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With the billionth iPhone App downloaded recently, I was reflecting on the Apps that seem like the best use of Apple’s touchscreen platform. I certainly like freebies, but there are some Apps I’ve paid for that I think are worth every cent as well (for all you cheap bastards out there). Additionally, I thought the touchscreen was a limitation before I got my iPhone, after a lifetime of PSP- and DS-style physical controls. But that differentiation has actually been a plus, and the always-with-you aspect means you find time to use the device.

So here is my list of most-used and useful Apps:

NetNewsWire by GatorTechnologies, Inc

My favorite RSS feed reader does an amazing job of syncing with the desktop version. Despite some very minor usability nitpicks, NNW knows exactly what I’ve read and haven’t, what subscriptions have been added or dropped, and provides a very simple interface to keep updated quickly. I wish for more sorting freedom besides alphabetical, but this is one of my most-used Apps, so I won’t complain much.

Photogene by Omar Shoor

The closest a designer can get to Photoshop on an iPhone. Allows for a really controllable level of image correction, from cropping to color correction and color profiling. I use this on nearly every photo i plan to keep on my phone.

Zen Bound by Chillingo Ltd

If 3D gaming is your thing but your just wanna relax, Zen Bound is a great game to have on hand. Some of the best graphics and music on the iPhone, period. The whole point is to wrap wood block shapes in rope, covering as close to 100% of the planes as possible. Sounds easy but Zen Bound is challenging and crazy addictive.

Yelp by Yelp.com

Too bad Metromix sucks so bad, but that works out pretty well for Yelp, which has quickly become my go-to social locator for figuring out what to do and where to go while on-the-go. Now that they’ve added the ability to provide reviews, Yelp has secured a spot on the first screen of my iPhone.

Baseball Superstars 09 by GAMEVIL, Inc

Somebody has translated their love of RBI Baseball on NES into the most fun baseball experience out there. So many XBOX and PS3 games get wrapped up in the polygon count, they forget it’s really all about swinging a stick and throwing a ball, end of story. This game has an incredibly deep system and wealth of modes. I will probably never be able to finish everything in this title, but that’s fine.

NYTimes by The New York Times Company

The first App I downloaded and the one that justified the iPhone purchase in my mind. This is a perfect re-creation of the newspaper experience and has a nearly flawless UI (aside from that pesky 2.1 crashing bug). The typography, style and interaction is refined to a breathtaking degree (so much so that Wall Street Journal seems to have engineered a near-duplicate). The clunky Amazon Kindle would do well to study this application around the clock if they hope to replace the written word someday. I would be very sad to lose my iPhone merely because I woudn’t have this App.

Tweetie by atebits

I use Twitter on a fairly regular basis. Not every hour, not every single day. I don’t tell you what I just ate and when I’ll eat again. But I use it enough to want a dedicated App to help me tweet on the go. There are plenty of free Twitter apps out there. Ignore them and pay for Tweetie, the best by far. Searching, saving, replying, seeing a list by user: There’s nothing about the 140-character service that Tweetie doesn’t have covered (except Draft Tweets, which Birdhouse does well).

Facebook by Facebook.com

There’s no more addictive site on the web right now, and the iPhone translation boils down all the best parts to the essence of social networking. In many ways FB for iPhone actually surpasses its online counterpart in terms of ruthless efficiency and functionality. No one’s started an I Hate Facebook Mobile group yet. Ok I’m sure someone has.

FieldRunners by SubAtomic Studios, LLC

I got this game on sale and fell immediately in love. I’ve never played tower defense games before but I did play a bit of StarCraft back in the day. This is a super simple but strategic and fun game. The graphics are amazingly detailed, like the cream of the 16-bit crop.

Grocery IQ by Coupons.com

How did people remember grocery lists before? The UI is nearly flawless for assembling, keeping favorites, and marking off what’s in your cart. This works better than many To-Do List Apps, which would seem to be the ultimate in simplicity.

The Masters Golf Tournament by The Masters

I freaking hate golf. White guys in ill-fitting khakis standing around waiting is not my idea of a good time. But this real-time video app was so good, I actually watched more of this tournament than I ever have before. The most ingenious touch was a thumbnail of live video that played in the corner while you decided if there was another video from their camera list that you might also want to watch. Very picture-in-picture. The NBA and MLB should be doing this on their Apps.

Colors! by Collecting Smiles, Brushes by Steve Sprang

The best painting Apps on the iPhone, both with a killer super-strong feature. Colors! allows users to paint over photos, adjust brush size, type, and thickness. You can even zoom in and out. And Brushes’ ability to watch any Gallery picture recreated from scratch is like a free painting course.

Flight Control by Firemint

Ninety-nine cents nets you the most addictive game on iPhone, as you try to land an ever-increasing amount of planes, gliders, and helicopters across three color-coded landing strips. Starts easy and gets very tough very fast. Just updated to include GPS scoring against people in your area (and around the world once your scores are high enough).

Dictionary.com by Dictionary.com

I like this site but it frustrates me for generating ideas as quickly as I’d like. The great thing about the App version is the type-ahead feature that provides any words even close to what you’re searching, perfect for quickly jumping to something you may not have even heard of. This is a must-have App in any brainstorm.

cliqcliq Colors by cliqcliq

Color palette builder for on-the-go designers. I’ve used this for several websites and helping develop color schemes painting my condo. The ability to email PS and AI color swatches of any palette is genius.