1. Alarm Tunes – $1.19
This sleek, nicely-designed app allows users to set an alarm clock with songs that can be picked from the user’s music library – perfect for the entrepreneur on the road, moving from hotel to hotel.
The downside is that the app must be running throughout the night. So users need to set the alarm, then turn the screen off without leaving the app itself by hitting the home screen button. But since setting the alarm clock is the last thing you’ll be doing after a long day of work, this shouldn’t be an issue.
2. Tweetie – $3.99
There are several Twitter apps available for the iPhone, some of them free, but Tweetie is perhaps the most comprehensive and the best designed. The app blends into the iPhone’s natural aesthetic, with tweets showing up in the same format as text messages.
It’s such a well designed app that it was even given the stamp of approval by the Twitter management team, according to recent documents that were stolen from the company by a hacker.
3. iiQuota – $3.99
If you’re sick of managing your usage on different mobile and internet accounts, then this app is for you. Just input login data from your phone and internet bills, and iiQuota shows you how much of your bill’s quota has been used for that month.
The app supports information from telcos including Telstra, Optus, Internode, iiNet and TPG, with mobile data supported for Telstra, Vodafone, Virgin TPG, Three and Crazy John’s.
4. BeeJive – $12.99
This application aggregates instant messaging services including MSN Messenger, Yahoo, AIM, iChat, GoogleTalk, ICQ, MySpace IM and even Facebook IM.
The app shows you all of your contacts that are online, and users can then initiate a chat by tapping a contact. It’s just as simple as using an instant messenger client on a desktop.
The price is high, but recent upgrades to the app make it worth the cost. BeeJive 3.0 now supports push notifications. Users can set a certain length of time they want to be logged into the server, then shut down the app.
When a contact sends you an instant message, it appears the moment they write it just as a text message would, even when the iPhone screen is asleep.
5. Bloomberg – Free
For stock watchers, the Bloomberg app allows users to track financial markets across the world, including individual stocks in several different markets. The app shows market results in chart form, as well as related news stories to whatever stock or market is being viewed.
6. Skype – Free
eBay-owned VoIP provider Skype has exploded in popularity since it arrived on the internet, and the launch of its iPhone app proved people are still interested. Over one million people downloaded the app in less than a week.
The app allows you to make calls over wireless networks to other Skype users, and will allow you to call traditional landline and mobile numbers with credit purchased at its official store. These calls will often be cheaper than the rates offered by major telcos, as you are just using up internet bandwidth.
But there are drawbacks. The app only works on Wi-Fi networks, and not over a mobile broadband connection. Additionally, for other people to contact you on your Skype profile, the application must be open. This would be simple, except that Apple does not allow apps to run in the background while other applications are running at the same time.
Still, the ability to send SMS messages using Skype credit is a good move, and for absolutely no cost, this app is a must for any Skype user who owns an iPhone.
7. CommBank and CommSec – Free
For Commonwealth Bank and CommSec customers, this app allows you to view your bank accounts online as well as make transactions and pay bills.
But the best feature of this app is the ability to trade stocks with your CommSec account. It is the first Australian app to do so, and so far has no real competitors in the market.
8. WiFiTrak – $1.19
Most telcos offer a respectable amount of mobile broadband data with their iPhone plans, but that can quickly run out if data-heavy apps are being used. This app lets you search for nearby wireless networks and will let you connect to them within the app itself.
The app will show networks that the iPhone’s built-in wireless detector will not show, along with signal strength and security details. Secure networks will ask for a password, and you can set the app to refresh its search within a certain time frame, such as every 30 seconds.
9. OzWeather – $2.49
This may seem like a high price for an app that simply tells you the weather, but its sleek design and comprehensive data is what makes this app worth it.
The app lets you add several cities to your list, provides comprehensive data of the day’s forecast including wind speeds and maximum temperatures, lists a seven-day forecast and allows viewing of satellite feeds for your area.
10. PayPal – Free
This company, also owned by eBay, allows you to make transactions on your profile within the app. It gives you a breakdown of different currency rates, and details your recent transaction histories.
Nice and simple, the PayPal app isn’t flashy but gives you enough features to send your money to others in a hassle-free way.
1. Scrabble
One of the best ways to kill some time on a plane is to test your mind against an iPhone Scrabble app. You can also connect to other phones to play multiplayer games.
2. Sudoku
This app provides thousands of different Sudoku puzzles on different difficulty levels to pass your time.
3. Flight Control
Created by Melbourne-based development studio Firemint, Flight Control puts you in the seat of a flight traffic controller. Players are given a bird’s eye view of three runways, and then have to guide different colour-coded plans into land using a flight path tracked with their finger.
Sounds easy, but becomes very, very difficult. You can post top scores online to the Flight Control community and even hook up with a friend’s iPhone or iPod Touch to play in multiplayer mode.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
