Trick Out Your New iPhone 2.0 With These Web Apps

Not sure if you heard, but Apple released the iPhone 2.0 at WWDC yesterday. The 3G version of the handset comes with GPS, is thinner and the 8GB model comes with a price drop to $199 to match its slimmer profile, and software developers are already chomping at the bit to get a piece of the iPhone pie.

But your new iPhone just wouldn't be complete if you didn't have a slew of slick new Web apps to show off to your jealous friends. Getting the latest news from NPR, cheats for Grand Theft Auto IV and following your hometown team keeps getting easier.

Let's take a look at some of the cool Web apps you can use on that new iPhone 2.0.

NPR Mobile by Crisp Wireless



Getting the latest news everyday can be an addiction. NPR junkies aren't really that rare, but finding time to listen to Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me or Car Talk can be rare in the summer. NPR Mobile is a Web application for the iPhone that gets you the latest news from NPR through its mobile site. Breaking news doesn't take a break to go on a run or tend to the garden, and with NPR Mobile, you won't have to take a break from the headlines either.

Picasa Web Albums Mobile by Google

Snapping photos with a phone is nothing new, but sometimes those pictures fill up the memory card and have to be deleted or just get lost in the shuffle. The Picasa Web app from Google makes photo sharing and organizing easier on your new iPhone. Snap, upload, share and browse, all with Picasa.

OVS by Nuance

Nuance Communications has just announced a prototype voice search application for the iPhone, codenamed OVS. By using open voice search (OVS) the hassle of opening a browser and shuffling through Web pages is avoided. Nuance's search lets your voice do it all for you, without having to take time to train the phone. Want to find a Starbucks in downtown Chicago? Just ask: "Where is there a Starbucks on Michigan Ave?" OVS will search the Net quickly and accurately and give an answer.

Elegant Words: The Ubiquitous Dictionary by Elegant Technologies

Lugging around a clunky dictionary is for English majors in college, print reporters and people stuck in the 90's. For the word savvy techie there is Elegant Words: The Ubiquitous Dictionary. By loading this Web application on your iPhone, you'll never be at a loss for the right word. Impress your friends with your broad vocabulary and when you see the jealousy in their eyes you can actually hand them the definition for "Schadenfreude."

PimpMyNews by PimpYourNews



It's so easy to turn the iPhone into an Internet reading, news reporting machine. (Wait, it isn't already?) PimpMyNews is a mobile application that crawls the Web, reading over 1,000 of the top blogs and news stories then converts them into "near human sounding" audio. What exactly "near human" means, we can't be sure, but getting information that isn't readily available in audio does sound like a cool trick. Now you can get the news you want whereever you want, and you won't even have to strain your eyes reading.

Reader by DB Element

Taking a good book on a vacation is a must. Between waiting for a plane or sitting on a train, it's easy to pass your downtime by reading. Carrying those books around, however, can be heavy and take up valuable space in your luggage. Reader by DB Element frees up space in the suitcase by loading your reading material on the iPhone. Text manipulation and night mode make the reading experience easy -- as long as you can get past not having to flip a page.

New York City Live by CNYCLive.com

Feeling homesick for New York City? Never been to the Big Apple, but you want to see what everyday people are getting up to right now? New York City Live for the iPhone taps you into a Webcam placed in Greenwich Village and lets you see exactly what's happening in the neighborhood. Currently, there are two cameras to choose from, one on Christopher Street and the other in Village Cigars.

Compass by PietJonas

It might not be a GPS, but it is a basic navigation tool that always comes in handy. Compass, by PietJonas loads a basic compass onto your iPhone to help you find the way. Using it is easy. Find the Sun and figure out which direction is north and the application does the rest. As an added bonus, you won't have to worry about strange magnetic anomalies throwing the compass off direction.

Streaming Music from Last.fm

Listening to music shouldn't be limited to just brand new iPhones. MobileScrobbler provides streaming music from Last.FM to your unlocked iPhone with Firmware 1.1.1 or higher. Plugging into Last.FM, a social music Website lets you create a fresh playlist customized to individual tastes. There's no reason to listen to the playlists you made last year when fresh music is just a couple of clicks away. Don't like a song? Ban it, and Last.FM will update your preferences to keep the music you want to hear streaming to your iPhone.

Utopia Solitaire by Talee Talee

Getting a new iPhone is a lot like opening a new present on Christmas -- it can't always be socks and savings bonds. Utopia Solitaire by Talee Talee provides an easy way to kill a little bit of down time with the classic card game. Utopia features one or three card draw depending on how you like to play and, when registered, records high scores as well. Just press the deal button and touch and drag the cards you want to use in your game.