iPhone App keepers

When an iPhone App is free and the description and review of the App is favorable, all it takes is two clicks to instal it on an iPhone.  It’s just as easy to remove iPhone Apps that don’t meet up to your expectations.  My expectations are pretty simple.

My iPhone App keeper critera:

  • Does the App do what it said it would?
  • Does the App meet a need I have?
  • Is the user interface easy to use?
  • Would I download the App again?
  • Would I recommend this App to someone else?

I have downloaded a few Apps that I immediately removed from my iPhone.  I wondered why anyone would release something that was totally useless into the real world.  If I were the one who developed those Apps, I would have been embarrassed to release them for fear they would ruin my reputation as a real developer who produced high quality useful iPhone Apps.

There are other Apps, though, that I seem to use all the time.  These are the keepers, that I recommend to other people.  They have earned a spot on the first or second page of my Apps list.

My current keepers list:

  • Stick It – My favorite app for creating reminder notes that I use for my Wallpaper screen.
  • Dictionary.com – I visit the website on a regular basis on my computer.  This App doesn’t disappoint.  Whenever, I need to quickly look up a word.  It’s only a click away.
  • LinkedIn – My network contacts are always available to me.  I can quickly contact them wherever I have access to WiFi or 3G.
  • TweetDeck for iPhone – Allows me to keep current with what’s happening on Twitter & Facebook.  The most useful feature, I can post updates to multiple Twitter accounts and Facebook at the same time or individually with very little effor on my part.  Excellent interface.
  • Flixter – All kinds of information about the latest movies along with theatres relative to your location and their showtimes.
  • Yelp – wherever you are, you can find local places to eat, directions how to get there and reviews about their service and what’s on the menu.
  • iBART – If you have to use the BART system, the free App is really helpful for planning your trip.  The premium version gives you the real time BART information.
  • Book Bazaar – I frequently find books I want to read at my favorite bookstore.  I used to buy all the books at full price at the bookstore.  Now, I find them in Book Bazaar and add them to my wish list.  I know I can’t get to every book as soon as they’re available, but I can keep them in a wish list.  As I finish reading books and looking for new ones, I can check my wishlist.  The wishlist has information on the book like title, author, ISBN.  I can check my local library for availability or, if I can’t wait, check  the used bookstore availability and purchase the book for a fraction of the price.

These are a few of the useful Apps that will stay on my keepers list.  It wasn’t my entire list of Apps, I have many others that I’m evaluating, plan to evaluate, or which fall under entertainment.

Entertainment:

  • Demonless – Heard about this App from Mac OS Ken.  A Tetris-like game.  Hours of fun
  • Traffic Rush – Control traffic running through an intersection.  Make vehicles speed up or temporarily stop before they continute.  A think ahead game.
  • Unblock Me – one of those puzzle games where you have to free a colored block with other blocks surrounding it.  A logic game.

About Wes Johnson

Wes Johnson is a software engineer with extensive experience developing desktop applications. He has also developed firmware for consumer electronics and OEM boards. His experties is C and C++ programming.
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