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The App 100: The World's Greatest Apps

Productivity: These are the best apps to help keep you focused and get things done.

The App 100: The World's Greatest Apps

Evernote is your online notebook for everything.

Evernote is your online notebook for everything.

Evernote is an online collection of everything you want to remember. Think of it as a digital notebook.

Evernote stores photos, web pages, notes, PDF files, audio clips, and to-do lists. What's great about Evernote is its indexing feature. Once you add things to your notebook they're completely searchable and can be accessed on your desktop, the Web, or your mobile device.

Price: Free

Available on: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone, Web OS, PC, Mac, Google Chrome, and the Web

Everest is a simple app that will help you make goals and stick to them.

Everest is a simple app that will help you make goals and stick to them.

Everest is an app that wants to help you live out your dreams. The app does this by breaking down goals into small steps while encouraging you to build streaks and learn from others in the community.

Everest CEO, Francis Pedraza told Business Insider, "If Facebook is a social network, Everest is an action network: It does not define you by who you know, but by what you do."

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone

Fantastical is the only calendar app you need.

Fantastical is the only calendar app you need.

Fantastical is an iPhone calendar app that's ridiculously easy to use. Besides keeping you organized, the app's best feature lets you enter simple phrases, which it will then translate into a calendar appointment automatically.

For example you can type, "lunch with Kevin Thursday at 3 at Taco Bell" and Fantastical will handle the rest.

Price: $4.99 (iPhone) and $14.99 (Mac)

Available for: iPhone and Mac

Mailbox will help get your inbox down to zero.

Mailbox will help get your inbox down to zero.

Mailbox is an iPhone email client that uses gestures to help you quickly get your inbox to zero.

One of our favorite features is the "Later" option, which pushes an email away and re-circulates it to the top of your inbox at a time you choose.

If you're both a Dropbox and Mailbox user, you'll get 1 GB of free Dropbox storage just by linking your accounts.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone

Quip is an alternative to Microsoft Office for iPad.

Quip is an alternative to Microsoft Office for iPad.

Quip is a brand-new mobile word processing app. You can use the app to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can also use the app to collaborate on blog posts, manage projects, or even share a grocery list.

Quip is made by Facebook's former chief technology officer. The app also syncs to a desktop version.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and an Android app is on the way.

Gmail is still one of the best ways to check email on the go.

Gmail is still one of the best ways to check email on the go.

Gmail's app gives you access to the popular Web-based email service. The app is packed with the latest features like Gmail's priority inbox and customizable tabs.

With a Gmail account, you get plenty of storage for free, meaning you likely never have to delete an email again. (You can always purchase extra storage just in case). You also get Google's excellent search feature, so you can easily go back and find old messages.

Price: Free

Available on: Android and iOS. Gmail can also be accessed from any smartphone browser like BlackBerry and Windows Phone by heading to m.google.com/mail.

Dropbox is the best place to store your files online.

Dropbox is the best place to store your files online.

Dropbox lives on your desktop as a virtual folder. You can drag and drop files into your Dropbox and they'll appear on all of your devices. You also have the option to store files in a public folder so you can easily share them with a simple download link.

Dropbox gives you 2 GB of storage for free, but you can earn extra storage by inviting your friends to sign up. There are also a bunch of paid plans.

Price: Free

Available on: Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Mac and PC, and the Web

Paper by Fifty Three wants to become your virtual notebook.

Paper by Fifty Three wants to become your virtual notebook.

Paper is just as useful as it is beautiful. The app lets you draw out ideas and sketches on your iPad.

Think of Paper as your own digital sketchbook. It comes packed with a variety of brushes and pens for your ideas.

Paper is one of the top-grossing apps in the productivity section of Apple's App Store. It's right behind Apple's own productivity suite of apps, iWork.

Price: Free, but you'll have to pay extra for more brushes and tools.

Available for: iPad

Carrot is a fun way to make sure you get everything done. If you fail, the app will get angry at you.

Carrot is a fun way to make sure you get everything done. If you fail, the app will get angry at you.

Carrot is a beautifully designed app that turns getting things done into a game. It has quickly become one of our favorite to-do list apps.

Carrot encourages you to get tasks done in a timely manner and you're rewarded with points that lead to unlockable features. But if you don't accomplish tasks then the app will get angry with you.

Price: $1.99

Available for: iPhone

*If you can't get enough of Carrot, the app's creator has also made an alarm clock app called Carrot Alarm that gets angry if you don't wake up in enough time.

Clear is a simple, well-designed, to-do list to help you stay on track.

Clear is a simple, well-designed, to-do list to help you stay on track.

Clear is one of our favorite ways to stay on task. The beautiful list app helps users keep on task with to-dos, and it's ridiculously simple to use.

Clear makes it easy to jot down a thing you need to do and pull it up on either your Mac or iPhone. It's a great alternative to Apple's Reminders app.

Price: $0.99 (iPhone), $9.99 (Mac)

Available for: iPhone and Mac

CardMunch helps you digitize all your paper business cards.

CardMunch helps you digitize all your paper business cards.

CardMunch lets you scan and upload business cards into your address book contacts. You can then add those contacts as connections on LinkedIn.

Just snap a photo of a business card, upload it to the service, and the information will be automatically added to your phone. There's no need to hang on to the paper business card after that.

Price: Free

Available on: iOS

Job Search by TheLadders is the best way to track and stay on top of new openings in your field.

Job Search by TheLadders is the best way to track and stay on top of new openings in your field.

Job Search by TheLadders is a well-designed app that helps you search and track prospective jobs you're interested in applying to.

What separates TheLadders app from the competition is the ability to gauge your competition and alert recruiters at companies you're interested in.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone

News/Reading: Ditch paper books and newspapers and keep up with information with these apps.

News/Reading: Ditch paper books and newspapers and keep up with information with these apps.

Bloomberg's mobile app is the best way to stay on top of financial news on the go.

Bloomberg

If you're a finance junkie you'll want to have Bloomberg's app installed on your iPad and iPhone.

The media powerhouse completely redesigned its flagship apps late last year, making the experience much more customizable.

Some key features include the following: streaming video, quick access to company information and financials, and news formatted to fit your personal style.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Phone

CNN's mobile app lets you stream live TV. It's a seamless way to stay on top of breaking news.

CNN

CNN's mobile app is a great combination of video, live events coverage, and breaking news. You can even follow along live and stream the 24-hour news channel if your cable provider supports it.

Another neat feature is the iReport portion. You can contribute your story or opinion to CNN by uploading photos and video directly from the app.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone, iPad, Android

Associated Press is still the best app for keeping up with breaking news.

Associated Press is still the best app for keeping up with breaking news.

The AP's mobile app is a great way to stay on top of national, international, and local news.

Its breaking news alerts will keep you updated with huge news events too.

The app is fast, looks good, and is completely customizable.

Price: Free

Available on: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Kindle Fire, and Windows Phone

Digg's mobile reader is the best way to keep up with RSS feeds.

Digg

Digg's reader app is a great way to follow news you care about on the go. The app lets you import feeds from any news site and view them in a clean interface.

The app also has a section full of stories curated by Digg's editorial staff.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

Flipboard is an easy way to stay on top of social networks, news, and topics you care about.

Flipboard is an easy way to stay on top of social networks, news, and topics you care about.

Flipboard integrates your favorite blogs, news sites, and social networks into a beautiful magazine-like layout.

With Flipboard you can curate your own experience too by saving your favorite stories, photos, and videos from all over the web.

If your favorite news site doesn't have a nice-looking or functional app, check out Flipboard as an alternative to enjoying your favorite content.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

Pocket and Instapaper are two great ways to save articles you want to read later.

Pocket and Instapaper are two great ways to save articles you want to read later.

Pocket is a web service and app that allows you to save articles, videos, and pretty much anything else you find online to check out later. Pocket automatically syncs across all your devices and can be used even when you aren't connected to the Internet.

The app is well-designed and integrates with over 300 different apps like Twitter, Flipboard, and Pulse.

Price: Free

Available on: iOS and Android

Instapaper is a minimal app that makes it easy to read web articles later.

The service strips down articles, removing ads and photos, to present you with easy-to-read articles on your iPhone, iPad, Android device, or Kindle. Instapaper is the perfect solution when you don't have enough time to read something right that instant.

Price: $3.99 (iOS), $2.99 (Android)

Available on: Android and iOS.

Kindle/Nook/iBooks, for reading your favorite e-books, on the go.

Kindle/Nook/iBooks, for reading your favorite e-books, on the go.

Each of these three apps will let you access millions of e-books, but it's up to you to choose the service that's best for you.

Here's the breakdown:

Kindle lets you purchase and read books from Amazon's book store. The app is well-designed and robust and offers an excellent interface. We love that your purchased books sync between all your Kindle devices and apps, so you can always pick up where you left off. Amazon Kindle users can also check out books from their local library and lend purchased titles to friends.

Barnes & Noble's Nook app integrates books, newspapers, and magazines from the company's huge collection. It is easy to use and allows users to load their own ePub files. You can also lend books to friends with Barnes and Noble's LendMe feature.

iBooks is Apple's own bookstore/book-reading app. In addition to providing you with access to the latest books, the app also organizes your PDFs. The downside: You can only read your books on iPhones or iPads.

Price: Free

Available on:

Nook: Android and iOS

Kindle: Android, iOS, BlackBerry

iBooks: iOS

Conde Nast's suite of magazine apps is what all digital magazines should look like.

Conde Nast

Conde Nast's entire suite of magazine apps are what all digital magazines should look and feel like. The experience makes you feel like you're reading a real magazine with a bunch of additional features like behind-the-scenes videos, interactive ads, and beautiful high-res photography.

You can enjoy your favorite magazines like GQ, Wired, Vogue, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair without carrying all the bulk of a paper magazine.

Price: Free to download (subscriptions vary depending on the magazine)

Available for: iOS, Android, and Kindle

Social Networking: Nowadays, there are a ton of different ways to keep up with your friends on the go.

Social Networking: Nowadays, there are a ton of different ways to keep up with your friends on the go.

Snapchat is a fun way to share self-destructing photos with your friends.

Snapchat is a fun way to share self-destructing photos with your friends.

Snapchat is a very popular photo-sharing app. With Snapchat it's easy to share self-destructing photos and videos with other users.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone and Android

Instagram is the most popular mobile photo-sharing app around.

Instagram is the most popular mobile photo-sharing app around.

Instagram is one of our favorite iPhone apps of all time.

The popular photo-sharing network makes it easy to share pictures and videos with friends and followers on most social networks. Instagram is know for its photo editing "filters" which add flair to an otherwise dull photo.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone and Android

OkCupid, HowAboutWe, Grindr/Blendr are the next generation of dating apps.

OkCupid, HowAboutWe, Grindr/Blendr are the next generation of dating apps.

These three are great examples of dating apps done the right way.

Grindr: Grindr is a location-based dating app targeted towards gay men. The app lets you know what singles are nearby so you can meet up with them. (Available for Android and iOS) There's another app by the same company called Blendr that's designed for straight couples.

OkCupid: OkCupid has most of the same features as other social networks. Users can chat, send status updates, message potential matches, and let the service match you up using its algorithms. The mobile app also lets you know what singles are nearby for impromptu meetups. (Available for iOS and Android)

HowAboutWe: HowAboutWe changes the traditional online dating mold. It calls itself an offline dating site. Instead of simply perusing profiles, HowAboutWe encourages users to propose fun and interesting dates. If you see an exciting date with a potential match, you can use the app to reach out. (Available for iOS)

Price: All of the apps listed above are free.

Vine is a creative way to share six-second looping videos.

Vine is a creative way to share six-second looping videos.

Vine lets you splice together clips that play on a loop and share them with your friends.

You can edit videos on the spot and post to Twitter and Facebook. The community also allows you to find, follow, and interact with other Vine users.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone and Android

The official Twitter app is a great way to keep up with your tweets on the go.

The official Twitter app is a great way to keep up with your tweets on the go.

Twitter's official app helps you keep up with tweets. Besides that, it offers some unique features that aren't found in third-party apps. For example, you can set specific push notifications for individual accounts so you'll never miss an important bit of news.

Price: Free

Available for: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone

Tumblr's mobile app lets you update your blog on the go.

Tumblr

Tumblr lets you follow blogs and create simple updates via text, audio, photos, quotes, and video. It's a great way to seamlessly manage your blog.

Price: Free

Available on: Android and iOS

LinkedIn makes it easy to stay in touch with your professional connections.

LinkedIn makes it easy to stay in touch with your professional connections.

LinkedIn's mobile app is a great way to keep up with more than 225 million members worldwide. The app is well-designed, syncs with your phone's calendar to help stay on top of meetings, and even lets you view and save recommended jobs.

The app streamlines the user experience and makes it much easier to get around. One of the core principles behind the app's development was to help users get to features in one tap instead of three or four like before.

Price: Free

Available for: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone

Tinder is the location-based version of hot or not.

Tinder is the location-based version of hot or not.

Tinder is a new mobile-only dating app. Think of Tinder as "hot or not." If you see a photo of someone you're interested in, you can "like" them. If that person likes you back, you can start a conversation and decide if you want to meet in person.

Tinder is relatively new, but it's already immensely popular.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone and Android

Alternative Twitter apps Tweetbot and Twitterific give you more features than the official Twitter app.

Alternative Twitter apps Tweetbot and Twitterific give you more features than the official Twitter app.

Tweetbot and Twitterific are two awesome alternatives to Twitter's official iOS app. Both are full-featured clients that offer sounds, multi-account management, gestures, and more.

Both apps offer a better experience that's completely customizable.

Price: $2.99 (Tweetbot for iPhone), $2.99 (Tweetbot for iPad), $2.99 (Twitterific for iOS)

Available for:

Tweetbot: iPhone and iPad

Twitterific: iOS

Facebook and Facebook Messenger help you stay in touch with all your friends on the go.

Facebook and Facebook Messenger help you stay in touch with all your friends on the go.

Facebook's app is much better now than it was a year ago. Besides letting you see what your friends are up to, you can share updates, photos, and videos on the go. Facebook's app keeps you in the know with push notifications and messages. You can also play games and use your favorite Facebook apps.

Facebook's Messenger app complements the regular app. Facebook Messenger is simply about keeping in touch with friends, letting you send quick texts, and photos.

Price: Free

Available for:

Facebook: iOS and Android

Facebook Messenger: iOS and Android

Facebook Home turns your home screen into a Facebook photo gallery

Facebook Home turns your home screen into a Facebook photo gallery

Facebook Home adds a Facebook-powered wrapper to your Android phone. Instead of seeing your normal lock screen, you get a beautiful slide show of your friends' Facebook photos and status updates. You can comment and like those updates directly from the lock screen without opening the regular Facebook app.

Price: Free

Available for: select Android phones

GroupMe is the best way to stay connected with a group of friends.

GroupMe is the best way to stay connected with a group of friends.

GroupMe is an app that makes it easy to send messages to groups of friends. The app can assign a unique phone number to a group, so even people without the app can join in the conversation.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, and Windows Phone

Foursquare lets you tell people where you are and discover cool places to visit.

Foursquare lets you tell people where you are and discover cool places to visit.

Foursquare is the champion of check-ins. The social app helps you to keep in sync with your friends and what they are up to.

We love the badge system, which encourages visiting new and unique places. Foursquare is also an excellent way to discover new places to visit based on your friends' recommendations.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone and Android

Pinterest is great for sharing photos of things you love with friends.

Pinterest is great for sharing photos of things you love with friends.

Pinterest encourages you to find things you're interested in and "pin" them to your virtual pinboard. Friends and fans can then follow along and comment or re-pin your items.

Price: Free

Available on: Android and iOS

Entertainment: You'll never be bored with these apps.

Entertainment: You

VLC is the best way to watch movies that you didn't get from iTunes.

VLC is the best way to watch movies that you didn

If you don't buy all your movies from iTunes or you want to rip DVDs to your computer, you can watch them through the VLC player. VLC plays almost all formats without conversion.

The app was kicked out of Apple's App Store a few years ago for violating the terms and services, but it's back and better than ever.

VLC syncs files with your Dropbox, iTunes, and direct download through an upload Web server.

Price: Free

Available on: iOS and Android

YouTube is the best way to watch and share Web videos.

YouTube is the best way to watch and share Web videos.

Last year, YouTube was baked into all iPhones and iPads. This year it's a stand-alone app.

The new YouTube app is much better than what we had before.

Google poured a lot of time and resources into its video-streaming app. Now you can receive "what to watch" recommendations, discover channels and videos with voice search, subscribe to your favorite channels, and even share videos through Google+, email, Facebook, and Twitter.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

Use Netflix/Hulu Plus/HBO Go/Amazon Instant to stream movies and TV shows.

Use Netflix/Hulu Plus/HBO Go/Amazon Instant to stream movies and TV shows.

Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, and Amazon Instant all offer access to your favorite TV shows and movies on-demand.

Netflix costs $7.99 per month and has its own original series like "Orange is the New Black," "House of Cards," and "Arrested Development." Besides its own series, Netflix has a ton of popular content that will satisfy the entire family. Netflix is available on the Web, streaming boxes like Roku and Apple TV, video game consoles like the PS3, and several TVs with built-in WiFi.

While Netflix has a ton of content, Hulu Plus has a lot more current content. You can catch up with many of the latest seasons of popular TV shows.

Hulu Plus costs $7.99 a month. It's available on most of the same devices as Netflix is, along with all major modern smartphones and tablets.

To access HBOGo you have to subscribe to the service via your local cable company. HBOGo gives you access to the network's entire original series TV catalog and a ton of movies. You can access it via iOS, Android, Kindle fire, Roku, some Samsung TVs, Xbox 360, and Apple TV.

Amazon Instant Streaming is included with an Amazon Prime Membership ($79/year). With Prime Instant you'll be able to stream thousands of popular movies and TV shows. You can watch Prime Instant videos on iOS, Kindle Fire, PS3, Xbox, Wii, Roku, and a ton of TVs and DVD players.

Netflix:

Price: Free (with subscription, staring at $7.99 per month)

Available for: Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, and Windows Phone

Hulu Plus:

Price: Free (with monthly $7.99 Hulu Plus subscription)

Available for: Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire

HBO Go:

Price: Free (with an HBO subscription)

Available for: Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire

Amazon Instant:

Price: Free with a $79/year Amazon Prime Subscription

Available for: iOS, Kindle Fire (included), and Google TV

Spotify lets you stream all the music you want for a flat price.

Spotify lets you stream all the music you want for a flat price.

Spotify is our favorite music app. It's totally worth the $9.99 per month.

Since last year, Spotify has supercharged its experience across all platforms (desktop, tablet, and smartphone). The music-streaming service did this by releasing a dynamic discovery tool, getting more albums the same day they hit store shelves (and iTunes), and building out a useful app store.

You should care about Spotify because it lets you stream music to your desktop for free. For a fee, you can listen to music offline and use the service's awesome mobile apps.

Spotify's library is full of millions of tracks from all the major record labels, so it shouldn't be hard to find exactly what you want to listen to.

Price: Free (Premium subscription is $9.99/month)

Available on: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone

Shazam will identify the song you're listening to.

Shazam will identify the song you

Shazam has worked hard to keep its music discovery and recognition app fresh and relevant.

Besides being able to process your request in seconds, Shazam has even expanded its recognition chops to let you know other media that's playing like ads and TV shows.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry

Songza is all about music discovery based on how you're feeling.

Songza is all about music discovery based on how you

Songza is a free music-streaming app that has tons of curated playlists that you can pick based on your mood.

What's great about Songza is that there are no listening limits.

If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe to "Club Songza." Club Songza also gets you exclusive activities and playlists for only $3.99 per month.

Price: Free

Available on: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Amazon App Store

TuneIn lets you listen to regular radio stations over the Internet.

TuneIn lets you listen to regular radio stations over the Internet.

With TuneIn you can listen in to over 70,000 stations from around the world including, music, sports, and news. Besides just listening to traditional radio, you can also check out podcasts, concerts, and interviews on-demand.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, and Kindle Fire

SoundCloud is a great way to share music you create. It's also awesome to keep up with your favorite artists and DJs.

SoundCloud is a great way to share music you create. It

Soundcloud started as a destination for you to share the sounds you've created. This could be original music and mixes. Today, it's also a way for DJs to share music and attract new fans.

You can listen, share, and comment on audio. You can also record a voice, moment, or original music in seconds and share it privately or publicly.

The app is fully integrated with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Foursquare.

Price: Free

Available on: Android and iOS

Seatgeek's iPhone app lets you buy tickets to your favorite events like concerts, sporting events, shows, and more.

Seatgeek

What's great about SeatGeek's iOS app is that it takes advantage of detailed maps that let you visualize a venue.

This means you can choose exactly where you want to sit at a price that works best for you.

SeatGeek has poured three and a half years of work into its interactive maps that pull data from a ton of sources including popular services TicketMaster, StubHub, and Uberticket.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS

Songkick scans your iTunes library and alerts you when your favorite artist is coming to town.

Songkick scans your iTunes library and alerts you when your favorite artist is coming to town.

Songkick helps you stay on top of your favorite artists so you'll never miss a show again.

The app is personalized so you can control what artist you track and select the city you live in or any other city worldwide.

Besides that, you can also see the full line-up, venue map, ticket options, and even get social by inviting friends to join you.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone and Android

IMDB is a full database of the actors, movies, directors, and everything else in the entertainment world.

IMDB is a full database of the actors, movies, directors, and everything else in the entertainment world.

IMDB stands for Internet Movie Database and the site itself is one of the most comprehensive resources for finding information on movies, TV shows, and actors.

Besides simply providing information, IMDB also lets you watch movie and TV trailers, browse photos from events, and read reviews of movies and TV shows.

You can also see what movies are playing at your local theater too.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Amazon Kindle

Games: It doesn't matter if you're a hardcore or casual gamer, there's something to keep everyone entertained.

Games: It doesn

Candy Crush is the most addictive game out right now.

Candy Crush is the most addictive game out right now.

Candy Crush is one of the most popular games today.

It's virtually never-ending, with more than 350 levels that are challenging, but always keep you coming back for more.

Candy Crush's gameplay is simple. You have to swipe different colored candies to match three of the same in a row. If you match four or five in a row you get a new candy that does more damage to the board. If you pair two of the new candies together, even more damage is done to help you get ahead.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, and Facebook

Letterpress is a word-scramble game that you play over the Internet with your friends.

Letterpress is a word-scramble game that you play over the Internet with your friends.

Letterpress is a beautifully designed word game that challenges you to find words, steal tiles, and control the board over your friends. It's a healthy mix of strategy, smarts, and luck.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS

Dots is the perfect puzzle game if you need to kill a minute.

Dots is the perfect puzzle game if you need to kill a minute.

Dots is a simple but addictive puzzle game from Betaworks. Your objective is to create as many squares as you can out of the same colored dots in 60 seconds.

Each dot you earn can then be spent on power-ups that have a huge impact on boosting your score.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

Ridiculous Fishing is a fun game about fishing with guns, chainsaws, and toasters.

Ridiculous Fishing is a fun game about fishing with guns, chainsaws, and toasters.

Ridiculous Fishing is a game that couples beautiful graphics with strategy.

The point is to see how deep into the ocean your fishing hook can go. On the way back up, you have to catch as many fish as you can. Once the fish reach the surface, you have to take them all out with a weapon.

It's simple and fun.

Price: $2.99

Available for: iOS

Rock Runners is a fun side-scrolling adventure game.

Rock Runners is a fun side-scrolling adventure game.

Rock Runners gives you control over a futuristic running, jumping, and swinging space guy.

The objective is to navigate through 140 levels that each have their own challenges you need to beat.

The fast-paced, casual game is hours of fun. It's so simple that anyone can play.

Price: $0.99

Available for: iOS

Plants Vs Zombies 2 is the sequel to one of the most popular iPhone games of all time.

Plants Vs Zombies 2 is the sequel to one of the most popular iPhone games of all time.

Plants Vs Zombies 2 is the sequel to the highly popular tower defense-style game that challenges you to defend your home with an array of plants from a rush of zombies. There are tons of levels with mini-games and challenges sprinkled throughout for hours of gameplay.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS

Badland is one of the most gorgeous iPhone games available.

Badland is one of the most gorgeous iPhone games available.

BadLand is an award-winning action adventure game with over 60 unique single-player levels. Your objective is to guide a creature through creepy environments and beat objectives and challenges.

There's also a multiplayer mode that lets up to four players play with he same device in 20 levels.

The simple controls make it easy to play but there are challenges that will interest even the most hardcore of gamers.

Price: $3.99

Available for: iOS

Block Fortress challenges you to create a tower and protect it from enemies.

Block Fortress challenges you to create a tower and protect it from enemies.

Think of Block Fortress as a cross between a first-person shooter and a tower defense game.

Block Fortress is different because after you finish building your fortress you drop down into your tower and defend it head-on.

If you want, you can team up with you friends and play a 2-4 player cooperative.

Price: $1.99

Available for: iOS

The Room is one of the most engaging strategy games you'll ever play.

The Room is one of the most engaging strategy games you

The Room is one of the most interesting and fun mobile games we've ever played.

You actually feel as if you've been transported into a unique room that blends problem-solving with adventure and intrigue.

The physical puzzler makes you forget that you're playing a game. It feels like you've been transported into a captivating mysterious world where your objective is to figure out just what's going on.

Be warned: Don't rush through it because you'll be sad once it's all over.

Price: $1.99 (iPad), Free (iPhone), and Android ($0.99)

Available for: iPad, iPhone, and Android

Into The Dead isn't your average zombie game, and that's a good thing.

Into The Dead isn

Into the Dead's endless run-game throws you into a world where you have to avoid the walking dead every step you take.

Into the Dead separates itself from the typical running games by having incredible graphics and sound. There are also a ton of missions and mini-goals that keep you challenged.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

"The Walking Dead" is like an interactive comic book, but you decide how the story goes.

"The Walking Dead" is like an interactive comic book, but you decide how the story goes.

"Walking Dead": The Game draws inspiration from the same mold as the "Walking Dead" comics and the hit AMC TV show.

The interactive game isn't just another shooter, you make decisions in the game that affect different outcomes. But don't worry there's still tons of action and strategy that'll keep you coming back for more.

There are a lot of add-ons called episodes that you can buy. These episodes bring a ton of new adventures.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS

GTA: Vice City is just like the original game except with touch controls.

GTA: Vice City is just like the original game except with touch controls.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City brings the popular PlayStation game to the iPad, iPhone, and Android.

Vice City has great graphics, easy game play, and it feels just like you're playing the original. The campaign mode will take you hours to get through and best of all, the game supports the high-resolution retina display.

Price: $4.99

Available for: iOS and Android

Minecraft – Pocket Edition is a game that's constantly evolving.

Minecraft – Pocket Edition is a game that

Minecraft is a game about placing blocks in the right place to build things.

The objective is to build a world with the blocks you have at your disposal. The pocket edition randomly generates worlds and has an expansive multi-player mode so you can play with friends.

Price: $6.99

Available for: iOS and Android

*If you're not ready to make the plunge and spend $6.99 there's a free version that lets you test things out.

Tiny Wings is a fun visual game that takes advantage of physics.

Tiny Wings is a fun visual game that takes advantage of physics.

Tiny Wings is a physics-based game where you guide your character up and down a series of hills in a race against time.

The insanely simple game was criticized at first for ripping off Angry Birds, but spend just a few minutes with Tiny Wings and you'll realize it's a completely different experience.

Price: $0.99

Available on: iOS

Health and Fitness: Apps that'll keep you strong and healthy.

Health and Fitness: Apps that

Obstacles XRT turns wherever you are into a challenging obstacle course.

Obstacles XRT turns wherever you are into a challenging obstacle course.

Obstacles XRT turns anywhere with a floor into an obstacle course, no equipment necessary.

There are three levels of intensity: beginner, intermediate, and advanced, so its easy to get set in a regimen that fits your lifestyle and skill level.

The app is social too; if you want you can compete with friends and see how you do on the same course.

Price: $1.99

Available for: iPhone

Moves is a fitness-tracking app that lets you ditch wearable tech and just use your smartphone to track your steps.

Moves is a fitness-tracking app that lets you ditch wearable tech and just use your smartphone to track your steps.

Moves uses the sensors in your phone to automatically track your everyday life and exercise. With Moves, you can record your daily walking, cycling, and running. The app will also help you keep track of the places in your daily life and build a storyline, and can count your steps and calories burned based on various activities.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone but an Android version is in the works

Sleepbot/Sleepcycle are two great apps that will analyze your sleep to help you wake up feeling refreshed.

Sleepbot/Sleepcycle are two great apps that will analyze your sleep to help you wake up feeling refreshed.

Sleepbot is an Android app that helps you figure out what's going on while you're sleeping. The app analyzes your movement, sound, and duration of sleep, and feeds you back data to help you sleep better. There's also an automatic alarm to wake you up and reminders for when to go to sleep.

Sleep Cycle alarm is an iPhone app that offers similar features to Sleepbot. Sleep cycle analyzes your sleep and helps you wake up while you're in the lightest sleep. This ensures you wake up feeling rested and relaxed.

Price:

Sleepbot (Free) Sleep Cycle Alarm ($1.99)

Available for:

Sleep Cycle Alarm: iPhone

Sleepbot: Android

Thunderspace is the perfect relaxation app.

Thunderspace is the perfect relaxation app.

Thunderspace is a beautifully designed app that helps you to relax.

Thunderspace does this by immersing you in a simulated thunderstorm. The app uses stereoscopic 3D audio and realistic lightning flashes.

Price: $0.99

Available for: iPhone

ZocDoc makes it simple to find and book doctor's appointments.

ZocDoc makes it simple to find and book doctor

With ZocDoc all you have to do is enter your zip code and insurance information and it will give you back a list of doctors nearby.

Included in this list is the doctor's availability, so sometimes it's easy to get a same-day appointment.

ZocDoc isn't only limited to primary physicians. You can also find dentists, therapists, and a ton of other specialists.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

Yelp is still the best way to discover new restaurants and places to visit.

Yelp is still the best way to discover new restaurants and places to visit.

Yelp's incredible network of restaurants, bars, shops, merchants, and more, helps you discover businesses around you wherever you are.

The app has a huge list of reviews too, so you can hear from others about how good or bad a business is.

You can also find great deals offered around you on the go.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

Seamless is still the best way to order food from anywhere online.

Seamless is still the best way to order food from anywhere online.

Seamless allows you to quickly order delivery or takeout from more than 10,500 restaurants in 45+ cities. The app is well-designed and fully automated. You pay the bill and tip with your credit card, so even if you don't have cash on hand you can still get the food you want.

Price: Free

Available on: Android and iOS

Sports: Apps that help you stay on top of your favorite teams.

Sports: Apps that help you stay on top of your favorite teams.

Team Stream keeps you in the know with all your favorite sports teams.

Team Stream keeps you in the know with all your favorite sports teams.

Team Stream is one of the best ways to stay on top of your favorite teams' news and scores from across the Web. The app is made by Bleacher Report and is completely customizable. It's also social, so it's easy to share up-to-date info with your friends via Twitter, Facebook, email, or text.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Amazon App Store

ESPN ScoreCenter keeps you up to date with the latest scores.

ESPN ScoreCenter keeps you up to date with the latest scores.

ESPN ScoreCenter is another great app that keeps you informed with breaking sports news, scores, and even videos from the top events of the day.

ScoreCenter is the perfect app for the sports fanatic. It provides fans with real-time scores and news right on your smartphone. You can personalize your scoreboard so you'll receive only scores and news that you care about.

It also supports push notifications, so you'll never miss updates on another big game.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone and Android

Yahoo Sports will get you full team pages with local news, rosters, and schedules.

Yahoo Sports will get you full team pages with local news, rosters, and schedules.

Yahoo Sports is a fast, comprehensive sports app that gets you detailed player pages with season stats and fantasy sports news. You'll also get breaking news, coverage of virtually every sport, and live game tweets from local writers.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, and Amazon App Store

The official BBC Sports app is curated by BBC's team of sports journalists.

The official BBC Sports app is curated by BBC

BBC's new Sports app is perfect for soccer fans. With this app you'll get up-to-date information on Football, Formula 1, Cricket, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Tennis, Golf, and all the other main sports.

Besides just being able to read, you can watch video highlights and there are dedicated pages for every English and Scottish football league club.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

MLB.com At Bat, for streaming live baseball games

MLB.com At Bat, for streaming live baseball games

With MLB.com At Bat you can stream every single MLB game live to your smartphone or tablet.

The app provides breaking news, standings, schedules, rosters, and stats. If you become a subscriber you can access games on different devices including your Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, or Android device.

Best of all, if you're bummed about the season nearing a close you can re-watch every game from the 2013 season on demand.

Price: $14.99 or a monthly recurring fee of $2.99 for the season.

*After the All-Star break the app drops to $9.99 for the remainder of the season.

Available on: iOS and Android

Photo/Video: These apps will make you an expert mobile photographer.

Photo/Video: These apps will make you an expert mobile photographer.

Frontback lets you combine pictures you take with the front and back cameras on your iPhone into one photo.

Frontback lets you combine pictures you take with the front and back cameras on your iPhone into one photo.

Selfie fans, rejoice. Frontback is a way for you to include yourself in a picture with your friends.

Frontback lets you take a picture with the front camera and back camera. The app then merges both photos into a single image.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone

Landcam and Analog Cam are great alternatives to your iPhone's regular camera app.

Landcam and Analog Cam are great alternatives to your iPhone

Landcam is an app that really has huge potential to replace the stock camera app. Besides having filters and fonts you can add to your photos, you can easily edit with the app's 12 adjustment tools.

Analog Camera is also great way to take photos on your phone quickly and still keep track of recently snapped photos. Analog Camera always shows your four most recent images at the top of the screen. You can then swipe down to get out of camera mode and see your entire camera roll and photo stream.

Price: $0.99 (Landcam) $1.99 (Analog Camera)

Available for:

Landcam: iPhone

Analog Camera: iPhone

Camera+ is the most comprehensive alternative to the regular iPhone camera app.

Camera+ is the most comprehensive alternative to the regular iPhone camera app.

Camera+ is one of the best alternatives to Apple's stock camera app.

The app is super fast and has tons of advanced features, including an impressive 6x digital zoom. We love the app's built-in filters, especially the clarity filter, which adds pro-camera crispness to almost any shot. The other filters enhance your photos and make them look even better.

Price: $1.99

Available for: iOS

VSCO Cam is a mobile social network for photographers.

VSCO Cam is a mobile social network for photographers.

VSCO Cam is a new photo community that lets you share your best photos.

VSCO lets you add separate focus and exposure rings to a photo along with a white balance lock. It basically ups your iPhone photography skills with just a few taps on the screen.

The app also includes powerful editing features and filters to make photos even better. But what's also cool about VSOC is that it has a built-in community so you can display your photos and share every shot you take.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS

Slow Shutter Cam lets you shoot in slow motion.

Slow Shutter Cam lets you shoot in slow motion.

Slow Shutter Cam gives your phone the slowed-down effects that generally are only available on higher priced DSLR cameras.

Features include an innovative "Freeze" control, selectable shutter speeds, exposure compensation, and tapping to adjust exposure.

Price: $0.99

Available for: iPhone

Flayvr organizes your photos better than your phone's photo app can.

Flayvr organizes your photos better than your phone

Flayvr organizes your phone's photos and videos automatically in a gorgeous layout. The app automatically pulls out photos and videos that are hiding in your iPhone camera roll and organizes them by date. It can also title your albums based on events in your phone's calendar app.

Price: Free

Available for: iPhone and Android

Shopping/Finance: Buy stuff while you're out and about.

Shopping/Finance: Buy stuff while you

Amazon's mobile app lets you shop the online marketplace wherever you are.

Amazon

Amazon's mobile app offers you a nearly identical experience to the e-retailer's desktop website.

With Amazon Mobile you can browse items, read reviews, curate your wish list, and make purchases. Besides that, you can compare prices and check availability instantly by scanning a barcode, taking a picture, or typing your search terms.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, Windows Phone

Fancy is a beautiful user-curated online boutique.

Fancy is a beautiful user-curated online boutique.

Fancy is an online e-commerce platform with items curated by its users. It lets you curate the items you'd like to buy in a pretty magazine-like format.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, and Windows Phone

Square lets you take credit card payments anywhere.

Square lets you take credit card payments anywhere.

Square is the best way to accept credit card payments on the go through your smartphone or tablet.

The service charges you 2.75% to process transactions for Visa, American Express, MasterCard and Discover.

It's a great option for small businesses who don't want to work directly with credit card companies.

Best of all, there are no contracts or monthly fees and no merchant account needed. The funds are deposited into your bank account the next business day.

Once you sign up for Square, the company will mail you a free credit card swiper that plugs into your phone or tablet's headphone jack.

Price: Free

Available on: Android and iOS

Slice tracks how much you're spending online and offline.

Slice tracks how much you

Besides being an awesome package tracker, Slice is an app that helps you stay on top of all your online purchases.

The app securely scans your email and finds receipts from iTunes, Amazon, and wherever else you shop online to create a great archive of purchases.

Price: Free

Available on: Android and iOS

Travel: Don't leave home without these excellent travel apps.

Travel: Don

Hipmunk and TripAdvisor are two great apps that help you get the best deals on flights, hotels, and rental cars.

Hipmunk and TripAdvisor are two great apps that help you get the best deals on flights, hotels, and rental cars.

Hipmunk is a great way to plan travel. The app sorts through all of the travel, hotel, and rental car services to get you the best deals. Recently, Hipmunk introduced a new feature that lets you book last-minute hotel deals.

TripAdvisor is another great travel app that helps you get the best deals around. What's so great about the app? It's an overall seamless experience. TripAdvisor is easy to use, looks good, and makes it simple to book travel whenever you need to.

Price: Free

Hipmunk: iOS and Android

TripAdvisor: iOS, Android, and Windows Phone

Hotel Tonight helps you find last-minute hotel deals.

Hotel Tonight helps you find last-minute hotel deals.

Hotel Tonight lets you book hotel rooms at the last minute in 12 countries and over 100 destinations. The app looks good, works fast, and is available up until 2 a.m. each night.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

Uber lets you request a taxi from your smartphone.

Uber lets you request a taxi from your smartphone.

Uber's mobile app lets you request a private driver from any city the company services. You don't have to worry about cash because Uber will charge your credit card and email you a receipt. Tip is included.

You really can just hop in, go to your destination, and hop out.

Price: Free

Available on: Android and iOS

Google Maps is the only maps app you need on mobile.

Google Maps is the only maps app you need on mobile.

Google Maps is the best mobile mapping application. Period. It has the best and most accurate location data along with handy turn-by-turn navigation. Google Maps comes included with most Android phones and you can download it to the iPhone as a separate app.

If you have a Windows Phone, BlackBerry, or other device, you can get Google Maps through its mobile website.

Available for iOS, Android, and through a Web app.

Waze uses user-submitted tips to help you find the best routes.

Waze uses user-submitted tips to help you find the best routes.

Waze is a mapping application that Google recently purchased. It gets a lot of its data from its users. For example, users can tell Waze about traffic accidents, police activity, or gas prices. All that information benefits the Waze community.

Like other mapping apps, Waze can give you turn-by-turn driving directions too.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, and Blackberry.

Embark is a great app if you need help taking public transportation.

Embark is a great app if you need help taking public transportation.

Embark is an app that helps you navigate public transportation systems in a handful of U.S. cities. It's so good, in fact, that Apple recently bought the company to improve Apple Maps on the iPhone and iPad.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS

Available cities: New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, New Jersey, and Washington D.C.

Zillow and Trulia will help you find property for sale.

Zillow and Trulia will help you find property for sale.

Zillow's real estate app lets you see how much homes around you are worth. You can also check to see which homes are for sale, historical data on how much they've cost, and view gorgeous photos of the inside and outside of homes.

Trulia's app also lets you see how much homes around you cost. The app stands out with its interactive maps that show crime, school zones, and average prices.

Price: Free

Available for:

Zillow: iOS and Android

Trulia: iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire

Utilities: Apps that help you get stuff done.

Utilities: Apps that help you get stuff done.

Google Chrome is the best browser.

Google Chrome is the best browser.

Google Chrome for mobile is great because it's fast, easy to use, and private. It also lets you keep open an infinite number of tabs compared to the Safari browser's eight-tab limit.

Chrome syncs with your Google Account too so you'll get all your bookmarks, tabs, and settings across multiple platforms.

Price: Free

Available for: iOS and Android

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