You may be aware if you are a regular reader to this site that I have my favourite phones and my favourite apps. Some apps are duplicated across devices, for example Twitter and Facebook and others are particular to individual devices as I use them in different ways and for different purposes.
However, today it is all about Apple’s iPhone 4S, so let us get started. Firstly, the iPhone is my premier device with the BlackBerry 9900 and the Nokia Lumia 800 as my secondary devices. Because I am me and I do not fit a mold, you may find a different array of apps than those you usually come across, though I do like the fun apps too. So let us get started with my Top 10.
Instagram allows you to take images either direct from your camera or from your gallery and add a filter to it, transforming the image to give it a ‘old worldy’ look or dramatic ‘colour’ or change of ‘style’ to the image. Once you have finished your creation you can upload it to the Instagram sharing community which has over 30 million users. Other users can add you, like your images and you can do the same. In addition you can send your images to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other file sharing services.
Camera + is similar to Instagram but with a larger index of filters, you can crop images, change scenes, and add frames and borders. I use Camera + to make the initial changes to my desired look and the use Instagram to put on the final touches and share with the community.
3/4. Facebook – Free and Twitter – Free
I have grouped them as one because I have the same opinion on both. There are many hundreds of different applications that will allow you to access your Facebook and Twitter accounts. However, I use the default applications from Facebook and Twitter. My reason is this, across my mobile devices, computers, tablets etc the applications do not sway too far apart in similarities, looks, facilities and capabilities that they offer. Hence, even though I try other social network apps – I ALWAYS come back to the defaults after a day or two. I am also of the opinion that those developed by Facebook and Twitter etc appear to work better in accessing their social networking sites than third-party developers.
Where would we be without a weather app and as this is the National Centre for the United Kingdom that delivers weather reports, it makes sense to use it. It is not at all fancy as some apps that are available out there but this is the one that is efficient and works.
Shazam is the music recognition service. Tap it and it will listen to the music and send it off to the cloud to be recognised. It is the way I learn about new tracks and how I make my music purchase as I can make purchase direct through to Apple’s iTunes from the phone.
7. Angry Birds and its Family – From £0.69
Not much needs to be said here. I love the game because I can play it for short bursts of time and stop playing when I want and pick up again when I feel like it. It is updated regularly with new adventures and themes. I am very much against games that force you to return because you will run out of time or your crops will die and in addition games that you need to play online while being data connected.
8. ODE & OTE (Oxford Dictionary of English & Oxford Thesaurus of English) – £37.99
If you think of the biggest dictionary, the A4 sized dictionary that is about 2 inches thick – the one that is normally kept on the library reference shelf, then you will get an idea of this dictionary. It is basically the complete Oxford Dictionary and Oxford Thesaurus in the form of an application. I have yet to find a word that I cannot find in the dictionary outside those of specialists fields. It is the best and only dictionary I recommend anyone should buy – but it does come at a steep price. However, for the price you get to leave an A4 2-inch thick dictionary at home. It is regularly updated and with new additions that have made its way into the English Language.
I am a student at university studying Linguistics and it does use a particular specialist form of words in the English language that would not be found in the Oxford Dictionary off the shelf. I have found this so valuable. Many similar dictionaries exist for other subjects for example, Medicine and Law.
10. TomTom – £39.99
TomTom is the traffic routing service. I feel like I have grown up with TomTom from its very early days on the Nokia N70. There is googlemaps and other free services. However, it is the familiarity, functionality and capabilities of TomTom that I love and its offline routing service. I do not have to worry about not having a network signal and then not being able to access maps.
