The iPhone: iLike It

Laura and I both got iPhones the day after Christmas. Mine will replace my Palm PDA, my phone, and my iPod so I won't have to carry three devices anymore. Right now its still new so it still has that "new toy" feel to it. However, it has already become a very nice productivity tool for me. Part of making it a productivity tool has been acquiring useful applications--some free, some at a small cost--from the iTunes App Store. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Todo - a nice task manager with repeats, due dates, multiple categories, etc. It also syncs with either Toodledo or Remember the Milk, two web-based task managers. I use Toodledo because it is free.
   
2. SplashID - a very good manager for passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, lock combinations, and any other secret information. It stores it behind a single password and is 256-bit encrypted. It also syncs with a desktop version of the application since you generally don't want to keep this kind of information on the web.
   
3. My Lists - a simple list manager that has nice aesthetics. I don't use this for tasks but for other kinds of lists, such as what I need to pack for a business trip. This app is only $0.99 and is well worth it.
4. Lose It! - this is a food and exercise log with quite a large database of foods and exercises. It is the nicest free app I've seen and very well designed.
   
5. Mach Dice - a free dice throwing utility. OK, this one is mostly for fun, but it is useful if playing a game where dice are required but throwing dice is not convenient (e.g., in a car). It's just a really good use of the iPhone's accelerometer. Just shake the iPhone slightly and the dice roll around very realistically.
6. SnapTell - a very useful utility when shopping for DVDs, CDs, video games, or books. Snap a picture of a DVD, CD, video game, or book with this app and it will show you online prices and local prices at a number of different stores, as well as eBay results, reviews, and more. This app is free, also.
   
7. Byline - an offline RSS reader that syncs with Google Reader. I use it to read news, blogs, etc. that I'm subscribed to. Since I use Google Reader, having it sync with Google Reader was something I was looking for. I could use Google Reader via the browser on the iPhone but I am going to be on a trip soon where I will have to use my iPhone totally offline on the plane.