Photonasis 2.0

Have a little fun with your photos with Photonasis 2.0 ($.99 for a limited time, available here), which offers 29 strange filters you can add to your pics. You have the option of shooting a new picture first or selecting one from your photo library. After that, you can apply filters such as negative, pinch, swirl, or oil paint; preview the effect; and save it to your library if you like it.

Photonasis is a great way to have a laugh with friends. Snapping a friend's picture and then showing them what they'd look like with their face swirled sounds like a great bar activity. Some of the effects are artistic, while many are bizarre.

While we like the variety of effects in the app, we'd like to see a little more polish. The preview screen lets you preview effects on a sample picture, not the one you've chosen. For that, you need to return to the main screen and apply the effect. That step should be eliminated by putting real previews on the preview screen.

Also, the developers added warnings to some filters, like a warning to the motion blur filter about the length of processing time. These warnings come up every time and become completely irritating. They should be scrapped.

Darkroom

It's Foto Friday!

Darkroom (available here) is the app formerly known as Steadycam, only bigger and better. If you can't stand all the blurry shots you get with the iPhone's camera, this is the app for you. Open Darkroom, touch the camera button, and the app will wait for your iPhone to be perfectly steady before it takes the shot. We've been testing it for days and we get a perfectly crisp, clear photo every time.

The developers have added a few helpful features to this version. You can now have Darkroom autosave your photos to your photo gallery, saving you several taps. Also, it now offers a cleaner interface with a larger viewing window.

For $.99 (available here), you can get Darkroom Premium, which adds a timer and a full-screen shutter touch.

We recommend skipping the iPhone's built-in camera app and using Darkroom every time you shoot. Blurry photos will only be a memory.

Gratitude Journal

It's a simple task: write down five things you're grateful for each day. Do this for one month, the makers of Gratitude Journal ($.99, available here) promise, and your life will change forever. You can rate each day, add a personal photo to your entry, and search through previous entries. It's a charming way to remember to stop and count your blessings.

Evernote

Turn your iPhone into an external brain. Evernote (available here) lets you remember anything that happens in your life. Record notes, ideas, photos, or voice recordings. Use it with the Evernote service (there are both Mac and Windows desktop clients available, as well as an online version) to keep a synchronized list of all your notes. We're impressed by the text recognition feature: snap a photo of a whiteboard and Evernote will make the text in that photo searchable.

iOwn

iOwn ($4.99, available here) is a helpful inventory management system that lets you create a detailed list of all your possessions. If you've ever needed to report a loss to insurance, you know the value of having a complete inventory. The app lets you create an unlimited number of locations, containers, and items, then create attributes to describe each item. You can assign up to four images for each item and secure your inventory with a password. Best of all, there's a free online backup, in case you lose your iPhone.

USA Today

You know that colorful newspaper you read while traveling because it's left free at your hotel room door? Well, now you can get that same content on your iPhone. You can feel like you're traveling every day! USA Today (available here)lets you read stories from the News, Money, Sports, Life, Tech, and Travel sections. You'll even get those cute little graphs. Share your favorites by e-mail, text message, or Twitter.

Desensitize Your Pet

Pet owners know that the sound of a doorbell or fireworks can send pets into excited frenzies, and that getting them used to such sounds is difficult. Calm Pet ($8.99, available here) offers 15 sound samples that you can use to desensitize your pet to problem sounds. Connect your iPhone to your stereo, play sounds on low volume, and go about your day. Your pet will quickly get used to the sound and will lose any fear.

Snaptell

Snap a picture of the cover of any book, DVD, CD, or video game and within seconds get a rating, description, and links to Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, Barnes and Noble, and more. Use Snaptell (available here) while shopping to quickly find more information, compare prices, buy the product, or remind yourself to look for it later.

Desensitize Your Pet

Pet owners know that the sound of a doorbell or fireworks can send pets into excited frenzies, and that getting them used to such sounds is difficult. Calm Pet ($8.99, available here) offers 15 sound samples that you can use to desensitize your pet to problem sounds. Connect your iPhone to your stereo, play sounds on low volume, and go about your day. Your pet will quickly get used to the sound and will lose any fear.

See the next page for the previous week's selection of hot iPhone apps.