For the full directory of Gizmodo's Essential iPhone Apps for 2009, click here. Here are the best of the month, and what we've added to the directory:

December's Best Apps

For a single-page view, click here.

Essential App Directory Inductees

As you can see, it was a hell of a month in the App Store—we're adding a fair few of the month's best to the Essential Directory.

Pastebot, for giving the iPhone the clipboard it deserves, and coming so close to greatness (lack of backgrounding capabilities are the only thing holding it back, and not the dev's fault). $3

N.O.V.A, for finally showing the world how to make a proper FPS on the iPhone. $7.

Mint, because as far as personal finance apps go, things don't get much better than this. With the last few updates, it's become basically perfect. Free.

Dragon Dictation, for getting voice recognition right on the first try, and providing an extremely useful tool for text input. Free.

Gorilla Cam, for offering most of the features of a paid camera app for free.

Ustream, for giving iPhone users live video streaming capabilities they can actually use, and for not neglecting older iPhones. Free.

Bing, for providing decent, well-packaged alternatives to services that Google previously dominated, and even improving on some of them—I'm looking at you, maps. Free.

And that's it! What counts as an essential iPhone app changes all the time, and so should our guide: If we've missed anything huge, or you've got a much better suggestion for a particular type of app, let us know, or say so in the comments. We'll be updating this thing pretty frequently, and a million Gizmodo readers can do a better job at sorting through the app mess than a single Gizmodo editor. Enjoy!

I am the developer of Tits & Boobies and Pussy Lovers.

I received a call from someone at Apple and he said that the apps were being removed from the store as they were deemed inappropriate for the iTunes Store. Although I did not ask him if they received complaints, upon inquiring about what it was that was inappropriate about the apps, I was told that the title did not match the content and was asked to change the title and the "Education" category. I asked him if I could change the content instead, as there were other similarly named apps on the store, and got back something that equated to a maybe (though he did specifically say that they weren't asking me to put pictures of Vaginas in the Pussy Lovers app).

Essentially my understanding is that it is okay to sell an app on the store called Tits and Boobies as long as it has pictures of women's breasts (the more common meaning of those words) but it is not okay to sell a funny app called Tits and Boobies that has pictures of birds in it. Those apps are quite popular with combined over 300,000 downloads and most people we have shown them to get a laugh out of them and use them to play pranks on friends.

From a developer's perspective, we just want some consistency and more communication in the way the apps are reviewed and featured on the iTunes Store. Our Kamasutra application was initially rejected twice for containing inappropriate content even though it was rated 17+. Recently we discovered other similarly themed apps on Sexual Positions in the store and re-submitted and it was approved this time around. When where the policies in the store changed and why were we not informed so that we had an opportunity to resubmit our app.

Editor's note

This is a new twist to the old Apple iPhone app rejection story. This time it is not the content, but the "mismatch" between title and rated G content, even while the text is technically accurate. They have to change the content—although no vaginas would be ever allowed in the iPhone—or change the titles and categories. And there's no way around that.

I can see Apple's side of the story: The title and descriptions may be correct, but obviously designed to be misleading. Even while there is no real harm if someone makes the mistake—the applications were free—it sets a precedent.

But Samir has a point too. The apps are harmless, the descriptions are technically accurate, and the content is completely clean and apt for people of any age. Yet, other apps with the same descriptions, and full of potentially conflictive content—at the public relations level—are available for purchase in the store.

At the end, the fact is that the rules are still confusing. The apps were approved for the Education category after the titles were censored by Apple. So I guess that there was an active effort to test the app, understand what it does, and approve it according to whatever guidelines the iTunes Store people use. So why take it down? Just because it got published in Gizmodo and it was put under the spotlight? Was it just a mistake on the approval level? Or did Apple make this new rule after the article, to avoid a public relations problem?

Whatever it is, one thing is clear to me: Nobody is ever going to be happy with this process, which I'm afraid will remain imperfect forever.—Jesús Díaz

Of course not. They are just two apps loaded with photos of the other kind of tits, boobies, and pussies:

Still, I find it ironic that Apple censored the app titles to "T**s and Boobies" and "P***y Lovers", yet allowed the icons to say exactly that, and the descriptions to be like the one above or this one:

These tits and boobies are wide exposed and open to nature. You can see them as God intended to be viewed in their real forms.

I wonder how many people will fall into the trap and buy these apps. Oh, wait, you jumped to see the article, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU? [Krapps]

I'm talking on my Bluetooth
making deals and shit
no cords (?) are clashing
so my hands are free to knit.

Sold. [Obamapacman]

As a quick primer, ANT+ is a wireless standard used by cyclists to measure and analyze their ride performance using a variety of wireless devices. It's been around for a while, but until Pedal Brain, there was no way to sync it up to an iPhone of iPod touch. Now there is!

Once you plug the Pedal Brain Synapse hardware device into your phone or touch, you'll start to get updates in real-time via the app on screen. When you're all done pedaling for the day, you can sync up with Pedal Brain on the Internet for a more in-depth analysis. There's team support too, which could make the software a boon for coaches.

The device/app will be available this spring, possibly in March, for $130 to $190. Unfortunately, the steep price does not include the additional charge for a subscription. A limited free version will be available at launch, but will crap out on you after a few weeks. [Pedal Brain via TechCrunch]

It's pretty simple: Apple's iPhone OS is basically the only major smartphone operating system without an official or unofficial Google Voice client. We used to have GV Mobile and VoiceCentral, but as we all know, those were abruptly removed from the App Store and even Google's official client was turned away. Well, at least Apple didn't Amazon your iPhone and take away the Google Voice applications you already bought/downloaded, right? They might as well have as GV Mobile was rendered useless after a Google Voice-side update, and with no way of updating existing user's applications, anyone who had been a GV Mobile user up until that point in time was out of luck.

GV Mobile is now available for jailbroken iPhone devices for free, but there's something better coming up: GV Mobile 2.0. We're really excited to tell you about it, too. It has been polished and refined — it had an injection of features —and we love using it, even in its non-final and beta form. For starters, dialed calls connect almost instantly, your iPhone contacts and favorites are accessible right within the app, there's voicemail transcription viewing, and even multiple Google Voice account support. Advanced features like call forwarding phones, do not disturb settings as well automatic syncing, and even Growl support are on the to-do list, but for now, we're just happy to have GV Mobile back on our non-jailbroken iPhone. Hopefully Apple reverses course and lets this version through their pearly gates when it is finished, though we wouldn't bet the farm on it.

Super shout out to Sean Kovacs for hooking us up!

BGR features the latest tech news, mobile-related content and of course, exclusive scoops.

Granted, this should be seen as a trial, because it only includes a month of full services, after which a navigation subscription costs $3 a month or $25 a year via in-app purchases, though the months don't have to be consecutive, so you can sort of just pay as you go, buying nav access only when you need it. If you're driving anywhere over the holidays, seriously, just give it a shot. Four quarters, folks!

You can even open apps from inside the virtual iPhone, which is shown just suspended mid-air, over the mobile carrier's logo.

It's in aid of publicizing the launch of the iPhone in Israel, on the Orange network, and is just another example of augmented reality impressing the pants off me. [Ogmento via Recombu]

The first possibility—and the one that could put a welcome end to the endless fragments of tablet information that we've been parsing for the last few months (fuck that, years)—is that this is some kind of public demo. Apple's iPod and iPhone events have been dominated by apps since the App Store opened, sometime to a fault. If Apple's going to announce this thing, they're going to have app support.

The second possibility—the more likely one—is that this will be a closed demo; that it's some kind of private event to give app developers a heads-up before a public announcement, and presumably to comfort them about app interoperability between the iPhone and the new tablet device. According to SIA's source:

[Apple has] told select developers that as long as they build their apps to support full screen resolution — rather than a fixed 320x480 — their apps should run just fine

Essentially, it sounds like they're asking app devs to write quick'n'dirty fixes to remove specific resolution limits from their apps, so that they can run—though not necessarily gracefully—on a larger screen. That's the kind of thing that could put developers' interoperability fears at rest, but not the kind of thing that Apple would want to show the public.

The source claims the device isn't going on sale until later, which fits nicely with the WSJ's claim of a March release date, which falls roughly in sync with announcement-but-no-product Apple events of the past. Also, the source claims that the entire Apple tablet concept is a sick prank by Steve Jobs, and that he literally hasn't stopped laughing for, like, three whole years. [Silicon Alley Insider]

As with our most popular Windows downloads and Mac downloads of 2009, this collection of applications is based solely on the popularity of the associated post here on Lifehacker. We always prefer free applications that offer a little productivity boosting, so this is by no means a complete look at the most popular apps of the 80 billion in the App Store.

First, the downloads...

GV Mobile Makes Google Voice the Default for Your iPhone

In April, an industrious iPhone developer released GV Mobile to the iTunes App Store. It was followed by other Google Voice apps, and then Apple went brain dead and removed every Google Voice application from the App Store (along with rejecting Google's official Voice app). Annoying, to be sure, but users still willing to jailbreak can still get GV Mobile for free on Cydia.

Stanza Turns Your iPhone into a Kindle, Kindle App Counters

At the beginning of the year, the beautiful Stanza (iTunes link) iPhone app came along and wowed us with how good ebook reading on the iPhone could be. Then, when Kindle for iPhone (iTunes link) was released a few months later, it gave iPhone users a pretty good reason not to buy a Kindle. In the end, Amazon liked Stanza so much they ended up buying it, so that's probably the app we'd choose.

RunKeeper is Like Nike+ for Your iPhone—Only Better

RunKeeper (available in free and pro versions) uses your iPhone's GPS to do some seriously cool tracking for your running, walking, or biking routine. Apple was extremely slow in bringing Nike+ to the iPhone (once they did, it only supported 3GS), and even then it doesn't take advantage of the fact that the iPhone has a built in GPS and excellent mapping capabilities. RunKeeper is an excellent alternative to people who don't want to pay for the Nike+ dongle, want advanced GPS and mapping capabilities, or don't have an iPhone 3GS. Still, if we could marry these two apps, we happily would.

Email 'n Walk Lets You Multitask Without Getting Hit By a Car

We get it. You are seriously busy, and you don't have time to make sure you don't walk into traffic while you're composing that email. Email n' Walk overlays an email composition window on top of the view from your iPhone's camera, so you can type out an email and watch where you're going. It was free when we first covered it; now it'll set you back a buck.

Dropbox Comes to the iPhone and iPod touch

Dropbox is far and away our favorite file syncing tool, so we were thrilled this September when Dropbox for iPhone (iTunes link) finally made its way to the iPhone. Users can access any of their synced files, view files supported by the iPhone (including documents, photos, music, and video), upload photos and video to Dropbox, and save files for offline viewing. Handy.

CardStar Creates Scanner-Friendly Bonus Cards on iPhones

Lifehacker readers hate a bulging wallet, which is presumably why CardStar (iTunes link) resonated. The free app replaces keychain tags and wallet-cluttering bonus/discount/rewards/"shopper's club" cards with scanner-friendly barcodes that live on your iPhone. Users report mixed results in the App Store, but if it does the trick in place of your rewards card, it could be worth the download.

Skype for iPhone Brings Reliable VoIP to Your Pocket

Skype is far and away the most popular VoIP service, so it's understandable that people were pretty excited when it finally made its official plunge onto the iPhone with Skype for iPhone (iTunes link).

Dragon Dictation Does Voice-to-Text Transcription on Your iPhone

You spend plenty of time typing at the computer all day, so we forgive you if you're not eager to continue pecking away at the software keyboard on your iPhone. Dragon Dictation (iTunes link) does voice-to-text transcription you can copy to your clipboard and use anywhere.

Epicurious App Puts an Entire Cookbook in the Palm of Your Hand

Epicurious for iPhone (iTunes link) puts access to over 25,000 recipes from the likes of Gourmet and Bon Appetit at your fingertips. When you find something you like (I seriously love this app and would strongly recommend the simple-yet-delicious Mario Batali Basic Tomato Sauce), you can add it to your favorites, generate a shopping list, and get cooking. The entirety of The Gourmet Cookbook is inside this killer kitchen supplement.

Put Google Calendar and Notes on Your iPhone Wallpaper

By default, the iPhone lock screen shows you the time, date, and possibly a pretty picture. With gCalWall Lite, your home screen also displays your upcoming Google calendar appointments. Handy.

And now, the popular iPhone-specific posts/how-tos:

Set Up "Push" Alerts for Anything from Your Computer to Your Phone

When push notifications finally rolled out to iPhone 3.0 this year, lots of applications started using them—but not everything we wanted. In this guide, we demonstrate how to use Growl (for Mac and Windows) in conjunction with Prowl (iTunes link), a $3 iPhone app, to set up push notifications for virtually anything. Our guide focused on Gmail push (which wasn't available at the time, and still isn't available with message previews), but anything that sends an alert with Growl can also work with Prowl, so your options are only limited by your creativity.

Enable Tethering on Your iPhone 3G or 3GS Running 3.1.2

It's been a feature of the iPhone forever now, but AT&T is still dragging its feet on iPhone tethering—that is, allowing users to enjoy their iPhone's data connection on their laptops. We've shown you how to enable tethering on your iPhone 3G or 3GS running 3.1.2 (the latest iPhone OS), and before that we helped you pull it off with the 3.0 OS. You may not want to tempt the AT&T billing gods with flagrant use of this one (wild fees may apply if AT&T decides they do), but it's a godsend in a pinch.

n64iphone is available to jailbreakers in Cydia for $2.50—ROMs not included, obviously—which would be a fair price for a full-fledged N64 emulator, but feels a little high for what currently amounts to a very neat party trick. [EsferaiPhone]

2009 was the year of the App Store, as Apple passed the two-billion downloads milestone for its store. The year also saw labels and artists jumping onto the bandwagon with their own branded iPhone apps.

The most successful, like Smule's I Am T-Pain (pictured right) sold tens of thousands of copies a day. It's only fair to point out that the vast majority sank down the app charts fairly quickly though – proving that iPhone apps provide a return on investment for the music industry wasn't a huge priority this year.

Even so, there was plenty of creativity being put to work. To highlight it, we've chosen a selection of 40 branded music apps that we thought were innovative this year – which were all covered in the Music Ally Daily Bulletin.

They're all based on artists, labels and other music brands – the list doesn't include apps for music services like Spotify or Pandora, nor does it include pure music games like Rock Band or Tap Tap Revenge (although one of the latter's artist-branded spin-offs is included).

Read on for a snapshot of what was released this year, and let us know your thoughts on the best and worst of what the App Store had to offer. Oh, and yes, we've put them in a rough order reflecting how much we liked them, starting with the best.

1. I Am T-Pain might be an obvious choice for top spot, but it combined technical innovation with stellar sales. Eschewing pure promotion, it let fans sing along with a selection of T-Pain songs while having their vocals Auto-Tuned on the fly. It also had good sharing features, used in-app payments to buy and download new tracks for use in the game, and recently added the ability to sing over any song in your iPhone music library. App Store

2. Little Boots Reactive Remixer was a branded version of existing iPhone app RjDj. Yes, it involved remixing three of Boots' tracks, but in two cases that was done based on the user's movement and external sounds – a properly interactive ambient experience. Or something. App Store

3. Hi, How Are You was a beautiful iPhone game based on the artwork of singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. Described by the New York Times as "a kind of psycho-religious version of Frogger", it was a great game backed up with Daniel's visuals and music. App Store

4. Sonifi was one of the most fully featured ‘remix an artist' apps, being designed by and for trance artist BT. It let fans mess with the beats, bass, melodies and harmonies of his latest tracks. The killer feature, though, was a two-player ‘Jam Link' mode to collaborate over Bluetooth. App Store

5. Live Metallica (pictured) was an official app from the metal band that constantly offered a free stream of their latest gig, while also letting fans buy (no, NOT from iTunes) previous sets. Photos and notes from each show made it a must-have for fans.

6. iDrum Underworld Edition was another of the best examples of the popular ‘remix your favourite artist' app genre this year. It offered 13 tracks to mess around with in an intuitive square-tapping interface, with artwork from the band's design chums at Tomato. App Store

7. Johnny Cash: I See A Darkness was a graphic novel based on The Man In Black's life. It didn't include his songs, but had a clever ‘search and insert' feature to find his tracks on a user's iPhone to play at the relevant points of the story. App Store

8. nin: access was the official iPhone app for Nine Inch Nails – one of the more tech-savvy artists in the industry right now. It gives fans access to the community and multimedia sections of the band's website, as well as letting them chat and upload photos from their iPhone. App Store

9. The Presidents of the United States of America was an app by the band of the same name, offering four albums from their back catalogue as streams, as well as lost recordings, live tracks and other extras. App Store

10. Baby By Me Sound Lab was a remixing app created for 50 Cent by Romplr. It involved mixing and matching stems from his Baby By Me single, then posting the resulting remix to Facebook. It tied in with a contest, and sparked 250,000 downloads in a matter of weeks. App Store

11. Lady Gaga iOKi (pictured) was a karaoke app based on La Gaga, with instrumental and vocal remixes from four of her hits enabling people to sing along with her, then go it alone. In-app payments allowed new songs to be purchased and downloaded too, from Gaga and other artists. App Store

12. Deadmau5 Mix was one of the first ‘remix an artist' apps for iPhone, from an artist who would release several more apps later in the year. It let fans remix ten tracks by applying delays, effects, rewinds and cuts, complete with a virtual scratch pad. App Store

13. Metallica Revenge was one of Tapulous' artist-focused spin-offs from its Tap Tap Revenge games – although in fairness we could have picked its titles for Coldplay, Lady Gaga or the Dave Matthews Band in this slot. What these games nailed was the combination of gameplay and experiencing the actual music. App Store

14. Kelly Clarkson Open Mic was a singing game based on the American Idol winner, which scored fans on their ability to sing five of her tracks. It tied into a competition that put winners on-stage singing with Kelly herself during her tour soundchecks. App Store

15. Haus of Gaga was one of the first fruits of Universal Music Group's deal with Kyte, turning its artists' video blogs into iPhone apps. It offered new and archive episodes of the Transmission Gagavision vlog, as well as news, tourdates and live chat. App Store

16. Robbie Williams Racing was, would you believe it, a racing game based on Robbie Williams. No pure cash-in, though – besides his tracks featuring in the game, Robbie himself provided the commentary, with unlockable videos and photos for skilled players. App Store

17. Delicious Vinyl DJ was a music game based on the famous hip-hop label, getting players to match notes to the sounds of Young MC, Tone Loc, The Pharcyde and Masta Ace. A nifty way of getting value out of some venerable hits. App Store

18. Get Physical Mix was a compilation app based on the back catalogue of the Get Physical dance label, which allowed fans to DJ and mix the songs themselves, complete with a virtual scratch pad. App Store

19. Grateful Dead (pictured) was an interactive mosaic e-book – an iPhone version of one of those big pictures which lets you zoom in to see lots of little pictures. Those little pictures being 450 photos of the legendary jam-band, with fans able to comment on each, or share with friends. App Store

20. Gedda-Headz was a mini-game collection for iPhone that offered multiplayer and community features, while tying in with collectible real-world toys. We still haven't heard any music from the band it's supposedly based on, but it was nevertheless a neat idea. App Store

21. HWD was an app created for UK artist Heads We Dance, which allowed fans to stream the band's new album Love Technology two weeks before its official release, with news, photos and community features thrown in. App Store

22. It's Britney was Britney Spears' entry into the App Store, offering the usual news, Twitter feed, photo galleries and even a virtual lighter. There was also a UGC feature to paste your head onto the body of one of Britney's dancers, and most importantly, if you shake your iPhone, the app shouts "It's Britney Bitch!". App Store

23. Mariah Carey-oke was the best-named artist app of 2009, hands-down. The pun partly made up for the fact that her current label UMG doesn't have the rights to her classic hits – so four new tracks were included to dog-whistle along to. App Store

24. Twentyten was an iPhone ‘calendar' app revolving around the key 2010 dates of Belle & Sebastian, with a built-in news feed and bonus digital content. An elegant spin on the promo iPhone app idea. App Store

25. Snoop Dogg's iFizzle (pictured) was a fairly simple app, but with plenty of charm. It was a collection of audioclips of Snoop's "most popular and iconic" phrases and quotes. Yep, including "Fo Shizzle My Nizzle". App Store

26. Phanatic was an app built for hardcore fans of jam-band Phish, offering a comprehensive database of setlists from the band's history. That included links to YouTube videos of performances, and the ability to generate stats in mid-show – e.g. ‘when was the last time they played this?'. App Store

27. Ziggy Marley's Music Mixer was another remixing app, but with the neat twist of a slot-machine interface – users could shake their iPhone to randomly mix up Ziggy's songs. Or they could put the time in to mess about with the tracks themselves, of course. App Store

28. Remix David Bowie – Space Oddity was… well, the title gives it away. It let iPhone users mess around with Bowie's classic hit by tweaking individual tracks, then save the mix as a ringtone. App Store

29. Riff King was a branded app for UK metallers Saxon, with streaming samples of the band's latest album and their new video. However, it also tied in with their YouTube UGC contest – also called Riff King – letting users of the app watch the latest entries. App Store

30. Usher's Top 100 didn't actually focus on R&B star Usher's music – instead, it saw him turn curator, picking 100 of his favourite tracks which users could stream through the same tech used for the PUSA application. App Store

31. The Heavy was the official app from Ninja Tune artist The Heavy, and it offered their entire back catalogue on a streaming basis, plus three videos, news and tourdates, and live footage. But it's the streaming element that intrigued us most. App Store

32. Coldplay Strawberry Swing (pictured) was an app created for Coldplay by online TV firm Babelgum. It showcased the video for the band's Strawberry Swing single as well as their previous videos, bundling in a game for good measure.

33. Deadmau5 Live was yet another iPhone app based on the innovative dance artist. It let fans vote on what songs he should play as his encore at his London Roundhouse gig in October, before serving up a 20-minute live recording once the show was done. (Not still available)

34. New Boyz – iJerkin' was a music game created for WMG act The New Boyz, based on their apparently-popular You're A Jerk dance moves. We stress ‘apparently'. Players could tap, slide and shake to make the band pop their moves, and then buy more tracks. App Store

35. What The Funkytown! was unusual, in that it was based on a song rather than an artist or label. It was a virtual scratching app to monkey about with Funkytown, speeding it up and slowing it down, or even playing it in reverse. App Store

36. Snow Patrol: Snowflake was the band's second iPhone app, providing a news feed, forum and the ability to upload photos at gigs to the band's website. The snowflake theme was carried through to a section where fans could create their own unique flakes. App Store

37. Kiss Virtual Concert Lighter (pictured) was, well, a virtual concert lighter. With 24 branded virtual lighter cases to choose from, a scrolling text marquee, and a "realistic flame". Novelty personalisation, yes, but fun with it. App Store

38. Delphic was a soundtoy app released to promote the band of the same name's new single. A simple drum loop was complemented by the fan tapping on-screen pads to trigger samples. App Store

39. Kiss Me Thru The Phone was an app based around the Soulja Boy song of the same name. It was a photo customisation tool to help fans ‘add swag' to their pics, or plant virtual kisses on friends and family before sharing the results. App Store

40. Pepsi Rock Band was an app created to promote the Rock Band console games. It let people put their own faces on the shoulders of characters from the games, then share them via email, Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. It also provided buy links for songs from Pepsi's ad campaign. (not still available)

The leading digital music business information and strategy company, Music Ally, has been providing publications, consulting, and research to the music and technology industries since 2001.

Ribbit proper is a direct Google Voice competitor, which means it offers number consolidation, calls, contacts management and, well, pretty much everything you need to become your own personal phone carrier. Ribbit for iPhone, though, is a little more bare: calling, texting and address book functions have been replace with the iPhone native functions, leaving only the company's voicemail service intact. But for a lot of people, this is actually pretty great: you get to keep you number, your voicemail gets replaced with transcribed, unlimited, web-stored recordings, and at least for now, it's all free. [iTunes via ReadWriteWeb via Lifehacker]

Now, I'm not a snorer (I hope) but growing up with a Dad who suffers from sleep apnea, which causes heavy snoring due to a lack of oxygen, I had many sleepless nights listening to the rumbles from three rooms away. My poor Mum, having to put up with that. If his sleep apnea had been detected much earlier, something could've been done about it before he drove us all insane with his snoring.

A Finnish company by the name of Remote Analysis Ltd has come up with a very affordable way to analyze breathing patterns when sleeping. It actually records the user's snoring, and stores them each night to compare them in a graph, to see if there are any major changes in the cycles. It also contains examples of what people suffering from sleep apnea sound like when they're sleeping, so you can compare your own against the case studies. With any luck, you'll be fine, but do remember that diagnosis of one problem often leads to weeks of endless hypochondria as you search Wikipedia for the cure. [GizMag]

It's got a built-in GPS receiver, so it can work with your iPod Touch, as well as a charging port (obviously), Bluetooth for hands-free calling, audio-out for car stereo support, a built-in speaker and a noise-canceling speakerphone. And it's designed to dock with your phone even if you've got a case on it.

The price is a bit steep at $130, especially if you're just using this to charge and hold your iPhone, but if you're going to use your iPod Touch as a GPS device, this provides the "GPS" part of the deal. [Magellan]

It's one of the first times a big brand like Stella Artois has used augmented reality in an app, with booze-rivals Guinness and Becks using just location-based services instead of AR in their apps.

Upon opening the Le Bar app and waving your iPhone in front of you, bars selling Stella pop up on the screen, giving directions and information. Once you're safely housed in a drinking establishment, a cold pint of the amber nectar in your hand, you can rate the bar and send it to your friends if you want them to meet you there.

It also works abroad, too—simply select the country, and find bars selling Stella in your area.

Ensuring your drinking doesn't lead to driving, you can also call a local taxi firm from within the app. How very responsible of the free app. [Stella Artois app via Recombu via Daily Mobile via MobileEnt]

Over 20 million downloads have been recorded, with over 600 million games played. To say that Tapulous, with just 20 employees, has been buying in the luxury three-ply toilet paper for their office loo in recent months would be a total understatement. [Reuters]

The Apps

Honorable Mentions

Raytheon: This is a company that's actively developing iPhone apps for military field use; that they're making a Flight Control-esque iPhone game for us civvies is compelling, for sure. Alas, this app does not exist yet.

The Santa Game: Because it's Christmas, y'all! Almost! And also because navigating a disembodied Santa head out of these mazes is pretty fun.

Avatar: It's a massive third-person adventure game that is absolutely worth a look if James Cameron's new HYPERFILM piques your interest. But really, your $10 should be going toward an IMAX ticket this weekend—save this one for after the initial joy and or/headache has dissipated.

Lou Zoom: Lou Reed—yes, that Lou Reed—made an iPhone app for people with vision problems who have trouble seeing their contact list, or for people who really enjoy massive typography.

This Week's iPhone News On Giz

• Surprisingly, iPhone Takes Over the Weird Japanese Smartphone Market

• Inappropriate App Store Icons, Right Here

• Simpson Arcade iPhone Preview: Steeped in Authenticity

• FSJ's Anti-AT&T Manifesto Makes Me Raise My Fist in Solidarity

• AT&T Has Spent Less on Network Construction Every Quarter Since the iPhone's Launch

• Swedes Camping Outside Apple HQ Asking Steve Jobs to Approve Their App

• The iPhone as a Friend and Foe Tracking War Machine

• Control Your Mac With an iPhone, the Patent

• AT&T Dismisses Operation Chokehold as an "Irresponsible and Pointless Scheme"

• The StickyStrap Is the Weirdest iPhone Holder/Case/Stand I've Ever Seen

• Microsoft: Maybe We Should've Paid More Attention to That iPhone Thingamabob

This list is in no way definitive. If you've spotted a great app that hit the store this week, give us a heads up or, better yet, your firsthand impressions in the comments. And for even more apps: see our previous weekly roundups here, and check out our Favorite iPhone Apps Directory. Have a great weekend, everybody!

I'm not sure the rumored BlackBerry and Mac Kindle apps will do much for the Kindle or ereader industry as a whole, either.

It's still just hearsay for now, but Fudzilla's placing a lot of confidence in its sources, who are claiming a Kindle app for Mac computers and BlackBerry devices is on the way, after launching the iPhone app back in March. Reading ebooks on a Mac makes sense, though I'm sure people will quibble over the merits of reading books for a great length of time on an LCD as opposed to e-ink.

The BlackBerry Kindle app, well—where do I start? Ok, I can see it working on a Storm, but on any other BlackBerry model, no way. For starters, the screens are too small, so you'd be pressing that 'next page' button every 10 seconds. And what it'd do to the already pitiful battery life, well—I wouldn't dare. Yes, I'm a BlackBerry user. Still, Fudzilla's claiming it'll be a free download, and as long as the ebooks cost less on the BlackBerry platform than they do on the Kindle (and as proper books), then it might be a good supplement to those occasions where you want to progress in the book you're reading, but can't carry your Kindle around with you.

Really, it's about time the industry takes a leaf out of the Blu-ray Disc Association's book, and explores the idea of providing digital copies with every paperback sold. [Fudzilla via TechRadar]