Here's a new (to me) must-have news reader:

App: Pulse News
Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: This is an awesome visual feed aggregator for all your favorite RSS subscriptions.
Cost: $1.99
Comments: Well worth price. Watch this be the model for future data push. Great interface.

In my "Search" folder:

App: Google
Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: A Google search tool.
Cost: Free
Comments: The best part of the application hands down is the speech-to-search ability. Look for the tiny microphone on the top right, click it, speak it and wah-lah.

App: Wolfram
Rating: ✩✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: They call it a "computational knowledge engine." I call it wild as hell.
Cost: $1.99
Comments: It's like search on steriods and if your educationally, or research driven this is MUST HAVE tool. Here try it for free online first and you'll see what I mean.

App: Bing
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: Is the Microsoft version of the Google search tool.
Cost: Free
Comments: BING is making a lot of strategic alliances and they're mapping system is really maturing well.

In my "Tools" folder:

System Default Apps:
• Calculator
• Notes

App: Carpenter
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: It's a carpenters level and several other helpful tools.
Cost: $1.99
Comments: This is a great app but there's something catawampus with my phone so the apps don't work properly. I would assume it's been the few times my daughter as been told she can no longer watch Caillou on YouTube.

App: Wikipanion
Rating: ✩✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: A search results against wikipedia's site data.
Cost: Free
Comments: Just what you'd think it is, with that said a nice tool to have.

App: Flashlight
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: It makes your screen fill with one of many colors that you can choose.
Cost: Free
Comments: It's what you would expect but it does indeed work. I also like using the red setting so I can feel as though I'm on a secret black op's mission when I'm trying to make my way across the bedroom without having a plastic toy gouge my foot face.

App: Big Words
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: This fun lil' app just make what you type on it REALLY BIG on your screen.
Cost: Free
Comments: I used this app to get Mardi Gras parade floats to see me over people – it worked like a champ.

App: Battery Doctor
Rating: ✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: This app is supposed to work by optimizing settings on your phone to reduce battery drain.
Cost: $.99
Comments: I've seen no measurable results other than the $1.00 I paid for it.

App: Trapster
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: This goofy little app' gives potential location of police speed traps based on user notification.
Cost: Free
Comments: Fun, app but gets annoying after a while as it will notify you of a lot of speed traps.

In my "News" folder:

System Default Apps:
• Stocks

App: CNN
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: Nice, visually robust feed aggregator with links to more detailed articles.
Cost: $1.99
Comments: I like the integration of 'LIVE' and 'iReport' content to this application. "My CNN" is an internal favorites filter and the addition of 'following' thread ability makes this application worth purchase.

App: NY Times
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: News feed aggregator with links to more detailed articles.
Cost: Free
Comments: A solid mobile extension of the printed edition. Admittedly they're not exploiting the ad potential that they could within the application. I know, I'm a whore.

App: Huffington Post
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: News feed aggregator with links to more detailed articles.
Cost: Free
Comments: You would figure that an online newspaper would have an great mobile site, and they do.

App: AP Mobile
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: News feed aggregator with links to more detailed articles.
Cost: Free
Comments: I was really surprised upon startup it sought my location for more geographically topical articles – well done. Great app, well worth your time, in fact I'd even pay for it.