As a mostly ecstatic new iPhone owner, I've spent considerable time checking out--you guessed it--the hundreds of freebie apps available from iTunes. Here's a list of seven I'm loving right now. (Note: all links are for iTunes.)
- AroundMe Instantly find nearby banks, gas stations, coffee shops, and other businesses and services.
- Dashbuster Manage your Blockbuster or Netflix queue anytime, anywhere. Great for those times when a friend recommends a movie and you think, "Yeah, I gotta rent that."
- Movies This Flixster-powered app finds cineplexes near you, then serves up show times, trailers, and even upcoming theater and DVD releases.
- Google Earth Like the desktop version? The iPhone app is even cooler because it can pinpoint your current location and "tilt" your view as your tilt your phone.
- Joost Though buggy and crash-prone in its first release, Joost brings a boatload of free streaming TV shows and movies to your iPhone. Just one catch: it requires a Wi-Fi connection.
- Melodis Voice Dialer No voice dialing on the iPhone? No problem. Just press and hold a button to voice-search for contacts, or say "call" and then a name to auto-dial. Best freebie dialer I've seen (or spoken to) yet.
- TapDefense It's an iPhone version of the mega-popular Tower Defense game. Need I say more? (Productivity be damned!)