6 Must-Download Apps of 2012

You may be surprised to hear this but at Mashable, we download and report on a ton of apps. We love testing and sharing our favorites with readers, so as we close in on yet another summer of swiping, pinching and tapping, here our must-download apps of 2012 so far.

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First there's Highlight, the app that tells you what's happening with those around you. It's a connection maker, which is great when you can see what your friends are up to but a bit creepy otherwise.

Next comes Stamped, another social media app, which is more about about discovery than making new friends. The app lets you follow people you trust, then see what things they give their stamp of approval.

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This next app combines two of the Internet and mobile?s biggest trends - GIFs and Instagram. Cinegram lets you make Internet-ready GIFs from short videos you shoot on your phone and apply Instagram-style filters to your animation.

When you're done with your Internet masterpiece, cross it off your to-do list with Clear. This beautiful, color-coded to-do list app is unlike any reminders app you've used before. There are no buttons telling you to go back, edit or delete, just navigate and mark off items though swipes, taps and pinches.

Wish you would?ve known about these apps when they hit the App Store?

Stay up to date with your news on Flipboard for iPhone and Android. The app, already a hit on iPad, now lets you track news by category or source on your mobile phone. And it syncs with your social media so you can also follow updates from your friends. Just be sure to add the Mashable feed to your homescreen after downloading.

Our honorable mention for 2012 goes to Instagram for Android. The wait for this app was worth it, even if we had to hear our friends on iOS complain about too many notifications saying, ?Your Facebook friend so-and-so has just joined...?

So those are the apps released this year we can't live without. But what about you? Tell us in the comments about your favorite apps of the year so far.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/6-must-download-apps-2012-152834237.html

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