Today we ‘re continuing our series called Desert Island Apps. It ‘s based on a very long-running and brilliant BBC Radio show called ‘Desert Island Discs ‘. The premise of Desert Island Discs is simple and wonderful “ a guest is invited to choose the eight musical pieces (originally records) they would take with them if they were stranded on a desert island.
In our case of course we ‘re not interested in our guests ‘ choice of music. What we want to know is which six iPhone apps they would take with them if stranded on an island.
Today ‘s guest is Christopher Meinck. Chris runs my long-time favorite iPhone forum and social site – everythingiCafe.com. EIC is a great place for iPhone news and discussion – from talking about your favorite apps to finding troubleshooting help when you’ve got a problem.
Read on to see Chris’s picks
Thousands of applications available for the iPhone, but what if I could only choose 6. Let’s assume I’ve found myself to a desert island that also happens to have suitable power and I’m going to need an Internet connection for my chosen apps. One would assume I’d use that to contact help, but I’m sure we can conjure up the J.J. Abrahams theory on why I still would be trapped on the Island. Let’s go!
#1: Facebook: 
Who doesn’t have Facebook installed on their iPhone. First of all, it’s free and it’s also an incredibly well done application. It’s not only the standard by which iPhone applications are judged, it’s also set the standard for apps on other platforms. While Palm has made vast improvements on their Facebook for webOS, it’s often compared with the Joe Hewitt developed Facebook for iPhone. Being on a desert island, Facebook for iPhone will allow me to see what’s happening with my friends and family. Photos, Fan pages, the mundane status updates. It’s all here and that’s why it’s a mainstay on my iPhone.
#2: Tweetie 2: 
Noticing a trend? Social apps are big for me. Tweetie 2 is the best Twitter application by far, for any platform. I’ve used roughly 8-10 applications and Tweetie 2 still comes out ahead. I manage multiple accounts, search nearby Tweets and sharing videos or photos is a breeze. For me, nothing comes close to Tweetie 2. This is by far the most utilized app on my iPhone. It’s also a platform killer for me. I use multiple phones and platforms. The first thing I do is look for a comparable Twitter application and to date, I’m consistently disappointed. If you own an iPhone and enjoy Twitter, you owe it to yourself to own Tweetie 2. Note: If you haven’t heard, Twitter has just purchased Atebits, so Tweetie 2 will be the new official Twitter app and it’ll be free.
#3 MLB At Bat: 
If you’ll allow me to renew applications or limit my time on the island to one year, this has to be one of the apps I’d select. I’m a big baseball fan and this application has it all. Live streaming games, stats galore and all the MLB news you’ll ever need. It does come with a hefty price tag (mlb.tv subscription required), but I’ll need baseball to get me through the island boredom. They should bundle the iPhone version with the iPad version. Right now, I’m using the iPad version.
#4 Time Tuner
Time Tuner is my favorite clock radio app for the iPhone. It’s got an great UI and you can set the dimmer at night to a level that’s not going to be too bright for my bedroom. There’s more, it also allows you to select music from your existing collection or a host of radio stations. You can set a timer and allow the music to play only while you drift into a deep sleep. Crank up the Enja and get some ZZZZ’s with Time Tuner.
#5 PocketTunes 
I’m a big fan of Howard Stern and a subscriber of Sirius. In addition to my car, I have the Internet Streaming package which runs $2.99 a month. The official Sirius app for iPhone offers a number of great music channels, but you cannot listen to the "King of all Media" on the official app. Enter PocketTunes, a updated classic from my Palm OS days. The latest version allows you to stream any channel available on the Sirius website, including Howard. There are few hoops to jump through, such as logging in each time, but it’s well worth it to have Howard streaming anywhere on my iPhone.
#6 NFL Superfan 
NFL Superfan is another "subscriber-only" app and it’s put out by DirecTV. While Patrick can watch the Dallas Cowboys on TV, here in NY I’m stuck with the Jets and Giants. A longtime Cowboys fan, I rely on Sunday Ticket to deliver Cowboys football. I normally find myself in front of the big screen on Sunday, but there are times when I’m forced to be away from home. NFL Superfan means that leaving the house doesn’t mean I miss out on football. All the games, save for local blackouts, are available and the very excellent RedZone. Video streaming NFL Football on my iPhone. Need I say more?
If I weren’t on an Island, I’d say that Flixter, Yelp and Navigon would be other applications that would give the above 6 some serious competition. In retrospect, I probably should have included some gaming, but perhaps we’ll save that for my top 6 apps for iPad. Is there something I missed? I’m always up for recommendations, so let me know in the comments.
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Huge thanks to Chris for doing Desert Island Apps with us! I hope this series will help all of us to discover some great new apps.
If you ‘d like to see all the previous entries in the Desert Island apps, just go HERE “ and if you feel like sharing what your Desert Island Apps picks would be, please fire away in the comments.
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TAGS: EIC
