Camera Bag [cost $2.99] [developed by Never Center]

Camera Bag lets you apply fixed photography styles – such as Helga, Instant, Fisheye, 1974 and more – to photos you take with your iPhone camera. It is quite possibly my favorite app. At $2.99 it’s well worth it get great photos on your iPhone. If you are a shutterbug you’ll have a lot of fun applying these styles to the typically boring and flat images the iPhone camera tends to produce.

Zen Bound [cost $4.99] [developed by Secret Exit]

It’s one bit zen, one bit game, and beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. $4.99 is dirt cheap for the amount blood, sweat, and inspiration that must have flowed from the team at Secret Exit in order to develop this app. As for the game, it’s puzzle style – use a rope to paint wood carvings in a multitude of different shapes, the more area your rope touches the more complete the puzzle becomes. Gameplay is perfectly designed to take advantage of the the gyroscope and gestures of iPhone. And the main menu has a great user interface!

Sportacular [free] [developed by Citizen Sports]

Stats, scores, and standings for NBA, NFL, NCAA, MLB and a few other sports. An easy to use interface makes it simple and convenient to get the score and stats for my beloved Golden State Warriors. Yes, I know they stink, and I can’t even see the light at the end of the tunnel…..but I’ll always have the “We Believe” playoffs – [Dallas Mavericks playoff upset and Baron Davis dunk over AK47], Run TMC, and Eric “Sleepy” Floyd’s 51 point playoff game against the Magic-led Lakers.

Skype [free] [developed by Skype]

Now I could stand up here and say, let’s get everybody together, let’s get unified the sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing, And everyone will know we should do the right thing, and the world will be perfect.

Last February Hillary Clinton sarcastically mocked Barack Obama during her campaign, but in my mind she was pontificating on the day we are free from the tyranny of cell phone companies. The rate plans are confusing, the contracts are unfairly restrictive, and there is always a new fee. While Skype on the iPhone currently only runs on a Wi-Fi network it is a glimmer of hope in breaking the cellular industry’s strangle hold on us. The interface is great; with texting and phone calls both delivering a clean and intuitive experience. The quality of phone calls seems to be as good as a normal cell connection. Once Apple releases push notification for the iPhone, this app will be one step closer to turning cell networks in dumps pipes….a position I’d be happy to see the cellular companies relegated to..

Check Please [cost $0.99 or free] [developed by Catamount Software]

Dinner’s over, the check has arrived, and now you and your six closest friends have to break out those rusty long division skills to figure out how much everyone owes. Check Please is the perfect antidote for the mathematically challenged. Just put in the cost of the meal, the percent you’d like to tip and the number of people paying and it’ll give you each person’s portion of the bill. Simple, easy, and probably a friendship saver.

Stanza [free] [developed by Lexcycle]

Reading a book on your iPhone is not for everyone but I’ve been enjoying my virtual copy of Siddhartha. Stanza is the poor man’s eReader, akin to Amazon’s Kindle. It allows you to download and read books and other periodicals from a variety of sources. The vast majority of titles are within the public domain and are free to download – other titles can be purchased. I had a great time exploring this digital library and picking out classic titles that I never would have come across otherwise.

NY Times [free] [developed by The New York Times Company]

I often find myself with 10 minutes to kill – at the doctor’s office, waiting for the train, etc. The NY Times is the perfect app for those moments. All the articles and pictures from the day’s paper are easily browsable because it’s organized by category and popularity. When I first started using this app six months ago it would often crash on me but through a number of updates the developers seem to have stabilized everything and it’s ready for the prime time.

Frenzic [cost $2.99] [developed by The Iconfactory]

I was addicted to this puzzle game for the first month I had it. By placing different colored pizza shaped wedges at various angles within a circle you score points and clear more room for additional pieces. The game gets progressive harder and faster the longer you play. All your scores get saved on you own personal high score chart, and you can compare how well you’re doing to everyone else, or just other local players. After a month or so I got a bit bored with the game, which may have been due to everyone else’s ridiculously high scores that I saw atop the leaderboard. At $2.99 you’ll certainly get your money’s worth.

Inquisitor [free] [developed by Yahoo & David Watanabe]

Google’s got nothing on Inquisitor. The iPhone might as well have been made for trivia night at a bar so you’ll need a fast way to look up up facts, people, and other bits of knowledge you never learned or forgot. Inquisitor integrates a Google search, Wikipedia, and multipe other sources to give you lightening-fast results. The slick interface is easy to use and stores your previous queries. This is the only non standard app that I’ve put into the always present bottom row of apps.

Big StopWatch [free] [developed by Yuki Yasoshim]

Some of the best apps are the simplist and that is certainly true with Big StopWatch. The beautiful interface, an update on the traditional stop watch, was designed by Japanese developer Yuki Yasoshim. The instructions are in Japanese but it’s so intuitive you won’t need ‘em. Just tap once to start, once to stop, and once on the reset button to start again. It’s perfect for cooking or the 100 meter dash.

Yelp [free] [developed by Yelp]

The thing I love about my iPhone is how it’s freed me from having to carry around my laptop or looking up everything I need before I go out. Yelp is one of those apps that lets you freely roam the city streets without the worry that you won’t be able to find a good sushi restaurant nearby, or a supermarket with a decent fish monger. Just type in what you’re looking for and it’ll give you the answer you’re looking for; giving you the address with one touch mapping, and a phone number with one touch dialing.

Reed’s “Original Ginger” [score 1.17] [final rank 14 of 15]

Confusion abounds with Reed’s. Different flavors with only minor variations in label design (”Ginger Brew”, “Ginger Ale”, “Ginger Beer” – please Reed’s make up your mind) can lead to confusion within their product line. Our tasting included both Reed’s “Original Ginger” and Reed’s “Extra Ginger”, both of which tasted nearly identical. Which is to say both tasted like crap, with a few malted notes. While he was most likely exaggerating one of our judges exclaimed “I’d rather lick the inside of a toilet bowl than take another sip”. It’s a shame that Reed’s can be commonly found in most local supermarkets. This potential public health threat should be immediately banned before hallucinations and chemical dependence grip the untrained Dark ‘n Stormy drinking population.

Goya Ginger Beer [score 6.17] [final rank 9 of 15]

Late spice is an occupational hazard when tasting ginger beer, just when you think that last sip is gone for good that burning sensation in the back of your throat kicks in. Goya takes the late spice to a new level, crawling and coating your entire mouth. It’s clear pale yellow color allows for classic storm formations when mixing a D ‘n S. It’s flavor is actually pretty decent, the major flaw is an overpowering spice (8 on the spice scale) which crushes the rum and lime.

Fentiman’s [score 7.33] [final rank 6 of 15]

You might call Fentiman’s the Ike Turner of ginger beers. It’s just sweet enough to convince you to keep sipping, while in the back of your mind you know the spice is going to hit you soon enough. On first inspection a cloudy white appearance masks that underbelly of spice (5 on the spice scale) and lures you in with sweet lavender and herbal notes. Once the rum and lime get added things just get smoother. Compliment after compliment were thrown around by our judges, who were particularly impressed by its balance. Similar to Ike you might not want to be married to this ginger beer but it certainly has it’s moments.

DG Ginger Beer [score 8.83] [final rank 2 of 15]

Directions for a memorable hot summer day:

1. Locate a body of water – an ocean is preferable but a lake or river will suffice.
2. Participate in a mildly strenuous activity. Sailing or boating for the more motivated, badminton for those without sea legs.
3. Find a seat in the shade, open a can of DG Genuine, add Gosslings rum and a lime, sip and enjoy the view. Repeat until sunset.

If you can’t tell by now our judges really enjoyed the DG and can’t wait to pack a cooler full of ‘em on the next 80 degree day. Tasting notes included: sweet, light, refreshing with a medium spice (4 on the spice scale). A surprise contender for the #1 spot in this tasting, DG might be difficult to find but it’s worth the effort.

Regatta [score 8.2] [final rank 4 of 15]

Bermuda stone means once the ginger beer is brewed it’s stored in stoneware bottles to maintain the natural effervescence. This may account for the cloudy appearance and chalky consistency. It’s a bit of an insult to call Regatta “pedestrian” because it’s an excellent ginger beer – easily in the top four of this tasting. But it’s fault may be in the lack of spice (1 on the spice scale), without any spice you’re left waiting for a bite that never comes. However, Regatta does a lot right: mixed with rum and a lime it’s gives off the required storm clouds, it’s very refreshing, and it has a unique texture. One of our judges may have said it best “It’s anti-climatic, good, but not distinctive”. That being said I’d be far from disappointed to climb aboard the sail boat that adorns the bottle and find it stocked with Regatta.

Reed’s “Extra Ginger” [score 1.5] [final rank 13 of 15]

Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. Our judges were not about to be fooled twice by Reed’s and after a quick sip of their “Extra Ginger” it was determined that it is as awful as the Original (see above review) and no more time needs to be spent on it.

AJ Stephans [score 6.2] [final rank 8 of 15]

A few of our judges had sampled this particular ginger on new years eve and the memory that stuck was one of spice, lots and lots of spice. Very little had changed in a few months as one judge exclaimed “It tastes like burning”. Jamaican ginger beers like AJ Stephenes are not typically the first choice for a Dark ‘n Stormy as their spice can drown out any other flavors. But in this case it can be a decent change of pace to your typical D ‘n S. The mix is smooth and creates a nice combo with the rum and lime, just be ready for a long burn.

Schweppes [score 6.8] [final rank 7 of 15]

An advertisement from the 50’s for Schweppes Ginger Beer extols its virtues and describes it as Schweppervescence. Little has changed in the past 60 years and I can hardly find a better word to describe their current ginger beer. Packed into a small 10 oz bottle this ginger is bubble, sweet and has very little spice. It could aptly be called the “champagne of ginger beers”. While it lack any distinctive flavors it servers as a good combo in a D n S. Not the best but far from the worst Schweppes finished with a solid score putting it in the top half of all the ginger beers tasted.

Cock ‘n Bull [score 8.43] [final rank 3 of 15]

Already an establish favorite of our judging crew Cock ‘n Bull can be found in most San Francisco bars that serve a D ‘n S (noteably Hobson’s Choice and Bruno’s). Tasting notes included a stronger ginger scent than taste, a clear appearance and a low spiciness score (1). Cock ‘n Bull has a brisk start and a smooth finish and when mixed into a D ‘n S our tasters all agreed “it was like coming home”. In the final assessment Cock ‘n Bull is a top performer and should be stocked in any self respecting D ‘n S’ers fridge.

Buderim Ginger [score 5.29] [final rank 10 of 15]

A late edition to the lineup I was really excited to try this unheard of variety. Billed as “Aussie style” Buderim comes strong with the ginger flavor upon first taste and then lingers with a medium hit of spice (a 4 on the spice scale). It’s golden color takes away from the storm clouds provided by the application of Goslings. Overall our judges were disappointed in the Buderim describing the mixed cocktail as muddled with the ginger being overpowered by the rum and lime.

Maine Root [score 7.86] [final rank 5 of 15]

After carrying back two bottles of the Maine Root from New Mexico I was fired up to give it a try. Subsequently I’ve spotted the Maine Root at both a Cost Plus World Market in Fairfield, CA and the Whole Foods in Santa Cruz, CA. A fresca like color hides a solid kick of spice (5) in the Maine Root. The spice intensifies as it lingers in your mouth, possibly because of it’s slightly syrupy texture. It’s flavor is more unique than most gingers and worth a sampling. Due to it’s spiciness you won’t be able to put down glass after glass of a D ‘n S made with this stuff but that can sometimes be a good thing.

Vita Malt [score 0.4] [final rank 15 of 15]

It don’t look like ginger beer, it don’t taste like ginger beer, in fact it’s a malt drink that just happened to have the ginger flavor. In the interest of science we ended up tasting the Vita Malt and mixing it into a D ‘n S which was a mistake. Molasses is a decent enough flavor, but I just don’t ever want to see it anywhere near dark rum and a lime.

Bunderberg [score 9] [final rank 1 of 15]

In Australia, where Bunderberg is made, the company makes a pre-mixed Dark ‘n Stormy stubby so we were pretty sure these guys knew how to craft a fine ginger beer. Our judging panel found very few faults with the Bunderberg, declaring it a “great dance partner”. One judge went so far as to exclaim “I would drink the shit out of that!”. It has a clear yellow look and sits very light inside your mouth. Lacking the spicy kick found in some of the other gingers it’s very refreshing and sweet – making you want to go back for another sip before you’ve finished the last one. Whether it’s a hot summer day on the porch, or the snow is blanketing your driveway, Bunderberg makes one hell of a D’ n S and is the gold standard for ginger beers.

Stewart’s [score 5.29] [final rank 10 of 15]

Bite baby bite, that burning sensation in the back of your throat is just the way Stewart’s says hello. As an 8 on the spicy scale you’ll progressively take fewer sips of this ginger beer as you’ll be forced to wait for your mouth to cool off. The excessive spice also found it’s way into a few of our judge’s noses due to a high level of carbonation. It’s deep golden brown color obscured all storm cloud visibility during the mixing of a D ‘n S. Once mixed, the rum and lime flavors are almost completely drowned out leaving a less than refreshing D ‘n S. Stewart’s ginger beer scored just above the Mendoza line meaning it’s an acceptable mixer for a D n S, but you won’t see me rushing out to pick up a case.

The Ginger Peoples [score 2.33] [final rank 12 of 15]

“Gently tip to and fro and enjoy” is a tag line on the bottle of the Ginger Peoples and it had our judges feeling whimsical and ready to pop open this drink. You can tell the makers are serious about ginger, after all they named their entire company after it. At first pour you’ll notice a cloudy almost grapefruit looking appearance, as well as the strong scent of ginger. Unfortunately after the pour everything went downhill. Being called the “Mountain Dew of ginger beers” or noticing a “hint of a metallic” flavor were not meant as compliments by our judges. High expectations can sometimes be blamed for low scores but that is not the case here, this ginger beer just flat out sucks.