Wednesday List: My Current iPhone Apps

I like technology, but I’ll admit that I have no idea how any of it works. I learn a few simple (and I mean simple) steps, and let them help me. While I try out several technologies, I spend very little money, and keep only what helps me.

For our list this week, I’m listing the apps I use on my iPhone.

PAGE ONE

PingChat. I don’t use this app as much as I used to (and I’ll explain why later). This is a text messaging program. If someone else has PingChat, you add them as a contact and the “texts” (called “pings”) are free. I don’t pay for unlimited texting, so this helps me stay under my limit. Price: FREE.

Echofon. This is my Twitter client. When I want to update my Twitter account, or read tweets on my phone, this is the program I use. I have tried several others, but keep coming back to this one for its simplicity. Price: FREE.

Facebook. Any shock? I love Facebook, and their iPhone app is excellent. The best feature is the “places” feature that lets you “check in” and show where you are and what you are doing. My only complaint is that, at times, it is slow in how it starts up. Price: FREE.

JotNot Pro. This is one of the very few apps that I have paid for, and I have almost never used it. This program lets you use the camera on your phone to snap pictures of documents, then turns those documents into scans. I use it to “scan” documents into Evernote, but I have not used it as much as I thought I would when I got it. Price: 99 cents, but there is a free version.

Bible. This simple program has multiple versions of the Bible. I use this app for my “reading” Bible on my phone (which is why it’s not with my other Bible apps, on page two). Price: FREE.

Evernote. I love Evernote, and use it to save nearly anything from the web, as well as backing up my sermons and PowerPoints. With the iPhone app, I can access all my notes and add some, too. I use the app on my phone the most to update lists on the go, and sometimes take pictures so they are “geo-tagged” (it tells you where you were when you added a note, and will “map” it, so you can find that place again). Price: FREE

Sportacular. A very simple sports application. I use this for keeping up with scores. Also, you can program your favorite teams, and the app will send score updates to your phone. A very simple app, but a great one for the sports fan. Price: FREE

The Weather Channel. TWC does a great job with their app. While it is simple, it provides a wealth of information. My favorite thing is that it updates very, very regularly. Easy to use, this is a great weather app. Price: FREE

Pandora. I love Pandora. It is an online music player, but they were one of the first apps ever on the iPhone, and they have done it right from the beginning. If you have a Pandora account (and you should!) and an iPhone, you must have this app! Price: FREE

GooCal. This is my newest calendar. It is very similar to the calendar that comes on the iPhone, but it is much cleaner looking. I use Google Calendar for everything, and this syncs to it, even syncing the colors I use for different calendars (home, work, speaking engagements, etc.) in Google Calendar. Only use this is you use Google Calendar heavily. Price: FREE

HeyTell. I hate texting. I use it, but I hate it. HeyTell is a great alternative. Instead of calling someone and then leaving a voicemail, how about just sending a voicemail first? That’s what HeyTell does. You hit a button, send a voice message, and it is delivered to their phone. You must add contacts, so it keeps “just anyone” from sending  you a message. If you would like to add me as a contact, I’m adfaughn. Price: FREE

Words with Friends (free): My favorite iPhone game, Words with Friends is basically Scrabble, played with friends. A great little game, that includes a chat feature so you can trash talk! Price: FREE

PAGE TWO

ESV Bible. The English Standard Version app is amazing. The have made an app that is easily usable, and is far more than just reading the text. I have actually pulled it out while teaching classes and looked something up, because it is that easy to use. Price: FREE

Truth for Today (called “Bible Studies” in the iPhone app store). Every article ever put in Truth for Today available to read at any time on my iPhone? Yes, please! Great for quick little Bible readings on the go. Price: FREE

Blue Letter Bible. I use BLB’s website on a regular basis to look up words and Strong’s definitions. The iPhone app does some of the same things. It is a bit harder to use than I would like, but it’s still a great app to have at hand. Price: FREE

Logos. I do not own Logos on my computer, but you can still have the iPhone app for simple word studies and a few other things. Logos’s iPhone app is very good (not excellent, but good) for Greek and Hebrew word studies on your iPhone. Price: FREE. (NOTE: If you have a Logos account, it syncs those books and resources to your iPhone.)

MapQuest. I rarely use this app. The “Maps” application that comes with the iPhone is almost as good. While this app is a bit disappointing, I keep it as a “backup” to the Maps app. Price: FREE

iPitchPipe. I take my iPhone into the pulpit with me when I lead singing! I don’t use a regular pitch pipe anymore. I just hit a button on my phone, and I have my pitch. Watch the volume, though. It is quite loud at a “normal” setting. Price: 99 cents.

CellSpin. One of my favorite apps for bloggers. Write a note, take a picture, or record audio and you can post it to your blog, your Facebook page, or your Twitter account. You can also email those things to anyone in your contact list. Anytime you see pictures from the FHU Lectures (for example) on our blog, it was sent from CellSpin. When I got the app, it was free. Now, Price: $1.99.

eBay. I only use this for Christmas shopping, but it’s great to have as a way to help compare prices. Price: FREE

Wikipanion. Wikipedia in your pocket. You could use the site on your Internet program, but the app runs a little faster. Good for looking up quick information. Price: FREE

Shazam. This is the cool app that tells you the name of any song you are listening to. We rarely use this, but it comes in handy at Christmas time, when there are 9,746 versions of the same tune and you want to know which one this is. Price: FREE

NCAA March Madness. One of the more remarkable apps to come along in awhile, even if you aren’t a hoops fan. You can watch the entire NCAA tournament on your iPhone or iPad for free! A survey recently said that an amazing 34% of all “streams” of the first weekend of the tournament were on iPhones and iPads through this app. Price: FREE

Amazon.com. Again, another app we use for shopping. We have often been in a store, looking at an item, while I looked it up on Amazon. When we saw it was less expensive on Amazon, we just ordered it while standing in the store! Price: FREE

WordPress. With this app, I can create posts for this blog on my Phone. The main reason I like it, though, is that I can handle comments from my phone. Simple, but helpful. Price: FREE

PAGE THREE

GrandPar Golf. A simple golf game. Fun, and a good little game (that Turner likes to watch!). Price: FREE

Angry Birds. What a great game! Price: 99 cents

iHandy Level. Turn your iPhone into a level. Price: FREE

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What do you use? Which of these has something else that is better at the same function?