O'Grady's Best iOS apps of 2012

Summary: A lot of great iOS apps were released this year. Here's a list of my favorite apps of 2012.

By Jason D. O'Grady for The Apple Core | December 21, 2012 -- 14:21 GMT (06:21 PST)

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Chrome for iOS - Free

I'm increasingly replacing Safari with Chrome (free, App Store) on my iPhone and iPad. Chrome has a modern UI with a unified search/URL field, unlimited tabs that you can flip through like a deck of cards and synchronization of tabs, bookmarks, passwords and omnibox data across devices that actually works. Mobile Safari on the other hand, feels like a relic of days gone by. It requires an extra touch to search, limits you to eight "pages" (no tabs), and iCloud bookmark syncing that is so broken that I leave it turned off.

Chrome lacks the Nitro JavaScript engine -- which Apple restricts to Mobile Safari for "security reasons." And since there's no "default app" setting in iOS 6, touching links in Apple apps (like Mail, Messages, etc.) will open them in Safari. The alternative of course, it to switch to apps like Sparrow, Google Maps and Google+ which allow you to open links in Chrome.

Topics: Apple, Apps, iOS, iPhone, iPad, Reviews

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9 comments

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Remote

"What did I miss? What are your favorite iOS apps?"

Perhaps the most useful for me has been Jump Desktop for remote connection to PC's either by VNC or RDP. So well written, stable, smooth, cleverly laid out on iPad (but especially on the small iPhone display) that you wish all apps were done by these guys.

Support/responsiveness from developers top-notch.

JohnrC
21 December, 2012 18:10

Reply Vote
- look at the next page link
  
  look at the next page link above. The site gives you a very small amount of text with many opportunities to click on an advertisement to the point of annoyance.
  
  Ken_SF
  2 January, 2013 00:00
  
  Reply Vote
Jump Desktop - Remote Desktop Control

"What did I miss? What are your favorite iOS apps?"

Perhaps the most useful for me has been Jump Desktop for remote connection to PC's either by VNC or RDP. So well written, stable, smooth, cleverly laid out on iPad (but especially on the small iPhone display) that you wish all apps were done by these guys.

Support/responsiveness from developers top-notch.

JohnrC
21 December, 2012 18:11

Reply Vote
Wow one man's best an other's worst

Why anyone would use Chrome when you could use Safari is one click search so you can go to a page and give google info about where you go instead of a click? And most of the rest have already been delated off my phone.

kpbpsw
21 December, 2012 23:36

Reply Vote
MyBoxOffice

If you're like me and have lots of movies try MyBoxOffice.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/myboxoffice/id317039484?mt=8

It's saved me a few times from buying the same movie again.

Arm A. Geddon
22 December, 2012 02:37

Reply Vote
Really,fantastical

Not being able to invite attendees ruins it for me. It may have a fancy interface but can't do the basics.

elvisfan0108
22 December, 2012 21:50

Reply 1 Vote
Top New Years Countdown App is free today

Top New Years Countdown App is free today, http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/new-years-countdown-2013-hd/id485460856

Mary Rogers
30 December, 2012 18:00

Reply Vote
Sparrow? An e-mail app?

My BB has native MSActiveSync, and POP3/HTML mail. I use it for outlook.com, att.net, and corporate email. All native. No apps to buy.

bb_apptix
2 January, 2013 13:41

Reply Vote
Calendar

Considering that the iPhone native calendar hosed MS Echange servers, I'm not surprised that you find a need to buy a calendar.

bb_apptix
2 January, 2013 13:44

Reply Vote