101 Most Essential iPhone Apps of 2008
Posted 12/09/2008 at 11:56am
| by Mac|Life Staff

39. Where
The free location-based Where can search for a Starbucks, gas station, Yelp-reviewed restaurant, Zipcar location, Eventful event listing, and your friends if y'all use Buddy Beacon.

38. The Weather Channel
It's free and gives you the most concise weather forecast available. It's exactly what you would expect from The Weather Channel.

37. Melodis Voice Dialer
Apple didn't include voice-dialing in the iPhone, but several paid and free apps in the App Store can rectify that massive mistake. We like the stability and features of this free app from Melodis.

36. Vay
Ancient treasure awaits in the App Store: the 1993 role-playing game Vay has been ported from the Sega CD to the iPhone and iPod touch. Vay is a full-length RPG that boasts an epic quest, hordes of monsters, and even animated video cut scenes with voice acting. Adventurers, your call to action has arrived.

35. X-Plane 9
X-Plane 9 lets you fly the slightly pixielated but thoroughly engrossing skies. It’s a fun and relaxing diversion and a great showpiece for iPhone gaming.

34. iChalky
He's a chalk stick man that's controlled by moving your iPhone. External music gives Chalky the gumption to get his groove on. You can even grab the head off of a pic and replace Chalky's.

33. Scrabble
Scrabble is...well, Scrabble! This version for the iPhone and iPod touch fits almost any occasion for gaming on the go, and it’s a worthy edition that fans shouldn’t miss.

32. Now Playing
Find movies in your area with Rotten Tomatoes ratings and trailers. Everything you want in a movie app.

31. GuitarToolkit
GuitarToolkit lives up to its name as the choice for guitarists.

30. Pandora
Take your Pandora account with you. Anywhere! Who needs an FM transmitter?

29. WordPress
For those of us who demand quality blogging on the go, WordPress is available as a free application in the iTunes App Store. It brings convenient mobile blogging to any iPhone or iPod touch.

28. WriteRoom iPhone
Wi-Fi sharing is neat, but the landscape keyboard is what makes WriteRoom worthwhile.

27. Bloomberg
If you like to keep an eye on your stocks, you have nothing to lose by installing it, and hopefully a few dollars to gain.

26. Fring
VoIP, instant messaging client. It's all in Fring. It connects to all the major--and some minor--instant messaging clients. Plus, you can connect directly to your Skype account. Oh, did we mention it works with the iPod touch?

25. Blue Defense!
Blue Defense! draws from so many arcade classics that it's tough to define, but the way it effortlessly shifts from style to style and handles motion controls make fresh in a decades-old genre. It's a bull's eye for any shooter fan.