iPhone 5 – The Metrognome

Your iPhone 5 can be even more awesome if you get these 10 work and social apps, plus some fun games ones.

by Manik Kakra

So you got your shiny, new iPhone? It’s awesome, isn’t it? Well, you know what could make it even better – apps and games. Over the years, iOS has become a dominant player when it comes to mobile. Developers across the world want to develop their apps for iOS – because the platform is popular, used widely, and app quality is top notch. So, here is a list of 10 apps and a few games apps to get you started with your new Apple gadget:

1. Chrome

Most of us use Chrome on our PCs. By using Chrome on your iPhone, you can sync bookmarks between the devices without any hassle. Just sign in and you are good to go. While it doesn’t enjoy as much freedom as Safari does on iOS, the browser works smoothly and feels like home for PC Chrome users.

An alternative? Opera Mini

2. Tweetbot

Are you on active on Twitter? If yes, then there’s no way you can’t have Tweetbot installed on your iPhone. This Twitter client is one of the best out there. No compromises – neat UI, feature-rich, and support from developers.

The alternative? Twitterrific

3. Camera+

The iPhone 5 (and 4S) has a great camera, and it can be put to even better use by using something like Camera+. This app allows you to snap photos as well as edit them – with borders, filters, exposure, and more.

The alternative? Paper Camera

4. Dropbox

Dropbox is a must-have app, regardless of what device you are carrying. It is a cross-platform cloud storage service, which allows you to sync your precious data across your devices. You can buy more storage as and when required, according to their plans.

The alternative? Box

5. Evernote

Evernote has, over the years, become a solid app for not only taking notes, but also to compile to-do lists. It synchronises them across devices, as it has a web version, too.

The alternative? Springpad

6. 1Password

As you use your phone or any other connected device, you keep signing up for a number of services, and, as a result, have to remember their respective passwords. 1Password is your one-stop app to stop worrying about having to remember so many passwords. The user doesn’t have to look up in the app as he/she will be signed in automatically.

The alternative? LastPass

7. Airport Utility

This free manager allows you to fully control your Airport stations. It lists all the devices connected, and gives you options to change settings you want.

8. Flipboard

This app is sort of a news-aggregator. You can choose which news sites you want it to combine, and then the app presents them in a beautiful manner, thus allowing you to have your very own virtual magazine.

The alternative? Zite

9. WhatsApp

Chances are that you might be using this app already on your phone. Right? No doubt it’s the most popular cross-platform messaging service today, well worth the money for chatting with your friends.

The alternative? Viber

10. 8Tracks

This is an Internet radio service that gives access to thousands of radio stations made specifically for people having a particular genre preference, created by like-minded people.

The alternative? Pandora

For games, check these out:

Did Manik miss any apps which are essential to start with your iPhone? Do let him know your favourite or worst app experiences in the comments section below this article.

(Picture courtesy engadget.com)

At the iPhone 5 launch

Mahafreed Irani attended the India launch of Apple’s newest and most eagerly-awaited iPhone in Mumbai on Friday at Phoenix Mills.

An announcer on a mini stage that’s been erected in the courtyard of Lower Parel’s Phoenix Mills heralded the launch of a new gadget. “The real moon of Karva Chauth: the iPhone 5 is here,” she said. A long queue of Apple fans had been waiting to buy the iPhone5 on the day of its launch. They’d been standing for over an hour to make sure they lay their hands on the very first phones sold in the country.

Amongst the many standees were Apple fanboys, phone resellers, and office peons and servants that had been delegated to pick up the product for their masters. The contrast was very clear between those who would own the phones and those who were just there in lieu of somebody else.

“I want to be part of the experience. There is a sort of vibrant energy here,” said Shreyam Desai, a student who had been part of another Apple queue in the past. “I stood in line for the iPhone 3G in the US. There was never anything like that in India and now that there is, it’s a very nice experience.”

Another iPhone fan waiting was Siddharth Shetty.

“It’s important for me to be here on the first day. I want to be part of the tradition that Apple has been carrying out in other countries,” he said, referring to the cult-style enthusiasm in which thousands of Apple customers stand for hours and sometimes days outside stores to be among the first people to get their hands on the phone.

In the meantime, reporters and camera crew cramped and pushed each other to get the best shots of actress Esha Gupta of Jannat 2 fame, as she held the phone in her hand, pouting for the cameras. Veena Parikh, a lucky customer was handed the phone, making her one of the first to own it after the official launch in India. She’d been handpicked perhaps because of her interesting story – her husband was buying her the phone as a gift on Karva Chauth.

“She can use it to facetime with our daughter who is in the US,” he smiled.

Mahafreed Irani is a Mumbai-based journalist and co-editor of The Report (youtube.com/thereportlive)