People often ask me what apps they should have on their iPhone and/or iPad. Well, every user has different likes and dislikes, priorities and work flows, so the most useful apps for some are not going to be at all useful for others. I polled all the techs here at NeedMacHelp and came up with a list of our favorite iPhone and iPad apps from 2010:

iPhone

• Hipstamatic – The best photo app ever. When my Holga finally bit the dust (I have no time for d&c or printing these days anyway) I went searching for an iPhoto app that would simulate the look of the images I used to get with my Holga. Hipstamatic has great effects and creates instantly beautiful images all for a mere $1.99

• Evernote – A good app that allows you to create notes, take photos, and record voice memos that you can then access any time from your iPhone, iPad, machine, or the web. And it’s free! Our tech James has one complaint – that there is no rich text functionality (he wants his formatted bullet points!).

• Dropbox – Great.  Simple.  Useful.  Free.  Access your files anywhere and everywhere and more… We all use Dropbox. It rocks.

• iTrans NYC – Because we all use public transportation! Apps for MTA, NJ Transit and PATH schedules and route planning. Includes service advisories and walking directions. Even works when you’re underground.

• Charadium – Old fashioned charade game that has been updated for the iPhone. Great for all ages. There’s a free version that you can download to try it out.

iPad

• iTeleport – Absolutely cannot do without this awesome remote desktop app. You can run all your Mac and Windows applications from your iPad, access your files, and browse the full web (including Flash sites). Pricey but worth it.

• Beejive IM – Makes mobile instant messaging so much easier!

• Angry Birds – Most of our users have this game on their iPhones and iPads already. Truly addictive game that is fun to play on the iPhone but plays even better on the iPad.

• iBooks – Probably one of the best free apps that’s out there. iBooks is both an e-book reader as well as access to Apple’s iBookstore where you can sample and purchase books and download them directly to the iPad.

• NPR Music – Another great free app that gives you music programming from NPR. You can read music news and reviews while listening to interviews, live concerts or exclusive streams of albums before they’re released.

Our tech James was going to wait for the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G, but he just happened to walk past the Apple Store the day the iPad Wi-Fi debuted…

James bought the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad, which he says is indeed an amazing device, and is easily as much of a paradigm shift as the original iPhone was, if not more.

James is able to functionally leave his laptop at home 90% of the time, and the iPad is small and light enough that he can always have it with him. The iBooks app allows him to get some reading done when he takes to the subway.  James has re-ordered the 3G iPad, which will be much much much more functional for him as he’s constantly out and about.  We’ll give a report on that later this month.

James’ only minor complaint is that some of the apps available for iPhone aren’t quite up to speed for iPad yet:

• Office2 app interfaces with Google Docs pretty well, and Pages and Numbers are pretty sweet.
• Server Admin Remote has been updated for the iPad, but still waiting for iStat to follow suit.
• A couple of different VNC clients are already out — waiting to see who rises to the top.

James says he’s hoping for a Firefox and an Apple Airport Utility for the iPad as well.

You can check out an iPad at your local Apple Store or take the guided tour online here.

A word of caution from James when using your iPad in public — you may not be able to use it without being stared at or talked to.  Yes, it’s that stupendous.

iPhone OS 4 is arriving sometime this summer!  The major new iPhone OS features and improvements are:

• Multitasking (only available with iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod touch 32GB and 64GB models from late 2009)
• Folders – organize your apps
• iBooks – read books on your iPhone
• Enhanced Mail – unified inbox, switch between inboxes more quickly, organize messages by threads, and the ability to open attachments in third-party apps

Other exciting new features and improvements include:

• Spell check
• Bluetooth keyboard support
• User-defined wallpaper
• Tap to focus when recording video and a 5x digital zoom for the camera
• Playlist creation and nested playlists
• Game Center — an official social gaming network for the iPhone

You can catch the official Apple keynote on the new iPhone OS 4 here.