Not everyone has an iPhone… just 80% of the people who contributed to this article

isixt iphone app en 03 An App a Day Helps You Work, Rest and PlayMost of the staff handling the blog at Sixt have one of 2 phones, the majority are firmly set in the iPhone camp whereas I’m cutting my own path with an Android powered smart phone. But there’s one thing that unites us, our love of downloadable programmes that make our life a bit easier or more fun. Mobile Applications, or Apps as pretty much every technophile knows them, are currently one of the biggest buzzwords in the world of “smartphones”. These can range from handy programmes like Adobe’s Photoshop.com for Mobile, which is a cut-down version of the famous photo-editing suite, to gaming timekillers like the selection available from PopCap.

iSixt – our own App

iSixt appSixt have their own mobile app “iSixt” and have recently released the latest version across multiple phone platforms with improved functionality and in the case of BlackBerry owners; brand new features like Online Check-In and allowing comments or requests to be added to your reservation. Both the iPhone and Android based phones have had improvements made to the search functionality and a route planner.

Which ones do we like?

In the case of most apps, you don’t realise how much they make life a little easier or how much is functionality they can open up on your phone until you’ve downloaded and tested. So with all of this in mind we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite Apps, ranging from the extremely useful to the occasionally silly, to try and help you get some of the best apps available across the different platforms.

  1. Google (iPhone) £Free

    2. The most popular of the search engines in Europe also provide a number of additional services through this app for the iPhone, including maps, product search and Gmail. Android users have these services already included within their operating system.

  2. Guardian (iPhone) £2.39

    3. This app from the the UK’s most media savvy newspaper keeps you up-to-date with the latest goings on throughout the world with news reports and articles from well known writers like Charlie Brooker.

  3. Tweetdeck (iPhone) £Free or Twidroid (Android) £Free for the non PRO version

    4. For those who like to tweet on the move both of these apps allow users to check their feeds and update their followers on the latest goings on.

  4. Qype Radar (iPhone) £Free

    5. By using the qype radar app you are able to find local businesses and services most of which have been reviewed by people who have been there.

  5. Reality Browser 3.0 by Layar (Android) £Free

    6. Augmented reality is one of the latest technologies being employed on smart phones. By generating virtual imagery and integrating it with the phone’s camera display depending on its position people can see reviews of local businesses or see where people are tweeting from in their local area.

  6. Talk to Me (Android) £Free

    7. This powerful translation tool translates English into multiple languages and can even help with pronunciation of words due to its text to voice convertor.

  7. Red Laser (iPhone) $0.99 or Barcode Scanner (Android) £Free

    8. The ideal app for bargain hunters, by simply reading the barcode on any product that you pick up Red Laser and the Barcode Scanner can quickly bring up price comparisons ensuring that you always get the best price for goods.

  8. Photoshop for mobile (both) £Free

    9. For designers and photographers around the world the name Photoshop is synonymous with high quality design and photo editing. On your mobile you get a slimmed down version with a few key features to improve the quality of the photos you take with your camera and can even add filters to your images to control the saturation and tint of the light on your photographs.

  9. 20 Minute Meals (iPhone) $7.99

    10. Famous television chef Jamie Oliver gives simple instructional videos on how to cook a large variety of meals. Working through each meal step by step you can quickly pick up recipes to impress friends and guests.

  10. beebplayer (Android) £Free and iPlayer (iPhone)

    11. The BBC are working hard to enable their acclaimed media viewer for smartphones, currently the iPhone is the only phone that has had its own release of the player but the broadcaster are working on other versions for both the Android and Blackberry platform. For Android users at the moment the beebplayer app is the best on the marketplace.

  11. Engadget (both) £Free

    12. Engadget is one of the leading technology sites on the Internet, their app allows quick access to Engadget, Engadget Mobile, Engadget HD and the numerous podcasts and galleries that are regularly posted on the site.

  12. Vouchercloud (iPhone) £Free

    13. A fantastic little app that takes your location and shows you the latest deals and offers in the surrounding area. When you have clicked onto one of the offers it provides the code required for your discount.

  13. Spotify (both) £9.99 per month premium subscription required

    14. Streaming music application allows you to create your own playlists from a huge library of artists, from Beethoven to Lady GaGa.

  14. Bloomberg (iPhone) £Free

    15. Gives you the latest price updates from all across the world markets, ideal for finance director or for those with a stock portfolio.

  15. Peggle (iPhone) $2.99

    16. Inspired by the Japanese game Pachinko this amazing little game will suck the hours out of your day as you try to beat the difficult challenges set before you, desperate to hear Beethoven’s Ode to Joy belting out of your phone as your ball hits the final peg on the level. Initially simple to get and play, but requiring a combination of skill, tactics and elements of luck, the depth of the game is not fully uncovered until you have unlocked all of the different characters. The makers of the game PopCap also have a large number of other games to choose from if Peggle doesn’t quite sound like the game for you.

  16. Google voice search (both) £Free

    17. Combining Google’s impressive search engine with voice recognition software enables searching on the fly simply by talking clearly into your phone. The only problem we’ve encountered is it does struggle translating people with a German accent.

  17. Sky Sports Football Score Centre (iPhone) £Free

    18. Providing the latest football updates including live score updates and match reports for all games. Users can also select specific matches to receive updates for, rather than updating the whole league and losing the matches you are most interested in.

  18. Sky + (iPhone) £Free

    19. This excellent app, for Sky+ and Sky+HD subscribers, gives you full access to the TV listings for the week. The biggest feature is enabling customers to remotely set their Sky+ boxes to record programmes that they may miss.

  19. Shazam (iPhone) £Free

    20. The perfect companion for people who go to pub quizzes with music rounds. Simply start the application when music is playing and it will tell you the song and artist.

  20. Google Maps (both) £Free

    21. Google’s powerful maps application enables route planning and displays local services and businesses based on GPS data. Users of Android 2.0 and above can also use the application as satellite navigation.

This list is by no means definitive and with the number of apps being released on a daily basis there are plenty of hidden gems out there that could be added. If you do find anything that you think is worth a mention add it in the comments at the bottom of the page.

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