Free apps roundup for July 23rd, 2010

This week, I have it all. There are social apps and games, utilities, limited time freebies and more. I’m positive that you’re going to be downloading one of the following…

• Flipboard – The social news magazine that has won the screens of iPad everywhere in less than a week. This apps takes news, photos and updates from your Twitter and Facebook friends and assembles that information into a magazine format. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, this is something you’ll definitely want to try on your iPad.
• iPhone 4 Case Program – Have antenna issues? No? Doesn’t matter, Apple won’t make you prove you’re dropping calls left and right to get that free case that you want. Download the app, sign in with your iTunes Account, pick a case and place your order. Cases ship in 3 to 5 weeks.
• Amplitube FREE for iPad – I’ve reviewed Amplitube for iPhone in the past and found it to be the best mobile guitar effects app available. Now there’s a version specifically for iPad. The interface takes great advantage of all that extra screen space, plus you can use one more effect bring the total up to four at once. Remember, you’ll still need some way of connecting your guitar to the iPad to use this app.
• Office Heroes – Is your 9 to 5 not enough work for you? Perfect, because you can be your own mini CEO in this game. It’s a social game that connects with Facebook challenging you to climb the corporate ladder. Sounds awful to me, but it might be cute enough to make you want to work in your off time.
• Text’nDrive Lite – Texting and driving is stupid, and this app does not fix that, but it may help to curb the temptation a bit. If you receive a lot of email while driving, then this app may be beneficial to you. It reads the first 45 words of every email received while open to you. The idea is that you open the app while driving and can hear each email read to you as they come in. This won’t help you reply, but it will keep you informed.
• Textfree Unlimited – Like Textee, this app lets you send text messages for free. But what makes this one unique is that it gives each user an actual phone number to send and receive texts. That means that all of your messages come from the same number. Plus, if someone calls the number, you get a notification that you’ve missed a call and a caller ID number (though there’s no current way to actually answer it). For all of this they charge nothing, but the app itself will not stay free for long.
• Soft City – Here’s an app that helps you search for help with other mobile apps. It’s like a forum specially for app questions. In some cases, you can even ask questions to the developers of apps before purchasing said app.
• ABC News for iPad – Normally news apps don’t catch my discerning eye, but this one has a cool feature that sets it apart. It displays news content on a sphere, or globe, that you can flick around. Pretty nifty, and even better if you actually enjoy reading the content it’s presenting.
• Tron – Need I say more? Start up your tank program, because Disney just unleashed this Tron game for free for their upcoming movie Tron Legacy. I’m still rooting for RAM.
• Pill Reminders – Have a hard time remembering which pills you’ve taken and which you haven’t? This app can help. It will remind you, with a notification, to take each individual pill at your prescribed time. And if you miss one or more, it will display the total number of missed pills as a badge on the app’s icon.
• Graphr – If you like emoji icons, you might like this. It’s basically a board filled with special characters that are available in fonts on your iPhone, but you’re unable to actually type them. This app lets you copy them and then paste in any app you like. It’s the only way I know of sending the Apple icon in text form.
• X Games 16 Mobile App – Keep track of everything concerning X Games 16. There’s news, course layouts, athlete profiles, an event calendar, photo and video highlights. Basically, everything a fan could want.
• iLava – A lava lamp simulator. It’s a fun app to launch when your iPhone is doing nothing, perhaps in a dock. Free for a limited time.