My Top 10 iPhone Apps

I should admit up front that this list is not of the best iPhone apps, simply the top 10 that I happen to have installed. Without further ado…

Lightsaber
Seriously, how cool is an iPhone app that looks like a lightsaber and makes lightsaber noises as you swing it around?  The latest version includes some background Star Wars music to add to your mock lightsaber duels.  Did I mention it’s free?

Guitarist
Not a free app (currently $2.99), but very cool if you like playing the guitar or even just want to pretend.  Some guitar-playing skills are helpful, but not a must; tab mode allows you to just strum along to pre-loaded music.

Cube Runner
Simple, but oddly engaging and addictive.  You pilot an unadorned craft through fields of mostly random cubes; each new level brings some surprises and your only goal is to stay in flight as long as possible.  A free app that’s good for waiting in the dentist’s office.

Asphalt 4
This app will run you a good $10, but if you like racing games this is the one to get.  When I was younger I found myself instinctively tilting video game controllers; now that actually does me some good.  Bonus: you can hook up with other iPhones over a Wi-Fi network and play head-to-head.

Morocco
Basically Othello for the iPhone. You can play against the iPhone (3 difficulty levels) or a human, and the graphics and animation are top-notch.  One catch: no undo.  This app is also free.

X-Plane 9
Another $10 app that’s worth every penny… if you like flying planes.  This is a full-featured flight simulator for your iPhone.  You only have one airport, but flaps, gear, brakes, time of day, weather, four planes, and more are all there.

Sportacular
A free app that lets you keep up to date with your favorite teams whilst away from the TV or your computer.  I ran Sports Tap for a while, but this app has a cleaner interface and updates quicker.  I also like being able to access my favorite teams quickly.

WeatherBug
iPhone comes with a Weather app, but it’s pretty simple.  WeatherBug is a free app that doesn’t forecast as far as the default Weather app does, but the forecasts are more detailed.  Additionally, you can see “live” doppler radar of your area.

Air Sharing
You’ll have to pay for this app, but if you want to put files on your iPhone without going through iTunes (or, more importantly, put files on that iTunes doesn’t support) this is the way to go.  It involves a little bit of setup if your on a Windows PC, but once you have it configured you can transfer files to your iPhone over Wi-Fi.

Mocha VNC
My favorite app, period.  VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing and it allows you to remotely control another computer over a network (including the Internet).  Once I set up a VNC server on my home computer I was able to access it from anywhere through my iPhone.  That includes my living room as well as the beach.

There you have it - my top ten iPhone apps.  There are more coming out all the time, so I may have to update this list next year…