It is never easy to pick TOP applications from the Millions of apps available for iPhone on the Apple Apps Store, it’s a hectic task. Some apps are best for users who access social networking sites, while some work great for music lovers.

I Present The Top Apps of 2011 – 25 Best iPhone Apps That You Should Install

Productivity

• 1. EverNote (Free) – Evernote’s “Remember Everything” mantra sums up this clever little app quite nicely. It turns your phone into the ultimate digital archive by collecting snapshots, written notes and voice recording, then making them all available with a simple search – from your phone or your PC. Character recognition performed by Evernote actually makes the text in photos you shoot, like a concert poster or business card, into searchable text, no typing needed. For those of us cursed with a decidedly non-elephant-like memory, Evernote makes a killer digital substitute.
• 2. 1Password ($9.99) – With Internet and mobile security being what it is, we’re all cautioned to create complicated passwords and update them every time a new spam scam hits Facebook. And if you forget yours, get ready to prove your identity in a myriad of ways. Enter 1Password: This app stores your information for various web accounts your have and if you want, will even automatically log you in via its own built-in browser. Worried that this might be too much confidential data for one app? 1Password uses AES encryption, Auto-Lock, and a “two-layer defense” to keep your information in the right hands, even if your iPhone isn’t.
• 3. Air To-Do ($1.99) – There are a plethora of to-do list apps out there, and most of the well rated ones are going to accomplish exactly what you need. Still, the Air To-Do app has a sleek UI that doesn’t jumble your chores together, instead allowing you to control how you organize them. You can also check off your list with boxes to mark it something has been completed, versus others that simply delete a task.
• 4. CraigsPro+ ($1.99) – Craigslist is a treasure trove of freebies and rarities for cheap, but good luck scoring that free hot tub, cheap air conditioner or the only pair of Klipschhorn speakers in your city if you’re not one of the very first to respond. CraigsPro+ gives you a leg up on the competition by letting you set up Search Agents that buzz your phone as soon as an item you’ve been searching for crops up. Combine it with a swift e-mail and that 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT will be yours. You only get 50 of these search alerts with purchase, but snagging more is as cheap as a tenth of a cent apiece. (CraigsPro+ uses remote servers to continuously scour Craigslist for your search terms then sends push alerts when it scores a hit, rather than grinding your phone battery down. The price goes to reimbursing those expenses.)
• 5. Google Voice (Free) – At first Google Voice was not technically an “app” because Google had to subvert Apple’s iTunes store by building it into the Web. But Apple finally let it through and now you can get the official Google Voice apps from the App store. With it, you can make cheap international calls at Google Voice rates, send free unlimited text messages, and even sift through voicemails left at your Google Voice number, all for free.

Games

• 6. NBA Jam by EA Sports ($0.99) – EA just updated this app and gave it a price cut to boot. The game has a retro feel and is easy to learn – as well as become addicted to. Choose from any NBA team as well as your favorite retired players, and even use multiplayer mode to play with friends.
• 7. Infinity Blade ($5.99) – After teasing us with Epic Citadel last year, Epic Games finally released Infinity Blade. The RPG uses extremely cutting edge graphics and 3D effects to keep your attention, but it also multi-player options and an intricate storyline that can easily cause you to forget you’re staring at your iPhone and not parked in front of a console. Epic Games developers are also wise to use to touchscreen to its advantage, and there are multiple and easy to master combat moves for players to enjoy.
• 8. Angry Birds ($0.99) – The trial-and-error trajectory plotting of Scorched Earth meets realistic physics in Angry Birds. Players sling a variety of (appropriately enough) angry birds into castles fortifying the pigs that have stolen their eggs. Loopy backstory aside, an increasing number of bizarre birds (like ones that split apart into three or hammer their way through hard obstacles) and ingenious structures keep the action fresh and more difficult than you would expect.
• 9. iShoot Lite (Free) – Relive the glory days of Scorched Earth on the iPhone with this turn-based artillery game that will have you trading mortars with up to three other computer or human opponents. Gameplay is dead simple: Tap a spot on the screen to set your angle and hold down fire to adjust the power behind your shot. Money for successful rounds and dozens of weapons from “rollers” to “tactical nukes” keep the fine art of blowing stuff up fresh.
• 10. Jenga ($0.99) – Jenga for the iPhone has barely been available in the App Store, but it’s making quite the debut. The game allows you to choose your settings and Jenga block style, but these aesthetic preferences pale in comparison to the gameplay itself. The touchscreen allows users to tangibly (okay, almost tangibly) pull individual pieces from the tower. Eventually, as happens in reality, it becomes unstable and crumbles. But it isn’t just a virtual filler for the real thing, you can almost feel the weight when you test and choose those fateful blocks from the pillar.
• 11. Mirror’s Edge ($0.99) – This is one of the first games develop for iOS that fully utilizes the iPhone 4’s visual capabilities. Its concept is simple, requiring the player to become the “runner” and take part in parkour stunts of every variety. The 2D interface actually makes for a crisper visual, and don’t worry about not having a controller – the swipe controls don’t lag, keeping you constantly in the game and not worrying about the mechanics.

Video & Music

• 12. Pandora (Free) – If you know anyone with a 16GB iPhone that has absolutely zero music loaded on, you can probably blame Pandora. The ultra-popular music app mimics the functionality of Pandora.com by spinning one artist or song into a never-ending playlist of similar tunes, which you can vote up or down along the way to further tune it to your tastes. To our amazement, it even works when you tread outside metropolitan 3G coverage into EDGE zones, meaning you really have to head off the beaten path to lose your tunes.
• 13. MusicID with Lyrics ($0.99) – Having a nameless song stuck in your head is one of life’s cruelest games. This app will solve all your music identification issues, whether it’s the title, artist, or words you can’t remember. All you have to do is hold your iPhone up to the source and you’ll be given a complete rundown, including artist biographies and YouTube videos.
• 14. NPR Music (Free) – NPR is always on top of the latest albums, with in-depth analysis of upcoming releases paired with full access to the music – which is only available for a limited time. But it remains a great way to listen to popular and talented artists’ new music for free, and is now available in app form. NPR features an impressive array of genres and while the likes of Arcade Fire and Kanye West are likely to pop up, you’ll also get a chance to expand your horizons. Artist interviews as well as live concert clips are also at your fingertips.
• 15. Netflix (Free: Requires $8.99 monthly subscription) – Turn your iPhone into a portable TV with over 17,000 streaming titles on tap. Netflix works over both Wi-Fi and 3G networks, loads quickly, and provides great pictures quality on the iPhone’s screen. You’ll never have an idle five minutes again.
• 16. Shazam (Free) – Ever want to identify a hot new track from the radio, but don’t have time to listen through six more tracks before a DJ announces the title? Just open Shazam, record a brief sample, and it will identify it from a library of millions. Amazingly enough, it even works in noisy bars and in cars with the window down. Just be prepared for some suspense while it does the dirty work, since it’s not exactly a quick process.

Utilities

• 17. The Weather Channel (Free) – We’ve combed through every free weather app out there, and this one takes the cake for usability. A simple interface makes it so painless to view the current, hourly, 36-hour or 10-day forecast in a hurry, that we usually dig out the iPhone to do it, even when we’re in front of a computer. You can even view accurate weather maps superimposed over the Google Maps interface, zoom in as far as you care to, and animate the radar data. Ads do provide a bit of clutter, but that’s the cost of free.
• 18. Yelp (Free) – Your go-to source for all things brick-and-mortar, tailored for the iPhone. Whether you’re looking for a mechanic or a drugstore, the Yelp app makes it a breeze to find the best one based on the sites’ comprehensive library of reviews, without driving all over town. Either browse by category, or rely on the iPhone GPS to peg your location and find locations nearby. You can also write reviews from the phone, allowing you to ward off potential customers when you end up at a dive before you even head home.
• 19. MotionX GPS Lite (Free) – With a built-in GPS chip, accelerometers, tilt sensors, and even a compass, the iPhone has even more computational grunt than a dedicated hiking GPS unit. But it’s not much use 75 miles from the nearest cell phone tower without built-in maps. MotionX GPS allows you to cache free terrain maps when you have signal, then see your position plotted on them when you don’t, not to mention tracking hikes and displaying statistics like distance and average speed. Just make sure to pair your phone with a solid case before dragging along on your next rain-soaked hike in the Pacific Northwest.
• 20. Kayak (Free) – Quit daydreaming of travel and see what it will actually take to get you halfway across the world with the Web’s best airline search engine, now in iPhone form. Although it takes a little longer to return results, the smart interface almost has us reaching for our phones to look for tickets instead of the desktop browser version. In a bind, Kayak can also snag you a hotel or rental car for a song, and has smart little utilities like packing lists and flight tracker built right in. I’ve been checking a bunch of articles, there seems to be no correlation between rank and the length of the articles, keywords, or no follows
• 21. Wi-Fi Finder (Free) – It’s as simple as it sounds. This app will locate and display the free and pay required Wi-Fi hotspots nearest you and even filter by location, so you can determine if you’d rather use the Internet in a nearby library or Starbucks. You can also search paid, free, or all available Wi-Fi. It pulls from a database of 545,00 locations internationally, so odds are you’ll find something.
• 22. AroundMe (Free) – No frills here, just good-old-fashioned directions to commonly visited locales. Whether you need gas, coffee, a hospital, an ATM, or a slew of various other required stops, AroundMe will list your options, their distance and contact information, and map out the way there.

Fun

• 23. Fandango (Free) – Cut to the front of the theater ticket line (without being rude) by whipping out this app and buying tickets online before the next person in line even gets up to the window. You can also find out more about new movies, view trailers, showtimes, and find theaters close to you.
• 24. Fring (Free) – Forget downloading different apps for each IM service like, AIM or Yahoo Messenger, especially when the limitations of the iPhone mean you won’t be able to switch between them without closing one. Fring combines all the most popular instant messaging clients in one app, plus Twitter, Facebook and even SIP and video calling. We also dig the no nonsense layout, and extras, like built-in history.
• 25. AutoStitch Panorama ($1.99) – You don’t get much depth of field with the iPhone’s built-in camera, but this app brings wide angle shots to the device. Take multiple photos – anywhere between two and 20 – and then let AutoStich Panorama combine them to give you one image. It also features options to automatically share via Facebook or e-mail.
• 26. SketchBook MobileX (Free) – Forget using the back of a napkin for your next brilliant idea. Sketch it out in full color with this free version of Autodesk’s powerful Sketchbook Mobile. Multiple tools, brushes, synthetic pressure sensitivity and a streamlined user interface make it a breeze to scratch out images as quickly as the wheels in your mind turn – with a little practice.
• 27. Geocaching ($9.99) – Old-time geocachers may bemoan the lack of prep work that this all-inclusive geocaching app eliminates, but casual geocachers won’t be able to deny the convenience. Just fire it up and when you’re in a new area to find nearby caches, read the details, drop a pin on the map, and get searching. You can even post field notes to help others, right from the phone. We’ve used it for impromptu caching in the middle of a hike or just strolling around the city.
• 28. ESPN ScoreCenter (Free) – Sure, a quick Google search can yield all the sports scores and stats you’ll ever need, but ESPN’s free ScoreCenter app does such a superb job organizing them all in one place that it’s silly to consider any other way. The supremely designed app allows you to enter which sports you want to follow, page between them with a flick of the thumb, and see scores from all your favorite teams on each individual sport’s page, with the most recent or ongoing games moved straight to the top. Clicking on any one delivers a summary, additional stats, a full recap, and other details.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com