Essential back-to-school iPhone apps to enrich the mind - Part 1

Most students are at least a few weeks into this new school year, and many have already discovered the benefits of using the iPhone and iPod touch as a study tool. Aside from the apps that serve as basic study aids, there are other apps out there that can help a student stay organized, or even relax before finals. In this article, we call out several of our favorite iPhone apps that are sure to help students prepare for school, stay on top of their studies, and have fun doing it. We know this list barely scratches the surface of what’s available for students, so please let us know if we missed one of your favorites.

This is Part 1 of our essential back-to-school iPhone apps for students, and it has all the basics covered, from dictionaries and calculators to organizers and creativity apps. This collection is designed to help with studies, and even have a little fun in the process. After all, balance is the key to success in school, as it is in life. Read on to see Part 1 of our list, and don’t forget to read Part 2 afterward.

Cram $9.99 [app store]

This is probably the single best study aid available for the iPhone. You download Cram from the App Store, then register at the Cram web site where you can select study material to load onto your iPhone, or create your own materials. This is best done using a desktop web browser since there’s a lot of typing to do. Once you have your materials selected, you import them to your iPhone using Cram. You can run Cram in study mode which turns the material into digital flash cards, or you can choose to take scored multiple choice quizzes instead. The Cram web site lets you select study materials that were created by others, which means the selection will grow larger over time as more students create and submit material using Cram. There are currently hundreds of tests available on a variety of academic topics.

NetSketch $5.99 [app store]

Stop doodling in your text books and preserve their resale value by drawing on your iPhone or iPod touch. NetSketch has all the basic drawing tools you need to create a mobile masterpiece. Sketching is a natural fit for the touch screen interface which makes using this app so intuitive. You can collaborate with other NetSketch users in real-time, working on the same drawing together. You can save your drawings or share them with anybody. This seems like a great way to cheat in class if you can keep your iPhone discreetly within reach. Cheaters aside, NetSketch is fun, creative app that will exercise your imagination.

TouchCalc Free [app store]

This popular iPhone app is a must-have for students and non-students alike. TouchCalc multi-modes make this tool ideal for any student from beginning to advanced. TouchCalc has a scientific mode that offers all the usual functions and operations (power, logarithm, roots, trigonometry, and more). You can also run this calculator in bit/integer mode, or statistics mode. The color coded buttons are big and comfortable on the touch screen. This is a must-have for any student.

Graphing Calculator Free [app store]

Advanced math students requiring a graphing calculator will be happy with this free app that contains a 2D function plotter. For a free app this is better than most of the paid apps available in the same category. You can plot and trace multiple equations on the same graph, use it in portrait or landscape mode, and even take screenshots and email them to yourself or your friends. It also features a custom keyboard for rapid entry.

Remember the Milk - Pro 15-day free trial [web]

Every student needs to stay organized by keeping a to-do list of reminders, and surprisingly, the iPhone doesn’t come with a to-do application. Fortunately, there is a web app to-do list manager called Remember the Milk, and let us tell you, it is incredible. RTM’s features are the best we’ve seen in any to-do application. RTM is one of the best web-based productivity tools you can find. Aside from the usual to-do type of functionality, RTM offers natural language input, reminders sent to you almost anywhere (via email, sms, and instant messenger), tagging, notes, sharing and collaboration, and creating tasks via email. RTM also integrates with Twitter, Google Calendar, and Gmail. Since RTM is a web app, you can access your account from any web browser. RTM offers free accounts, but the iPhone version requires an upgrade to the 1-year Pro account for $25.

Things $9.99 [app store]

The only drawback to Remember the Milk is that it is web-based, which means students with an iPod touch must be on wi-fi in order to use it. If you have an iPod touch and want a to-do app you can run locally, or just want something cheaper than the $25 per year fee for RTM, then by all means get Things. Things is a great if you don’t need notifications via email or instant messaging, or if you don’t care about using it with other apps. Things is a highly versatile productivity app that doesn’t take much ramp up time to start using. It works great with the Getting Things Done methodology, but is easily adaptable to your personal workflow. This iPhone app is a standalone application, but if you do use a Mac and have the Things desktop client, then it will auto sync with the iPhone app.

Smule Sonic Lighter $.99 [app store]

This virtual lighter app has gained a cult-like following in the short period of time since its release. A dollar for a virutal lighter seems absurd, given number of free ones available in the App Store. However, the Smule Sonic Lighter is a different sort of animal in that it has a social and viral aspect to it which makes using and sharing it fun for all. For instance, let’s say you’re at a party and you break out your iPhone and fire up the Sonic Lighter. Turn up the valve on the touchscreen and it sends out signals that will turn on Sonic Lighter on other iPhones in the room. You can blow on the flame to make it flicker, or turn it up or down with the valve. You can also tap on a globe icon to see a virtual Earth and see which cities are burning the brightest. The more Sonic flames in a particular city, the brighter the spot on the globe. With the globe, you can see how this app is migrating across the world which is pretty interesting. The Sonic Lighter is a fun little digital toy, and perfect for the non-smoking college student to take to concerts.

If you liked this list, be sure to read
Essential back-to-school iPhone apps to enrich the mind - Part 2.

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