Got a new iPhone? Get some great apps to put on it.

Are you the proud owner of a new iPhone 5? Or perhaps a slightly used iPhone 4? Heck, maybe you scored an unlocked 3GS on eBay. Whatever the case, you need apps.

Ah, but which ones? Apple's App Store is home to some 80 gazillion, I believe, and if you're new to the iOS universe, you may have some trouble separating the app wheat from the app chaff.

Have no fear. I've rounded up 10 of my very favorite iPhone apps. They're not all new, mind you, but they're definitely indispensable -- and most of them won't cost you a penny.

Of course, this is just one man's opinion. What apps would you recommend for a new iPhone user? Did I leave out some of your favorites? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

10 great apps for new iPhone owners (pictures)

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The team at Vision Objects were proud of the victory for MyScript Calculator.

LAS VEGAS--Every year at CES, the Mobile Apps Showdown pits dozens of downloads against one another to see which mobile app emerges as the best. This year's event was the biggest yet, and based on the excitement we saw there, we think it will only continue to grow.

Here's how it works: a panel of judges first narrows the pool of entrants down to 10 finalists. The developers of the finalists are then invited to present their apps to a live audience at the Mobile Apps Showdown here in Las Vegas, and the app that receives the loudest applause is crowned the winner.

This year, the 10 finalists in contention were:

• MyScript Calculator
• MindMeld
• Find It
• SecuraFone Health
• Sales Navigator
• Nivpat
• Unified Remote
• Runtastic
• Swype
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Like most folks, I've made "enthusiastic" commitments to be more resolute in staying healthy this year. Such crazy claims include getting off the buttocks and working out, eating healthy, and other life-changing nonsense. Recently, one of my friends started this diet called the TAO Diet, which stands for Ten and One. The premise is simple: You eat 10 salads and one meal of whatever you please. Then rinse and repeat.

I've come to realize that I'm an attention-seeking and easily distracted geek with a healthy track record of...falling off track. But rather than giving up that easily, here are three apps that I've been personally utilizing to keep myself in check and even make the process more bearable.

Accountability: Instagram How can Instagram help with weight loss? Simple: accountability. One requirement of the TAO Diet is to post a picture online of every salad meal you have. Believe it or not, salads look damn pretty on camera. Take a picture, slap on a filter, label it, and post it online. It's obnoxious, but people will take notice to comment and like your photos. Community is a powerful motivational tool, so take advantage of your social network and leverage their short attention spans. The comments and feedback alone will hold you responsible to your word. Compliments can make you feel all warm and fuzzy and act as... [Read more]

Adobe Systems' Flash Player plug-in has been under attack in Web development circles for years, but now Adobe's Reader software is becoming more of a target in the war against plug-ins.

Mozilla released the with its own built-in PDF reader, called PDF.js, which uses the browser's own JavaScript engine to decode the Adobe-created but industry-standard document format.

The Portable Document Format for years was an awkward part of the Web, often ambushing the unwary with long page-load times as the Adobe Reader plug-in loaded. But PDFs have become more common, exposed in Google search results and used for everything from bank statements to tax forms. In Safari, Apple bypassed Adobe's software with its own PDF-reading plug-in, but Google went a step farther by building PDF rendering directly into Chrome.

Mozilla launched its PDF.js project in 2011, taking advantage of newer browser abilities such as Canvas to display more complicated documents.

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Android users who want to live an edgier life now can try a beta version of Chrome.

Google yesterday released the Chrome 25 beta for Android 4.x for smartphones and tablets, a version number in sync with the release for personal computers. Previously, the only option was the stable version of Chrome for Android, which is still way back at version 18.

The Chrome for Android beta is available on the Google Play app store, but only by following that link -- it's not visible in Google Play's search, Google said. The beta version can be installed and run side by side with the stable version.

Google has been working to put Chrome for Android on the same six-week update cycle as the personal computer version of the browser, and it looks like this release is part of that change. The Chrome 25 beta brings a number of new features, but Google warns of sluggish performance and some other problems.

Among the new features, according to Chrome developer Peter Beverloo:

• A new "text autosizing" technique for formatting text on mobile-device screens, drawing in part upon ... [Read more]