In honour of a friend recently becoming the proud owner of a Nokia N95, I am compelled to blog about the most useful free applications available for said mobile phone.

It's been nearly 10 months since I reviewed the N95 and in that time it has become an invaluable piece of hardware. I have tried many applications but the ones listed below have stood the test of time.

If you plan on trying any of this software, I advise using the Nokia Updater to update your N95 firmware first. It's not necessary but it does provide more stability and speed.

The latest firmware version at the time of writing this is 21.0.0.016. To find out what version you are running, simply enter *#0000# and wait for the response. If your number is the same then don't bother updating. Otherwise I suggest you do. Vista users will need to use this beta version of the updater software.

Anyway, on to my favourite software picks. Remember to never install them to the phone memory - always install to the installed memory card.

Google Maps Mobile

This one is a no brainer. I constantly use to find my way to meetings because it is lighting fast and accurate. You will never need a street directory in your car again.

eBuddy

This Instant Messaging client lets you chat with your friends on most of the popular IM networks, including MSN, Yahoo, AOL and Gtalk. Just download, install and sign in with your existing account.

Opera Mini

Comparing the Nokia web browser to Opera Mini is like comparing Internet Explorer to Firefox. Sure you can surf the web, but why not do it faster and with more features at your disposal? Opera Mini is easily the worlds best mobile browser. Go get it.

Youtube

As the name suggests, this is . Instead of struggling to use the convoluted web site on a 320 x 240 screen, this dedicated interface make the experience very enjoyable. Just don't use it on your carrier's internet connection unless you want a whopping bill at the end of the month. I watch some videos in bed to help me fall asleep while connected to the wireless router.

Sports Tracker

While I don't use this as much as I should, it's a bloody good app. Using the N95's GPS, Sport Tracker stores your exercise routes and plots them neatly on a chart so you can evaluate your improvements over time. You can set up routes and exercise routines based on your geographical location.