There are a lot of programs in Apple’s iPhone App Store. Some are invaluable, like NetNewsWire which lets you set up multiple RSS feeds from the NewsGator site and update and check them all at once. Or Urbanspoon which lets you add a little variety to your dining life with the ease of a shake of your wrist.

But then there are horrible apps. Apps which defile your eyes and ears and make you wish the creator could be forced to sit down and play with what they have made for hours until they realized the horrors they had let loose upon mankind. But lets get the good stuff out of the way.

SnapTell

This is an app iPhone users actually got after G1 users. Its rather simple, point the iPhone camera at any book, video game, DVD, music CD, or computer game/program and snap a picture. In doing so, SnapTell should connect to a database, find a picture and name for what the picture is of and recommend the price that you can get it from a variety of other sources.

The reviews in the app store state that the program is not infallible and can be stumped, but from my own experience from a variety of books, movies and games, it finds these things well and is definitely worth a try. Last, for best results, as the company themselves states the program works faster under wifi, but if you have a decent 3g signal, the difference in time should be minor.

Falling Balls

Did you read the title? Well, if you did you know what the game is about. If not I’ll sum it up. Falling Balls is about controlling a little man with the iPhones Accelerometer to help him avoid giant falling, bouncing balls. For each ball you avoid till it gets off the screen you get a point. If you don’t avoid the falling balls? Well your rewarded with the horrific scream of your little man as he is crunched into an even littler pile of red. Fun for the whole family! See if grandma can beat your score!

Slydial

This is another simple one. Ever been in a situation where you want to call someone and leave them a message, but you don’t want to call cause you know it’ll start a long conversation. Like you want to call and tell mom your gonna be late for dinner, but then she’ll ask you to pick up all sorts of things on the way?

Hence the beauty of Slydial. When it works right, it dials the persons number that you give it and their phone never rings. But once your done leaving your voicemail they will get the usual voicemail left indicator which gives you a perfectly reasonable alibi to say it just kept ringing when you called. No muss, no fuss. And yes, I have been alerted that this is the perfect digital breakup tool.

And for the bad…

FaceDouble

I only reviewed the free version of the app and apparently there is a difference between that and the paid. In the free version, the Face Double program cannot process hi-res images. What does this mean? Simply, if you download this app as a gag while out with friends, take a picture with your iPhone and run it through the app, it will not work unless you bought the paid version. A program which free or paid’s main purpose is to take your picture and supposedly tell you which celebrity you look like.

It is an application that offers a free trial that doesn’t work with the camera built into the device it is running on. Unless you pay for it of course, and the paid reviews for the program are “positively glowing.”

Sound Grenade

This app may get you killed. Seriously. People do not like high pitched noises. I think people may even hate them more than dogs do. This apps main description is to be a helpful little room clearer. It emits a high pitched whine that many might find obnoxious and harmful to the ears. I have tested this, and watched otherwise calm people react as though I had just stuck red hot pokers in their ears and demanded its immediate deletion.

It may be all fun and games to use when no one knows its you I agree, but when they do realize, after you’ve tortured them for some unknown period of time, run.

iBowl

As the last one I’m sure you’re expecting it to be the worst. Well, iBowl is not. In fact for a free game it is a decent little diversion. But here is the problem with iBowl. It requires you to rest your finger on the screen, move the iPhone in a bowling motion and release said finger to send the ball down the lane. Now we’ve already seen what happens to TV’s when a Wiimote is done that way too many times. Eventually someone will let it go, and if that wrist strap breaks, you are down on your knees thanking God that you got the extended warranty or praying Obama sends you a big stimulus to buy a new HD TV.

This is a phone killer/thrower waiting to happen. Someone will throw the phone. I can only pray its not a friend/family member of yours. The ensuing fight for a non-forgiving person may end up costing far more than the phone itself.