Here are some I like (and dislike).
Utilities so you can have access to your digital stuff from anywhere
ropbox, SpiderOak, Evernote and/or SugarSync. A must have; I put maps, manuals, and other stuff there. Then I can access it even if it's not on my phone if I need to. Also PDFs of med records, vehicle doumentation, etc. I also find that using voice notes is really handy.
And I use JotNot Pro a lot. It is essentially a tool that turns your phone into document scanner. You can do some of that with other apps, including Camera, but this is that on steroids. I have used it in travel situations to email and/or fax documents to people.
And get Google Translate if you're going somewhere south of the border.
Navigation apps. I haven't been a fan of some of the nav apps; I have Tom Tom, for example, but it is a fail for the type of travel we do. It can't find many state parks and the points we are interested in. Don't bother. Motion X is better. Or even Google maps. I also have the TomTom GPS mount; it adds an external GPS and audio capabilities (and charging) and it can be used with some other apps.
If you do go the route (ha) of using the phone for navigation you'll need an app that pre-downloads the map/sat photos since in a SMB you're out of cell range frequently. TomTom stores all it's maps on your phone (BIG file); Motion X allows you to choose, and offers alternative maps.
If you're a AAA member check out their apps; their Triptik is especially useful.
There are also some nav apps that can be very useful depending on what you like to do. An example are the augmented reality compasses, like Theodolite. Using the camera you see what you are taking a sight on if you need a bearing to something. It's handy for leveling and even checking alignment. Or solving those "which peak is higher?" or "it was SO steep!" arguments.
And speaking of that, if you get an astronomy app get one with augmented reality. You are looking at the stars through the iPhone's camera, and it helps a lot with ID'ing things. (There's even an augmented reality sign translator that superimposes the translation ON the sign you're viewing with the camera, Word Lens). The birding apps don't quite do that, but having the birdsong included helps with identification as well. I like iBird.
The photo stuff is handy even if you use a real camera. I use the iphone to georeference since it records the location of every photo (which can be a privacy issue, BTW). Sun Seeker, an app for videographers who need to know where shadows will be, is also handy for judging where you are gonna get sun at a particular campsite.
And finally, consider Google Voice. You can sign up for a free account, and this gives you a phone number you can give out on the go. But why? since you have a phone. The reason is that Google Voice will email and transcribe your voice mail, as well as email you the recording. This is very handy when you can get access to the internet but not cellular coverage.
It's an amazing tool. It can change how you travel.
Rob
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