With the iPhone and iPod recently getting new firmware released, and many of us still clinging onto our jailbroken iPhones with the old firmware, I thought it was necessary to write the following article.  I have spent countless hours downloading applications for my iPod Touch and trying them out, only to find out that many are not very good or useful.  So I have compiled a list of applications I have downloaded that I like and dislike.  You can use this guide to help you decide what applications you need for your iPod or iPhone, or to decide whether to shell out money do download a similar app from Apple’s app store. For the record, all the applications that are listed below are FREE.  They are programs available for a jailbroken iPod or iPhone, many of which are now available through the app store.  Some for a small fee.  Which is why I cling to my jailbroken software rather than upgrading.  Anyways…here it goes.

Excellent

  • CubicMan
    • Addicting 3D puzzle game consumed my life for about a week.  Tons of levels to keep you occupied.  Great graphics, and very well done.  No noticable bugs or glitches.
  • NemusSync
    • How do you sync your Google calendar to iCal on your iPhone?  Use NemusSync!  Easy to set up and works like a charm.  This app has been a godsend!
  • Parking Lot
    • Great puzzle game to pass time with!  Get the cars out of the parking spots.
  • TwistedFingers
    • Wonderfully executed idea!  Have two players play Twister with two of their fingers.  Great to pass time with a friend!  This is an example of an app that is being sold under a different name for the app store.
  • AM (Agile Messenger)
    • Best IM client for the iPod and iPhone.  Receive messages even when the application doesn’t have focus.  Easy to use and read interface, all the functionality you would expect from an IM client on a computer!

Good

  • Sketches
    • Etch-a-Sketch for the iPod!  It may not be all that useful, but it is tons of fun!
  • iSolitaire
    • Great, easy to use solitaire game.  The only thing that is missing is statistics!
  • Tris
    • The best Tetris clone for the iPhone that I have used.  Makes nice use of the touchscreen to offer new controls to the classic game.
  • Garf
    • Remember that memory game Simon with the flashing lights and sounds?  This is exactly that game!  And equally as addicting.  Too bad I’m no good at it.
  • iCopter
    • Brilliant in its simplicity!
  • LightsOff
    • Copyright infringement or not, this game is exactly like the original.  I never did like it, but its a great app for those of us that do.
  • iSlots
    • For those who enjoy slots, this app is great!

Okay

  • iPhysics
    • This is more about enjoying the accelerometer and playing around drawing shapes than anything else.  There are tons of additional level packs to download, but some are aweful.
  • iDigger
    • If you enjoy digger, you might enjoy this too.  But its more of a port than an adaptation.
  • Pool
    • Most pool games are lame.  This is one of them.
  • iCrossword
    • Fun to do crosswords, but leaves much to be desired.  Downloading new puzzles is less than trivial.
  • iDope
    • For those that enjoy a drug related RPG.  Reminds me of the good old days, playing games on my Texas Instruments TI-84 calculator.  The RPG is not very well developed and rather predictable.  But aren’t they all?
  • iZoo
    • Bejeweled for the iPhone!  Only the icons are preschool-esque zoo animals, and it hurts your eyes to play it.  Too bad!

Bad

These apps are generally underdeveloped, not fun to play, or just ugly to look at.  I have included explanations where I feel they are warranted.

  • Tetromino
    • Lame Tetris clone.
  • ContraSense
  • ipac3D
    • This is a demo game, so you only get a few levels.  Its like walking around a level of Doom.  Only you are supposedly you are Pac-Man and the Ghosts are people.  Its lame.  But its cool that the iPhone can do this kind of 3D graphics.  Maybe someone should develop a game using them.
  • NOIZ2SA
    • Flashy shooting game.  Lame.  Pretty tho.
  • TicTacToe
  • ikTicTacToe
  • Mines
    • Minesweeper.  But without the fancy right click functionality a serious minesweeper needs.  And its not pretty to look at.
  • Marble
    • Alright, but not enough levels.
  • Oblique
  • iCube
    • Rubiks Cube.  Poor graphics and lame.
  • SuperPong
  • TuxPuck

Emulators

For those of you who love emulators, do not fret!  There are plenty available for the iPhone!  Only problem is the controls.  In some emulators, they overlap the screen and you can’t see what you are doing because your fingers are covering the screen.  In others, there is a separate control, which cuts into screen space.  Either way, its hard to use a controller you cannot feel.  My fingers regularly slip off the controls and Mega Man stops moving!  It makes it hard to play action games, but I love playing Paperboy on it!  It uses the same roms as your other emulators, all you have to do is make sure to transfer them to the right folder.  An FTP client helps!

  • GpSPhone – Game Boy Advance
  • NES – Nintendo
  • Psx4iPhone – Playstation
  • Snes4iPhone – Super Nintendo