The Google brand is ubiquitous. You’d have to make a concerted effort to avoid all the Googley things that Google has Googled. But what if some of the most useful Google iPhone apps…weren’t made by Google at all?
We think that might be the case: here we present some of our favorite non-Google ways to access Google services on the iPhone. How do you think these compare to Google’s own app?
Google Search (Paid)
gSearch [iTunes/$0.99] - The web was recently abuzz with articles noting the enhanced features within the official Google application for iPhone users. And rightly so, I think. Voice search alone is quite a big boost to the download. But perhaps you don’t want such a busy app. Perhaps you only want a Plain-Jane Google Search in widescreen? So be it!
Google Docs & Sheets (Free)
MiGhtyDocs [iTunes/Free] - A free application offering basic read access to documents and spreadsheets from Google Docs, MiGhtyDocs has received above-average reviews from users since its debut in August, and the app’s developers at “V1ru8″ promise improvements down the road.
Savy Soda Text Editor [iTunes/Free] - A self-described “simple text editor with Google Docs synchronization,” Text Editor is barebones but fairly decent-looking. Of course, it switches to landscape mode for heavy inputs.
Google Docs & Sheets (Paid)
Savy Soda Documents [iTunes/$2.99] - An enhanced alternative to Text Editor, Documents allows users to access Microsoft Word, Excel, Open Office, and Apple iWork’s Numbers formats. Google Docs, too. It was released earlier this month in the App Store, and is available for $2.99 for a “limited time” only. The price is ordinarily $4.99.
Google Calendar (Free)
SaiSuke [iTunes/Free] - If you can manage your daily/weekly/monthly schedule with one file within Google Calendar, and wouldn’t concern yourself with the inability to upload data to the cloud, the free download of SaiSuke will serve you well.
Google Calendar (Paid)
SaiSuke [iTunes/$9.99] - On the other hand, if managing a single calendar without two-way synchronization is an absurd notion for your personal and professional affairs, the paid version of SaiSuke will be a godsend. You can specify when synchronization occurs, too, so you’re not connected when you don’t want/need to be.
Google Talk (Free)
Fring [iTunes/Free] - This application connects you to far more services than Google Talk alone, but it manages Google Talk accounts nonetheless. If you need to chat, this can be the thing for you. And so long as you keep the application open, you can receive automatic notification of incoming messages.
IM+ Lite [iTunes/Free] - This download can really be everything you want it to be, except for an SMS-like push messaging service. It is my personal favorite among free Google Talk messaging services for the iPhone platform.
Palringo [iTunes/Free] - Setup may not be the most immediate, with Palringo account registration required, but the thing works. Described in as few words as possible, it’s one of those applications that grows on you with time. Graphically, it’s quite good.
Google Talk (Paid)
IM+ [iTunes/$9.99] - There’s one paramount reason for paying the fee for this premium app: “IM Push(TM) mode to stay and communicate online without having IM+ running.” Enough said.
WebMessenger [iTunes/$4.99] - At half the price of IM+, this is an appealing option, particularly as its developers also pledge that the application will continue to communicate with your chosen instant messaging protocol(s) uninterrupted when exiting the WebMessenger interface.
Google Contacts (Paid)
gContacts [iTunes/$1.99] - There are a number of Google Contacts managers, and gContacts is one of them. It’s on the cheaper side, at $1.99, and it does what it says. Is it worth the cost? It all depends on how you like to access your Google Contacts - alongside your iPhone’s Address Book or entirely separate.
GSyncAir [iTunes/$1.99] - Use this if you want to sync your Address Book with your Google Contacts and would like to spend $1.99 to do the job.
SyncContact [iTunes/$2.99] - Ditto to the GSyncAir description, albeit for the price - and a completely different interface to boot.
Google Blogger (Free)
BlogWriter Lite [iTunes/Free] - This one works with more services than Google’s Blogger alone, but if you want to connect to your BlogSpot account without sacrificing a penny extra, BlogWriter Lite will do the trick.
Blogger (Paid)
BlogWriter [iTunes/$4.99] - The most outstanding feature you get with the paid version of BlogWriter: photo uploads. You can even resize photos for faster uploads. That’s a tip of the hat to EDGE users, I suspect! (A pool in which I proudly include myself.)
Google All-in-One Wannabe (Paid)
MiGTool [iTunes/$3.99] - For the price, you get access to a 1.5-month-old development that promises to transfer data between your device and Google Contacts, Google Docs, Picasa Web Albums, and Google Calendar. And if any one of those aspects misbehaves, you’re urged to contact the developer via the support email address.
That’s our pick of the best! What are your favorites and why?
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