With the release of the iPhone 4s and countless Android phones this year, apps are becoming a daily purchase for a lot of smart phone users- and for some of us app junkies, our purchases are not limited to one app a day.

While there were hundreds of inventive, exciting, and informative apps developed this year, only a handful have been recognized repeatedly for their ability to capture a large fan base. We here at Watson have created a list combining the opinions of TIME and iTunes with our own to give you our favorite apps of 2011.

Puzzle game apps we like: Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, and Plants Vs. Zombies. Angry Birds was the number one downloaded paid app again this year, and still one of the most entertaining apps out there. Angry Birds is even taking over other platforms such as birthday cakes, t-shirts, pillows- the creator’s wife wore an Angry Birds inspired dress to a gala recently! Cut the Rope is a lot like Angry Birds in that you have to use physics and plan a path in order to beat each level. However, the graphics in this game are a sweet, simplistic style but adorable. Plants Vs. Zombies is another paid app that is seriously addictive. Zombies attack your house and the only way to stop the horde is to grow killer plants, unleash lawn mowers, and employ a fight-to survive strategy. This app has been out for awhile now, but it’s still one of the best out there.

Another favorite is Words with Friends. The Scrabble inspired game that you can play for free or pay to remove ads, it’s so addictive- Alec Baldwin delayed an American Airlines flight to play. Playing this game will make you feel smarter and it’s a great way to stay in touch with family and friends across the country.

We also really like traditional style games like Battleheart. This game is one of the best adventure [RPG] games we’ve come across and the controls are perfectly designed for the iPad/iPhone. Its fluid gameplay and graphics make it a great and fun game.

A Droid game that we’ve become a big fan of this year is Age of Zombies. The game is a nonstop shooter with awesome graphics. It’s a great game for a range of ages because it’s fun and easy. It’s so fun that we were able to beat it in one day, and we keep coming back for more action!

The photography apps we like are similar but are used differently. Hipstamatic and Instagram have really taken advantage of the growing number of people who are foregoing the traditional point and shoot camera for the camera in their phones. Instagram is iTunes’ iPhone App of the year and Hipstamatic is blowing up Facebook News Feeds. These two apps make it pretty difficult to take a bad picture, and sharing your artistic rendition of the fast food hamburger you’re about to consume has never been easier.

Evernote is an app that you can use for everyday use. It’s really helpful to keep you organized throughout your day. Making the notes is really easy, which we found to be important as there are so many apps out there for note taking, and this one really stood above the others.

Flipboard is another practical app that we love to use. This excellently designed app is great for the phone or the tablet, and is very easy to use. We often find ourselves reading full articles using Flipboard whereas on a browser, we’d be more likely to skim through the content. Staying on top what’s going on in the world is super important, especially for technology geeks like us.

So there you have it! We may not have included everyone’s favorite apps, but these are simply Watson’s favorites and why we like them. We hope you enjoyed reading about the apps listed here and we look forward to the new apps to come in 2012!