The Top 3 Free Must-Have IPhone Apps

Problem: When it first showed up in an Apple TV commercial, I was intrigued. How many times have you listened to a song on the radio and liked it so well, you wanted to download it? If you are a music buff like me, it happens frequently. But the problem with the radio is that they do not always tell you the artist or song name.

Problem solved: Download Shazam free from your iTunes application store. Update your iPhone and hit the tag button. Hold your iPhone to the speaker and wait just a few seconds for the program to run. If Shazam knows the tune, it will automatically pull up the artist's name, song title, label, and album.

Other Benefits: Shazam can identify music clips from any source, including the TV and movies. You can buy the music directly from iTunes once Shazam has tagged it. You can save your tags and build your own soundtrack and email them to your friends. You can also view related items on YouTube once a tag is complete and you can personalize it with your own photos. Best of all, there is no hidden fees or trial periods. You do not have to register with an outside company to download and use it.

Drawbacks: Shazam is built for contemporary music and current artists. If you love classical or jazz, you may not be able to tag much.

Requirements/Languages:

iPhone and iPhone software 2.0

English/German

iTV

Problem: How many times have you been running errands or working and wondered if there was a good movie on tonight or couldn't remember when your favorite TV show comes on? Were you often by a computer? I tend to think of these things when all I have is my phone and I'm out and about. And it is difficult to get on the internet from my phone and try to Google it.

Problem solved: Download iTV free from your iTunes application store. It is the ultimate stop for DVDs, TV, and more. You can look up your TV listings based on provider and zip code, find movie listings and previews, write your own reviews and look up celebrity information with integrated Wikipedia.

Other Benefits: Coming soon...the iTV will offer live streaming TV in the near future. With a future update, you will also be able to remotely record shows to your DVR and purchase movie tickets.

It is currently compatible with Netflix and you can easily drop shows and movies into your queue all from your iPhone. (Membership with Netflix is required for all Netflix features.)

Drawbacks: Currently, the application cannot support AT&T U-verse. If there is a problem with service provider info or listings, you can contact the help desk at data@itv.com.

Requirements/Language(s):

iTouch/iPhone and iPhone software 2.1

English

Stylem Media's Backgrounds

Problem: I get bored easily and like to change my iPhone wallpaper. If you are looking for a simple way to get access to a lot of different backgrounds, try Backgrounds from Stylem Media.

Problem solved: Download Backgrounds for free at the iTunes application store. Once you upload it to your phone, browse the library of over 40,000 different pictures and choose your favorite. The step-by-step guide will prompt you along the way.

Other Benefits: If you would like to personalize your photos, you can upload them at stylem.com/iphone. You can also browse by category, look at what's popular or most recent.

Drawbacks: There have been some server errors due to high volume but Stylem Media is aware of the issue and is working to solve it.

Requirements/Languages:

iPhone/iTouch and iPhone software 2.0

English