The best apps for Android and iPhone, 2012 edition
Facing speeding deadlines? Want awesome entertainment? Need instantaneous news? This collection of super apps is ready to save the day!
A smartphone is only as good as the apps you have on it. We've filtered Android’s Google Play store and the Apple App Store to select the most useful and fun apps for your phone. Check out our picks for the top mobile utilities, entertainment software, news apps, productivity tools, and games available today.
(To read the related story about each category of apps, click the appropriate heading below, or use the contents box to the right. You can also consult our alphabetical list of all the apps described in our "Super Apps!" package.)
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Shockingly Useful
EDITOR'S PICK: Any.Do (free) Android | iOS
EDITOR'S PICK: GasBuddy (free) Android | iOS
SayHi Translate ($1) iOS
Smart Tools ($2.50) Android
Lookout Mobile Security (free) Android | iOS
Alarm Clock Ultra ($3) Android
Just for Fun
EDITOR'S PICK: Turntable.fm (free) Android | iOS
EDITOR'S PICK: Tweetbot ($3) iOS
Snapseed ($5) iOS
AfterFocus (free) Android
StumbleUpon (free) Android | iOS
Friendcaster for Facebook (free) Android
Viddy (free) iOS
The Replacements
EDITOR'S PICK: Assistant (free) Android
EDITOR'S PICK: GroupMe (free) Android | iOS
Camera+ ($1) iOS
Opera Mini (free) Android | iOS
K-9 Mail (free) Android
Sparrow ($3) iOS
DoubleTwist (free) Android
Noteworthy News Apps
EDITOR'S PICK: Pocket (free) Android | iOS
EDITOR'S PICK: Zite (free) Android | iOS
1Weather (free) Android
Flipboard (free) iOS
Instapaper ($3) Android | ($5) iOS
Ready for Business
EDITOR'S PICK: Business Calendar Free (free) Android
EDITOR'S PICK: GoodReader for iPhone ($5) iOS
Google Drive (free) Android
OneReceipt (free) iOS
mSecure Password Manager ($10) Android | iOS
Adobe Reader (free) Android | iOS
Pocket Arcade
EDITOR'S PICK: Minecraft: Pocket Edition ($7) Android | iOS
EDITOR'S PICK: Infinity Blade 2 ($7) iOS
Angry Birds Space (free) Android | ($1) iOS
SpellTower ($2) iOS
TripleTown (free) Android | iOS
Draw Something (free) Android | iOS
Hero Academy (free) iOS