With over 50,000 iPhone apps to choose from, there's a mind-boggling number of ways to make your favorite device do just about anything you can imagine -- and almost certainly a few things you would never think of. While it's not hard to find apps for your iPhone or iPod Touch, it's frustratingly difficult to find the best ones. Best iPhone Apps guides the way, shining the light on over 200 gee-whiz apps that delight, empower, and entertain. Author Josh Clark stress-tested thousands of titles from the App Store emporium to hand-pick apps that will make the biggest difference in every aspect of your life: at work, on the town, at play, at home, and on the road. Capitalize on your time with genius productivity apps, or fritter it away with deliriously fun games. However you use your iPhone or iPod Touch, Best iPhone Apps shows you how to unlock its full potential and make the most of your glossy gadget. Apps to Help You:

• Get stuff done

• Connect with friends

• Play games

• Juggle documents

• Explore what's nearby

• Get in shape

• Travel the world

• Find new music

• Dine out

• Manage your money ...and much more!

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 19 Ratings

Good, brief Iphone App book - 2009-12-21
Reviewer Rating:
Let's face it, the Iphone is nothing without good apps to go with it. This book is laid out very well and easy to browse. The suggestions are ordered neatly by function. (And the author created the wonderful Couch to 5K program that has changed so many lives!)

If I had one complaint, it is that there are some apps that are free that could have been suggested, but the author chose to use pricier apps. Overall though, I am glad that I bought this for my work place and look forward to recommending it to others.

Provides Focus For iPhone Newbies - 2009-12-14
Reviewer Rating:
"Best iPhone Apps" is a short, very readable collection of representative iPhone apps for the iPhone newby who, like me, may be overwhelmed by the estimated 100,000 potential apps available (and still coming). It is written in a friendly, easy to read style that will appeal to the non-techies among us who just want some direction and focus in the various types of iPhone applications out there, whether for utility, entertainmaent, travel, or finance.

The book is filled with colorful illustrations, useful descriptions, screen snapshots on how-to-use them, and explanations and user tips for the over 200 applications presented. The book is broken into 7 color coded segments helping to keep things organized--which turns out to be especially useful since the author DID NOT include an index for easy locating and reference.

Section 1--At Work. This section contains utilities for handling documents, editing, databases etc. It also includes apps for phone calling and even one that turns your iPhone into a remote control.
Section 2--On The Town. These apps refer to wining and dining opportunities including a wine pairing selector, top restaurants, how to make cocktails and how to get reservations. Applications to find movies and get tickets are included here.
Section 3--At Leisure. These include apps for Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace interactions as well as news/media resources, and radio/music options.
Section 4--At Play. Here are samples of arcade games, puzzles, sporting games, and strategy games.
Section 5--At Home. This section includes apps on cooking, shopping, finding ATM's, car maintenance, and financial records.
Section 6--On The Road. Here you will find helpful apps for finding taxis, using subways, tracking air flights etc.
Section 7--For Your Health. The concluding section presents apps that deal with dieting/weight control, personal training, stress relief, and running and golfing (among others).

In conclusion, I recommend this effort for those who are new to the iPhone and seek a simple, colorful method to get acquainted with the whole concept of applications. Obvioulsy the author was forced to make choices on presenting only about 225 out of the tens of thousands of apps out there...but the book provides direction and some focus for the new members of the iPhone family.

Suzie Housley, Midwest Book Review - 2010-02-03
Reviewer Rating:
With the invention of the iPhone a new era in the technology world emerged. An iPhone is not a simple device that allows a person to make a call. Instead, this invention enables a user to discover new and exciting applications that can help simplify their life.

With over a thousand applications to choose from, a new user can quickly become overwhelmed at what to select to download for their phone. With Josh Clark's Best iPhone Apps: The Guide for Discriminating Downloaders he has conducted in-depth research that was needed to reveal the best applications that Apple has to offer.

The book is broken down into seven different categories that include:

-At Work

-On the Town

-At Leisure

-At Play

-At Home

-On the Road

-For Your Health

Each section highlights the best iPhone applications that relate to the topic. What I found impressive was each application listed the price and a short summary of its strengths. This book explored both free and paid applications. It allowed the reader to compare what they would receive from a paid to a free application.

Being a new owner of an iPhone, I was so impressed with this book. It offered me the knowledge I needed to get the most out of my phone. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is new to the iPhone or iPod Touch. The wealth of information contained in this one book is invaluable.

Great as an idea book... - 2010-01-31
Reviewer Rating:
for aspiring IPhone app writers. This was what I bought this book for and this is the way in which I use it. Thus, you may or may not be frustrated with it if you are looking for good apps to use, but I thought it was truly excellent as a means of prodding my imagination as a programmer, to see what is already out there, and to see how apps might be combined or improved upon. One reviewer said this book does not have an index, and I'm not sure what he/she is talking about, because it does have an index of sorts. The index consists of an alphabetical listing of IPhone apps, and from their names it is pretty easy to tell what most of them do. I can then turn to the page for that app, get an idea of what the interface looks like, and see if maybe a new app can be written that builds upon its capabilities or maybe it gives me inspiration for something completely new and different.

As far as books that give you "the best IPhone apps", I'm not sure why a user would buy such a book and expect the latest information. You're only going to find that with an online search. It rather reminds me of those "Internet Phone Books" that used to be published regularly back in the early web era of the mid 1990's. They were usually outdated as soon as they were published.

Thus, if you are a developer looking for ideas and user interface examples, I think it's great. If you're looking for a timely book for good apps in such a fast-paced environment as the IPhone, I don't think it is possible to write and publish such a book in a conventional fashion.

Good book, but a bit dated - 2010-01-07
Reviewer Rating:
This is a great book. It give a good description of the recommended iPhone apps and in most cases refers you to a website for more information. However, some of the material is outdated. It's not that the book is old, it's just that this information changes daily and honestly, it does not lend itself well to a book format. You are probably better off visiting the updated reviews of these kinds of apps on the MacLife or MacWorld websites. Still, if you prefer getting this sort of info from a book, you will find that 90% of the material is still valid and relevant. I don't regret the purchase, I'm just not sure I would do it the same way again.

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