Smart Phone And Tablet App Research

Games

Dangerously addictive but deceptively simple, Angry Birds lets you employ cartoon birds as weaponized projectiles in an escalating war against a posse of egg-stealing green pigs. (Don't ask.) Revenge relies on vectors and basic principles of physics, but the gist is to use a slingshot to angle an 'angry bird' at the smug little pigs. The real challenge? Putting your phone down once you've started.

Angry Birds

The thought of a zombie attack is enough to keep any sensible person up at night. But you know what's even scarier? Watching waves of zombies trampling your nicely manicured lawn. That national (or at least gardener's) nightmare is realized in Plants vs. Zombies, a perennial best-seller. Game rules? The zombies advance, you bombard them with any number of flora, including ears of corn and frozen watermelons. That's just common sense, right?

Plants V. Zombies

Hasbro's iPhone app version of Scrabble might be even better than Grandpa's board version. You can match wits against the computer, against online opponents, or against your friends via Facebook. Scrabble pros can have up to 50 games going at once, while newbies will appreciate the game's learning tools, including a teacher mode and a cheater option, which allows the computer to choose the highest-score word for you.

Scrabble

On The Go

Kayak, the popular meta-search website, has created an app that makes it easy to search for hotels, flights and car rentals even while you're away from your desk. Budding road warriors will appreciate the airport information section, price alerts and fee table, while bean counters will appreciate that the app comes in a free, regular version. High flyers wanting to book first- or business-class tickets will need the Pro version, however, priced at $1.99.

Kayak

YelpStuck in a new city without a clue as to where to eat? No worries. Just fire up your handy Yelp app, which locates all the nearby eateries, then browse by proximity, neighborhood, price, or what's open now. You also get easy access to Yelp's burgeoning collection of customer reviews, so you can avoid any clunkers. Not hungry? The app lets you find a whole host of other on-the-road necessities, such as bars, banks, drugstores, and gas stations.

Word Lens is a real-time translation app that you have to see to believe. The app uses augmented-reality technology to translate real-word objects in real-time. Menu in Spanish? No problem — point the app at it and watch the words transform. The quality of the translations can sometimes be spotty, but Word Lens is an exciting look at technology to come. The app is free; language packs are limited currently and available for $9.99.

Word Lens

Lifestyle

The perfect shopping companion, Amazon's iPhone app lets users connect to their Amazon account with the tap of a finger. Fill your shopping cart or track the status of recently placed orders, or search the full selection of products available from Amazon.com. The app also lets you scan any barcode to search for comparison prices, or snap photos of a product (like those to-die-for shoes worn by the person next to you) and quickly find it on the web.

Amazon

Epicurious

Making a stop at the grocery store on your way home? Pull up Epicurious, type in the ingredients you know you have at home, and then let the app do the rest. A virtual cookbook, Epicurious helps you plan small meals or family dinners on the go. One of the best features is the ability to see what percentage of people who made a recipe would do so again, so you can be sure that your chosen menu is worth the effort.

Mixology

Time for a cocktail? Mixology lets you input what alcohols and mixers you have on hand, and then offers up possible libations that can be created from them. Budding mixologists will appreciate the glossary of terms, tips on how to stock your bar, and — our favorite — a search function to help you find the closest liquor store or bar (if you decide to leave the drink-making to a pro).

Music & Photography

Though the U.S. still can't partake in the magic that is Spotify, Mog is a quite-capable imitator. With a free app and a $9.99/month subscription, Mog gives you access to a massive music library that exists in the cloud. Connect via WiFi or 3G to stream on the fly, or download tracks in advance to save for those days when you're off the grid. iPhone 4 users also get the benefit of background streaming, which keeps the tunes going while you fiddle around in other apps.

Mog

Pandora was a great service on your computer, but it's even better on your phone. Having the free app means that you can discover new music on your morning commute, at the gym, or wherever you happen to be. If you already have an account, you can sign in and easily access any of the channels you created on the web. And don't worry if you created an awesome channel on your phone — it will all transfer back to your account so you can access it on your computer.

Pandora

PandoraIf the iPhone's standard camera is like a digital point-and-shoot, the Camera+ app is like a high-quality SLR lens. Developed by a professional photographer, Camera+ includes a burst mode for action shots, an image stabilizer and even a timer for self-portraits. But the real fun begins after you trip the shutter. The app lets you manipulate your photos with crops, borders, color tints and retro effects. For the iPhone user serious about taking beautiful photos, it's $1.99 well spent.

Entertainment

NetflixThe Netflix app for iPhone comes on the heels of its iPad app, which was a monster hit. Subscribing to any of the monthly Netflix packages, which start at $7.99, gives iPhone users access to Netflix's instant streaming queue anywhere, even on a 3G connection (though a wi-fi connection provides a better experience). It's an ideal app for commuters or parents who want to keep their kids entertained on the go. One gripe: Customers can't update their DVD-by-mail queue within the app, a surprising omission. Let's hope that feature is part of the next update.

IMDb

The app takes the already-popular website and puts it in usable, fast-moving mobile form. Every film tidbit you'd ever want to know is on IMDb, including cast lists, plot summaries and critical reviews. It's a one-stop shop for film buffs and trivia hounds, who can also search for showtimes nearby and even shop for DVDs through Amazon. You can even watch trailers for upcoming or just-released films, should you tire of reading.

ESPN Scorecenter

With an almost inexhaustible selection of sports scores and leagues to follow in real time, ESPN's free ScoreCenter app sweetens the deal by throwing in breaking news updates and letting you customize the app to feature your favourite teams and sports. ESPN's venerable news ticker scrolls across the bottom of the screen just for good measure, too.

Social

Facebook

Really, do we need to explain Facebook to you? Just know that the company's iPhone app brings all the things you love (or love to hate) about Facebook to your pocket, including that constantly updating list of your friends' links, loves, lunches, locations and more. Chances are, your friends have already joined the 150 million Facebook users as of October 2010 who used a smart phone to update their status, so get with the program.

Twitter

The big reveal about Twitter for the iPhone is that tweeting pictures has never been simple. Just point, shoot and share your snapshot with your entire flock of followers. As you might expect, all the other Twitter-ific things are present in the app, including the ability to DM people, @reply, post tweets, and follow breaking news.

Search is even more convenient with Google's iPhone app, which puts the web (and all of your favorite Google products, like Gmail, Maps, Docs, and News) at your fingertips. The app also employs voice recognition, letting users simply announce what they're searching for. Bonus item: one of Google's most interesting features, Google Googles, has finally made it to the iPhone, allowing you to use pictures to search the web for landmarks, products and more.

Google

BiblographyAll Information And Images Used In This Presentation Were Taken Fromhttp://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2044480,00.html