On June 29th, 2007, the first iPhone was released to the public. I wanted nothing more than to get that phone, but at the time, I was rocking a pretty sweet T-Mobile Sidekick, so I couldn’t complain. Then, in early 2008, I switched over to my parents’ family plan on Verizon, and my iPhone dreams were squashed for two more years. Two weeks ago, after my Verizon contract came to an end, I finally manned up and bought the iPhone. The coolest aspect of owning an iPhone is having access to a robust application market. When it comes to apps, there are really two types: apps to stay productive, and apps to waste time and stay entertained. Like we say at VaynerMedia, “Crushing it is overrated.” So, without further ado, let’s get into the “Top 10 Entertaining (Time Wasting) iPhone Apps.”

Doodle Jump
Price: $0.99
Rating: 5/5 stars

By far the most addicting game I’ve found for the iPhone. According to the app’s description, “in Doodle Jump, you guide The Doodler – using some of the most subtle and accurate tilt controls in existence – on a springy journey up, up, up a sheet of graph paper, picking up jet packs, avoiding black holes, and blasting baddies with nose balls along the way.” Add in the ability to upload your high scores to Facebook & Twitter, and the chance to see other players’ score markers as you spring above them, and you’ve got a truly addicting game.

Words WIth Friends
Price: $2.99
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Basically Scrabble with friends over your iPhone. If you’re not a big scrabble fan, you won’t be a big Words With Friends fan. But, for those word nerds out there, this is the app for you.

Facebook
Price: Free
Rating: 4/5 stars

Facebook goes mobile. Need I say more?

FML Official
Price: Free
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

You have to have been living under a rock for the past several years if you’re not aware of the FMyLife. According to the site, “It’s a collection of everyday anecdotes and stories likely to happen to anyone and everyone, sent to us exclusively by our users. It can be pretty funny, it can also be pretty depressing. Take a look for yourself. (Ages 17+)

I Am T-Pain
Price: $2.99
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Just one of those apps every iPhone user should have. With the autotune craze taking over in the last year or two, this app gives the user a chance to speak or sing into his or her phone with an autotune effect.

Peggle
Price: $2.99
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

A friend introduced this game to me as “a great way to waste time when you’re standing in line.” Turns out it’s great for subway rides, too! The game’s info section says, “Want to be a Peggle Master? Take your best shot! Shoot and clear all the orange pegs in the peg-busting phenomenon from the makers of the award-winning Bejeweled.” Fun game, accompanied by epic level-ending music and rainbows. Buy it!

The Oregon Trail
Price: $4.99
Rating: 4/5 stars

If you grew up in the 70′s or later, you know that this game rocks. Totally worth it, unless you die of dysentery.

ESPN ScoreCenter
Price: Free
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

There are some cool sports-related apps in the app store, but this one is the most general and all-encompassing of the bunch. ScoreCenter sends scores and headlines directly to your phone, and allows you to choose which sports and teams you want to focus on. Simply lets fans stay in touch with the world of sports, on the go.

iGunLITE
Price: Free
Rating: 4/5 stars

Fun app, only on this list because it’s free. Choose from a variety of gun options, then tap your screen or shake your phone to “pull the trigger.” The sound and visual effects are good, and it’s a fun app to load up every once in a while just because.

Texts From Last Night
Price: $0.99
Rating: 4/5 stars

Texts From Last Night is an FML style site, where users submit funny or strange texts they received to their cell phone. Just a fun app, especially if you’ve seen the site. (Ages 17+)

Obviously this list is very subjective. Which of your favorite fun, entertaining, or time-wasting apps did I miss? Let me know in the comment section below!

Loose-leaf tea isn’t difficult, although it seems many folks are quite scared of it. Sure there are a few things you have to take into consideration but it will result in a much higher quality taste over traditional bagged teas. The first step is preparing the water temperature, white and green teas should be brewed using less than boiling water (about 180° F) and black and most herbal teas should be boiling. Steep length is also important – green teas should only be submerged in the water for about 3 minutes. Black teas and most herbals will steep a little longer, between 5 and 7 minutes. That’s really it. As you learn more about tea and more about how YOU like tea, you’ll get very comfortable brewing the perfect cup every time.

The machine itself makes the temperature and steep length very easy on you. It is composed of three separate chambers (hence the name), which regulate all of these factors. The first chamber heats the water to either boiling or just under boiling. Once the water is the perfect temperature, it is released into the second chamber, which contains the tea. It stays in this chamber for as long as you set it, between 2 and 7 minutes. Once the tea has steeped for the appropriate amount of time, it travels through the permanent filter into the final pot, sitting on a hot plate ready for consumption.

I’ve found the middle chamber’s steeping basket to be a nice size for allowing the tea to expand. My problem with many tea infusers (like the dreaded tea-ball) is there simply isn’t enough room for the leaves to expand, but the triniTEA handles this nicely. The permanent filter is also a super nice addition, which is made of a very durable food-grade plastic. Mine has held up for years.

As much as I love this device, it isn’t all perfect. The triniTEA seems to leak water more than most coffee machines. It’s still quite safe for the office environment but sometimes pulling the steeping chamber out to change the leaves or clean results in a small puddle of water. I also dislike that there are just two water temperature settings. I’d much rather set the exact temperature in Fahrenheit. Granted, this is more user friendly but I’m letting my tea geek unleash a little here. The price certainly isn’t ideal either, as coffee drinkers can pick up a simple coffee maker for under 30 bucks. The TriniTEA will set you back about 100 dollars, but it is so, so worth it.

The TriniTEA can be purchased from Adagio Teas(http://www.adagio.com/teaware/triniTEA.html)

Price: $99.00

Grade: A-

Look and feel: I decided to try the Nooka AO because I thought it was quite a handsome wallet. I fell in love with its unique design, and the sloped edges make it look like no other wallet I’ve ever seen. The entire AO is made from a very soft and smooth silicone. This makes it super comfortable and very capable of stretching to fit a LOT of cards. Unfortunately, it also picks up a ton of lint, which is obviously very undesirable. The Nooka AO is available in 5 colors (grey, black, blue, green, and orange) but I feel like everyone (including myself) goes with the grey. My guess is they all show equal amounts of lint but perhaps black is more forgiving.

Functionality: Oy. I can deal with the lint. I can deal with there only being one desirable color. I just can’t deal with the fact that it’s a horrible wallet for storing money. Cash money that is. If you can get away with using cards 99% of your life, this may just be your next wallet. Sadly, New York is a cash town. Just ask the guy at the deli to swipe your card for that 2 dollar Vitamin Water, he’ll love that. So because this wallet lacks a dedicated, full bill size pocket, you have to quad-fold each bill. It gets messy and is always unorganized (more like the Nooka Asset UNorganizer…eh, eh?). My driver’s license, credit card, and metro card all slide out quickly and beautifully. Cash is another story, so much so that I often just carry it in my front pocket and constantly feel like I’m missing cash because it just gets stuffed into whatever pocket I feel like. I’m actually pretty sure this wallet is going to cause me to lose money.

Additional Thoughts: The Nooka AO has made me think a lot about my definition of design (as a programmer this concept is new to me). Should functionality be sacrificed for aesthetics? High-heels aren’t even close to being functional, yet many women (and some men) put themselves through it everyday in the name of style and design. But shouldn’t good design also be based on how much functionality it maintains – like this amazingly beautiful sink? My feelings are still unclear and despite how much I dislike this wallet, I’ll most likely continue using it over my boring yet functional bi-fold wallet. No matter how much I hate its lack of functionality, I love the design. On a very positive note, I spoke with the Nooka AO designer via Twitter, who tells me version 2 of the Nooka AO will fix this horrible lack of dedicated cash space issue. Sadly, I was not given an expected release date. The current Nooka AO is available now at Nooka.com.

Price: 35.00

Grade: C-