, Waze isn't that great as a simple map. For that, we like Mapquest. Even though the ads in the app are rather annoying, it's a simple way to get a top-down view of an area you might already know so you can become more self-reliant in your city (http://lifehacker.com /5945900/the-upside-of-getting-stuck-with-apples-new-maps). If you'd rather just return to Google, the mobile version of Google Maps works just fine. Application to avoid: Safari Indictment: On its own, Safari is by no means a bad browser. However, to get its best feature, iCloud syncing (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5372), you have to use Safari on your Mac. Not everyone wants to do that. Safari also has it's fair share of usability issues, like the inability to quickly swap to private browsing, and a limited amount of tabs you can keep open at a time. Superior Alternative(s): Chrome (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chrome /id535886823?mt=8), Dolphin (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dolphin-browser /id452204407?mt=8) Notes: Picking the perfect browser for your phone really depends on what you use on your computer. If you're a Chrome user on your desktop, then Chrome is the logical choice on your iPhone or iPad. It syncs up your history, bookmarks, autofill settings, and everything else across every single device. If you'd like a browsing experience geared specifically to mobile, Dolphin is a gesture-based browser that offers a fun alternative way to browse the web. 2 of 19 6/8/2013 6:40 PM Superior Replacements to the Boring Stock iPhone Apps http://lifehacker.com/5946895/superior-replacements-to-the-boring-stock... Application to avoid: Camera Indictment: Apple's default camera is pretty boring. You can't really tweak your photos, and you don't get standard options like a timer or burst mode. As a straightforward point-and-shoot camera it works fine, but if you want more precision you need to dig deeper. Superior Alternative(s): Camera+ (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id329670577?mt=8), Camera Awesome (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/camera-awesome/id420744028?mt=8). Notes: Camera+ is easily the most full featured of the iPhone camera apps. Not only does it replicate everything the iPhone's default camera does, it also offers a ton of built-in photo editing tools, filters, and features. You can also lock the focus, set up timers, and shoot in a burst mode for action shots. For another similar option, we like Camera Awesome, which offers many of the same features as Camera+, but also includes a number of guides to help you take better pictures. Both are great camera apps that supercharge everything great about the iPhone's camera. However, neither do HDR photography, so if HDR is your thing, you'll want to keep the stock camera on hand. Application to avoid: Calendar Indictment: Much like the Camera app, Calendar is pretty barebones in its functionality. It's not hard to use, but you can't customize the look of it to really suit your specific needs, and overall it's a bit hard to see what's really going on with your calendar. Superior Alternative(s): Week Cal (http://www.utilitap.com/weekcalendar), Cue (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/greplin/id424909109?mt=8), Agenda Calendar (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/agenda-calendar/id440764409?mt=8). Notes: You have a ton of options for calendar apps on the iPhone. For a full-featured replacement, we like (http://lifehacker.com/5833969/the-best-calendar-app-for-iphone) Week Cal because it does pretty much everything you'd ever want in a calendar. However, for a completely different experience, Cue makes your calendar more of a social experience and works great for people with more social dates than work ones. For a minimalist experience, Agenda Calendar is a simple, but still useful alternative to Calendar. 3 of 19 6/8/2013 6:40 PM Superior Replacements to the Boring Stock iPhone Apps http://lifehacker.com/5946895/superior-replacements-to-the-boring-stock... Application to avoid: Mail Indictment: Mail is made to work well with Apple addresses, but if you're using Gmail it doesn't have a lot of the very simple, but much needed capabilities built directly into Google's email app. Superior Alternative(s): Sparrow (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sparrow /id492573565?mt=8) Notes: If you use Gmail for your email, then the Apple Mail app is pretty lackluster. Sparrow gives you control over your Gmail with access to labels, starred emails, and plenty more. The newest version of Mail in iOS 6 isn't bad if you're not using Gmail, but if you are, Sparrow's the right choice. Application to avoid: Contacts Indictment: On its own, the Contacts app isn't much more than a digital replacement for pen and paper. You get basic information, and the new Facebook integration helps keep that information up to date, but that's about it. Superior Alternative(s): Smartr Contacts (https://www.xobni.com/) Notes: Smartr turns all of your social contacts into an address book. Instead of simply seeing a phone number or email, you get recent Facebook or Twitter updates. This way, you can see a complete history of your contact with someone, which provides welcome context for those people you don't talk to often. 4 of 19 6/8/2013 6:40 PM Superior Replacements to the Boring Stock iPhone Apps http://lifehacker.com/5946895/superior-replacements-to-the-boring-stock... Application to avoid: Messages and Phone Indictment: For the bulk of iPhone users, Messages and Phone are perfectly fine and works as well as Phone and SMS apps possibly could. However, not everyone wants to use their carrier's phone and messages services. Superior Alternative(s): Google Voice (http://www.google.com/mobile/voice), biteSMS (http://bitesms.com/). Notes: If you don't have a lot of minutes through your cell phone carrier, then Google Voice provides a great replacement. With a few tweaks (http://lifehacker.com/5875247/how-to- improve-your-google-voice-experience-on-the-iphone) you can make the experience as seamless as the standard Phone and Messages apps. For jailbreakers, we like biteSMS because it makes sending and receiving text messages a heck of a lot easier. It offers a lot of great features like Quick Reply, contact pictures, and tons more. Application to avoid: iCloud Indictment: Okay, so iCloud isn't an app as much as it's a service, but it's built into every Apple app (and many third-party apps) and comes stock with every device. iCloud is great if you happen to use all Apple products. However, the fact that it's difficult to pull documents from it, and you can't share easily them, makes it a pain to use for anything more than a simple backup. Superior Alternative(s): Dropbox (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox /id327630330?mt=8) and Google (https://www.google.com/). Notes: We love Dropbox for storing all your files, and since most productivity apps (and plenty others) support Dropbox directly it's an obvious choice as an iCloud replacement for transferring files. Dropbox gives you direct access to every file you make across any device (including photos), and you're not restricted to Apple's apps. While iCloud is great to backup your phone, it's not good for much else. As for keeping everything else in sync (like contacts, email, calendars, etc) you can set up everything to sync with your Google account (http://lifehacker.com/5776194/get-the-most-out- of-google-voice-on-your-iphone) easily.