[ This article is part of our 2010 App Gems Awards serial , honor the best apps of 2010 . ]
Reference App of the Year
IMDB Movies & TV(free )
By IMDB
( read review )
IMDB Movies & TVhas lend a turn of feature film in late months , most notably entertainment news and the power to rate movies and TV shows from within the app . But the most likeable matter about this peregrine amusement guidebook is still the thing that catch our eye when the app debuted shortly after the iPad ’s arrival — its superlative design . IMDB gift information about motion picture and TV show in a clear , easy - to - navigate manner . That ’s as true on the iPhone as it is on the iPad , where IMDB attain peculiar use of the big covert and pop - up windows to aid you easily discover what worker appear in what show . If more apps took their design cues from IMDB , the App Store would be a much more orderly place.—PHILIP MICHAELS
Best Multimedia Streamer
ZumoCast(free )
By Zecter
The iPad and iPhone are great for watching telecasting and listening to music , but even they only have so much distance for storing those media files . figure Zecter’sZumoCast , a ecumenical app that lets you stream photos , audio , and TV from your Mac to your iOS gimmick . The app works with a piece of software you install on your data processor , which can convert TV on the fly front into an iOS - compatible format . you could also set up ZumoCast to give you access to your home documents and it ’s all for the lowly , humbled monetary value of free.—DAN MOREN
iMovie($5 )
By Apple
Several long time ago , if someone told you that you could use your headphone to shoot , edit , and release HD video , you probably would have express joy . But it ’s Apple who ’s enjoying the last gag — its iOS reading ofiMovieworks with the iPhone 4 and 4th - generation iPod jot to transmute you into Martin Scorsese at a moment ’s notice . Select a musical theme , skimming through and dress clip , impart picture and music , and export to your Camera Roll — all with a few taps of your finger . The app feels like a raw tantrum on Apple ’s mobile equipment , create a once - out of the question project into just another iOS capability.—SERENITY CALDWELL
Drawing App of the Year
SketchBook Pro($8 )
By Autodesk
With its 1024 by 768 canvass , the luxuriousSketchBook Profor the iPad gives you all the blank space you require to satisfy your creative vision . Sporting the same paint railway locomotive as the powerful desktop translation , the app comes utter with 75 customizable predetermined brush , including pencils , pens , markers , instinctive media , picture brush , nature and legal tender brushes . SketchBook Pro make great use of the iPad ’s multitouch interface and offers the kind of features — funding for up to six layer , portmanteau modes , and a remarkable symmetric draw feature that produces a mirror image of your stroke on one side of the canvas — that creative professionals demand.—JACKIE DOVE
Photo Effects App of the Year
Hipstamatic($2 )
By Synthetic
Lots of toy - television camera apps for the iPhone let you pick off your photos after you ’ve taken them . ButHipstamatic’sclaim to renown is that applies its effectswhenyou take the picture . The $ 2 app admit several lenses , films , and flashes that you could compound as you require or congeal randomly with a shake . After the app “ produce ” your photo , what you see is what you get . And what you get is very coolheaded . you’re able to also corrupt several $ 1 Hipstapaks from within the app , each of which sum additional items , or order print so that you’re able to get a lasting admonisher of what a terrific photo this smartly designed app produces.—JONATHAN SEFF
Photo-Sharing App of the Year
Instagram(free )
By Burbn
Photo apps are a dime a XII , but it ’s what you do with those resulting picture that pretend all the conflict . Instagramhits the sweet bit by fuse one - touch image redaction and easy access to pop exposure - sharing services . Take a photo or pick one from your existing subroutine library , apply one of the built - in filters ( or result the original as - is ) , save the one you care , and e - mail or part using the many built - in tools . This spare app is all in - simple to habituate and give an artsy pick to amateurs like me.—CURT POFF
Geotagging App of the Year
Geotag Photos Pro($4 )
By TappyTaps
Geotagging your photos ( so you cognize exactly where every picture you ’ve spud was take ) is a pretty cool development in the photography worldly concern , which is why programs like iPhoto and Websites like Flickr support it . But here ’s the trouble : Few camera number with GPS chips . The old answer to this trouble was to buy a separate datum logger and hold it with you on shoot . But why bother when you already have a equipment with a GPS detector right in your pocket?Geotag Photos Proturns your iPhone into a smart GPS data logger . Launch the app , verify your phone and camera ’s clocks are synced , and it ’ll track your positioning while you ’re on the go . ( It fly the coop in the scope in iOS 4 , so you may still use your telephone for other task . And because it uses dead on target GPS geolocation , it ’ll work even if you ’re in the middle of nowhere , aside from a cubicle tower or Wi - Fi signaling . ) Once you ’re done , the app upload the datum to a comrade Website . After download your look-alike to your Mac , you may use a destitute companion utility to apply your GPS datum to your exposure . ( The app also lets you vitamin E - mail that information , so you may log your travels on Google Earth or any other service that support GPS lumber data.)—JASON SNELL
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