Yesterday, two new apps were added to the iTunes app store that are incredibly useful and free -- always a great combination.
First, Skype released an iPhone app. Why do you need Skype if your iPhone is already a cell phone? Because with Skype, you can make calls over a Wi-Fi connection, which means that you don't use up the minutes on your plan, plus you can even make calls on your iPhone when you are in another country over Wi-Fi. Calling another Skype user is free; calls from Skype to a normal phone line cost about two cents a minute, or you can get unlimited calls to normal phone lines with a monthly plan. I have only tried the app for a few minutes, but it seems to work as advertised. Here are some of the better articles describing the app, although note that these are not reviews because they were written during the day on Monday and the app didn't become available until late Monday night: Reuters, PC World, TidBITS. (Note that if you don't have an iPhone but instead have an iPod Touch, you can plug a pair of earphones with a mic into your iPod Touch and use Skype to make calls. I've always described the iPod Touch as the "iPhone without a phone," but now that there is a Skype app, even the iPod Touch can act somewhat like a phone, although I imagine you would have to have the app running to receive a call.)
[UPDATE: Skype sure is popular. The company says: "In less than two days, Skype for iPhone has been downloaded more than one million times – around six downloads every second." Wow.]
Second, if you use DirecTV, then you should definitely get the free DirecTV app. The app allows you to view a guide directory, so you can browse all of the channels on a time and date or you can pick one channel and then scroll through the upcoming listings. You can also search for particular shows by program title, episode title, description, category, channel name or cast and crew. And once you find something that you like, you can use the app to tell your DirecTV DVR to record it. I have been using a DirecTV webpage to do these same things for a few months now; it worked, but it was slow and awkward. The iPhone app is beautiful, functional and fast. You can tap for more information on any listing, and there is often a picture that you can tap to see a roll of photographs -- typically pictures of the cast members. With this great app, you can easily tell your DVR to record a show (or an entire series) whether you are in the office, on the road, or even across the country. Here are some of the better reviews of this app: DBSTalk (in the first post, download the PDF file for a comprehensive review), TUAW, Art of the iPhone. Here are a few pictures:
Click here to get Skype (free): 
Click here to get DirecTV (free):
