Favorite Free IPhone Applications

Since I bought an Apple iPhone, "there's an app for that" has become my favorite catch phrase. No matter what you're looking for a programmer has most likely written a great application to address the need, problem or desire.

Categories for iPhone applications include books, business, education, finance, games, healthcare & fitness, lifestyle, medical, music, navigation, news, productivity, reference, social networking, sports, travel, utilities, and weather.

My list of favorite iPhone applications includes only free ones, as I have yet to find one that I'm willing to spend money on. More often than not there is a great free version that will meet my needs and the advertisements or limitations that are built into the freebie applications don't bother me enough to crack open my wallet for the ones that cost money.

Here are the best free iPhone applications I use most often.

PandoraBox and BargainBin
There are so many new applications released each day that it's next to impossible to keep up with them all. The developers frequently drop prices for a short time on some of their apps to give people a chance to try them in the hopes they will like them & spread the word so others will buy their applications. Some of the older apps or versions go down in price over time as well, but unless you are diligent in checking, you won't be aware of the price drop. So the best way to find apps is to use a free app finder. The best two are PandoraBox and BargainBin. They are comparable in features and I use them both on a regular basis. You can search by name or category and sort results by price. You can also make a wish list, make a favorites list, or make a watch list to keep an eye on an intriguing app that is a bit too pricey and then get an alert when it goes on sale.

IM+ Lite
There are several free instant messaging apps for the iPhone but my favorite is IM+ Lite. It lets you use this one program to send instant messages to your buddy list across multiple platforms such as Yahoo Messenger, Hotmail MSN, AOL, AIM, and ICQ. It also supports push notifications. The main drawback to not having the full paid version is that it does not support Skype chat or Facebook.

Textfree Lite
I don't have unlimited text on my ATT phone plan, so using the free Textfree Lite iPhone application lets me send texts without using up my allotted text messages included in my phone plan. There is a 15 per day limit on the free version, but I don't send many texts so it works quite well for me.

Yelp
Yelp is a great iPhone application that comes in handy when traveling, or simply going out on the town. This app gives info and reviews on local businesses, and the reviews are written by fellow travelers and real people who have "been there and done that". You can read customer reviews, get a map, directions, hours of operation, prices and other helpful information. The built in iPhone location finder lets you search for venues by name, distance, price, neighborhood, what's nearby, etc. If the search results come up with a phone number or website, there will be built in hotlinks where you can call them or click the link to see the website.

Games
My list of the best iPhone applications wouldn't be complete without mentioning games! I have 4 screens full of free games in all genres. They keep me entertained on long road trips or waiting room at the doctor's office. I like card games and puzzles, so my favorites are FreeCellLite, Flood-It, Cubez-Lite, Scramble, Solitaire, BubblePop and TwistLink.