We can’t count how many times we’ve relied on our iPhones to get us through a dull commute, long wait, or awkward situation. For those times when you need a little solo fun to fill the time, be sure to have these apps tucked into a handy folder on your iPhone!
The iPhone version of Netflix came a lot later than the iPad version that was available at that device’s launch, but it’s equally welcome, as it lets you stream thousands of movies and television episodes from your paid Netflix account. The iPhone version can suggest Instant Watch titles based on your tastes, and it also lets you manage your Instant Watch queue. Selections play flawlessly over Wi-Fi and incredibly well over 3G after some hefty loading, but your network’s performance may vary. It’s definitely worth the wait!
Our trusty TiVos can’t be everywhere at once. Sometimes, something great will happen that we didn’t record, and we won’t catch the snappy references at the next day’s staff meeting. For missed moments like these, Hulu Plus serves up a massive roster of TV shows and a smattering of movies to quell our pop-culture needs. Hulu Plus requires a monthly membership ($7.99), but it grants you access to loads of current shows, like The Office, Glee, and Modern Family, and you can watch them all on the go with this app.
Zinio puts a massive marketplace of publications in your hands, letting you browse and purchase the likes of National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Maxim, and other popular reads, with subscription prices typically at or below print levels. This multiplatform reader works on iPhone and iPad, as well as your Mac, and the high-resolution page scans pop off the screen, creating an impressive reading experience. Whether you’re browsing single issues or subscribing to your favorites, Zinio offers a great, centralized reading option.
SoundHound takes Shazam’s pioneering song-recognition approach to a whole new level, letting you not only identify recorded songs, but also use your own vocal cords to generate a result. The ability to sing or hum a few bars of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” or Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” and get a correct identification is pretty mind-blowing, and a testament to the power of SoundHound’s inner workings. A free version limits your searches, but the premium release offers more than enough functionality for curious music junkies.
Who better to champion the iPhone and iPad as a comic-book revolution than the biggest publisher in the game? Built on top of tech from the Comixology iPhone app, Marvel Comics is very sleek, with a functional, attractive comics browser and a highly responsive reader. The comic store is easy to navigate, features an enormous library of past and present Marvel comics, and makes buying new comics (at a flat rate of $1.99 per issue) a breeze. Whether that’s a good thing or not depends on your impulse control and size of your bank account.
The Nike+ shoe sensor for iPhone and various iPod models has helped many runners stay motivated while running, while the excellent social features of the associated website let them connect with other users and track their progress. Now you can join them without buying the sensor, thanks to the Nike+ GPS app, which uses the iPhone’s accelerometer and GPS functions to track your run route, distance, and approximate calories burned. Once finished, you can upload the details to the website and stay on top of your fitness.
Geocaching is a new kind of urban sport where participants play hide and seek with containers hidden around cities using a GPS and clues. The Geocaching app helps automate the process, using the iPhone GPS to highlight your current location and show you some of the nearby options. How the adventure unfolds is up to you, and though most folks don’t put anything valuable in the containers, it’s fun to see where the clues lead and discover the surprise. A simplified free app and more robust paid option are both available.
Pub-trivia junkies will love Qrank, a fun daily trivia quiz that puts your esoteric knowledge to the test. Each day it offers 25 questions in four ever-changing categories, and you choose 15 to answer, hoping to find hidden score multipliers. Time bonuses reward you for answering the multiple-choice questions quickly, and your total score is compared against your Facebook friends and listed on leaderboards. Answering 15 questions takes just a couple of minutes, and the sharp design and collectable badges keep us coming back.
