Top 20 iPhone Apps

“There’s an app for that.”

You’ve heard it a million times in Apple’s omnipresent iPhone and iTunes App Store ads. But how do you know which apps are actually worth downloading?

We’ve separated the wheat from the chaff among the thousands of available iPhone applications and picked out twenty of our favorites. These apps cover a little bit of everything. Want to keep tabs on your finances? Check out Mint or A Personal Assistant.

Want to manage your address book better? Bento will keep you organized and Bump makes exchanging contact info incredibly easy.

If you’re looking to enhance your productivity outside of the office, check out LogMeIn Ignition, which lets you log into your computer directly from your phone, and QuickOffice Mobile for editing your documents and spreadsheets.

If you’re looking to pimp your phone without the help of an app, check out our top tips for iPhone OS 3.0. Otherwise, hit the jump for more of our top iPhone apps.

A Personal Assistant

Monitor your checking account, credit cards, and investments. Plus, keep tabs on cell phone minutes and flight itineraries.

Free; www.pageonce.com

AP Mobile

Get your news fix in an easy-to-read format and get push notifications on your home screen as big stories break. A configurable toolbar lets you maneuver through categories (Entertainment, USA, World, and more).

Free; www.apnews.com

Bento

Consolidate data from your devices’ Contacts, Dialing, Google Maps, Mail, and Safari. You’ll find templates for everything from event planning and time billing to recipes.

$4.99; www.filemaker.com

Bump

Exchange contact information with fellow iPhone/iPod touch users by literally bumping the two devices together.

Free; www.bumptechnologies.com

Facebook

iPhone’s version is best for viewing status updates and photos. You can also chat, look up phone numbers, and upload photos. Also available for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.

Free; www.facebook.com

Fandango

Tap “Find My Location” to get all the films at theaters in your zip code in a vertical list, including poster art, runtime, synopsis, and trailers; and to purchase tickets.

Free; www.fandango.com

Kindle for iPhone

You can browse the Kindle Store, and wirelessly download books. Plus, pick up from the exact same point on the Kindle reader when you bookmark pages.

Free; www.amazon.com

LogMeIn Ignition

Access your PC or Mac remotely. Pinch gestures let us zoom into portions of our desktop. You can also troubleshoot or view photos stored on your PC.

$29.99; www.logmein.com

Metal Gear Solid Touch

Control Snake as he battles diabolical puppet masters. Tap to fire, and use pinch gestures to zoom in and out.

$7.99; www.touch.konami.net

Mint

Sync with your Mint.com account wirelessly. Track your account balance and spending habits, or deactivate mobile access from your profile page, if your phone is lost or stolen.

Free; www.mint.com

Photogene

Touch-up photos by cropping, tweaking colors, and adding visual effects (such as comic book–style text bubbles). Thankfully, an undo button is also on hand.

$2.99; www.i-photogene.com

QuickOffice Mobile Office Suite

Craft and tweak spreadsheets, even in landscape mode. Manage and password protect your files. Create and edit Word docs, and take advantage of its new autocorrect feature.

$19.99; www.quickoffice.com

StreetEasy Real Estate

Find homes for rent or sale near you with GPS. Tap a listing for a description, photo, and mapped location. Search by price or number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Free; www.streeteasy.com

Skype

Don’t use your minutes. Use this app to place crystal-clear free calls over Wi-Fi; check voicemail; and send low-cost text messages.

Free; www.skype.com

Tap Tap Revenge: Coldplay Edition

Press colored balls in time with the British alt-rockers’ most enduring songs. This special version adds fresh themes and graphics inspired by Coldplay’s music videos.

$4.99; www.tapulous.com

Telenav

Voice-guided directions are now available on the iPhone, and TeleNav is an excellent service, offering 10 million points of interest. It’s also available on all other platforms.

$9.99 per month; www.telenav.com

Tiger Woods PGA Tour

Unlike the console versions, this game uses the touchscreen to make putts and long drives with a swipe of your finger. Plus, create your own golf avatar.

$9.95; www.eamobile.com

Tweetdeck

This Twitter app elegantly recreates the column dashboard format of the desktop program. You can follow topics in real time, share photos, and post shortened links.

Free; www.tweetdeck.com

WeatherBug Elite

View heat indexes, wind speed, and hourly forecasts of your location. You can see photos from around the city, and watch a meteorologist give the national outlook.

$0.99; www.weatherbug.com

Yelp

Get a star-rating, address, phone number, and a map of local businesses fast, using GPS triangulation. You can also bookmark favorite locations.

Free; www.yelp.com