iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad Guide (Part 3)

Essential Apps

These are the apps I use every single day, multiple times a day. I use them on an iPhone, but most of them also work on the iPod touch and iPad as well. I will note any issues with the various devices as needed.

Facebook (free)

The iPhone Facebook app is easier to use than accessing Facebook directly through the web browser. You are better off using the browser if you have an iPad.

MobileRSS Pro – Google RSS News Reader ($2.99)

I use Google Reader as my RSS reader so I don’t have to mark articles as read over and over again—anything that can access the Google RSS feed gets synchronized. This has been the best overall reader I have found, but it’s still not perfect.

WSBTV.com (free)

This is only good if you live in Atlanta. It essentially covers everything the TV news show covers, so if you don’t like their reporting then you won’t like the app. It also has the same exact weather images, so you will be consistently informed.

USA Today (free)

This is a fantastic iPad app (the iPhone one isn’t that great). Not only does it present the news in an easy-to-browse interface, but it has a fantastic free Crossword feature!

App Miner (free)

This application is a great way to keep an eye on the latest apps. I use it daily to look for app bargains. Most of my apps were purchased at a discount thanks to this app. Many apps over $4 go on sale for half price and many $1 apps become free for a limited time. You can make it track apps for you if you have your eye on a $5 app but just don’t want to spend the money.

PriceCheck by Amazon (free)

This has turned into a very useful app. You can scan a bar code with it to find out how much it costs at Amazon and other websites. You can also search by typing in or by just taking a picture of the product (books and packages mainly).

Grocery IQ (free)

This is by far the best shopping list program I have found. You can scan items as you throw them away to add them to your shopping list. It has a great search engine if you need to type it in. The best part is that it syncs the list online with its servers so you can share a grocery list with your spouse and their iDevice! It even lets you know when they add items to the list so you know to check it when you go to the store on the way home.

Zinio (free, $ downloadable content)

This is just a magazine reader. However, it supports the Retina display and has many of the magazines I read. Many of the magazines are very cheap, so it’s easy to justify the cost. For example, Automobile magazine is $7.50 for 12 months. It’s great to be able to carry around full-color, current magazines. It even lets you know when a new issue is available.