11 Must-Have iPhone Apps

There are hundreds of thousands of apps out there. Just make sure you look into these 11.

Thomas Claburn, Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

November 20, 2013

2 Min Read
<b>Great apps are what make Apple's iPhone so popular.</b>

7. Evernote
Popular note-taking app Evernote received a fresh coat of paint in September, in preparation for the arrival of iOS 7. The new look is decidedly green and has been streamlined to include fewer tabs and shadows. The updated Evernote offers faster note entry through the QuickNote Bar at the bottom of the screen. It also integrates the Skitch app for marking up images. Premium users have the option of marking up attached PDFs.

8. Fantastical 2
Updated at the end of October with an iOS 7-oriented design, Fantastical 2 improves on the highly regarded first version of the calendar app. It adds Maps previews inside events, background app updating, reminders, an improved Day Ticker bar, and birthday options, among other improvements.

9. IFTTT
IFTTT stands for "if this, then that," which describes a common conditional operation in computer programs. As a service, IFTTT allows users to program the Internet services they rely on. For example, IFTTT can be set up to automatically save all the Instagram pictures you take to Dropbox. Though IFTTT's mobile app debuted in July, its spare graphic sensibility fits iOS 7 design conventions fairly well. Really, it's just a cool app.

10. Google Translate
Google Translate received its iOS 7 overhaul in September, mostly. Though the keyboard has yet to make the transition to the flat iOS 7 keyboard, the app is nonetheless fine looking and extremely useful: It allows you to translate speech and text from one language to another. A new addition is the Handwrite feature, which converts hand-drawn characters, like those you might copy from signs in China, into text that can be translated. It wasn't that long ago that a universal translator was the stuff of science fiction.

11. Minecraft - Pocket Edition
Minecraft - Pocket Edition isn't tuned for iOS 7. In fact, it's slightly behind the times: It just got updated to support the iPhone 5 screen ratio in August. But who cares? It's still a great game that belongs on every iPhone.

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About the Author

Thomas Claburn

Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

Thomas Claburn has been writing about business and technology since 1996, for publications such as New Architect, PC Computing, InformationWeek, Salon, Wired, and Ziff Davis Smart Business. Before that, he worked in film and television, having earned a not particularly useful master's degree in film production. He wrote the original treatment for 3DO's Killing Time, a short story that appeared in On Spec, and the screenplay for an independent film called The Hanged Man, which he would later direct. He's the author of a science fiction novel, Reflecting Fires, and a sadly neglected blog, Lot 49. His iPhone game, Blocfall, is available through the iTunes App Store. His wife is a talented jazz singer; he does not sing, which is for the best.

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