11 February 2012 11:00 GMT / By Hunter Skipworth
The iPhone is a hugely useful piece of technology to have in your pocket. It can help organise your life in so many different ways. Just by itself, there is plenty of functionality there to make your daily goings on a lot easier. Without apps, however, you will never truly approach German levels of efficiency.
Below is a selection of apps designed to speed up your life and take proper advantage of the tools that your iPhone can offer. Get downloading.
Summly
The basic premise of Summly is a simple one - and within its simplicity lies its brilliance. Summly is a "simpler way to browse and search the web by automatically summarising search results, webpages and news articles" making it easy to find what you're after, quickly, and with all the useless gubbins cut out.
It works as a standalone app, or as an extension to your iPhone's Safari browser after following a few simple steps to get it up and running. The idea is, you find a webpage you want (or rather, it helps you find the page you want) and then, rather than wasting your precious time reading it all, it summarises the key points using a "patent pending summarisation technology" that researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have apparently tested. Read More.
iTunes: Link
Price: Free
Rating: 3/5
LogMeIn Ignition
LogMeIn Ignition is an app that works in tandem with either Windows or Mac software (a free version or a pro version with added goodies) that lets you access your files when you're out and about - and even gives you direct access to your machine's desktops. Setting up is easy - simply install the app on your iPad or iPhone (or both) and download the desktop software that you want direct from LogMeIn's website. It's then just a case of pairing up your devices using the log in procedure; you can also set a username and password for added security.
Once paired, your iDevice now has access to all of your PC's goodies (so all your programs and data) that you want it to, so long as that machine is turned on. If it's not turned on, Ignition even has functionality to boot it up, or awaken it from a nap. Sure £20+ for an app is a lot, but when you consider it's an app that basically turns your iThing into a functional PC then it's not really all that expensive.
iTunes: Link
Price: £20.99
Rating: 5/5
0870
With free minutes allowances constantly growing and more and more people ditching the landline for the mobile, those pesky 0870 and 0845 numbers remain a costly nuisance. Thanks to this incredibly useful anti-0870 app you can now circumvent expensive calls by using a suggested landline contact number. The application searches a database of around 13,000 companies to find 01, 02 or cheaper 08 numbers. It doesn't always get it right, but bigger companies often have a direct line contact number, in some cases helping you skip call-queues.
Simple but incredibly useful, if you are the sort of person who regularly uses their mobile as a landline alternative you could see the 69p outlay for this shaving a serious amount of cash off your phone bill. Read more
iTunes: Link
Price: 69p
Rating: 4/5
Onavo
Onavo’s core functionality is based around shrinking your data to save you cash on roaming fees. That’s a nice idea considering mobile phone operators around the world are happy to charge you through the roof. And while in the UK most operators give you a reasonable deal on calls, it’s data that’s where they get you. In the US you can play up to £5 a MB, so any way to save on that is welcomed.
Onavo works by installing a profile on your iPhone and then re-routing all your streaming through that. After you’ve set it up you hardly notice. Yes, pictures are degraded, but if it’s saving you cash we’re sure you can live without crystal-perfect images for the duration of your trip. The best thing about Onavo is that it is free and does nothing but save you money. As an app running in the background it is virtually indispensable should you plan on using your phone abroad.
iTunes: Link