101 Most Essential iPhone Apps of 2008
Posted 12/09/2008 at 11:56am
| by Mac|Life Staff
It seems like only yesterday a young Steve Jobs sheepishly took the stage and announced that the iPhone and iPod touch would have native third-party applications. We danced in the streets when we heard the news. We figured a few hundred apps would be released. We'd play a few games, send a few tweets from the road, and make a few Facebook friends while waiting in line at our favorite taqueria.
Now it's December, and the App Store boasts over 10,000 apps and Apple reports over 300 million downloads. We thought about compiling a list of every one of those apps, but we got some delicious cupcakes in the office and we ended up on a two-day sugar high. Those were a great two days.
So instead we've compiled a list of our 101 favorite apps. Most are high quality apps that we've found indispensable. Some are frivolous fun and while they aren't groundbreaking, or even necessary, they have special place in our hearts and on our devices.
How did your favorite app fair? Find out below.

101. Ms. PAC-MAN
We got PAC-MAN fever, it's driving us crazy. We're going out of our minds. Not the greatest game in the App Store, but sometimes you need some nostalgia.

100. A Small Orange Metronome
Metronome is a bargain, combining a simple tuner and metronome in one app.

99. eWallet
eWallet can securely store sensitive information you might want to keep on hand. Credit card numbers, membership info, passwords, serial numbers, insurance card info--organize it all into wallets, categories, and cards.

98. Save Benjis
Save Benjis can compare Internet prices while you're out at the mall, to make sure you're never paying more than you have to.

97. SportsTap
What's the score? The free SportsTap app can keep you up-to-date with current scores for college and pro sports: football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, auto racing, tennis, golf, and all your local teams too.

96. FotoTimer
Just a timer for the iPhone's camera, but it's easy to use, only $2, and can help you get cleaner, better shots, especially in low light.

95. More Cowbell!
Come on baby, Don't Fear the Reaper. Just give him more cowbell.

94. WikiMe
You know the saying: Wherever you go, there you are. WikiMe tells you exactly "where" you are from a Wikipedia perspective, listing all the entries that are related to your current location (or any postal code).

93. MiniPiano
Free and fun for kids of all ages, MiniPiano lets you bang away on 14 keys to your heart's delight. Upgrade to the $3 FingerPiano app to play three octaves and even learn some songs.

92. Cocktails
Looking for the perfect drink to celebrate season two of Mad Men? Look no further: Cocktails puts more than 1000 high-quality drink recipes on your iPhone or iPod touch.

91. FlyCast
Thousands and thousands of live radio streams, with Search, Favorites, and History settings. And it's free!

90. PhotoFrame
Stream photos to your device from flickr -- it's like your iPhone or iPod touch becomes a digital photo frame. Especially nice if you keep your phone docked by your desk and get tired of looking at that battery-life meter.

89. GL Golf
While you're waiting for the PGA-licensed greatness Tiger Woods, check out the best golf game currently on the iPhone. GL Golf includes a generous selection of five fictional courses, and a relatively accurate physics engine that relies on traditional videogame golf finger taps (no accelerometer-reliant swings here, folks). The course design errs a bit toward silly-funky, and choosing the dusk or dawn tee-time options is an exercise in futility, because they don't let you see jack. Nonetheless, the 3D engine is competent, and the back spin, draw/fade and loft/punch controls really, truly work. Bottomline: It's a completely fun, not-at-all-jacked-up golf game (unlike pretty much all the others we've tried).

88. Grocery IQ
We all have to go grocery shopping, and the Notes application isn't all that helpful with large lists. With an extensive database of products, and the ability to email your list for someone else to do the shopping, Grocery IQ is a shopper's dream.

87. LED Football
If you’re old enough to remember the classic Mattel Football electronic game, you’ll do a nostalgia-fueled double-take when you see LED Football. It’s a near-perfect replica, not just of the gameplay, but also of the handheld itself.

86. Panorama
Many digital cameras automatically stitch together panoramic photos. You just have to take a series of overlapping, horizontal photographs, hit a button, and the camera does the rest. Now the iPhone has joined those ranks.