iPhone Free App: App week: Google+ for iPhone, App of the Year voting | UK iPad Developers

App of the Year: Finalists announced
The crusade to find the T3 Gadget Awards App of the Year [1] moved a step closer this week with the announcement of the finalists. Yes, the fat has been trimmed, leaving just the top six to battle it out for the coveted prize. Will it be GarageBand, Skype, Flipboard, Instapaper, Tiny Wings or Sky News that wins out? It’s up to you to decide.

iPhone app news: Google+ makes it onto the App Store
The rise of Google+, the newest social network on the block, gained more pace this week with the Google+ app for iPhone [2] officially landing on the App Store. The free app immediately rose to the top of the iPhone download charts. Presumably, quite a few of the 20m Google+ users have iPhones.

Android app news: NASA launches official app
The Space Program might be at an end now the shuttle Atlantis has returned to Earth, but NASA is keeping busy in the app department, launching an official app for Android. The NASA app [3] offers a wealth of photographic and video content from NASA’s huge archive, live streaming from NASA TV and tips on when to spot the ISS floating overhead.

iPhone app news: Thrutu brings in-call multi-tasking
For once, here’s a successful Android app that’s made it’s way over to iOS. Thrutu is an in-call muiti-tasking service that allows users to exchange details while on the phone. For example you can send a pal your location and view both of your positions on that map, you could forward a contact and even send a picture all within the app.

BlackBerry app news: Android App Player leaks early
RIM has been promising a solution to its chronic lack of native PlayBook apps for months now, in the shape of an Android App Player [4] that would enable users to port compatible Market apps onto the BlackBerry tablet. The first signs of that appeared this week with a switfly-removed Beta version of the player appeared on the BlackBerry website.

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App of the Year | Vote in the T3 Gadget Awards 2011
Is GarageBand the best app of 2011? Or can Flipboad, Sky News or the other nominees take the title
Vote for App of the Year | GarageBand for iPad review| Flipboard for iPad rated [5] [6] [7]

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APP REVIEWS FROM THE T3 APP CHART

This week we focus on the latest and greatest Android apps

Android app review: Samsung Smart TV
Samung has developed an awesome app for those select few folks who own a Samsung Smart TV AND a Samsung Galaxy SII [8] smartphone. If you tick both of those very distinct boxes you can turn your phone into a TV and take it anywhere in the house. No more pausing Corrie when you go to the toilet.

Android app review: Zombieville USA
This port from the classic iPhone game is an extremely welcome arrival on the Android Market. The premise is that zombies have taken over your town and its your job to stop them by mowing down the undead with a weapon of your choice. This is 2D smartphone platforming at its finest. Zombieville USA review [9]

Android app review: CNN
The US purveyor of quality news has arrived on Android with this mighty fine app. "The app offers a comprehensive account of what is going on in the world day to day, alongside decent photography and a nice dollop of proper journalism," says our reviewer. Read the CNN for Android review [10]

Posted by Chris Smith