Certainly, you've been able to add applications to Windows smartphones for quite some time, but the process has been painful; you had to find the application, download it, sync your phone and hope it all worked, as there was no real approval authority. Moreover, you had to hit different sites to get different applications. The beauty of the App Store approach is that it's all centralised, pricing is clear, and in Australian dollars, and the installation procedure is extremely streamlined.
With over 500 applications at the time of writing it's tough to highlight every worthy contender. Certainly, casual games are proving popular, from classic titles like Tetris to Sega's addictive Super Monkey Ball, as well as more sedate pursuits such as Hold 'Em Poker. Total online junkies will appreciate embedded Facebook and Twitter, and those traveling may want to grab one of the free Talking Language phrasebooks, currently in French, German, Italian and Spanish. On the subject of Free applications, we found that the Free 'Moo' app is good for entertaining young children - it turns your iPhone 3G into one of those tipping cans that emit a loud 'Moo' sound when it tips. Silly, but fun regardless, and in any case it's free.
One of the best applications that Apple offers for the iPhone 3G also happens to be, like the best things in life, free. It's an in-house Apple app called 'Remote', which turns your iPhone 3G (or, if you've got one, your iPod Touch) into a remote control for Apple TV and iTunes library files located on the same wireless network. This gives you control over your music and video wherever you are, as long as your iPhone can see the wireless network (and after a very painless pairing procedure) you can search your libraries, play back files and even browse cover view for your albums. It's little surprise that it's consistently the most popular iPhone application available yet.
