With the number of iPhone apps downloaded approaching the number of McDonald’s hamburgers served (actually it’s not even close to the 100 billion hamburgers served), there’s no question that iPhone owners love the app store. With so many apps to choose from (the latest number reported is 65,000) it can be hard to separate the gems from the duds. To make it easier to pick the winners, the iPhone enthusiasts at Retrevo put together this list of some of the coolest iPhone apps for this hot summer.
Shazam (free)
Most iPhone owners know about this free app and have it loaded on their iPhones, In case you’re one of the few who isn’t aware of this app, the idea is simple; hold your iPhone’s microphone up to a speaker or sound source and Shazam will try and identify the song. Surprisingly, it gets it right a lot of the time and returns the track and album name. Shazam recently updated the iPhone app to take advantage of OS 3.0 adding, among other things, more ways to share your musical discoveries with your friends.
Ocarina ($.99)
You blow into the microphone, put your fingers over the holes and play your iPhone like a flute (or Ocarina). A tap on the globe icon will let you hear other Ocarina players from around the world. It won’t be long before we see iPhone Ocarina players playing for handouts in Subway stations around the world.
Skype For iPhone (free)
We can understand why AT&T would not be happy with people bypassing their service to make phone calls over the Internet but we’re glad Skype was finally able to pull off VOIP on the iPhone. At $5.95 a month for unlimited calls within the U.S. and $12.95 worldwide, the AT&T 3G network starts to look attractive for long distance calling. All we want is a forward looking camera for conference calling.
Snaptell Explorer (free)
Take a photo of a DVD case, book cover, video game package, or CD case with your iPhone and get back links to places where you read reviews and can buy it. Snaptell was recently acquired by Amazon so we imagine we won’t be seeing too many prices from stores other than Amazon.
Virtual Zippo Lighter (free) and Smule Sonic Lighter ($.99)
You open the Zippo lighter with a flick of the wrist, the flame sways as you move your iPhone. You light the Smule Sonic Lighter by striking a flint. You blow it out through the microphone. You can change the size of the flame with a pinch. It evens turns into a blowtorch.
iHandy Carpenter ($1.99)
Find out if the joint is on the level or use the plumb bob for vertical testing. The iHandy level only app is free. Popular Mechanic Magazine says the fact that you have to calibrate it first and that the iPhones edges are rounded makes this app look better than it actually works but we think it’s still a cool app.
Everest: Hidden Expedition ($1.99)
Everest: Hidden Expedition is a seek-and-find game. Impressive graphics and a challenging game provides hours of fun. You compete against other teams to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In the process you travel to exotic lands searching for and collecting hidden objects.
Google Earth (free)
Google Earth looks very cool on the iPhone. You can zoom in and see very detailed images or shift the iPhone to get a side perspective.
WebMD (free)
You use the very graphical interface to describe your symptoms and WebMD provides medical advice along with lots of information about medications and health.
ihologram
This is a technology demonstration of what could become an iPhone app but it’s still pretty cool. Check out the video here. According to the developer David O’Reilly, “The application works by assuming a constant viewing angle (35-45 degrees), typical for when the device is placed on a tabletop. The 3d scene’s perspective is warped using anamorphosis, the same technique used in Hans Holbein’s painting The Ambassadors.” If only Hans had a GPS in his toolbox, he could have done so much more.
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Article is from Retrevo’s Blog entry Coolest iPhone Apps. Retrevo is a great source for gadget and technology information for Vizio TV, Plasma TV, Car Amplifiers and more.
