This post is for my favorite physical therapist in the universe. He’s had an iPhone for over a year, but has yet to download a single app. Can you believe it? Me… I fell even more in love with my iPhone last July when the App Store launched.

Brain Tuner
This little gem takes the pain out of keeping your gray cells fit. And it’s free. Just do 20 simple arithmetic problems as fast as you can. (Hint to fellow boomers: don’t compare your best time with that of your children. While you want your progeny to be smarter than you, it can be a tad humiliating to discover just how much more so they might be.)

Recorder
When you have an idea but no time to write it down, just switch on this ultra-simple app and make a quick recording. It’s $0.99 well invested. (More warnings, though. Your first $0.99 payment gives your credit card to Apple. You are then on the slippery slope of temptation to much more expensive goodies.)

Google
Think Google desktop for your iPhone. It searches not just the web á la Google Classic, but everything on your iPhone, including contacts and calendar. Free.

DataCase
Do you have Word, Excel, PDFs, audio files, etc., you’d like to quickly put on your iPhone? With DataCase, you just drag and drop without having to sync. All that’s needed is wireless. And $6.99.

Bejeweled 2
At $7.99, this is overpriced, but I confess, I love it. It’s such nice mindless stuff — and it sparkles. Moreover, unlike Brain Tuner and some other apps, it’s never crashed on me.

In the running for my favorites, but I still haven’t tested enough….

Wurdle
I love word games, and this $2.99 Boggle knock-off has the potential to hook me in a big way.