Best Free iPhone and iPad Apps of 2011 (So Far)

Capture the world around you with your iPhone in spectacular 3D panoramas. Microsoft’s app stiches your pictures together and you can share them via Photosynth’s online service or on Facebook with your friends.

iTunes App Store Link: Photosynth

Great for when you are on a slow connection, Opera Mini 6 for iPhone and iPad is a serious contender to Safari. Background tab loading is a great feature and you can synchronize bookmarks from your desktop computer if you use Opera as your browser.

Tunes App Store Link: Opera Mini 6

Nike's running companion app is currently free and you don’t need the special shoe sensors to use it -- it records your running routine via the iPhone GPS and accelerometer.

iTunes App Store Link: Nike+ GPS

Flick the Frisbee, steer through obstacles, and collect stars. A simple, delightful, and entertaining game, Frisbee Forever is one of the latest must-have apps for both iPhone and iPad.

iTunes App Store Link: Frisbee Forever

A sleek combination between search engine and magazine-like aggregator, the Bing for iPad app is a great way to leisurely flick through news, movies, or even popular searches.

iTunes App Store Link: Bing for iPad

Hound allows you to speak the name of an artist, band, or a song tile and bring up a wealth of related information and photos, including tour dates, lyrics, and song previews.

iTunes App Store Link: Hound

Your mission in Land-a Panda is to assist a male panda meet his dream partner in a puzzle adventure with cannons, hazards, and a lot of coins to collect. The game has adorable sounds and creative graphics.

iTunes App Store Link: Land-a Panda

Sonar is a social-savvy app that shows you how you are connected to other people around you by analyzing your social networking accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare.

iTunes App Store Link: Sonar

MTV's Music Meter app lets you discover new music with a daily list of trending artists. You can then sample related artists, photos, news articles, and even their tweets.

iTunes App Store Link: MTV's Music Meter

One of the most hyped apps this year, Color combines social networking and photo-taking by bringing together photos taken by people in your vicinity -- and helps you make new connections.

iTunes App Store Link: Color

Onavo runs in the background and shrinks via its servers all the data used by apps, saving you money if you're on a capped data plan or using data abroad.

iTunes App Store Link: Onavo

Free for a limited time, Super 8 is a vintage camera app for both video and photos. Gestures include changing the effects and filters by swiping across the camera and playing video by pulling down a projector screen.

iTunes App Store Link: Super 8

Look up any word on your iPhone or iPad with the Merriam-Webster dictionary, or check out the word of the day. The app is simple and easy to use, and the spoken search feature can be particularly handy.

iTunes App Store Link: Merriam-Webster

eBay's Motors app lets your browse all the car listings on the site, with a few extra perks such as free vehicle history reports from Experian AutoCheck and a place to store information about your cars.

iTunes App Store Link: eBay Motors

A different take on weather apps, Thermo is like a pocket thermometer on your iPhone, showing you not only the temperature outside now, but also readings from the previous day for comparison.

iTunes App Store Link: Thermo

HeyTell turns your phone into a walkie-talkie by allowing you to send voice messages to single users or groups via 3G, EDGE, and Wi-Fi, with push notifications for new messages.

iTunes App Store Link: HeyTell

Dozens of popular on-demand TV shows and movies from HBO, Showtime, TNT, and Cinemax are available through the Xfinity app for iPhone and iPad-as long as you are on Wi-Fi.

iTunes App Store Link: Xfinity

This app gives you access to Google's directory of restaurants, cafes, bars, and other venues worldwide, and can help you find great spots around you.

iTunes App Store Link: Google Places

Audibly is a public domain repository of almost 3000 audiobooks, all for free on your iPhone or iPad. You'll find all the classics, but no recent titles like the Twilight or Harry Potter series.

iTunes App Store Link: Audibly

Vimeo's iPhone app goes beyond the standard uploading and browsing features and allows you to edit on the fly and add transitions, titles, and music to clips shot with your phone before you share them with the world.

iTunes App Store Link: Vimeo

Top 15 Innovative Mobile Apps to Watch in 2011