Life on the road is better with an iPhone. Life on public transport improves exponentially with the powerful portable device and apps numbering in the bajillions (according to the latest audits). Your business life is probably faster and more efficient than ever before (as well as being more 24-hours-a-day, if you let it).
Time to bring it home.
Whether it’s entertaining and informing users in the living room, spawning cooking and cocktail ideas in the kitchen, or helping you sleep (or stay up all night) in the bedroom, the iPhone’s mass array of apps can enhance your everyday home life in ways other devices and tools cannot. Here’s our room-by-room breakdown of amazingly helpful and worthwhile apps for the home.
Even if your living room serves as the entertainment epicenter of your home, the iPhone is a perfect companion for watching television, as well as reading, shopping, and playing games with the whole family.
We’ve all been there: your favorite team is playing, but you don’t have the premium sports package. Or worse, another member of the family (who doesn’t share your love of sports) has commandeered the TV for the thrilling latest installment of Dancing With Small Furry Animals. No worries! Simply fire up the free ESPN ScoreCenter app to view constantly updated scores and detailed statistics, read news stories, and watch video highlights and reports. ScoreCenter is available on both iPhone and iPad, and both versions let you customize your favorite sports and teams and set alerts for when your teams are playing. Never again will you miss out on the latest sports action, whether you’re on the move or simply on the couch.
ESPN ScoreCenter 2.0.1
ESPN
espn.go.com
Free
Amazon.com has become the go-to shopping resource for nearly anything you could desire, whether it’s home goods, food, toys, computers, iPods, and even a subscription to your favorite Apple-focused magazine (ahem). But you don’t need a computer handy to browse through the behemoth website with ease, thanks to Amazon Mobile, a free universal app that condenses the shopping experience into an attractive and easy-to-use interface. Quickly search for items from the comfort of your couch and order them in a heartbeat with one-click purchasing and Amazon’s optional Prime subscription plan, which offers endless two-day shipping for a yearly fee.
Amazon Mobile 1.3.0
Amazon.com
amazon.com
Free
Ardent magazine readers tend to accumulate massive, dusty stacks of thumbed-through issues. As print-lovers ourselves, we know how difficult it can be to part with back issues. Luckily, the universal Zinio Magazine Newsstand & Reader app makes it easy to curtail your print addiction by offering up the same exact magazines—including popular publications like Esquire, Rolling Stone, National Geographic, and Consumer Reports—within a single digital resource. Thousands of international magazines are available at your fingertips, with single issues (current and older) and annual subscriptions available at or below print prices. And Zinio especially shines on the big screen of the iPad. (Just don’t forget to keep buying this print magazine!)
Zinio Magazine Newsstand & Reader 1.9.4
Zinio
zinio.com
Free
While it’s easy to stream YouTube clips and download movies and TV shows from the iTunes app on iPhone and iPad, sometimes you just want a more mobile way to watch the myriad video clips you’ve saved on your Mac or PC. That’s where AirVideo comes in handy, as the universal app lets you stream video clips wirelessly from your computer over a Wi-Fi network, and can even convert file formats on the fly. Not only does that save you the hassle of waiting to make files compatible with your iDevice of choice, but streaming the clips also saves precious space that you can use for music or apps.
Air Video 2.4.3
InMethod
inmethod.com
$2.99
As traditional brick-and-mortar DVD rental stores slowly go the way of the long-lamented dodo, they’re being replaced more and more by Redbox kiosks found in grocery and convenience stores. The limited size means that finding the flick you want can be a crapshoot since they tend to focus on the latest releases. Thanks to the official Redbox app for iPhone, you don’t need to leave your seat to locate and reserve a film at any nearby box. Granted, you still need to go pick up the actual disc, but the Redbox app eliminates the hassle and wasted time of schlepping from store to store, guaranteeing the film you want is at that location before you leave home.
Redbox 2.0.1
Redbox
redbox.com
Free
Flipping through television listings and setting your DVR is easier than ever, thanks to several specialized apps for the iPhone and iPad, including official apps for those with cable or dish service through Comcast XFINITY, DirecTV, and Dish Network. Each of those free apps offers its own specialized set of features, but all three let you flip through the listings for all your channels, search for specific shows and films, and even remotely set recordings—which is a godsend if you’re out running errands and looking forward to chilling on the couch with your favorite shows.
If you don’t have one of those services or simply want another option, What’s On TV? from Zap2it is a great free and universal option that lets you choose your provider by location and find complete listings, as well as search for shows and read entertainment news. iPad users can also grab iTV Shows HD ($1.99), an app that lets you track your favorite shows in one location with a sleek (albeit slow-loading) interface, scheduling info, and episode summaries.
You don’t need board games or a video game console to bring your family together around a game—simply fire up your iPhone or iPad and hit the App Store for several worthwhile games on either device. Monopoly in particular is a strong adaptation of the classic board game, especially on the iPad ($9.99), where you can set the device down between four players and have the screen orient itself automatically as you swap turns. Scrabble is another quality iOS game, and while both the iPhone ($2.99) and iPad ($9.99) versions include a pass-and-play mode, you can pair the iPad version with four iPhones or iPod Touch devices (which are used as virtual tile racks) to better simulate the real game.
Another great board game option is Carcassonne ($9.99), an excellent universal version of the popular German land-amassing favorite, which features sharp aesthetics and an enjoyable pass-and-play mode. But for something else entirely, consider one of the many Scene It? apps ($1.99 to $4.99)—including Comedy Movies, 30 Rock, and Harry Potter—each of which includes loads of trivia and audio clips to find out who in the family has been spending a little too much time in front of the TV!
