With the iPhone leading the way, Smartphones have become popular because of the multi-faceted features and functions they have. Phones nowadays, have functions and features similar to your computer – you can check your email, watch TV, listen to music, and much more. Moreover, they have a bigger and more powerful memory to store huge media files which you can download directly to your phone. iPhone has revolutionised how we perceive mobile internet access. Another feature which was introduced to iPhone users, and followed later by Smartphones, is the use of apps.
An app is a shortened term for application. To define it in layman’s terms, an app is simply a type of software you use on your phone. These apps act like mini 'programs', each one providing a different function, from games to utilities and services. Some apps are free while others can have quite a heft price tag attached.
Apps are often categorised by subject – GPS, e-books, fitness, and more. If you want to download a particular app, you can see a description with screenshots to give you an overview what that app is all about in the iTunes App Store. There are also top recommended apps by the staff or other users. Apple have a very strict screening process for their apps, so you can usually be guaranteed that the apps in the App Store are safe and will work well - you can always read the user reviews to help you make your app choices.
Different Types of Apps for Different Needs
Apple have approved over 1 million apps - while not all of them are still available or even compatible with the iPhone (there are certain iPad only apps, for example), that still leaves plenty for most iPhone users to choose from. To help you sort through this seemingly endless sea of apps, Apple categorise them into groups depending on the app's function.
Books
Amazon's Kindle Store, Kobo, iBooks - you're spoilt for choice when it comes to eReaders on the iPhone.
iBooks
Apple's eBook app is limited, but it's also polished and very useful. Natively, it accepts ePub and PDF files. You can also buy or download free eBooks from iTunes.
Goodreads
Goodreads is made up of a community of literary minded people who catalogue their reads and review books. It's a comprehensive database and also provides a good free eBook service.
Kobo
An anagram of 'book', Kobo provides a great eBook system. If you're transitioning from a Kobo reader, you can still keep your backlog without having to worry about file conversions and the like.
Kindle
The Amazon eBook store is perfect those with Amazon accounts who don't want to transfer over to iTunes. You can keep your purchases synced across your devices and still buy new eBooks from within the app.
Business:
Office programs to help you deal with your workload so you can keep up with your hectic schedule even when you're away from your computer.
Catalogues:
Buying made easy - get a catalogue to pick out your next purchase.
Education:
Kids are becoming ever more encroached in everything digital - download a few educational apps to make sure that that transition is a positive one. Or maybe pick one up to teach yourself a thing or two.
Entertainment:
These keeps you posted with the latest movies, shows, and entertainment gossips.
Finance:
You can get your bank's app on your phone, like Commonwealth, National and Westpak, so you can transfer funds on the go.
Paypal
With so many people using the internet to buy thing, it's no wonder that Paypal has become so popular. If you're one of the many people who use the secure payment service, get the app to manage your account and review your purchases.
Lemon Wallet
Lemon Wallet will let you scan in your debit or credit card to manage your spending, along with the hand feature to scan in any receipts that you use cash with. It's a comprehensive spending tracker, along with the capability to upload your loyalty and membership cards as a digital wallet back-up.
Kaching
If you're with the Commonwealth bank, you'll love Kaching: input the barest of details, like how much you want to transfer and summary for your statement, and then bump phones with the person you're trying to pay - no fuss money transfers! Other banks have apps so you can view your accounts on the go, along with some neat Kaching-like features too.
Food & Drink:
Make the food or just find out where you can eat it - there's an app for that.
Yelp
Now that Yelp is integrated into the iOS, you'll be able to search for listing through Siri, or local searches through Apple Maps. Results will pop up with details, booking options and user reviews and ratings.
Taste
Taste knows good food, so if that's what you're hungering for, give this app a try.
Urbanspoon
Urbanspoon works a fair bit like Yelp, but you can shake to get a random result or filter by price and food type too. If you're looking for something local or cheap but don't have a concrete preference, Urbanspoon can help you decide.
Jamie Oliver Recipes
If you've got the time, how about you cook rather than just going out to eat? Need some ideas on what to make? Jamie Oliver has it sorted, on your iPhone no less. Handy, delicious meals ready and waiting for you to make them.
Epicurious
Epicurious provides you with user rated recipes so you can tell if a meal is good before you even start making it. Find a recipe you like, bookmark it. Find one you don't like and you can give it a bad review to warn others.
Games:
Games are further divided into groupings that'll let you know exactly which kind you're into without having to sift through the hundreds of thousands available.
Health & Fitness:
If you want to get in shape or just to keep your shape the way it is, apps like Nike Training Club will help you with your fitness goals
MyFitnessPal
This app will help you count calories, track your exercise and features a handy scanner so you can find out what the food you eat actually contains.
Nike Training Club
It's a free app that features work out routines tailored to women. Even so, some of the moves are male-friendly too. You can choose from a variety of workouts that target specific body parts or functions and durations.
Strava
This app will help you to measure how far your workout takes you. You can track your progress during your runs.
There are a number of other fitness apps that provide workouts or dietary information to help you keep fit. There a great deal of Yoga routine apps, for free or for a fee. Search around until you find something that is your speed.
Lifestyle:
Recipes, horoscopes, the Bible, all sorts of things to help you out with your day-to-day.
Music:
If you like making music or just listening to it, there are apps to help you enjoy your hobby more fully.
Navigation:
Maps. If you've recently updated to iOS 6, you might want to give this section a looking over.
News:
CNN, BBC, and other news networks have their own apps which you can download for free and which lets you watch or read news about what’s happening in the world.
Newsstand:
You can download digital copies of magazines and get subscriptions to them via Newsstand.
Photo & Video:
These apps will let you take advanced video or photographs, including popular filtering apps like Instagram, share these photos like via Snapchat or edit them like in Action Movie FX.
One of the most popular photo editing and sharing platforms around, Instagram will let you add filters and frames to your photos and will upload it to your Instagram account for sharing.
500px
Sharing photos is fantastic, but on 500px you can also rate them and buy prints of your favourite ones. If you're serious about photography, this is a great app to explore up-and-coming talent and showcase your own.
Camera+
With Camera Plus (pro or lite) you can take better pictures and you have more features at your fingertips than with the native app. You can use a burst mode or live filters to spruce up your photos.
VLC Media Streamer
If you use VLC on your PC (and you should, it's a fantastic program), you can stream content direct to your iPhone with this app.
Action Movie FX
If your movies are boring and lack action, Action Movie FX can fix that - add explosions and special effects to liven up your videos.
Snapchat
If you want to chat via photo, Snapchat is the app to use. Take a photo, doodle on it or leave a caption and send it to someone or a group of someones. The image can only be viewed for 1-10 seconds before it's removed.
Productivity:
Evernote and apps of the like will help keep you organised and get all your files and notes in the one place. You can also get calendars, reminder apps and others.
Evernote
If you don't have Evernote already on other platforms, you're missing out. It's much more than a note-taking app in that you can leave yourself vocal notes, put in images and even scan in physical documents that you can there search for text.
Astrid
Making checklists, tasks and then scheduling them in a way that is both intuitive and appealing, Astrid makes sure you get what you need to do done, and on time to boot.
Dragon Dictation
Voice dictation is an imperfect art, but Dragon Dictation brings it one step closer to becoming a reliable input form. With a very stable voice-to-text input method, typing on your iPhone is now optional rather then the only input method.
Smart Office 2
A little pricey, but one of the better office apps out there - you can input files from email, other apps or cloud services (like your Google Drive) and then edit them. You've got quite an impressive arrangement of options, some working more intuitively than others, but all bringing a very full office suite to the mobile platform.
Reference:
Dictionaries (multilingual), encyclopedias and apps for all sorts to help you with assignments, work and just to bring out in conversation to settle an argument.
Shopping:
eBay, Amazon and Etsy, among other store specific apps will help you pick and buy things on the go, on your couch, in the bathroom ...
eBay
Use your eBay account with this app to make purchases wherever you can get internet access. You can check your notifications, rate sellers and send questions, all from the mobile optimised version of eBay.
Amazon
Prefer Amazon? That's alright - they have an app too. Do all your shopping on your iPhone through the Amazon app, even buying eBooks to use with the Kindle eReader app also available in the App Store.
Etsy
If you like handmade items and quirky, geeky and unique items, this is an app you need to get. Create and sell your own items or browse and buy from Etsy huge catalogue.
ASOS
With free delivery and returns, ASOS stands out as a great online retailers. They aren't the only ones who have an iPhone app though, so check the App Store to see if your favourite has their own app up.
Gumtree
With the Gumtree app, you can now search for, query and purchase from the online store - or check up on the status of a purchase from wherever you are.
Social Networking:
These include Skype, Facebook, and Twitter. They allow you to chat or even video conference with friends and family using our iPhone anytime, anywhere.
The Facebook app is now (as of iOS 6) integrated into the iOS so you can post status updates from Siri or upload images straight from the camera.
As with Facebook, Twitter comes packed into the system so you can have Siri tweet for you.
Google+
Google+ doesn't get the same treatment, but the app is still useful for keeping up with your circles on the go.
If you're prolific on LinkedIn and like keeping up with work contacts, now you can do it all on your phone on this optimised app.
Skype
FaceTime is great, but Skype works across platforms - if you have contacts on a Windows PC or an Android phone, you can still skype video chat with them with this app.
Foursquare
If you like checking in places, Foursqaure is for you. Use the app to check-in in real time, complete with photographs and all.
Sport:
If you are fond of sports, there is an app available for every sport you can imagine to help you keep track of your favourite teams.
Sporting Event Apps
Most sporting events, such as world cups, national tournaments and the like, that are popular generate their own apps so fans can keep up with the teams and scores. This one is for the Australian Open.
Sport News Sites
A lot of sport news sites will have their own app so that those who keep up with the content can do so on the go. This example is for Yahoo cricket.
Team Apps
Some teams have their own apps to list players and info, team match dates and times and current league standings. Fans can also stay informed with news and any important updates. Here we've shown the app for Sydney's Rabbitohs.
Travel:
These are the perfect apps for those who love to travel. It features travel guides, phrase books and local haunt listings in cities and countries anywhere in the world.
Utilities:
Need to know how many British Pounds to an Australian Dollar? There is a utility app for that. How about a flashlight or a QR reader?
Weather:
Weather apps keep you updated with daily news reports locally and nationally. The iOS native weather app can be limited, so you can download others with more features and functionality.
Apps are not only useful, but it also makes life easier and fun with its features. There are other iPhone apps that can be helpful to you. You can get them either for free or paid from your iTunes store.
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