Far beyond being mere communication devices, our phones have become essential tools that can legitimately help us get through the daily grind.
Today we’re going to walk you through a day in the life of an app-addicted iPhone owner. We’ll look at apps for waking up in the morning, laying down at night and everything in between. Best of all, they’re all free!
Alarm Clock Free
“Alarm Clock Free turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a beautiful digital clock and alarm clock for free! It even displays live, local weather conditions and temperature that makes you know about the weather immediately when you wake up.”
The first significant thing you do every single day is of course waking up! Right from the start, your iPhone is there to help you out. There are a number of free alarm clock apps for the iPhone but Alarm Clock Free is definitely one of the more attractive options, the simulated digital clock interface is pixel perfect. It’s not all about looks though, the app has plenty of helpful features as well such as multiple alarms and even local weather so you can decide what to put on when you drag yourself over to the closet.
If you want something a little more powerful, check out Alarmed, a free app that doesn’t look so great but contains top-notch functionality.
Alarm Clock Free
RunKeeper
“RunKeeper uses the GPS technology found in the iPhone to track your fitness activity, giving you comparable results to an expensive GPS watch. Now, you can also enter your activities manually, including your treadmill runs too!”
Once you’re up and out of bed, it’s time to get moving. Many people like to start their day with a quick jog to stay in shape and get their blood flowing. RunKeeper is a fantastic app for keeping track of your jogging routines. You can track how far you went, how long it took, what your pace/speed was, how many calories you burned, and the path you traveled on a map.
RunKeeper
Traffic.com
“Take control of your commute with real-time traffic information from the #1 U.S. traffic-only website for online and mobile traffic information. With the Traffic.com app, you will have the pulse of the road at your fingertips, whenever and wherever you need it.”
After your morning routine is complete, it’s time for the first half of your daily commute. For city dwellers, driving to work can be an immensely frustrating task due to the inevitable traffic-stopping events that occur daily. Be sure to have a look at your iPhone before you leave so you can avoid the most congested areas.
Traffic.com
Wunderlist
“Sync your tasks over the air and share your lists with friends and colleagues. Organize your to-do lists on the go and synchronize it with your free Wunderlist account between Windows, Mac and the iPad.”
Once you finally make it to work, you need to check out and plan your daily goals. I know I’m always ranting about Wunderlist, but there’s simply no better free way to manage your tasks right now. The interface is gorgeous, the functionality is a good balance between powerful and simple, and everything you do is automatically synced to every other Wunderlist app you use (web, Mac, Windows, iPad, iPhone and Android).
Wunderlist
Simplenote
“People are using Simplenote to keep notes, lists, ideas and more. Your notes automatically synchronize with your computer and all your devices. It’s extremely easy to use. For those who want more power, you can also use tags, pins, versions, and sharing.”
Task managers are nice, but as I work and go throughout my day, I need something to jot down my thoughts into. Whether it’s a random scrap of information like a password, an idea, a list or any other text-based information, I put it all in Simplenote where it can be easily tagged and searched. As with Wunderlist, I use it because it’s free and syncs to both web and desktop apps.
Simplenote
iheartradio
“iheartradio delivers over 750 of America’s favorite radio stations right to your iPhone or iPod Touch. Bookmark your favorite stations, tag songs for purchase on iTunes and view lyrics to your favorite songs.”
If you’re like me, you need some audio stimulation to get you through the work day. Whether you’re into talk and news radio or want some mad beats to pump through your headphones, iheartradio has you covered. Since I’ve moved around a little in recent years, I really like that I can create a list of my favorite radio stations from all over the country.
Also be sure to check out TuneIn Radio, another free radio app. I like the available stations better on iheartradio but TuneIn has a nicer interface and some impressive features like alarm clock functionality.
iheartradio
WHERE
“Join more than 4 million people who rely on WHERE everyday to answer the question, ‘Where should I go next?’”
After a few hours of slaving away, it’s time for the best part of your work day: lunch! WHERE is one of a million free apps that will help you discover new and delicious places to eat in your area. Get personalized recommendations based on what you like, get exclusive deals and Bump phones with a friend to find a place you both like.
WHERE
Recipe, Menu & Cooking Planner
“Pepperplate is the only app for serious cooks, it has all the tools you need to cook weeknight dinners or host a dinner party for 12. Manage your recipes, create menus, shop with ease and cook like a pro with multiple timers on your iPad and iPhone.”
Once you finish lunch, you blitz through the rest of the day and finally make it home. At this point, it’s time to start thinking about dinner. Pepperplate Recipe, Menu & Cooking Planner is the ultimate free cooking assistant. With it you can import, manage and share your favorite recipes, create shopping lists and cooking timers and even combine recipes into a menu for the evening. If you’re planning a dinner with friends, this is a great app to check out.
Recipe, Menu & Cooking Planner
Peel – Personal TV Show Guide
“Peel is a free guide that learns TV shows you like and suggests top picks to watch on TV.”
Dinner is finished, the dishes are in the dishwasher, it’s time to sit down and relax in front of the television for a few hours. Gone are the days of thumbing through paper TV guides to see what’s on, apps like Peel not only have comprehensive guides of everything that’s showing the stations that you have, they’re intelligent enough to make suggestions for new shows that you would like based on your interests.
Peel – Personal TV Show Guide
Relax Melodies
“Relax Melodies is the leader in personalized relaxation and sleep assistance. No more insomnia for you! Tension is a thing of the past! Just custom mix your favorite sounds from a selection of 35, then slip naturally into a relaxed state or a deep, rejuvenating sleep.”
Our long day has come to an end. Like many people, I have a strange quirk that makes it nearly impossible for me to sleep in complete silence. My iPhone makes the perfect sound machine to pump the room full of constant and relaxing noise to lull me into slumber. Relax Melodies has a whopping 35 sounds to choose from and integrates both alarm and timer functions. If you’re having trouble sleeping and want a free solution, this should be your first stop.
Relax Melodies
Which Apps Get You Through the Day?
The combination of the App Store and an ingenious community of hardworking developers has made being an iPhone owner an unbeatable experience. The range of uses that you can get out of your phone grows by leaps and bounds every day and if anything you’re like me, you can’t get enough.
Leave a comment below and describe your day in apps. From morning until evening, which amazing utilities could you not live without?