My favorite iOS apps
It's been two months since I switched from an iPhone to a Windows Phone and as expected this new platform is not as mature as the iOS platform. The switch has taught me which applications on iOS I used/missed most. Here's an overview of my favourite iOS apps.
Camera+ & Capture
The default camera on the iPhone is ascetic. It offers only the bare minimum and on my iPhone 3GS switching between photo and video took too long. The memorable moment had already passed before I could start filming.
This is were Capture comes in. It does one thing. After you click the icon it opens the video camera and starts recording immediately. It's the fastest way to capture the moment. When you're done filming, quit the app and it will save the video to your camera roll. Simple, yet highly effective and an absolute must have.
The default camera can be completely removed if you complement Capture with Camera+. Off course you cannot remove the any default app, so you have to hide it in a folder (e.g. ""). Camera+ adds all the things that are missing from the default camera and then some. The app has its own camera roll. This allows you to review and edit your images before you save them.
Camera+ also adds some good sharing options. The most useful for me was the option to upload to Flickr from within the app. You can set the defaults for each upload beforehand which makes uploading new images to a specific set very fast. Apart from Flickr it also has options for Facebook and Twitter.
Windows Phone Alternative: None, but the build in camera application offers a lot more options. Missing the Flickr share and the instant capture of Capture.
→ Get Capture or get camera+.
Wikipanion+
I enjoy reading Wikipedia and it is my number 2 resource on the internet after the ubiquitous Google. I use it most when watching television and looking up things I see and before I know it I spend too much time reading articles and moving from one article to the next. There are many Wikipedia applications on the net, but the key feature that makes Wikipanion+ stand out is its ability to queue articles.
Imagine you've just seen the trailer of the upcoming movie "The Iron Lady" and you look up the article on Wikipedia. As you are reading you want to know more about the real Margaret Thatcher and the woman who plays her, Meryl Streep. In a regular reader you have to finish reading the article and then scroll back to the position were you can click on the link of the article about Margaret Thatcher. After that you have to go back to the article about the movie and scroll to the position of the link to Meryl Streep.
In Wikipanion+ you can just click on any link to another interesting Wikipedia article. Clicking the link will not take you away, it will simply fetch the page in the background and add the title to a queue. After you are finished reading you can simply open the queue and select the next article you want to read.
I cannot imagine a more useful feature for a Wikipedia reader, but unfortunately Wikipanion+ is the only one to offer it.
Windows Phone Alternative: I'm still looking for a Wikipedia app with queuing function. For now Wiki Bee must do.
ShopShop
Sometimes you need to make a list of things. Things to remember, things to buy, things to do. ShopShop does just this and it does this very well. You can make a list with items and strike them once you've completed an item. ShopShop remembers all items you've added to a list and uses this cache to autocomplete when you add a new item. This makes adding recurring items incredibly easy.
The most amazing thing about this application is its price. It's free. I would have gladly paid for this app, but because the App Store is overcrowded by todo apps and grocery lists, it's probably hard to stand out. An app like this shows the need for a trial system, because after you try it and like it, you wouldn't mind paying for it.
Windows Phone Alternative: Quick Lists is a good and equally free alternative. Although this also offers autocomplete, it is not based on previous input but on the build in thesaurus.
Tweetbot
If you like using Twitter and you own an iPhone, then you must try Tweetbot. I've spend too much money in my quest for finding the perfect Twitter app, finally settling for Tweetbot as my app of choice. Why? Because:
- It's fast
- It's flexible (nice options/preferences)
- It looks good
- It's stable
Just try it out and you'll be hooked. Especially because the official, free Twitter app got an infamous makeover that doesn't respect the way I (and most other people) use Twitter.
Windows Phone alternative: I'm on the same quest again and sofar Mehdoh is the best Twitter client on Windows Phone. I've used Rowi, Birdsong, [Pedigree][pedgre] and the official app, but Mehdoh offers the most complete feature set and feels the snappiest.
Other notable apps
There are some other iOS apps that I can recommend. Here's a short list:
- Calvetica: Let's face it. The default calendar app on iOS sucks! On the phone it's impossible to get a decent overview and on the iPad the skeuomorphic UI looks so horrible my eyes start hurting as soon as I open it. Agenda is the best looking alternative, but Calvetica is a good second but adds blazing fast input of new appointments, which puts it on top again. Luckily the calendar on Windows Phone is already superb, so no alternative is necessary.
- iCab Mobile: Safari on iOS is good, but iCab Mobile adds the missing features. Most notably it includes a modular system for additional functions as save to Pinboard, Instapaper, etc. It also allows you to do file up- and downloads from within the browser.
- Instapaper: This is a must have application for any iPad owner. On my phone I only use it to manage my saved articles. But the best feature is Instapaper's option to export to a Kindle periodical.
- Runkeeper: Use this to track your sports achievements. Available on Windows Phone too, but missing the voice over that keeps you up to date of your progress.