The runaway success of the iPhone (and to a lesser extent, the iPod touch) has opened the floodgates for developers both large and small to create incredibly useful and wildly entertaining programs. Unfortunately, the sheer number of apps available means wading through the crap to find the gems–which is where we step in. We’ve dug through the slush to recommend a handful of the best free iPhone and iPod touch applications available. Here are some of our favorites.