The 15 Best Mobile Apps of 2011

1. Android: Pulse News

Pulse News offers Android owners a visually pleasing way to catch up on current affairs and other web content, on and offline. Feeds are collated into a colorful and interactive mosaic homescreen. Sharing is simple, and the apps hosts read later options via Instapaper, Read it Later, Evernote and Google Reader.
Cost: Free

2. Android: Glympse

New location-sharing service Glympse lets people know where you are — whether that's a static location or on the road — via email, SMS, Facebook or Twitter. With timing options addressing privacy concerns, it's a useful app for both work and play.
Cost: Free

3. Android: AirSync by doubleTwist

Used in conjunction with the free doubleTwist desktop app, this app lets you sync your iTunes music, videos and photos from your PC to your phone, wirelessly over your home Wi-Fi network.
Cost: $4.99

4. Android: Camera ZOOM FX

This is a comprehensive camera app for the Android platform. As well as the cool filters, frames and vignettes we've come to know and love in such apps, Camera ZOOM FX takes functionality further with special effects such as tilt shift, distortion and composites. There's also image stabilization, a timer function, burst, time lapse modes and more.
Cost: $4.99

5. Android: Beautiful Widgets

One thing Android owners have over iOS users is tons more customization options. This app makes the most of them with a huge variety of ways to personalize your phone. As well as skins and themes, there's a wealth of widgets for the phone's clock, date display, toggle widgets and weather reports.
Cost: $2.89

6. iOS: Flipboard

Combining content from websites, blogs and social networks, Flipboard has been a big success story. Available for both the iPhone and the iPad, the "social magazine" is credited for changing the way people access online content, arguably making more of a stir in the digital publishing industry than paid-for, big name launches from established publishers.
Cost: Free

7. iOS: Snapseed

This post-process photo editing app is available for both the iPhone and the iPad, but on the tablet's larger screen it really shines. Awarded "iPad App of the Year" by Apple, Snapseed will help you get the most out of your images with auto-enhancement edits, the ability to enhance certain areas, special effect filters and more.
Cost: $4.99

8. iOS: Path

While major mainstream success is a ways off — although Path has seen approximately 1.5 million downloads to-date — the relaunch of this smart-journal-come-social-network late this year was well-received. Offering both a digital diary and a way of sharing with a limited group of close friends, Path appeals to privacy-aware, socially savvy consumers. With strong photographic options (the app includes filters) and an attractive UI, Path is a great-looking option for those who want to share their daily lives on a more intimate scale.
Cost: Free

9. iOS: Instagram

Apple's "iPhone App of the Year" combines creative photography fun with social networking. Its great results and ease of use means it's responsible for too many shots of our breakfasts/cats/boring commutes. With Instagram you can snap an image, process it with one of the app's awesome filter effects, and then share to not just the Instgram community, but to your friends, family and contacts on wider social networks.
Cost: Free

10. iOS: Stamped

Innovative startup Stamped is a recommendation service with a difference. You can "Stamp" anything from films to food, see your friends' Stamps and build up an archive of things you love, to refer back to later. Stamped takes the clutter and anonymity out of recommendations, while keeping things private to the wider public. Building affiliate programs for when people want to act on a Stamp is the clever business model behind this app, which we expect to hear more from in 2012.
Cost: Free

11. WP7: Tango

Somewhat bizarrely beating Microsoft-owned Skype to the WP7 platform, Tango allows you to make free phone and video calls over cellular networks and Wi-Fi to anyone who has Tango installed on their smartphone, tablet or PC. With a great-looking UI, it's a great option for Windows Phone owners, although that Skype option should be coming very soon.
Cost: Free

12. WP7: Metrotube

Although already as popular as the previous "LazyTube" incarnation, Metrotube, re-designed and re-developed for Mango, is an improvement — and so much better than the native YouTube app. Definitely one to download if you want to catch YouTube clips on your WP7 handset.
Cost: $1.99 for premium version, free version available

13. WP7: FeedWorm

While rival reader app Fuse brings good looks, FeedWorm is a no-frills Windows Phone application that syncs with your Google Reader account and makes it very simple to read RSS feeds on your phone. Offline support and a super-clean interface make it a must-have.
Cost: Free

14. WP7: bubblegum

While Pictures Lab and Thumba Photo Editor still prove popular on the platform, new-comer bubblegum is the photo app du jour. Created by Microsoft programmers, bubblegum has all the cool filters and social options iOS and Android users have been enjoying with Instagram, but integrates beautifully into the WP7 platform.
Cost: Free

15. WP7: Mixtapes

The apps market continued to grow in 2011, with millions of apps now available across the major mobile platforms.
With so many apps out there, it's easy to miss out on a must-have mobile tool. We have rounded up our favorite apps of 2011 for iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7 so you can check to see what you may have missed.
Take a look through our app gallery. Obviously this list can be debated endlessly, so let us know in the comments which apps you consider the best of the past year.