When Facebook debuted its application platform last May, naysayers grumbled that these candy-colored add-ons, which appear on users' profiles, clutter the site's simple interface, making zeroing in on the personal information in people's profiles difficult. Now, the site is home to more than 9,000 free games and utilities, some of which have close to three million active users.

 

Many of Facebook's apps go virtually unused (there are dozens of applications that have only one user), and plenty more have review walls that are overflowing with complaints. But the variety is unbeatable: Without navigating away from your profile page, you can edit photos, watch video, monitor your stocks, play games, and get restaurant recommendations. Getting hooked up is easy, too: Just click on the Applications tab underneath the search bar. We've found ten apps that are fun, useful, and work like a charm, for whatever you may have in mind.