Simplenote - plain text work notes synched across iOS devices and desktop, no Dropbox required.
Dropbox - for everything else that Simplenote doesn't cover...
Kindle app for books - nice and easy. Stanza for some older 'legacy' books.
InformantHD for calendars - great sync with Google calendars and shared with the rest of the family.
Taptu, in preference to FlipBoard - I just prefer how it works.
BBC News app,*BBC iPlayer app.
Pete