When the App Store first opened, many applications were free and even a dollar was enough to make users question whether or not they really wanted the game. Two years later, almost all iPhone apps charge a price and paying between two and five dollars isn’t unexpected. It doesn’t take long to realize that you could sink a fortune on cheap games.

While most “free” apps are actually crippled “lite” versions meant to tease users and entice them into paying full price, there are still a few truly free apps left. Free as in not-cost to you so go download now. Whether you’re cheap, broke, or both, read on to discover the best, free apps.

StumbleUpon! (Free, StumbleUpon) Web savvy iPhone enthusiasts will likely recognize this app from the online content discovery service of the same name. StumbleUpon! the website (and browser add-on) are widely regarded as the best, most effective time-wasters on the internet. After you register your free account, hitting the “Stumble” button will serve up a random website that is sure to pique your interest. Hit Stumble again, and you get another one. And on and on. The iPhone version is exactly the same, but portable. In other words: procrastinators beware.

Dragon Dictation (Free, Nuance Communications) Dragon Dictation is an app that has to be tried to be believed. Dragon is a speech-to-text app that, believe it or not, actually works. Simply fire up the app, hit the dictate button, and start dictating. Dragon Dictation not only serves up a fast and near-error-free transcription, but if any mistakes were made then editing is a breeze. Users can export the text to the native SMS or e-mail apps, or even to Twitter. With so many people choosing to text and drive at the same time, Dragon Dictation has the capacity to actually save lives.

Movies by Flixter – with Rotten Tomatoes (Free, Flixter) Going to the movies is expensive enough already. The cost of movie tickets is skyrocketing, and a small soda at your average theater is likely to cost more than your first car. At least Flixter lets us find movies for free, and it does a great job of it. Flixter will tell you the release dates of films, show you their trailers, and use the iPhone’s built-in GPS to help you find the closest theater. It will even link you to film reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, to make sure you won’t spend all that movie theater money on another critical lemon.

VLC (Free, Applidium) VLC for Windows and Mac has no shortage of followers, and with good reason: this media player will play just about any type of file you throw at it, and it’s free of ads, free to download, and totally open source. Now, Applidium has ported VLC to the iPhone, and it does not disappoint. While other apps can only play native .mp4 media files, VLC for iPhone will tackle .avi, .mkv, and countless others you may not have even heard of. VLC for iPhone is naturally free to download, but be sure to get your copy fast, as rumor has it that its days in the App Store are numbered.

Author Bio: Get reviews of the best iPhone applicationss at AppCraver.com, a website dedicated to helping users find the top free apps for all your iDevices.

Category: Computers and Technology
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