Popular iPhone Apps

Now that 2011 has drawn closed, it’s time once again to consider the most popular apps for iPhone users. This isn’t just a top iPhone apps 2011 or top iPhone apps 2010 rundown. Instead, we reflect all the way back to the beginning to list the top rated iPhone apps in six distinct categories.

Social Networking

Foursquare, which we consider one of the most essential iPhone apps, is the first software to mix the core concepts of social networking with the power of GPS. Today, it has more than 5 million members, and you can take advantage of it from almost anywhere in the world.

Bump is one of the most popular iPhone apps, and it’s one of the most useful. For businesspeople, we rank it among must have apps for iPhone 4. Essentially, it’s a virtual business card. Simply tap one Bump-enabled device against another, then those automatically exchange contact info, such as names, numbers, emails and Facebook.

Entertainment

At one point, you actually needed a Kindle device to access Amazon’s amazing library. Then came the Kindle app, one of the must have apps for iPhone. What makes the Kindle app one of the top apps for iPhone is that not only is it free, it gives you complete access to Amazon’s free library, which includes hundreds of classic titles.

Often, the time we want our iPhone most is the time we can’t have it, such as the commute home. That’s what makes Instapaper one of the top apps for iPhone 4. Instapaper allows you to collect “clippings” from magazines, newspapers and blogs. It stores those clippings locally, and that gives you access to them even when you lack connectivity.

Music and Photography

For many of us, Pandora for iPhone transformed the way we appreciate music, and if we had to make a list of just the top 10 iPhone apps, Pandora would be there. Pandora is available on a wide range of devices, and more importantly, the user experience translates. In other words, if you create a great list on your iPhone, that list is available to you on your PC or wherever.

Among all must have iPhone 4 apps for photography, Camera+ is the best, and some liken it to a premium SLR lens. It has image stabilization, a built-in timer and burst mode for capturing action. It’s also one of the top iPhone 4 apps for editing, and it lets you crop, tint, add borders and apply effects.

Lifestyle

One of the latest iPhone apps to make our list is PayPal. Sure, it took its sweet time getting here, but now that it is here, it seems worth the wait. This isn’t just a simple PayPal app; it includes an array of innovative features; our favorite being the ability to exchange money by tapping iPhones.

In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to get into a dinnertime rut. Epicurious is one of the newest iPhone apps that helps avoid that. Simply pick a meal and indicate the number of diners, and then the app will build you a shopping list. Many of the recipes are quick to prepare and relatively inexpensive.

Mobility

If you travel often, Yelp is one of the best new apps for iPhone. When in an unfamiliar city, it can be difficult to find exactly what you want. Yelp combines a directory with user reviews and ratings from other Yelp users. Yelp includes restaurants, bars, drugstores, banks and even gas stations.

If you live in the city, then you know how difficult last-minute reservations can be. OpenTable, one of our top 100 iPhone apps, is an ingenious tool that provides you a listing of all the just-opened tables in your area. It has thousands of restaurants all over the US and Canada, and whenever they have a cancellation, they simply add it to the list.

Games

Angry Birds is one of our top ten iPhone apps of all time. Few video games have managed to capture the attention of a culture the way Angry Birds has. People in your office who would never otherwise play video games were playing Angry Birds and actually discussing strategy with a straight face.

Plants v. Zombies may not be as popular as Angry Birds, but it’s still an iPhone 4 apps must have. This is one of those games that transcend graphics and the other limitations of the platform. Sure, it’s just another tower defense game, but it really is one of the best tower defense games ever made.

Conclusion

With a list like this, there’s bound to be some oversights, and we can’t account for every new iPhone app. So in that spirit, here are some apps that just missed our list: AIM, PulseNews, ColorSplash, Springpad, Kayak and Scrabble.