Thousands of people are walking around this planet with iPhones in their purses and pockets because, well, they're iPhones. Having one is basically a status symbol, like owning the BMW of smart phones. But these same people are often the ones who simply use the Apple product to make calls, send texts, check e-mails and occasionally surf the Web.
That's balderdash! If you had a BMW, you'd want to take it out to a deserted road and see what the car could do. The same goes for the iPhone. The remarkable little device is largely under-utilized by most of its owners. It's time to see what this smart phone is capable of.
There's no better way of testing your iPhone than downloading some new apps -- some free, handy new apps. Let's start with 10 that will make your life a little more convenient, if not far more interesting.
RedLaser
Andrea Woroch, a money-saving expert who has been featured on "Good Morning America," NBC's "Today" and "The Dr. OZ Show," highly recommends this app for any bargain shopper out there.
"The barcode scanning app provides instant price comparisons on your smart phone so you know where to find the same goods for less," Ms. Woroch says.
The app turns your iPhone's camera into a multi-functional scanner that works on both bar codes and QR codes. Before you even think about buying that pair of shoes or a new TV in person, scan (or manually enter) the product's bar code. RedLaser spits out the best prices available both online and in brick-and-mortar shops nearby. You can click "BUY NOW" to go directly to the website with the bargain price or you can get directions to the local store with the deal.
Dashlane
Emmanuel Schalit, CEO of the upstart app Dashlane, says the Internet is full of friction that really shouldn't be there.
"Registering for new accounts, logging in on your favorite websites, even worse, checking out on an e-commerce website -- all of these actions require you to enter the same information over and over again, to remember things you should never have to remember. This is already a major pain on PCs and Macs, but it's simply unbearable on mobile devices that do not have a keyboard," he says. "Dashlane removes that friction."
Dashlane is a well-designed, secure app that acts as a digital wallet backup, password manager and more. It automatically saves information from when you make purchases online, so you don't have to keep track of them via the usual e-mail confirmations. The data that Dashlane stores remains encrypted until you unlock the app, and it can sync all of your important information across multiple devices, including your iPhone.
iHeartRadio
With this app, you can choose any one of 1,500 live radio stations to stream, even if you're not within the radio signal's reach (iHeartRadio pulls from a digital feed, not a standard radio signal). That can come in handy in severe weather.
"Charge your iPhone before a storm, and if the power goes out, you can use the iHeartRadio app to get updates from your local radio station," says Jill Duffy, software analyst for PC Mag.
However, the best reason to download iHeartRadio is a feature that lets you create customized "all-music" stations based on a music act you like and songs similar to theirs. If you like The Band Perry, for example, iHeartRadio will play songs by artists with a similar feel like Lady Antebellum, Sugarland and Rascal Flatts.
