The developers of the Flashlight XS app ( $0.99 ) claim their app offers a performance breakthrough, turning an iPhone's light on instantly . This is predicated on "taking advantage of iOS 5 improvements and tuning to the latest hardware." I offered to give it a try based on the passionate excitement of the developer's pitch letter.

One time when I was day hiking Mount Washington, I took a wrong turn at the top and went down the wrong way. I raced down the mountain, but still had to navigate some rough terrain for a few hours in the dark. This was the late nineties.

The nominations are in, and the poll is ready to go! The TUAW Best of 2011 awards are all about you -- the readers -- and what you think is the cream of the crop of Apple or third-party products and software. To vote, select one entry from the top nominations made by readers.