The iPhone has a phenomenal email interface, which interacts beautifully with our recommended enterprise-level email system Google Apps. Text message conversations are displayed logically, in a thread so you can see what you have previously discussed with your contacts, and the web browser (forgiving the lack of Flash and Java) is fantastic. If you can get your hands on one, have a play - you won't regret it!
Now, we have spent a lot of time playing with (and using for business!) our iPhones, and would like to offer you a list of the most useful (or at least the most used by us) applications and tips...General Downloads
London Underground Map formatted for iPhone - http://smogr.com/2007/08/london_underground_map_formatt.html
Grab these images and sync them with your iPhone using iTunes to have a Tube map on your iPhone! More cities covered here...
Web Apps (Browse to these in the Safari browser on the phone, then add to your Homepage using the + sign at the bottom of the screen)
UK Train Times - http://themacbox.co.uk/iphone/trains/
Perfect - check on train times now and in the future using this streamlined interface. No waiting for adverts and styling to download!
BT PhoneBook - http://themacbox.co.uk/iphone/pbook/
Slick and quick - find people's numbers with ease.
BBC iPlayer - http://www.bbc.co.uk/mobile/iplayer/index.html
When you're in a WiFi-covered area (your home, office, any open network or Cloud/BTOpenZone hotspot) you can watch the BBC shows
free-of-charge!IM+ for Skype - http://s4iphone.com
This enables voice and text communication with other Skype users and provides cost-effective calling to landlines and mobiles, pure SkypeOut quality with no extra voice delays!
Remote Desktop Management - http://iphone.rdmplus.com
RDM provides you with complete access to your remote PC from anywhere. You can use your iPhone to conveniently manage your email, files, programs and network resources.
iQ Mobile Search - http://iq.ifonify.com
Simple, yet very useful, multi-search webapp for the iPhone, covering websites such as amazon.com, ask.com and wikipedia.org
Roshambo - http://themacbox.co.uk/iphone/roshambo/
The timeless classic of rock, paper and scissors has been brought to the iPhone, and you can now while away your time duelling the computer.
Native Apps (These are downloaded in the App Store on the iPhone or within iTunes - we recommend connecting the phone up occasionally so iTunes can back up your settings and purchases)
Movies
This brilliant application allows you to not only check film times in a cinema near you, it even provides the trailers! Combine these two fine features with a wealth of box office information, and you have an application for your iPhone that cannot be beaten if you are a movie-goer.
TubeStatus
Real-time alerts of tube faults and delays - essential for anyone working in London.
Awesome mobile version of FaceBook, which allows you to publish photos straight into your profile, update your status, live chat, read and send messages and view all your friends' profiles and photos. Is lacking the option to add new friends, but we know that FaceBook are citing "Mobile" as the future of the social networking phenomenon, so watch this space as this application develops even more!
Great mobile interface for your LinkedIn account - professional social networking on the move!
NetNewsWire
Brilliant RSS News Feed application from NewsGator - allows you to sync your news feeds from all your favourite sites, so you never need to read an article twice. Works alongside your NetNewsWire application on your Mac, or the online NewsGator reader and various PC email application plugins.
Quick and easy searches - improves on standard Google Search Engine with local searches (try typing in "pizza" for example) and searching of your contacts.
Palringo
Requires another login account, but this only takes seconds, before you're logging in to your favourite IM services - MSN, ICQ, AOL, Yahoo and all the others! Supports voice messaging, and will continue to run in the background until you open another application - unfortunately that's a restriction put on the application by Apple themselves.
Bloomberg
Brilliantly designed financial news service, with stocks and shares valuations showing the % or £ change in the value of your investments. Just try zooming in on a graph, and you'll be impressed!
Currency
Convert your money using realtime exchange rates.
Midomi
What fun - tells you the artist and song you're listening to on the radio or at a club. Even works if you sing or hum the tune into your iPhone!
PangeaVR
Excellent free service showing 360-degree panoramic photos from around the world... Make do with this until Microsoft release an iPhone implementation of Photosynth (not very likely methinks!)
Voice Recognition
A feature that is lacking in the included tools and applications on the iphone, is easily added through the download of “Say Who - Dialer” from the AppStore. It is a freeware alternative to the “Vocalia” software which costs £2.99 and is a fair amount better than the Cactus alternative. “Say Where” is a similar tool, but for voice recognition in the GPRS software and google maps.
Locly
This is the epitome of the potential that exists in the iPhone with its GPS awareness and Geotagging capabilities. You can find local attractions, shops and cafes, look at Flikr photos and Wikipedia articles that are relevant to your locality.
Wikipanion
A great tool for searching the fount of knowledge that is Wikipedia on the move. It does exactly what is needed and no more, providing faster access than Safari, with a format perfected for the iPhone.
ShopShop
It does exactly what it says on the tin, it is an interactive shopping list, that is quick, easy and clean. It avoids all of the usual pitfalls of the classic list, such as being unable to read your handwriting or leaving it at home! You can sleep easy knowing that you are also protecting the environment by saving paper!
Ebay
This tool from the auction giant, allows members to easily search, sell, bid and buy from your iPhone! It has a nice elegant and streamlined interface that is optimised for the iPhone and touch. Its great for bagging that last minute bargain you forgot about when you left the house.
Remote
This is a brilliant application released by Apple which allows you to control your iTunes library on your computer or TV over your wireless network with just your iPhone or iTouch. This turns your gadget into a serious remote, with access to all the navigation options and album art, including coverflow, and the ability to edit and create playlists.
Lastminute.com Free Phrasebooks
Lastminute.com have released a series of phrasebooks for all the major European languages, each covering the basics needed to survive a long weekend or week abroad, allowing you to impress the locals and survive your holiday. The main attraction of these offerings are that the hundreds of essential phrases are actually SPOKEN back to you, allowing you to revise your pronunciation before a weekend break across the channel.
Stanza
Read electronic books on your iPhone or iTouch, store and categorize hundreds of books in this powerful organisational and display tool. There are a simply staggering number of books available for free from the Lexcycle library, and if that is not enough, you can even add your own!
iPint
iPhones have been sold on the strength of this fun application alone - you can pour a pint of beer in your iPhone and drink it back out again. Just follow the instructions - they're not water- (or beer-) proof!
MazeFinger
This is a fun and addictive game that allows you to “unleash the power of your finger” and reminds us of the old buzzing wire game.
Vegas Pool Sharks
A very detailed and addictive pool game that pits you against friends or computer opponents for cash.
Sol Free Software
The classic time wasting card game for your iPhone, enough said!
21 Pro
Bring the casino blackjack table to your iPhone in this smooth and well rounded application, which is even more polished than Apple’s own version.
FS5 Touch Hockey
The old arcade favourite of air hockey, except this time it is all in the finger!
