• NetNewsWire: Clearly I have an RSS addiction. This is the way I track what is going on in the field, in academia, and the world at large. While there are several RSS reader options, I prefer NetNewsWire. The ability to sync across multiple computers, plus read while offline, and save clippings (which also sync) are crucial for my work flow. I would like the ability to share items (i.e. GoogleReader) but the other features make NNW my choice.
• Twittelator: Again no secret but I use twitter for a range of academic and personal functions. There are many iPhone twitter apps, but this is my favorite (I actually purchased the pro version). Others I know use Twitterific, or Tweetsville, but the copy and past feature for retweeting got me hooked on this one early, and just haven’t found a reason to change.
• TextGuru: I tried several “mini-word processor” apps for the iPhone and this one ended up winning the prize. Not that I intend to compose a chapter or article on the iPhone or anything, but having a way to type or edit a document does come in handy. This one handles a wide range of formats, and most importantly allows input in landscape mode, which makes typing a whole heck of a lot easier. You can also transfer files wirelessly between your computer and the iPhone.
• Snatch: Simple and exactly what I wanted. When the iPhone apps first came out I was disappointed to learn that Remote only worked for iTunes and FrontRow (stupid). Seriously, all I wanted was a replacement for that stupid IR remote that meant I had to stand behind my computer when presenting. Snatch allows you to use the iPhone as remote control for the mouse/trackpad, or just a clicker. I also gave StageHand a shot, and it has the added feature of providing your presenting notes to you on the iPhone, but really all I wanted was a clicker.
• Wikiamo: Of course I want access to Wikipedia anywhere. Again, I tried out several applications, and while I wish Wikiamo had collapsable sections like iPedia+, it is simply much faster, and remembers past searches.
• OmniFocus: Expensive, but syncs with OmniFocus on my computer and provides location aware contexts. GTD FTW.
• Evernote: I haven’t fully leveraged the power of this app yet, but I still use it to record, take quick pictures, and generally preserve things in the short term that I might want to access later.
• WordPress: Again not like I am going to be doing any long blogging from the iPhone, but since I use blogs to organize/run my classes, this app lets me update them from anywhere.
• SnapTell: This is one of those “magic” how does that possibly work apps. Take a picture of a book (DVDs and Video Games also work), the application accesses the internet, looks-up said book and tells you where it is for sale on the internet. Seriously, from just a picture it can “read” the title and look it up. I use this less for online shopping and more to take pictures of books I want to order later, check out from the library etc. Forget having to write down or type the title, just snap the picture.

What did I miss? Leave it in the comments.

The significant change this last week in the iPhone though was not GPS or 3G network access, but rather the ability to put applications on the phone, allowing users to customize the phone and drastically increase its usefulness. I have had the iPhone since last year and noticed it allowed me to leave my computer at home a lot more, and now with applications I can see this being even more the case. There are a lot of educational possibilities for something like this once more students and instructors have access to mobile computing devices, but for now I thought I would mention the iPhone applications which have a place on my mobile computer already. Most are free, or really cheap. (Note: I have more apps than those listed here, but these are the ones that I already use for academic purposes, or know I will once the semester starts.)

• BookZ ($1.99): Reading books on a mobile device (Kindle, Sony eReader) doesn’t quite measure up to the analog device yet, the user interface for the paper copy is still significantly better. That having been said, it is still useful for me to carry around a book or two on the phone to read, or consult when needed. While there are several book readers already available for the iPhone, of the ones I tried this was my favorite. The ability to customize the font size and type is perhaps the most important feature. Now anywhere I go I can get a text from Project Gutenberg and read away. I even read Doctorow’s Little Brother this way.
• Twitterific (free): No surprise here given my appreciation for microblogging. Hopefully an application like Twhirl which handles multiple microblogging services will soon be available for the iPhone.
• WordPress (free): Since I use blogs as my basic course management software having access to them via my mobile device is important if I want to rely only on my phone. Now I can post class updates, amend prior posts etc, all without a computer. WordPress supports multiple blogs, making it easy to post to all of my classes. I was hoping for MarsEdit mobile but this will do for now.
• NetNewsWire (free):Still a little buggy, and it doesn’t have all the feature I want, but I can now keep up with The Chronicle, Inside Higher Ed, and all of the blogs I follow from anywhere.
• OmniFocus ($19.99): Okay I know what you are thinking $20 for a phone application. But Omni makes great software, and the ability to carry my GTD sorted todo list with me anywhere and have it sync to my computer at home is worth the price. Couple that with location aware contexts (“I see you are on campus, here are the things you need to do”) and you have the killer todo application.
• Wikipedia (free): This is the only web app (i.e. you don’t download this from the store it is just a webpage to access) on my list. Wikipedia anywhere is useful but this bookmark goes to a web optimized version.
• FileMagnet ($4.99): FileMagnet lets you transfer files from your computer to your iPhone. In other words carry your syllabi with you everywhere, or any .pdf file for that matter.

(Brief mention for my favorite non-work related iPhone app: Urbanspoon.)

Any other academically useful iPhone apps? or requests for apps?

Update: Liberal Education today links to some of the more science oriented apps.