5 Raddest iPhone Apps

By Ned Hepburn on December 16th, 2008

Obviously, a lot of people are going to be getting an iPhone for Christmas. Here’s the best and the baddest (and i mean ‘bad’ in the Shaft/Jackie Brown way) apps in the iTunes app store.

1. Camerabag
Ever wanted to take a step up from ‘oh hey this is some random blah-de-blah’ and make your photos actually look like you have tons of money? This is the tits. You take a picture, load it into Camerabag, and HUZZAH it makes it look like you actually have a Holga Camera (retail value: $300). And all these other super rad cameras. And you only spent $1 on it. Holy crap.

2. Four Track
While I’m sure that some cap-wearing megaBro has already used this iPhone app to record Dave Mattews songs for some Lane Bryant stretch pant wearing trixie, this app can also be used for the forces of good. For $10, its a very usable four track recorder. Do you have a tamborine? Would you like to record a tambourine track over your ill-advised cover of ‘Feelings’ you did at 3am after mixing Nyquil with Redbull? Well now you can, dear reader. Now you can.

3. Tumblrette
Do you have a Tumblr? you don’t? Ever wanted like EVERYONE to know that you thought Shark Week was “totes cool”? Admittedly sharing every single thought you have in real time can get annoying for everyone else, but if that’s you, hey, I can’t fault that. Get this app (for $2) and it’ll be your cause-du-celebre; making you the poster boy of every 15 year old girl ever who finds your musings on “wtf are my keys o there they r” brilliant and life changing.

4. Shazam
This is some straight Jetsons stuff right here. If you spend a lot of time in your car listening to random radio stations (like I do, because I live in Los Angeles), you’ve probably wondered a millionfuckingtimes “hey which Eddie Money song is this?”. And now all you do is hold your phone up to the speakers with this app on and it will tell you. Its brilliant. God should make this standard in humans whenever he releases Human 2.0.

5. MixMeister Scratch
Do you fancy yourself a regular Z-Trip and feel like scratching over your NPR ‘All Things Considered’ podcast? Well now you can. Sure, it gets a little annoying that the only voice sample they have is a guy saying “the atomic bomb” over and over, but man, there is nothing more satisfying than scratching over Garrison Keiller’s podcasts. There really isn’t. Oh, you can use this with any song on your iPhone (just play the song then exit out and go into Scratchmeister), but I’m the kind of douchebag that thinks “A Prarie Home Companion” sounds better with some turntable scratching. And now everyone within earshot will be subjected to my whims! Fucking brilliant.