I was at brunch Sunday with Richard, a good friend of mine and fellow iPhone user, when he asked to see my phone for some reason that I don't even remember now. I handed it over and he immediately said something to me that was along the lines of, "Oh, wow, you don't have very many apps." Oh, and there was a cringe. This comes after someone at brunch last week made fun of me for not having the 'Run Pee' app that tells you good times to go to the bathroom during a movie. My friend Tracy is pregnant and we were a little worried about her ability to last through Avatar after brunch. Honestly, I don't feel like I am missing something in my life by not having a lot of apps.
What apps do I have? Well, there are the basics that come standard, no surprises there. Of the ones I added to the mix are the social networking apps like Facebook and Tweetie. Pandora for my music. Wikipedia. Yahoo Fantasy '09 Football so I could keep up on the NFL and fantasy points on the go. (Did I mention that I beat all the guys at the office and won the Fantasy Football Superbowl?) I actually just deleted that app once I noticed it was still there and the season is over. I use Showtimes for movie times, RedLaser just because its fun to scan barcodes. Yelp was and is a major help when traveling and trying to find a good place to shop or eat. iHandy Level has come in handy once. Everything else is a game and some of those I downloaded to keep my 4 year old niece occupied, but others include Bejeweled 2, Frogger, Enigmo, Unblock, and DoodleJump. Altogether I have less than 3 full pages worth of apps. I've had others, but I either never used them, didn't like them, or felt ridiculous for having them in the first place. Are there apps that I should have and don't? Maybe. For me, the iPhone's value isn't in the app store. Yes, its nice to have and some of those apps make my life better or more enjoyable, but for me simply having a phone that gives me access to a camera, my photos, my music, my phone, the internet, e-mail, text messaging, and the internet is enough. The app store is a bonus, but I don't think it is what makes or breaks the phone. I am afraid if I have too many apps I won't use any of them. There is an app for that, but does there really need to be? Am I really missing out? If so, what apps do you think I should have that will change my life?