An IPhone Application for Everyone

With the widespread popularity of the iPhone, application writers have been hard at work and it has paid off. The iTunes store is full of useful applications for artists, business professionals, students and people just looking to be entertained. With these 10 applications you are sure to enhance your artsy side, your studious side, your professional side and so much more.

Starmap ($11.99 or $18.99 for Starmap Pro) and iAstronomica ($8.99) are both stargazing applications that help you map out the skies from exactly where you are standing, using the iPhone's GPS feature. iAstronimica is more simple than Starmap, but for the amateur star gazer, it should work just fine. Starmap is a wealth of infomation, it's only shortcoming being that it does lag quite a bit in comparison to the other features on the iPhone.

Shazam (Free) allows you to identify a song when you just can't remember who sang it and what the title is. This application allows you to hold the phone up to the song for a few seconds and it will identify the song for you. It even works in loud bars and restaurants. For the price tag, or lack thereof, it's a great tool. However, many people have reported that whether or not the application works is hit or miss.

Simplify Music (3.99) allows you to stream music from your library through the internet to your iPhone. This allows you to save space on your iPhone, while still being able to access your music. The application also permits you to share your music library and use the music libraries of others. The downside is that it does require a bit of configuration, which might be overwhelming for the non-tech savvy crowd, but it's definitely worth it once everything is in place.

Pandora (Free) works on the iPhone just as it does on the computer. The application allows you to create radio stations based on your favorite types of music and stream free music from the internet. The downside of Pandora is that you can only skip so many songs due to the limitations of their royalty payment system. Also, you're limited to 40 hours of use per month per MAC address. However, for free music and a free application, it is well worth the time is takes to download.

ColorSplash ($1.99) is an excellent application for those of us who appreciate artsy photography, but lack the photography and PhotoShop skills to create it. ColorSplash allows you to manipulate images by removing or adding color to a photo right on your iPhone. The application also gives you various ways to share your artistic photos, among these are Twitter, Flickr and Facebook. The downside, of course, is that the iPhone's camera is not of the highest quality. However, better to have something to capture the moment with than not capturing it.

Wikipanion (Free) holds the answers to life's burning questions and so much more. The Wikipanion application gives you quick access to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia, rather than having to go through Safari. This makes it more user friendly, easy to access and more efficient.

SimpleMind ($6.99) is a great application for students and creative minds alike. It's a mind mapping application which allows you to create colorful mind maps on a whim. The charts can then be exported into PDF and PNG files as well as a few other file types. If you're not sure if this application is right for you, SimpleMind Express is a free version, which does not give you as many export options, but allows you to complete the same tasks. The price tag is a bit steep for something that you can do on paper, but it does look more professional and it's definitely more easily distributed this way.

AroundMe (Free) allows you to search your immediate surroundings for banks, bars, coffee shops, gas stations, hospitals, hotels and more. If what you're looking for is not on the pre-programmed list, you can add it to your favorites. This is a great alternative to google or the maps application, as you can just select what you're looking for rather than type it. Unfortunately, the application does lag and has been known to crash, but it's free which makes those minor details excusable.

Lightsaber Unleashed (Free) is a fun application that has solely entertainment value. It is a great conversation starter and an easy way to pass the time. Among all of the useful applications that are listed here, there had to be one that was just for fun! The Lightsaber Unleashed allows you to design your own Star Wars lightsaber and even add a photo. As you swing the phone, or as the Star Wars enthusiasts would refer to it- the saber, the sound effects correspond with your movements. It's free, it's. fun and it's definitely worth a try.

While this list is far from comprehensive, it definitely provides you with some must-haves and some applications you never knew you needed until now. With plenty of free applications and lite or express versions of paid applications available, you can make your iPhone even more useful without breaking the bank. Now go check out the iTunes store and make your own list of iPhone applications that everyone should have!