I love my iPhone.  I have always been a bit of gadget head, and the introduction of smart phones has had a real impact on my life.  I can check my emails, Tweet, follow my top blogs and take notes for articles, all without having to lug around my laptop. Two years ago my trusty Samsung R60 seemed portable, but now feels not just clunky but downright unfashionable. 

The iPhone is just so much more subtle. It hides politely in my purse or pocket, ready at a moment's notice, while my laptop demanded space, a flat surface, a power supply... and an ability to ignore the stares of others around me who always seemed look disapproving, as if trying to figure out if I was doing genuine work or just being pretentious.

My iPhone will even help me to find places to connect to the internet by locating nearby WiFi hotspots, to say nothing of waking me up in the morning, keeping my calendar and entertaining me through games, videos and music on demand.  So yes, I love myiPhone.

But in terms of productivity, just what are some of the best apps available for writers?

 

Reference

Dictionary/Thesaurus - one of the best is available for free from Dictionary.com and requires no internet connection.  Comprehensive, nicely presented and easy to use, this brings two essential reference books to the palm of your hand.

Google Mobile - recognized as one of the most useful apps for just about anyone, this allows you to speak your search term and have Google search for it.

 

Ideas

iStop WritersBlock - A touch of the button will produce a random plot twist, character idea or quote to kick start your creative process. 

Idea Generator - Another popular app for inspiration, this one will generate three random words with just a shake of your phone.  How you use them is up to you!

MindNode Touch - I have never jumped on the mind mapping bandwagon, not understanding how the chaotic scribbled line and bubbles could possibly create a greater sense of organization between ideas.  However, I know a great many writers who rely on the process for clarity and focus in their work, and this appears to be the best app for the job.

Organizing

Air Sharing - if you are serious about incorporating your iPhone into your work routine, you will need to view and share documents, pdfs and notes between your PC and phone.  In essence this app makes it easy to use your iPhone as an extra drive, as well as giving you the ability to view a variety of document formats.

Lastly, you will want to make sure you have a good note taking app.  There are many, many, many of these, and while Apple's simple Notes app is my personal favorite, each app offers a slightly different format for entering, storing and organizing your notes, so you should choose one that is intuitive for your own note taking style.  You can even try out oral note taking apps such as Jott which records and then transcribes your dictated notes, sending them back to your phone as a text file.  Not always 100% reliable, but pretty nifty if you like to prefer to talk about your ideas out loud.

So my iPhone is all loaded up, I am ready to write.  Now I just have to get down to finishing my book...if only there were an app for that!