By now, most people have heard or even owned an Apple iPhone. With the whole world talking about it and other companies taking ideas from its successful release and sales (the most important of which is the large database of third party applications), it is very unlikely for someone not to know about it.
iPhone has started a revolution, and thanks to it we can now see and use other great mobile operating systems like Android and Windows 7 Phone. Developers finally caught on to the fact that the best way to make an OS popular and sell a lot of copies is to give users what they want and need. The iPhone did it with the great collection of third party apps on the marketplace, and the other OSes are copying this method with great success.
These applications allow people to use their smart phone however they want. Entrepreneurs, professionals and business people use it to manage their business and time, and most of the regular consumers use it mostly for its amazing multimedia capabilities (the iPhone was the first smart phone with a video out port and amazing 3D graphics in games).
Below you'll find a collection of some of the best multimedia apps, ranging from music to video to drawings and books.
Shazam. This is a great iPhone application for music lovers. It allows you to find out the name of a song that is playing on the radio, TV or even sung by you (as best as you can), using an integrated audio analyzer and a huge online database of songs. You can then download, tag, share the song on Twitter and Facebook, add it to a playlist and do other things. Shazam also lets you discover new songs that are similar to the ones you like, and in most cases, it does a pretty good job.
SlingPlayer Mobile. If you own an Apple TV, a SlingBox or other products by Sling Media, you will definitely find this application interesting. It allows you to view any show that you can view at home, using a Wi-Fi or 3G connection anywhere in the world. It basically connects to the SlingBox or Apple TV in your house and allows you to stream anything straight to your iPhone. You can also control your DVR and set it to record or play something whenever you want, wherever you are.
Cooliris. If you have seen Cooliris for Windows and Mac, you'll know that it looks fantastic and allows you to experience a new way of browsing through your local and any online files. The iPhone application is pretty much the same, only stand alone, and it is geared more towards offline application, although it works just as well for online searches and files. You can search, browse, open and share photos, videos and news items using a beautiful 3D interface and multi touch controls. You have to see it to understand what I'm talking about. The app is free, by the way, so there's no reason not to try it out.
Last.fm. Last.fm is the ultimate online destination for listening to radio broadcasts and music. Millions of people enjoy this service every day, and can't imagine living without it. The iPhone app brings all of the good things from Last.fm right into your pocket. All you need to do is create a free account and get access to over 5 million songs, streamed via 3G or a Wifi connection straight to your iPhone. While listening to a song, you can also view artist information, lyrics, upcoming concerts and ticket availability and other useful things. Last.fm also gives you recommendations of songs similar to the ones you are frequently listening to, and therefore, like.
Netflix. This is an app designed for the iPad, but it works well on the iPhone, too. It is the official Netflix app for the iTunes store, and you can use it to stream TV shows, movies and other stuff from Netflix (you'll need a subscription, which is pretty cheap nowadays). You can also control your DVD order queue if you are still renting DVDs for home viewing. Pretty great app, especially when you travel.
Brushes. This is an amazing "finger painting" application for the iPhone. You can use it to paint anything you want, using realistic colors and brushes. The results can be pretty amazing in the right hands, as demonstrated by this painting by Jorge Colombo for the June 1, 2009 edition of The New Yorker magazine. If you are an art school student or are just really into painting, you should definitely check out this application. Brushes is pretty cheap for what it can do, at only $4.99.
Stanza. This is a great free book reading application for the iPhone. If you like to occasionally read a book, you should know that you don't have to invest a couple of hundred dollars into a dedicated eBook reader like the Kindle or the iPad, especially if you don't wan to carry them around. Your iPhone can do the task pretty well, too. Stanza allows you to select the font, size and other text parameters to make your reading easier and it has a night mode (white text on black background) that is really useful when reading in the dark. As the app is free and you have access to over 50,000 free books from the Gutenberg project, there's really no reason not to check it out. The paid books collection is also impressive, containing almost all of the most popular books on the market.
You should definitely check the above applications out and try them. I am sure you'll like at least half of them and decide to keep them. But if you're not satisfied with them, remember that there are literally hundreds more iPhone apps for multimedia on the marketplace, and you can easily find them by searching for what you need.
iPhone has started a revolution, and thanks to it we can now see and use other great mobile operating systems like Android and Windows 7 Phone. Developers finally caught on to the fact that the best way to make an OS popular and sell a lot of copies is to give users what they want and need. The iPhone did it with the great collection of third party apps on the marketplace, and the other OSes are copying this method with great success.
These applications allow people to use their smart phone however they want. Entrepreneurs, professionals and business people use it to manage their business and time, and most of the regular consumers use it mostly for its amazing multimedia capabilities (the iPhone was the first smart phone with a video out port and amazing 3D graphics in games).
Below you'll find a collection of some of the best multimedia apps, ranging from music to video to drawings and books.
Shazam. This is a great iPhone application for music lovers. It allows you to find out the name of a song that is playing on the radio, TV or even sung by you (as best as you can), using an integrated audio analyzer and a huge online database of songs. You can then download, tag, share the song on Twitter and Facebook, add it to a playlist and do other things. Shazam also lets you discover new songs that are similar to the ones you like, and in most cases, it does a pretty good job.
SlingPlayer Mobile. If you own an Apple TV, a SlingBox or other products by Sling Media, you will definitely find this application interesting. It allows you to view any show that you can view at home, using a Wi-Fi or 3G connection anywhere in the world. It basically connects to the SlingBox or Apple TV in your house and allows you to stream anything straight to your iPhone. You can also control your DVR and set it to record or play something whenever you want, wherever you are.
Cooliris. If you have seen Cooliris for Windows and Mac, you'll know that it looks fantastic and allows you to experience a new way of browsing through your local and any online files. The iPhone application is pretty much the same, only stand alone, and it is geared more towards offline application, although it works just as well for online searches and files. You can search, browse, open and share photos, videos and news items using a beautiful 3D interface and multi touch controls. You have to see it to understand what I'm talking about. The app is free, by the way, so there's no reason not to try it out.
Last.fm. Last.fm is the ultimate online destination for listening to radio broadcasts and music. Millions of people enjoy this service every day, and can't imagine living without it. The iPhone app brings all of the good things from Last.fm right into your pocket. All you need to do is create a free account and get access to over 5 million songs, streamed via 3G or a Wifi connection straight to your iPhone. While listening to a song, you can also view artist information, lyrics, upcoming concerts and ticket availability and other useful things. Last.fm also gives you recommendations of songs similar to the ones you are frequently listening to, and therefore, like.
Netflix. This is an app designed for the iPad, but it works well on the iPhone, too. It is the official Netflix app for the iTunes store, and you can use it to stream TV shows, movies and other stuff from Netflix (you'll need a subscription, which is pretty cheap nowadays). You can also control your DVD order queue if you are still renting DVDs for home viewing. Pretty great app, especially when you travel.
Brushes. This is an amazing "finger painting" application for the iPhone. You can use it to paint anything you want, using realistic colors and brushes. The results can be pretty amazing in the right hands, as demonstrated by this painting by Jorge Colombo for the June 1, 2009 edition of The New Yorker magazine. If you are an art school student or are just really into painting, you should definitely check out this application. Brushes is pretty cheap for what it can do, at only $4.99.
Stanza. This is a great free book reading application for the iPhone. If you like to occasionally read a book, you should know that you don't have to invest a couple of hundred dollars into a dedicated eBook reader like the Kindle or the iPad, especially if you don't wan to carry them around. Your iPhone can do the task pretty well, too. Stanza allows you to select the font, size and other text parameters to make your reading easier and it has a night mode (white text on black background) that is really useful when reading in the dark. As the app is free and you have access to over 50,000 free books from the Gutenberg project, there's really no reason not to check it out. The paid books collection is also impressive, containing almost all of the most popular books on the market.
You should definitely check the above applications out and try them. I am sure you'll like at least half of them and decide to keep them. But if you're not satisfied with them, remember that there are literally hundreds more iPhone apps for multimedia on the marketplace, and you can easily find them by searching for what you need.
Source by Craig Thornburrow
