So You’ve Got an iPhone, Now What?

It feels like a millennium has passed since the iPhone craze began. From the first whispers among Apple enthusiasts (myself, shamelessly included) to popular tech-geek blogs stirring up excitement amongst the masses – to the point some even coined it, “The Jesus Phone”.

So you couldn’t help yourself and you splurged on one. That means you’re one of 125,000 current users in Australia (estimated to be 1.3 million by 2012 according to www.cnet.com.au) and among ten million users already in the United States (they had a head start).

As iPhone owners already know, you can download Applications (or apps) from the iTunes store; some that cost but many which are free and run seamlessly on your iPhone. These apps range from productivity applications to games, social networking and even recipes. That’s right, recipes… even a bachelor like me has a few.

So out of the 500 million applications that have been downloaded from the iTunes store, which of those would benefit a smart business person like yourself? I took the plunge for you and weeded out the easiest to use, most intuitive and most stylishly designed apps that should make your work day a bit easier, and a bit more fun!

Remember the Milk: $38.70/year ($25USD)

You may have noticed in my first SNOBS’ technology column, some gushing about Remember the Milk. To augment that post, I’d like to introduce you to Remember the Milk for iPhone.
This app is one of my favourites, which I use everyday. I’m an absolute list freak, as they help me punch through my tasks each day. What I like most about RTM is that since I have my iPhone with me wherever I go, it means I have my tasks with me everywhere I go (which, of course, goes for every other app you download).

When it comes to lists, you can set up as many categories as your heart desires. Those lists then sync with the RTM server so you can also access them via the web from any computer. From there you can set all of your options such as notifications, which can send you reminders via email, SMS, even on MSN Messenger and other popular applications.

There really are too many features to list here, my advice would be to take RTM for a spin on their 15-day free trial and see how it works for you.

Google Tasks for iPhone: FREE!

The ultra-intelligent development team at Google Labs have wowed us again by releasing an iPhone version of Google Tasks. All you’ll need is a Gmail account, which is also free.

Unlike RTM,which is a native iPhone app (meaning it is installed on your iPhone), Google Tasks is a web-based app which works quite the same but sits on another server and is accessed through Mobile Safari on your iPhone.

Setup is done in 2 steps:

1. Log into your Gmail account and click Settings. From there, click Labs and then the Enable button next to Tasks. You’ll see a link to Tasks in the left sidebar of your Gmail account.

2. Grab your iPhone and point Mobile Safari to http://gmail.com/tasks. Once you’ve logged in, you’ll see the tasks you created on your computer.

You can create a task on either device as well as multiple lists, mark items as complete and clear completed tasks.

EccoNote Lite: FREE!

Are you getting tired of carrying around multiple gadgets to get you through your work day? Now there’s one less gadget to pack. Begin by tossing out that dated, digital voice recorder and download the free EccoNote Lite application for your iPhone.

When you don’t have an assistant to jot down minutes, just whip out your handy EccoNote-equipped iPhone and tap record. Set your iPhone down on the table and begin your meeting. You can record short notes, or make longer recordings; limited only by the space on your iPhone. Playback as many times as necessary and simply swipe the note to delete.

For more involved users, you can upgrade to EccoNote Pro so you can email the recordings to anyone anywhere. Simple Pause, Resume and Stop controls have also been added to playback in this version, so you have control over those longer notes.

Pennies: $3.99

And finally, my hands-down favourite app of them all: Pennies.

When it comes to budgeting and tracking my expenses, I’m a mess. Enter Pennies App: now all I need to do is define my monthly budget and add my expenses as I spend. Usually the latter would be incredibly tedious, but now I do so just within 3 steps:

1. Press “add expense”

2. Enter amount & category (same screen)

3. Press save

And that’s it!

It also has handy options for the poor individual lumped with the task of doing your financial books; such as exporting each month in a CSV format. And at any time you can view expenses from the current month or as many previous months you have entered to discover how you’re really spending (best to make sure you’re seated when doing this).

With its elegant interface and extreme ease of use, this one is a must.

[*All prices were correct at the time of publishing].