Best iPhone/iPod Apps

[Jeff Lebowski]

Here is my quick list of recommended apps:

video apps:
VLC - plays about any video file.

I am starting to use this more. The default video app on the iPad seems to be quite buggy. No problems with this one yet.

[Art Vandelay]

Here is my quick list of recommended apps:

video apps:
VLC - plays about any video file.
ABC Player ABC TV shows.
Netflix - Requires a netflix subscription.
TED - TED Videos

productivity apps:
Pages, Numbers, Keynote - If you use the Mac versions you will like these. $10 each, I believe. Can edit Word, Excel, etc. files, I believe.
iAnnotate PDF - Awesome if you need to read and mark up PDF docs.
Things or OmniFocus - Very good ToDo list managers that follows the "Getting things done" book. cost $$$.

news apps:
Early Edition - A very nice RSS reader.
CNN, USA Today, NPR, ABC News - Free.
ESPN ScoreCenter XL

magazine apps:
Life - Free.
The Economist - Requires a subscription but worth it to save a tree.

audio apps:
Pandora - Free. Very cool.
Tuner - Internet Radio.

Financial apps:
Bloomberg, Fox Business, CNBC RT - Watch them stocks.
Economy - Economy charts on about everything that is measured

Utilities apps:
Remote - Nice remote for iTunes or AppleTV.
Dragon - Dragon Dictation. Works pretty well. Free.

Game apps:
Yahtzee, Risk, Boggle, Scrabble, and other EA games. - Get them while they are $1 each.
Angry Birds - Addicting.

entertainment apps:
Flixster - see what is playing at the local movie house, watch trailer, see reviews.

Bless the engineers of the world. Thank you

[doctorcoug]

1 suggestion/request, 1 question.

Request: I wish the first post contained a list of all the apps that have been recommended. Sooner? Moderator? Anyone up to the task?

Question: Does anyone have a preferred app to open and edit Word or Excel documents? Also, will these documents sync back to the desktop after they have been edited on the ipad?

Quick office connect for iPad is the ultimate in editing/syncing.

PDF expert is THE BEST PDF reader/annotator. It is the only app that supports form filling (not just drawing over the PDF, but actually filling in the fields).

So, I use a combo of both of them. The apple apps suck because of their poor sync abilities.

[Jeff Lebowski]

That's a great list from Uncle Ted. Here are a few more that I like:

Dropbox - Nice way to synch documents between your iPad and desktop using storage in the cloud. Up to 2GB is free.

Tune-In Radio - Another internet radio app I like. Great for those BYU games not on TV. It even has a record button.

Drawing Pad - Terrific drawing app for kids. Will keep any kid mesmerized during an entire sacrament meeting.

Other games we like:
Fruit Ninja HD
Ragdoll Blaster (perhaps my favorite)
Cut the Rope
Geared

Mobile Noter - If you happen to use OneNote, this is a must-have app. Synchs your notes between your computer and iPad. Great for looking up that obscure Brigham Young quote in the middle of a gospel doctrine discussion.

LDS Apps
In addition to Gospel Library and LDS Tools, make sure you get the LDS Hymns app. I also like to download documents from LDS.org (preach my gospel, gospel principles, etc.) in PDF format and then move them to my iPad using DropBox. Then I put them in my iBook libary which is a great way to browse and read PDF files. Gospel Library is good, but sometimes it is nice to have the documents in the original, full-color format.

[Sizzle]

That's a great list from Uncle Ted. Here are a few more that I like:

Dropbox - Nice way to synch documents between your iPad and desktop using storage in the cloud. Up to 2GB is free.

Tune-In Radio - Another internet radio app I like. Great for those BYU games not on TV. It even has a record button.

Drawing Pad - Terrific drawing app for kids. Will keep any kid mesmerized during an entire sacrament meeting.

Other games we like:
Fruit Ninja HD
Ragdoll Blaster (perhaps my favorite)
Cut the Rope
Geared

Mobile Noter - If you happen to use OneNote, this is a must-have app. Synchs your notes between your computer and iPad. Great for looking up that obscure Brigham Young quote in the middle of a gospel doctrine discussion.

LDS Apps
In addition to Gospel Library and LDS Tools, make sure you get the LDS Hymns app. I also like to download documents from LDS.org (preach my gospel, gospel principles, etc.) in PDF format and then move them to my iPad using DropBox. Then I put them in my iBook libary which is a great way to browse and read PDF files. Gospel Library is good, but sometimes it is nice to have the documents in the original, full-color format.

Agree on drop box. I love that App! I plan on teaching Sunday school from it on Sunday.

Boom bitches!

[Coach McGuirk]

LDS Apps
In addition to Gospel Library and LDS Tools, make sure you get the LDS Hymns app. I also like to download documents from LDS.org (preach my gospel, gospel principles, etc.) in PDF format and then move them to my iPad using DropBox. Then I put them in my iBook libary which is a great way to browse and read PDF files. Gospel Library is good, but sometimes it is nice to have the documents in the original, full-color format.

This is one area the paid app beats the gospel library. I can download and store the pdf's right in the app.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

audio apps:
Pandora - Free. Very cool.
Tuner - Internet Radio.

If I open Pandora can I open another app and still keep listening to Pandora?

This question goes for other apps as well. It seems that if I hit the home button everything closes and has to restart when I hit icon.

[Coach McGuirk]

If I open Pandora can I open another app and still keep listening to Pandora?

This question goes for other apps as well. It seems that if I hit the home button everything closes and has to restart when I hit icon.

Yes, pandora will run in the background. Not sure about tuner.

[Uncle Ted]

This question goes for other apps as well. It seems that if I hit the home button everything closes and has to restart when I hit icon.

The short answer is if the app is written to be iOS 4.X "aware" then it should play well with multitasking. See the following for the longer answer...

http://www.cougaruteforum.com/showpo...&postcount=156

[Uncle Ted]

I am starting to use this more. The default video app on the iPad seems to be quite buggy. No problems with this one yet.

Yes, VLC plays about any video file you throw at it which is nice.

The only gripe I have with VLC is it takes a little more effort to add videos to it in iTunes.

[TripletDaddy]

Sorry for not knowing, but when do I use vlc? What does it do differently than what my device currently does? Also, which vlc do you use? There are a few of them in the app store.

[Uncle Ted]

Tune-In Radio - Another internet radio app I like. Great for those BYU games not on TV. It even has a record button.

I just bought this one ($1) and I think I like it better than Tuner. I noticed that it gets all the ESPN radio stations so I don't need my ESPN Radio app now. Nice.

P.S. It is iOS 4.X multitasking friendly and, therefore, works fine as a background app.

[Uncle Ted]

Sorry for not knowing, but when do I use vlc? What does it do differently than what my device currently does? Also, which vlc do you use? There are a few of them in the app store.

It is this one...

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vlc-m...390885556?mt=8

It plays a lot of video files like .m4v, .mp4, .mov, .mkv, .avi, etc. The default video app just plays files that have been encoded for the iPhone/iPad (.m4v).

[TripletDaddy]

How do I get those files from my computer onto the device?

[Art Vandelay]

How do I get those files from my computer onto the device?

Prayer? It can move mountains...