In November I finally joined the iPhone party, having previously put my money behind Samsung’s Omnia and a weighty 18-month contract. It was a mistake reiterated by Samsung themselves as they canned the phone not long after launch. Since Apple released their revolutionary device I’ve kept my eyes on its development and the impact it’s had on the way we communicate, do business, socialise and a whole host of other activities. However, it wasn’t until I became addicted to their app store that I learnt how useful it can be not only for my life but also in PR.

Here are my top five applications for PR and a further five just for fun.

For Work
Twitter/Facebook – The importance of these social media behemoths to PR goes without saying, so much so that my primary use for my iPhone is social media (over phone calls, texts and web browsing). While Facebook’s own app is by far the most effective way to use the service on the iPhone there are a host of Twitter apps out there with so little between some of them that it can just be a case of personal preference. My choice is Tweetdeck, it’s my Twitter client of choice when it comes to the desktop and the iPhone version is my number one for many reasons, the biggest being its simple use of columns.

Instapaper – All too often I’ll be reading an article online and realise that I don’t have time to finish the whole thing. The solution is Instapaper – a free application that combined with your web browser lets you read online content offline and on the move, it also syncs with your RSS feeds. The programme installs a link at the top of your browser (where your favourites live) which once clicked converts the copy from the website you are currently on into an iPhone friendly document. The document is saved online and downloaded the next time you open the app on your iPhone. A similar use is to build your own paper of chosen articles before a long journey. Choose your favourite PR related websites and get Instapaper to store some interesting stories for you before you set off.

i-Clickr – Great for presentations, i-Clickr lets you control PowerPoint presentations from your iPhone. A similar app has been available for Apple’s Keynote software for a while but for any PRO using Microsoft products this is the closest they can get. It does all you would expect, like changing slides, but also allows you to draw on the slides during the presentation (good for making a point) and manages how long you’ve been talking and got left – great if you find you talk to much or time is short.

Business Card Reader – Tired of returning from networking events with a pocket full of business cards that will probably get lost before you next have a chance to save the details? The Business Card Reader app solves this problem by using the iPhones poor, but in this case sufficient, camera to take a snap of the business card and use type recognition to read and save the contacts details such as name, number and address. It isn’t perfect (brackets aren’t recognised on phone numbers for some reason) but it’s a great way to manage new contacts.

Google – Google’s own app isn’t so much of application but more of a gateway to its mobile sites for services such as maps, news, reader, docs and many other Google products that are even more useful on the go than they are on your office computer. As someone who uses many of these services, being able to access them all in one place and well laid out is fantastic. Especially the calendar.

For Play
Beneath a Steel Sky – This is a simple (ish) point-and-click game from 1994 that has been perfectly ported over to the iPhone. Gorgeous artwork and a control system that suits the iPhone perfectly make this one of the best games on the platform. At £1.79 it a great way to pass the time on long commutes.

Sky Sports – A well designed application which mirrors its browser-based counterpart and provides updates on all the day’s matches. Brief minute-by-minute reports on games as well as everything else you could need to follow your team on the go.

UnblockMe – Available as a free and paid for version, all you have to do is slide a block through a hole by moving the others around it (similar to those old sliding tile games). Soon simplicity will turn to frustration and then to addiction.

Guardian – At £2.39 this one should be a no-brainer for anyone who spends time on the Guardian’s website or buys the paper. Regularly updated (more than daily) with the latest content (including images and audio) it’s the perfect way to consume news on the move. If you find that most of your reading is done when you are out of 3G signal you can download what you like before you set off and read it all offline too.

I Am T-Pain – The silliest app on the list but fun all the same. For those who don’t know, T-Pain is a rapper/singer famed for his use of autotune. This app allows you to autotune your own voice so you can sound as over processed and electronic as all the singers making millions of pounds despite not being able to hold a note.

What do you use for work and play? Post your top five and let us know what else is out there.