T OP 100 GAMES OF 2009 2010 BUYERS’ GUIDE As of late 2009, there are roughly 100,000 applications in Apple’s App Store - a staggering number given that the Store is less than a year and a half old. Unfortunately, most of the releases are junk. That’s the reason for this section of the Buyers’ Guide: which apps are actually worth purchasing given all the filler out there? On the pages that follow, you’ll find the 100 iPhone apps our editors consider essential across many genres, selected based on sheer utility, interface design, and value. These are the apps we actually use and love, not just ones that seemed cool for three days before fading into obscurity. We focused on titles that were initially released in complete form, and leaned towards apps that were released or substantially updated in the last year. Any overlap between these and last year’s picks shows just how critical an app remains a year later; the almost entirely new list shows just how much has changed. 38 38 2010 BUYERS’ GUIDE 100 APPS: BUSINESS + FINANCE Balance Bento iBank Jaadu VNC/RDW A relatively powerful A polished personal Track the status of your Access your Mac or PC free tool to manage database app that works bank account’s balances, from iPhone/touch, either your checking or savings alone or with Mac Bento along with categorized in full screen or zoomed account, capable of to manage your projects, and itemized listings of in. Uses Wi-Fi/3G/EDGE, exporting to your bills, customer lists, and your spending; optionally and permits you to watch computer. FREE other important tasks. $5 syncs with Mac iBank. $5 a machine in use. $25 Keynote Remote LogMeIn Ignition MiniBooks OmniFocus Users of Apple’s Keynote Access your Mac’s or PC’s Log time spent working, A pro-grade, Mac-syncing can now see slides and monitor from the screen create invoices, and track task management tool. presentation notes on the of the iPhone or touch; payments directly from Shows action items, iPhone or touch, while also troubleshoot friends’ your device. Requires a stores text/voice notes, controlling the slideshow machines. Simple and FreshBooks account; free and pushes notifications using swipe gestures. $1 powerful. $30 version’s for 3 clients. $15 to your calendar. $20 Pennies QuickOffice scanR Biz Center Things A simple, beautiful Go beyond just opening Cool tool turns your 3GS A project, to-do, and note budgeting tool that helps Word and Excel camera into a scanner manager par excellence, you determine how much documents; QuickOffice and fax machine with free Things helps you create of your monthly cash is lets you edit them from faxing to 220 countries; and track things that left, tracking and saving the iPhone/touch, albeit can also archive, SMS, need to get done, and expenses by category. $3 with some limits. $10 and email scans. $25 syncs with Macs. $10 39 100 100 EAPPSSENS: CTIOAML MAUPPNISC OATF ITONHE + YE CAARRS 2010 BUYERS’ GUIDE AIM BeeJive IM 3 Facebook Memento Forget SMS. AIM receives Though expensive, this The official app of the top An inexpensive tool to instant messages at any best-of-class instant social network evolved transform your photos time you’re on cell or Wi- messenger supports into a powerful tool for into postcard-styled, Fi networks; the $3 app many networks, picture reading, posting, and fancy emails with 19 adds a wide keyboard and voice messaging, sharing photo and video different templates for and removes ads. FREE plus a nice UI. $10 content. Addictive. FREE common holidays. $1 Skype TweetDeck Tweetie 2 Twitterrific Make phone calls from This multi-pane Twitter Monitor, search, and Alternating with Tweetie an iPod touch with a mic; account manager makes participate in Twitter, as best overall Twitter get cheaper international re-tweeting, picture across multiple accounts, app, this free client calling rates for iPhones, sharing, and group plus photosharing, creates a single “see it all” too. Skype-to-Skype calls creation easy, helping to geotags, URL shrinking, timeline for everything; and the app are... FREE manage key tweets. FREE and a very smart UI. $3 filter it as needed.FREE Evernote Voice Memos CoPilot 8 GPS Zipcar Whatever form you want Replacing earlier The best overall in-car An awesome tool for the to record notes in - text, recorders, Apple’s great GPS for iPhone users metro shared car service, photos, voice - Evernote app is included in OS 3.0, has added better voice letting you locate and creates, stores, geotags, letting you record voices, prompting and more book cars from wherever and then syncs them with then edit clips and send locations to its simple UI. you are, then unlock 40 PCs or Macs. FREE via e-mail or MMS. FREE Decently priced. $35 them on arrival. FREE 2010 BUYERS’ GUIDE 100100 ESSEN APPST:IAEDUL ATPPAISN MOEFN TTH +E FYEOODAR Feed Me! Old MacDonald Wheels On The Bus Basic math, color, and matching An interactive music book for kids Another beautiful music book, this skills are taught as you touch to feed based on the farm story, complete multi-lingual, interactive take on the a little monster correct answers to with touch-activated animals and kids’ song lets young users touch to spoken and on-screen questions. $2 cheerful, multi-lingual audio. $2 make a bus + passengers move. $1 BigOven Cocktails+ myStarbucks Tips Though it depends on an Still the best cocktail The chain’s issues aside, Designed to be simple Internet connection, this database we’ve seen; this app’s tools for store and easy to read, this tip 160,000-recipe archive offers 2000+ drink recipes location, browsing foods calculator can optionally can be incredibly useful and contemporary /drinks, and customizing split your bill, round up, when you need to make a tips from masters, plus nutrition info are as good and store your normal tip meal, with options. FREE citations to sources. $3 as any we’ve seen. FREE range and party size. $1 Urbanspoon Weber’s On The Grill Whole Foods Recipes Yelp Find reviews and listings Useful for BBQ fans, A recipe book for Best in big cities, this for local restaurants; now Weber’s offers 250 health-conscious cooks, restaurant and business lets you submit reviews, recipes, plus 40 rub/sauce complete with sorting rating and lookup tool still includes “nearby” recipes, grilling tips, a by dietary need, a Whole now lets 3GS users see and slot machine-style shopping list, and a timer; Foods store locator and nearby business info on restaurant locaters. FREE photos really help. $5 current specials. FREE the video camera. FREE 41 100 APPS: FUN - A/V + RELAXATION 2010 BUYERS’ GUIDE AirCoaster 3D iZen Garden Pocket God A cool demo of iPhone OS 3-D ability, Japanese relaxation; a sand garden Staggeringly ambitious due to this lets you ride in a virtual coaster that you fill with your choice of 100 roughly bi-weekly updates, this app above or below tracks, play a game, objects, then rake while hearing lets you play god, manipulating an and create your own courses. $1 soothing bells or other sounds. $3 environment, pygmies, and more. $1 Ambiance EyeTV i.TV Now Playing Updated with a new UI Enables users to watch Complete TV listings for 7 Not flashy, this app is a and 500 different sounds live or recorded TV from days, plus movie listings, great movie lookup tool, that can play in the an Intel Mac with Elgato’s ticket and TV show with theater, upcoming, background, this is our EyeTV hardware and purchasing, and now TiVo and DVD/Blu-Ray films favorite overall ambient software, streaming via recording control; best as listed, plus buying and noise maker. $1 Wi-Fi, plus more. $5 a TV guide. FREE NetFlix options. FREE Pandora Radio Remote (Apple) Shazam Simplify Music 2 Like Slacker, Pandora Great for Apple TV users Hold iPhone or a mic’ed Using EDGE/3G or Wi-Fi, streams “radio” stations and solid for iTunes, touch up to a speaker, stream DRM-free music similar to your favorite Remote browses and let it “hear” the song, and from up to 30 of your songs/artists, but controls a library using Shazam will tell you the or your friends’ music stretches a little more in Wi-Fi, adding keyboard name and artist, offering libraries, wirelessly, using 42 choosing tracks. FREE and navigation. FREE purchase links. FREE PC or Mac iTunes. $6 2010 BUYERS’ GUIDE 100 APPS: FUN, NEWS + READING Sketches Slacker Radio TuneWiki vTuner Radio Touch your way to Think Internet radio, on Get lyrics for the songs Inexpensive and well- artwork on the iPhone/ demand; you tell Slacker you’re listening to - in 40+ designed, this Internet touch screen, using which artists or songs languages - overlaid as Radio app tunes 7,000 skill and/or pre-drawn you like, and it creates subtitles on top of album well-picked, reliable objects, shapes, and text. “stations” full of similar artwork, plus global Top stations from all over; A fun way to draw. $5 tracks. Works well. FREE 50 lists, and more. FREE streamlined goodness. $2 Byline eReader Instapaper Kindle for iPhone An RSS news reader with With 100,000 available Save web pages to your Download over 350,000 the ability to sync with books, this is one of iPhone or touch for full books, magazines, Google Reader and store several highly competent reading when you’re not and other publications content for reading in its eBook downloading on cell or Wi-Fi networks; from Amazon, and read own browser when you and reading apps, with a $5 version adds folders on the iPhone, albeit in have no web access.