fring http://www.fring.com

Skype http://www.skype.com

Setup:

This is one of those “does one thing well” apps. It’s very easy to get started. You either enter your existing Skype details or create a new account.

In use:

Your contacts list is presented in a similar way to the iPhone’s built in address book with an alphabet index down the right hand side. Two buttons at the top allow you to view just your Skype contacts or your entire address book. This makes it easy to use SkypeOut to call standard land lines. Alternatively you could press the call button at the bottom to dial a number that is not in your address book. Skype text chat is nicely presented with icons and speech bubbles, but no landscape keyboard.

All in all Skype is a nicely finished, competent app. It’s ideal if you only want to use the Skype service or you want to use it for free or low cost calls.

Palringo http://www.palringo.com

Services it works with:

MSN, AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, iChat / MobileMe, QQ, Gadu-Gadu and Facebook Chat (Alpha)

Setup

As with other multi service messengers you are first required to set up an account which ties together the various services you may belong to. Setting up a new account is reasonably straight forward, though its done through web pages that don’t feel like they have been optimised for a mobile device. An additional screen then allows you to add optional, additional  information. I just hit the save and done buttons and returned to the main application.

In use:

At first I was left wondering what to do next?. I had an empty buddy list and no obvious way of adding anyone apart from other Palringo contacts. I could hit the support button but instead opt for random button tapping until something looks familiar. I quickly find out how to add additional chat networks and return to my main contacts list.

Instant messages are sent in the usual way but again there is no landscape keyboard. Palringo say they have plans to implement this feature at some time in the future. Interestingly you can also send a voice message which can either be heard within the recipients Palringo app or via a web link. In addition to this you can send pictures, which is a nice feature that seems to be unique to this app.

Another unique feature of this app are its social groups. You can join a growing number of different groups each developed around a particular interest. If you can’t find the group you want, you can create one. I joined the itouch fans group. Once you have joined a group you have direct communication with all other members of that group.

Palringo isn’t quite as intuitive as the other messenger app’s but It does have some unique and interesting features.

To Conclude:

Its difficult to pick an app that really stands out above the rest. If I only wanted to use Skype or just wanted cheap calls I would probably go with the Skype app for its simplicity. Palringo is a fully featured app with some interesting functionality and a pro looking interface, but of the four, I feel most comfortable with Nimbuzz. It has a good feature set, is very easy to use and works with a large range of services.

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Ten iPhone apps I own and would recommend to a friend.

I have a friend who recently gave in to temptation and parted with some hard earned cash to buy a nice new iPod touch. I wasn’t with him at the time but we were soon exchanging notes via Skype. To be honest I’m not sure who was more excited. I found it hard to resist sending him a flood of messages telling of the great things he could do with his new toy. At one point in the conversation he wrote, “at some point if u don’t mind u could make me a list of useful software?”

I have just under a hundred apps on my touch and below are the first ten I would recommend to a friend. Some make the grade because they are so useful whilst others just score points on interest factor. I haven’t included any of the default apps. Lets start with the application that guides me through my daily tasks.

01 WhatTasks – To-Do application – http://www.whattasks.com

I recently discovered that the single thing that keeps me focused and prevents me from running around like a headless chicken is a short daily to-do list. Having tried quite a few to-do apps I settled on WhatTasks. This app seems to hit that sweet spot between being too complicated and too simple.

In its simplest form it can be used to create multiple basic to-do lists, but it is also feature rich enough to satisfy the needs of those who subscribe to the GTD management methodology. WhatTasks is available as a Lite and Pay version.

02 iThoughts – Mind mapping tool – http://www.ithoughts.co.uk

Mind mapping tools are a great way to note ideas in a logical and graphical manner. iThoughts is such a tool for the iPhone. It is easy to use and has import and export facilities that allow you to send files to and from your computer in a range of common formats.

03 FileMagnet – File transfer and viewer tool – http://magnetismstudios.com/FileMagnet/

FileMagnet can transfer files from your computer to your iPhone and allow you to easily view them. It consists of two parts; an app for the iPhone allowing you to view the files that have been transferred and an application for your Mac or PC allowing you to specify the files to transfer. Simply drag your files to a window and they get wirelessly transfered to your iPhone. If you don’t have FileMagnet open on your iPhone at the time they patiently wait in line until you do. FileMagnet can display many common file formats.

04 Remote Tap – Remote desktop application – http://www.readpixel.com/remotetap/

This is one of those app’s that I don’t think I will use very much but would willingly recommend to a friend just because of its wow factor. RemoteTap allows you to wirelessly view and control any Mac over your WiFi, 3G or EDGE. It is easy to set up and has been cleverly developed to provide features that make manipulating your desktop and applications on such a small screen relatively easy.

05 Instapaper – Read web pages offline – http://www.instapaper.com/iphone

Have you ever found a web page you want to read but don’t have time to read it? You could throw it to the abyss that is your bookmarks folder and forget about it, or you could use Instapaper. A simple but very useful idea consisting of a “Read Later” link in your browser tool bar enabling you to easily mark web pages you find interesting, plus an app on your iPhone enabling you to read those pages at any time. If you open your iPhone app whilst connected to a network it will download any new pages you have marked allowing you to read them offline later. Instapaper is available as a free and more advanced pay version

06 Stanza – eBook reader – http://www.lexcycle.com/

Stanza is a free, feature rich eBook reader. It connects to an online catalogue where you can download your book selections from thousands of free titles. Your library can then be organised within the app and displayed as lists or in a “cover flow” style similar to Apple’s iTunes. Many aspects of Stanza can be customized to suit your personal requirements including colors, contrast and print size. It is surprisingly comfortable to use and it is free.

07 Fring – Instant messenger – http://www.fring.com/

If you use any instant messaging services such as iChat, MSN, or Skype then you may find Fring Useful. Fring allows you to add many of the popular messaging services and removes the need to have multiple applications. Fring is free.

08 StarWalk – Astronomy application – http://vitotechnology.com/star-walk.html

This is a beautifully implemented application that puts the universe in your iPhone. It shows you a real time view of the sky based on your current location. You can rotate and zoom by dragging, tapping and pinching, clicking on any abject zooms in and provides additional data. One fascinating feature of this application is the ability to move through time backwards or forwards at any speed or jump to any time in the past or future. Watch the sky darken and the sun move below your feet as you fast forward through the hours.

09 Google Earth – A detailed photographic model of the Earth – http://www.google.com/mobile/apple/earth.html

This is another application that I haven’t really found much use for, but I still love it. There is something very seductive about being able to explore the entire globe in detail with a few taps and swipes of the finger. It is not as fully featured as its desktop counterpart but still rather good. Google Earth is free.

10 Remote – iTunes remote control – http://www.apple.com/itunes/remote/

Remote allows you to view and control your iTunes and Apple TV. It is incredibly quick and easy to set up and allows you full access to your libraries and all your playlists. Any currently playing media is displayed on the iPhone screen along with the usual transport controls and volume. Because Remote works via your WiFi it can be used in any room in your house so is more useful than a control requiring line of sight.

So there you have it. It was a difficult choice but of all the apps that I have on my touch these would be the first I would recommend. What’s your top App?

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