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What are the best IPhone Apps

If you're anything like the majority of people who purchase an IPhone, the first thing you do is rush home to start up ITunes and check out all the downloadable applications.

So what are the most useful aplications I still have on my mobile 6 months from when I first purchased an Apple IPhone? Firstly I must admit, I've tried a lot of useless ones as well that I've deleted within minutes from downloading them. However, this is not the case for the best applications that I've came across so far listed below.

Best free Iphone apps

1. Facebook - social networking application

This application is great for keeping in touch with Facebook friends when your travelling or away from your computer. This is one of the most popular social networking apps with 434 reviews currently showing in itunes app store. Reviews are good with 4/5 stars being awarded.

Personally I give it 5/5 as it does everything I normally do when logged into Facebook with my computer. For example, you can leave messages on your wall, use chat, check friends latest photo's and status updates, or you can even upload photos from your iphone to your account.

2. WritingPad / ShapeWriter

What was originally called WritingPad is now called ShapeWriter. What feels strange at first doesn't take long to get used to. Firstly, you are given a keyboard within ShapeWriter and you need to simply drag your finger from one key to another to type a word. It's surprising how precise this tool is in picking the correct letter or auto filling in a word. I use it all the time to write emails because its much faster than the usual Iphone keyboard.

3. Flashlight

Many people have scored this handy little Iphone app a low rating (2 and a half stars) because they consider it doesn't actually do anything, when in fact it does. They just totally miss the point. The point being, to give the user a continuous source of light, exactly like a torch. Personally I've found it a useful application for times when the home electricity has gone out, or when fumbling for my car keys in the dark. Considering it's free, it's definately worth the download.

4. TouchCalc

TouchCalc is more than just a free scientific calculator for your iPhone. It has several different modes to choose from. For example, operations include basic arithmetic, power, logarithm, roots, trigonometry, logical operations such as AND, OR, XOR, >> etc, binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal. Users can also calculate mean, median, quantil values, variance, deviation and range etc.

5. Stanza

Stanza is an app that literally turns your iphone into an Ebook. I remember looking at Kindle on Amazon recently and thinking to myself, why would I need that when I already have Stanza. Better still, it also comes with many free libraries. For example, books I've downloaded so far include: The legend of sleepy hollow, Through the looking glass, Dracula, Oliver Twist, The war of the worlds and many others.

If you don't like the free libraries, you can purchase books including titles such as: The Da Vinci Code, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and I Robot. Best authors include Stephen King, C.S. Lewis, Michael Crichton, James Patterson and Mary Higgins Clark. If your into reading books, this is an iPhone app you won't be deleting any time soon.

6. Wikipanion

This application gives you Wikipedia on your iPhone. Yes, you could aways start up the Safari search and go straight to Wikipedia. However, Wikipanion is optimised especially for iPhone users. Personally, I find it faster and easier to use than the Wikipedia web site.

7. Backgrounds

The best way to download backgrounds and wallpapers for your iphone. Search over 50 000 background wallpapers.

8. Style.com

This is another personal favorite. Style.com iphone app is like having a free fashion magazine in the palm of your hand.

9. AroundMe

AroundMe is a terrific travelling companion for your iPhone that determines your geographic position and displays the closest banks, coffee shops, gas stations, hotels, movie theatres, restaurants, taxis and theaters etc.

10. BigOven

BigOven is a recipe book on your iPhone. This useful app lets you search over 160 000 recipes by entering a title, for example lasagna, or a keyword such as chicken or easy dessert. You can also search ingredients such as lobster or soy sauce and it will come up with idea's based on those items.

To download these iphone applications, start up ITunes and navigate to the free apps section, then search the name as listed above.