The Five Best Free iPhone Apps

You don't need to pay a lot to get a useful iPhone app. In fact, many of the best apps in the iTunes store are free. Here's a list of my favorite free iPhone apps.

1. Shazam is definitely one of my favorites. It's been around for a while. If you've ever listened to the radio or been at a party where you couldn't remember the name of a song that was playing, then this is a great app for you.

Shazam is a music identification program that lets you hold your iPhone up to the music that's playing. Then, after a few seconds of recording, Shazam sends you the name of the song and the artist, along with a link to iTunes so that you can purchase the song if you wish.

2. Bump is the perfect app for quickly and accurately exchanging contact information with someone on the spot. Bump is as easy to use as selecting which information you want to exchange with another person, and then "bumping" your phones together. You can choose which information you want to trade, including phone numbers, email addresses, photos, or the entire contact list.

3. Remote allows you to control any iTunes playlist or Apple TV on the same network as your phone. By connecting speakers to a computer that has an iTunes playlist, you can change songs and control the volume as long as you're connected to the same network.

4. Pandora is a must-have for anyone who loves music. The Pandora app works the same as the full computer version, allowing you to create radio stations based on artists, genres, or individual songs. If you don't like a song, then simply give it a thumbs-down and Pandora won't play that song again. But if you give a song a thumbs-up, Pandora will try to add music that is similar.

5. Weatherbug may not be the most entertaining app out there, but it is very useful when you need to know what the weather is or will be. Weatherbug gives you live access to a network of professional weather stations. With this app, you can get live local weather conditions, seven-day forecasts, national weather alerts, and a radar map of an area of your choosing.

What iPhone apps are your favorites? Which apps do you think should be made?