The 10 best social networking apps

FacebookMultiple formats; freeMobile phones are about staying in touch and with a smartphone that means staying in touch with your social networks too. Facebook has millions of mobile users and an app for nearly every handset, making it easy to check messages, view photos and however use Facebook Places to find money-saving deals nearly your location.

TwitterAndroid, BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad; freeThere are dozens of mobile Twitter customers, however the official app is dominant in spite of only appearing less than a year ago. With a eay-to-use, full features it's easy to see why.

SkypeAndroid, BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad, Nokia; freeThe service that first brought free VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls to millions of desktops is however well and really mobile. Voice and video calling are offered via 3G and Wifi.

BumpAndroid, iPhone; freeThis app allows users to intuitively swap contacts, photos, become Facebook friends and more by exactly according to instructions bumping their phones at the same time. Useful for networking - in business and in bars.

HullomailAndroid; freeThis app brings the iPhone's useful Visual Voicemail feature to Android devices. It allows you to see who left a message previously you decided whether you need ot listen to it, and to access it without plodding through menus,

FringAndroid, iPhoneThis app offer free voice and video calls over WiFi and 3G. You can use it to log into your Yahoo Messenger, MSN, Google Talk and other communications accounts, too.

WhatsAppAndroid, BlackBerry, iPhone, Nokia; £0.59If you can excuse the terrible pun, WhatsApp is a simple way of cutting SMS charges, expecially if you're travelling. Users of the application on any compatible platform can swap messages for free, including photos.

eBuddyAndroid, BlackBerry, iPhone, Nokia; freeAmong dozens of instant messenger apps, eBuddy stands out for its user-friendliness. Sign in to your Yahoo!, MSNm AOL, Google Talk, Facebook Chat and other instant messenger accounts from one app.

SwiftkeyAndroid; freeTyping on smartphones is no fun. Swiftkey aims to make it a less frustrating experience by replacing your keyboard with one with that intelligently predicts words and learns your style.

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