1. Instagram - FREE! This app is a fun and easy way to share photos, as well as to follow other friends who use the app. It has some fun "filters" you can add to the photos you upload and it easily connects to most social networking sites and has privacy settings you can control. I would expect popularity of this app to grow over the coming months.
2. Shazam - FREE! This app is simply awesome! It "listens" to a snippet from any song you are hearing and it tells you the name of the song, artist, album, etc. It also gives you the option to connect directly to the iTunes store so you can purchase that awesome new song you just found. I love this one!
3. NPR News - FREE! If you are an NPR listener, this is a "must have" app! I use this just about every day to connect to the live stream of NPR from anywhere I am. I can also download tons of free podcasts and other content that NPR has programmed in.
4. Words With Friends - FREE (or paid). This app is a fun, quick way to connect with friends and have fun. If you like scrabble, you'll like this. You can play games with friends/family who also use the game or you can play with random strangers. I like the fact that I can have several games going at one time and it only takes me a couple of minutes to play my rounds.
5. Around Me - FREE! This one is good for when you are out and about, especially in a location with which you are unfamiliar. You can use it as a GPS, or just to find local listings of just about any type of establishment you could want. I don't use it every day but it's been quite handy on more than one occasion.
6. Bump - FREE! This one was used a lot more when I first got my phone than it is now but it's still pretty cool. Allows you to share content from your phone (contacts, photos, music, etc.) to another phone loaded with bump by simply "fist bumping" the person with whom you wish to share content.
7. Fooducate - FREE! This app lets you scan the bar code on any food product using your phone's camera. Once scanned, this app generates a list of the pros and cons of the item, along with a "grade" for the food you have scanned in terms of its nutritional value. Handy tool to have at the grocery store when you want to quickly compare two similar products.
8. The Weather Channel - FREE! This one is pretty straightforward but I still like it much better than the default weather app on my phone. It provides hourly weather snapshots, weather warnings, videos, etc. for the weather wherever you are.
9. Time Waster Games - all FREE! I may be cheating a bit here but I have a whole folder on my phone called "Time Wasters" and I want to share them. These are aptly named because they are perfect for those moments when you are stuck somewhere and you just need to pass the time. I have often used them while waiting (obviously parked) in line at the pharmacy, or in doctors offices, etc. In no particular order they are: Run Stick Run, Fall Down, Tap Tap Revenge, Jungle Crash, RedBall, BubbleFree, and Fat-a-pult. They are all a little silly but easy to play and fun if you just need to kill a few minutes.
10. Shop Savvy - FREE! This app is new on my phone and as such, it's one I haven't used a ton yet. Still, I'm impressed with its features. Lets you use your phone's camera to scan the barcode on any product in any store and then it will generate a list of comparison prices at other similar stores. If you're willing to shop around, this could save you some dough.
