Every now and then I would find myself scouring the iPhone’s App Store for any useful applications I could be using for my everyday life. The iPhone for me isn’t merely a phone any longer, but a powerhouse of tools and utilities that can transform its owner into a frighteningly resourceful freak, I kid you not. In this article I present to you 8 applications that I have never failed to use given any single day and why you should use them, too.

1. The Blogger’s Handy-kit: WordPress by Automattic

As a blogger on the move, sometimes I find myself hard pressed for time to just sit down and edit my photos, compile my thoughts and spend 3 hours blogging in front of my computer. Most of the time, however, you’ll get inspiration and pictures on the move anyway. So how do you make the best of both worlds; both having great and in-depth content (unlike microblogging via Twitter, say) and without being glued to your chair and being late for the appointment you’re supposed to be having in 10 minutes time?

Presenting the WordPress application for the iPhone, iPad and the iPod Touch, the answer to my woes. It does not only allow me to write a blog post, but also allows me to upload pictures directly from the iPhone, and geo-tagging the post as well! Apart from that, you’re also able to approve/disapprove comments as soon as it notifies you of one (talk about instant notification on the go). Of course, this assumes you use WordPress as a platform for blogging, which is the right thing to do anyway!

I definitely cannot live without this application being the busy guy on the move that I am, and I’m sure it’ll help you to blog more frequently, too, among other things. Best of all, this app is FREE of charge, and can be found via this link.

2. The Photographer’s Saviour: Adobe Photoshop Express by Adobe

As an iPhone user I find myself taking the most memorable and quirky pictures via the iPhone, mostly because moments like those happens in an instant. Do you find that the pictures you took may turn out less than desirable, but would still prefer to share them immediately? With social media tools like Twitter and Facebook, delay of any kind of information is unacceptable, and that is where the Adobe Photoshop Express app saves the day.

The app, as you would expect from Adobe, is all about quality and great interface. It may not be a full-fledged graphics application like others, but for the RM0 priced tagged on it, the app offers great choices of tools that allow you to change the contrast, the saturation, addition of frames, cropping and rotating that would be enough to produce a better photo taken raw. A must have for all iPhone users, go download it now!

3. The Efficient Guy’s tool: Do It (Tomorrow) by Adylitica or EpicWin by supermono limited

Does the word “Procrastination” sounds familiar with you? Chances are, I’m right. That’s because I have a huge problem with it, and again, chances are that you do, too. So when I stumbled upon this nifty, super-simple yet amazing app called Do It (Tomorrow), I knew that it was a chance to finally get rid of the habit once and for all!

Do It (Tomorrow) may seem terribly simple by its user interface, but it’s exactly with that simplicity that I was able to jot down all kinds of task I needed to do in an instant. Everyday I would recheck my list and see what’s left to be done, and once I finished an item, the satisfaction of crossing it out of the list (via a tap) can sometimes be worth the skies. Oh, and it’s free, too 😉

However if you opt for something more complex but fun and challenging, EpicWin could be the app for you!

Based on an RPG-styled to-do simulation, you play a character that levels up as you complete tasks separated by your statistics, such as Strength, Stamina and Spirit. As you can see above, the sit ups and press ups improve your strength and experience, and as you move further by completing more tasks, you are able to collect badges as well to commemorate your achievement. Believe me, it doesn’t get more exciting than this, so give it a try NOW, for free 😉

4. The Intelligent Timewaster: Words with Friends by Newtoy Inc.

What is an iPhone, if not for its vast number of games available in the App Store? Unfortunately many of them don’t seem to be up to par, especially for an intelligent guy like me. Mind you, I love mindless timewasters like Fastar! especially when I’m in the mood for mindless bashing, but most of the time I look for something challenging, and best of all, I get also meet my social needs thanks to Words with Friends, a scrabble-like game except better. Much better.

Words with Friends allow you to either play with your fellow friends (registration is as simple as a click away, for free!) or locate for a random opponent, something quite exciting as you’d never know the level of intelligence of the opponent you’re about to play with. In a test of wit and vocabulary strength, this game promises real fun and challenge, barring moments of long waiting time if your opponent isn’t smart enough to think of the next move (I’m not excluded) but hey, there’s always the “Look for Random Opponent” button!

ps- look for me, username @spinzer, though I have to warn you first- I love huge numbers like the 84 you see above >:-)

5. Bonus- The Malaysian Dilemma: Mobile SpeedTest.net by Ookla

So what exactly is this Malaysian Dilemma, you ask? Our internet, that’s what! What good is our iPhone if we find ourselves in a bad coverage area, unable to blog properly, upload photos to Facebook, download our e-mails and others? The solution: find out where’s the best coverage for your ISP!

(the figures above are for illustration only, otherwise it’s a figment of your imagination)

The SpeedTest app allows you to check the best spots to do perform your hard and heavy internet usage, otherwise you might find yourself hitting your head on the wall when you see your e-mail sending getting cut ever so frequently, or even unable to tweet if the signal becomes so bad. It can also help you decide which ISP you might want to go for, as you will be able to check on places you frequently visit for best coverage, for both downlo
ad and upload speed. If anything else, it can just be an app to satisfy your curiosity, since it’s free anyway. Get it!

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Those were the 5 iPhone applications that are a must have, and if I may quickly add, the list does not end here and it’s almost non-exhaustive! Everyday more and more apps keeps getting submitted, and we see a trend of utilizing the iPhone is ways we’d never imagine, and at an affordable price too (though so far all I listed here are free of charge). Should you require more recommended apps, do let me know and I’ll be more than happy to share my list of treasures; or share some of yours with me! Until then, hope you’ve enjoyed my list of practical iPhone apps!