Fandango (Free) — I’ve been using Fandango for a number of years now (literally, since the *gasp* dial-up days). However when it comes to finding movie times on my iPhone, I’ve been using the Flixster app. I recently tried out the Fandango app and, while I’m not sure if I like it as much when it comes to looking up movie times, it has an excellent feature for buying movie tickets. It easily integrates the ability to buy movie tickets just like the full Fandango website. So if you’re on the go and need to buy tickets for a show you think might be sold out, this is an excellent app.

Angry Birds ($0.99) — I tend to really like “quirky” and quick iPhone games. Angry Birds really fits that bill. It’s a game you can just open and get right into fast, play for two minutes, hit the home button and be done. Word’s can’t really do it justice, but the game involves shooting various breeds of birds at green pigs, who begin constructing various ways of defending themselves as the game progresses. The game is quick, addictive, and crazy fun. For 99 cents, this is really a must buy.

Digg (Free) — I’m a huge fan of news aggregator Digg.com. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Digg is a Web site where people submit stories they find from across the internet. People can “digg” a story and when a story has sufficient “diggs” it makes it to the front page of Digg.com. It’s one of the best places to find the day’s best online news, jokes, pictures, videos, etc. The iPhone app incorporates all the features of the regular website into a native app allowing you to get all the day’s best content while mobile.

Tetris ($4.99) — Tetris… for iPhone. I would write more about it, but I don’t have any time as I’m too busy playing it.

BlogPress ($2.99) — This past semester I’ve been assigned to maintain a blog for one of my English classes. Not soon after I created the blog and had a couple of posts up, I started looking for a way to manage and add new blog posts on the go. After reading and listening to several recommendations, I settled on trying BlogPress and I haven’t been dissapointed. BlogPress is very easy to use and allows you to create blog posts right from your iPhone. It’s extremely simple while still allowing you to maintain multiple blogs and upload text, photo, or video posts to them. I would highly recommend this one for the avid bloggers out there.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 ($9.99) — If you’re my age, this game was probably an important part of your adolescence. I spent a good chunk of my formative teenage years playing this game on the original PlayStation. I had all the best tricks perfected. I knew the location of every secret tape. I was once challenged to beat the entire game in under an hour — and I did it in less then 45 minutes. I’ve never been beaten in a head-to-head game. I own this game.

So imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and saw that Mr. Tony Hawk himself had tweeted that the game had finally arrived for the iPhone. Never has getting an app been more of a no-brainer for me. What I found upon launching it is that the game is a surprisingly good port from the original PlayStation version. The on-screen touch controls were actually much better then I anticipated and all the same levels, goals, and tricks are still there. If you’re as big a fan of the Tony Hawk series as I am, you should pick this one up.

Tweetie 2 ($2.99) – Tweetie was a popular Twitter application for iPhone, but it did little to seperate itself from the pack of iPhone Twitter apps, such as Tweetdeck, Twitterfon and Twitterific. Tweetie 2 was released and has now set itself apart as the Twitter app. Some of the killer features include landscape mode throughout the entire app, as well as an intuitive swipe interface where you swipe a tweet to see all the available option like responding, retweeting or quoting. The app is the fastest and most reliable of the half-dozen or so Twitter apps I’ve used — and also does little things I didn’t even know I wanted done, such as saving my place in my feed, allowing me to come back to it hours later and pick up where I left off. Let me say that I like Tweetie 2 so much that i actually tweet with much more consistency now then I ever did before, just because it’s so much better with Tweetie 2.

ESPN Radio ($2.99) — I just recently started using this app and I absolutely love it. This app gives you the ability to listen to the live ESPN Radio national feed right on your iPhone, as well as listen to 15-plus local ESPN Radio affiliates, such as ESPN Radio New York or Seattle. The sound quality is excellent, much better than actual radio. You also get the ability to listen to any of the ESPN podcasts on demand, like The B.S. Report, Pardon The Interruption, or The Fantasy Focus. This is also one of the most polished iPhone apps out there — when you are streaming the live radio feed, you are treated to the same ESPN BottomLine feature you see on the network’s HD broadcasts, keeping you updated with scores and all the latest news.

Newsie ($3.99) — My Google Reader is one of the staples of my daily routine. I subscribe to a dozen feeds or so and I check it periodically throughout the day. I previously used the Google Reader Web app to check my from my iPhone using the Safari Web browser. Newsie has easily replaced that as my way of checking my Google Reader when I am away from a PC. Newsie is faster than the native Google Reader app and has a built-in browser, which allows you to read the sites right in the app instead of opening a new Safari window. The app also has integration with Instapaper, allowing you to save a site to your Instapaper app so you can read it later when you are without an Internet connection. Newsie also allows you to instantly tweet the link to a news item through Tweetie, a feature that definitely comes in handy if you buy Tweetie 2 as well.

Back Breaker Football ($0.99) — I haven’t had to much time to play iPhone games of late, but of the ones I have tried Back Breaker is definitely the cream of the crop. The game is not a football game in the classic sense, you start off by creating a customized player, similar to the create a player mode found for years in games like Madden. The gameplay consists of you controlling the player through a series of increasingly difficult drills. The main objective of the drills is to simply avoid being tackled by the computer’s defenders. You control your player using the accelerometer and are armed with a series of impressive juke and spin moves.

At first the drills are very simple, but as the game progresses more tacklers and parts of the field that become illegal to touch increase the difficulty. The most impressive part of the game is undoubtedly the amazing graphics, which are amongst the best I’ve seen on the iPhone. Watching the slow-mo replays of your player getting drilled is just a blast. Altogether, for 99 cents this game will provide you hours of fun, smash-mouth football action.

2Do ($2.99) — The iPhone comes with a great lineup of basic apps, but one of the glaring weaknesses of the iPhone is the lack of native to-do list capabilities. You can get your calendar to sync with iCal or Google Calendar, and yet there is no way to sync the tasks you have created on these applications to you iPhone. I have searched far and wide and tried a variety of to-do list applications available in the App Store, such as Things, ToDo, or Toodledo. While all of these are fine, none of them just quite cut it for me and I eventually found myself returning to the old-fashioned, pen-and-paper to-do lists. This past week, I saw 2DO featured on the App Store (and on sale), so I decided task management on my phone was worth one more shot.

As soon as I opened up 2DO, I knew I had found the app I’d been looking for. It features the best user interface of all the task management apps I’ve seen, using a basic tabbed interface. You are able to quickly switch between different task calendars, like school, work, home or whatever else you want to add. The app features the ability to (finally) sync iCal tasks over wi-fi, something the iPhone should have been able to do years ago. If you need something to organize your tasks, 2Do is the perfect app.

Ben Wagner is a correspondent for Rhombus and is gladly accepting iTunes gift cards as Christmas gifts. To send him one, contact him on Twitter @ben_wagner.

• TweetDeck (Free) — Last time, I raved about Twitterfon being a great free iPhone app and then received some feedback from some people who had problems with it. As soon as I posted the article, my Twitterfon app started going on the blitz as well and I was forced to consider alternatives. So far my favorite is TweetDeck. TweetDeck originated as a desktop Twitter app that features a unique columned interface. The best thing about the iPhone version is that it mimics this columned interface on the iPhone, as well as being a fast and fully featured Twitter client. TweetDeck does have its disadvantages though. For me, the lack of landscape mode in the browser is a huge turn-off. Also, I will often open TweetDeck and it will tell me there is no connectivity, yet it still loads the latest tweets. This is a nuisance more then anything and hopefully they can fix it with a small update. Even with these flaws, the unique interface TweetDeck uses keeps bringing me over all the other Twitter apps I’ve recently used.

• F.A.S.T. ($0.99) — Fast is simply one of the coolest games I’ve seen on the iPhone and a great example of what the iPhone is capable of. The game is a combat flight simulator capable of placing you in the cockpit of 10 military aircraft and plunging you smack dab in the middle of mid-air dogfights. The accelorometer controls allow you to fly the plane by tilting the iPhone, giving you the sense that you are actually flying the plane. The game also features multi-player functionality over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, allowing you to dogfight against your friends. The graphics are quite impressive and, with over 30 missions to play, this game will literally keep you occupied in the danger zone for hours on end.

• MyPhone+ for Facebook ($2.99) — This is one of those apps that you never realized you wanted or needed until you get it. This app takes all of the info in your address book and syncs it with your Facebook info. It takes the names of your contacts and looks for them amongst your Facebook friends, then it takes their profile picture and uses it as the contact picture in your iPhone address book. It also adds their emails, addresses and birthdays to your address book when available, allowing you to easily keep your address book updated with the most current info on all your contacts.

• BeeJiveIM ($9.99) — This application falls into the category of something I’ve always wanted and, when I finally found it, I was giddy with excitement. Beejive is an instant messaging application that can do Aim, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Myspace, Yahoo and Facebook chat. You can keep use all of your chat accounts right on your iPhone. The interface is simple, but effective and easy to use. The app also features landscape mode which is a huge plus allowing you to type a lot faster. However all of these pale in comparison to BeeJive’s best feature: BeeJive allows you to close the app and even turn off the phone, but it keeps your accounts open and logged in. Therefore you still show up as being available to all your contacts and, if they message you, the phone tells you with a push notification that appears similar to a text message. You can then open back up Beejive and chat away. For anyone addicted to communication like myself, this app is a dream come true: the ability to always be connected to my chats, even when I’m not physically at my computer or even using the chat application on my phone. So from now on when you see me on Facebook chat for 17 hours straight, just remember I’m always on — even when I’m not.

Ben Wagner is a tech correspondent for Rhombus Magazine and considers the time before the iPhone to be the Dark Ages. Give him some feedback about the apps by following him on Twitter @ben_wagner.

If you read part one of my “Best of the App Store” series, you will have noticed that this was intended to be a three-part piece. Well, two vacations later I realized that may have been especially ambitious. There was going to be one article about free games and one about paid games. I also discovered that I couldn’t find five free iPhone games that were worth my time and, therefore, yours. So I decided to combine the two into one, so I present to you “Best of the App Store: Games.”

Honorable Mention

• Space Deadbeef (Free) — For me, this is the best pound-for-pound free iPhone game available. The game is a simple side-scrolling space shooter that boasts impressive graphics and a unique control scheme. Part of what makes this game so addictive is the way the levels are laid out. Essentially you play the same level over and over again. Every time you beat the level it increases the difficulty. Also, you have an unlimited amount of lives so when you die you can keep re-trying the level at the same difficulty. The game displays how many deaths you have and what level you are on so that you can compare your skill level with your friends. If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch and are looking for a free game, this is the one.

Top 5 Games

• Tiger Woods Golf ($9.99) — I realize this game may not be for everyone. It is a sports game and it’ll cost you $10. However, it is absolutely phenomenal. It is a fantastic mobile version of the console game. The control scheme is great for the iPhone and the graphics are as impressive as I’ve seen. You are presented with a realistic golfing experience right on your phone. I’ve definitely gotten my $10 out of this game; if you like golf, you will too.
• World Cup Ping-Pong ($0.99) — I love ping-pong. I have spent countless hours in my basement with my brother, destroying all hope in his soul with a barrage of power shots, drop shots and spinning serves — and I have never, ever enjoyed a ping-pong video game. Even the Wii Play version bored me instantly. So I was skeptical of this game, but I figured for $0.99, why not? What makes this game great is that it uses the touchscreen interface just as it should. Its simple: wherever you move your finger, the paddle follows, allowing you to feel like you’re in complete control of the paddle. Therefore, the precision that makes ping-pong a great game is present in a simulated version played on a 3.5 inch screen. There is a free “lite” version available that removes all the different levels of competition and tournaments available in the paid version. So if you want to give it a shot, you’ve got nothing to lose.
• Flight Control ($0.99) — This game took the App Store by storm some weeks ago and has become a must-have for iPhone/iPod Touch owners ever since. The game is built upon a simple premise: there is a runway on the screen, various types of aircraft begin to enter the screen and you have to land them on the runway without crashing them by tracing their flight path with your finger. Sounds simple, but once more and more aircraft enter the screen it becomes quite difficult. Definitely give this one a shot. It’ll keep you trying to best your high score for hours.
• Dropship ($1.99) — This game is a fun space shooter that has a slight learning curve, requiring some mastery of the controls. Once you have them down, you’ll find yourself spending hours and hours steering your spaceship around, trying to rescue fellow space cadets and shoot down alien fighters. This is a very fun space shooter and I highly recommend it. Definitely worth your $1.99.
• Need for Speed: Underground ($6.99) — One of my favorite genres of games from the App Store is racing games. The steering control system is very fun and intuitive. There are plenty of racing games to choose from, but so far this one has been my favorite. The game features fantastic graphics for a game you are playing on your phone. It also features a surprisingly involved storyline and several types of racing modes. You also get the option of earning money to upgrade and customize your car, even down to the color. While its a bit pricey at $6.99, you get what you pay for here. Nothing less then a console-worthy racing game in the palm of your hand.

Well, that’s that. Enjoy!

Ben Wagner is a tech correspondent for Rhombus. He apparently has nothing better to spend his money on than iPhone games. Follow him on Twitter at @ben_wagner.

Honorable Mentions

• Darkroom — For iPhone and iPhone 3G users, this app is a must. Darkroom uses the accelorometer to measure when your phone is steady as you take a picture. Once you hit the shutter button on your camera, the app waits until the phone is completely steady before taking the picture. This allows for much clearer shots, especially during low-light conditions. Unfortunately, this app is not yet compatible with iPhone OS 3.0 and iPhone 3G S and is, therefore, relegated to the honorable mention category.

• Skype — The popular video chat client released its mobile iPhone version some months back and I instantly loved it. While the iPhone version doesn’t feature video chat, it does feature free voice calls (when there is a local wi-fi connection) to any of your Skype friends. This feature can save you minutes and works great. The instant messaging feature also works great, allowing you to IM with your online friends over a 3G connection. Don’t be surprised if we see an iPhone external webcam released in the near future and Skype adds video chat over wi-fi to this app. Therefore, I put this app in the honorable mention category because it has yet to reach its full potential.

Top 5 Utilities

• Shazam — So it’s late at night and you’re getting kicked out of the library as they blare music over the speakers and you just can’t quite identify the song playing as you’re packing up your books for the night? Just open up Shazam! Let it listen to the song being played and within seconds it somehow scours its massive database of just about every song ever written and tells you the name of the song, as well as handy info such as the artist, links to iTunes to purchase the song and accompanying YouTube music videos (if available). This app is scary accurate and I have no idea how it works. I figure there are only two logical explanations: a) there are people a lot smarter then me, or b) black magic. I’m leaning towards b, but it could go either way.

• Flixster – This app is simple: it uses the GPS device in your phone to find your location, then searches for movie theaters in your vicinity and displays the movie showtimes for those theaters. Simple and easy to use. It is one of the most used apps on my phone.

• Stanza — There are a lot of free e-reader programs for the iPhone, but what sets this one apart from the pack is the converter program available from the Lexcycle Web site. This converter program allows you to take any document on your PC or Mac, convert it to a Stanza format, then sync it to your iPhone. Like that latest column on Rhombus and want to read it on the road? Copy the text, put it into Stanza, convert, sync and — voila! — you have it in an easy-to-read format right on your phone. It converts everything from PDFs to simple .txt files, so you can make virtually any document portable.

• Twitterfon — There is a plethora of Twitter apps available for the iPhone: some are free, some are not. I find that it completely unnecessary to spend money on a Twitter app when there is a great one like Twitterfon available for free. Twitterfon is fully featured and easy to use. I like the user interface so much that I often find myself using Twitterfon instead of my desktop Twitter client. If you use Twitter (and if you don’t, then why are you really reading this?) and have an iPhone, tweet with Twitterfon.

• Evernote — Evernote is a fantastic app for Mac and Windows. On the surface, it is a note-taking application. Add in the fact that Evernote uploads all of your notes to the Internet where they can be accessed from any web browser and you can begin to see the potential it has. Then add in the iPhone app which allows you to access your notes from your phone and you have a truly great way to record and access information. Last semester I took all my class notes in Evernote, which were then synced to the Web. Come finals time, I was able to study my notes from my iPhone while waiting in the massive line to enter the testing center. The synchronization between PC, Web and iPhone is fantastic and seamless and requires no manual effort: it is all done automatically in the background. Throw in the ability to create to-do lists and store photos and videos and Evernote stops becoming a note-taking app and becomes a new way to organize and retrieve information from wherever you are. If you are a student and you have an iPhone, believe me: this is a must-have.

Now go out and download ‘em! I mean, they’re free. What do you have to lose? Check back tomorrow for my top five free games!

Ben Wagner is a tech correspondant for Rhombus. Let him know what you thought about his app recomendations by sending your thoughts on Twitter (hopefully using Twitterfon) to @ben_wagner.