Top 10 Apps for the Holiday Season
by Joanna Clark
Dec 21, 2011 11:54 AM –
These picks will have you cheering hAPPy holidays for sure!
Jack Frost is nipping, holiday cheer is in the air, and the oldies stations are playing non-stop Christmas classics – it’s the most wonderful time of the year and if that means the same for you as it does for us… you’re stressed out. Whether it’s last minute shopping, ways to simplify travel, or trying to channel that sometimes elusive festive spirit, skip the mall and head to the Android Market this week.
If a flyswatter app isn’t enough to squash any bah-humbugs running around, try these 10 Apps for the Holidays. They’re sure to have you feeling jollier in no time.
1. Gift List Manager – (Free, $2.99) Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, a birthday, or any special occasion – GLM tracks spending, organizes purchases, and most importantly displays how much is left on the “to buy” list.
Gift List Manager Pro
Free, $2.99
Great for Christmas lists, a shopping gift list manager to help track spending. Perfect for Christmas Lists, Gift List Manager is the only app that lets you scan barcodes, take pictures, password protect your list, and share lists over email. Making a shopping list and organizing your purchases has never been easier thanks to Gift List Manager, the easiest and most powerful gift list shopping app.
2. Track Santa – (Free) Count down the days to Santa’s big night with the official NORAD Tracks Santa app. Throughout the month, anxious kiddos can bide their time playing “Elf Toss” and then on December 24th follow Santa with Google Maps for Mobile.
NORAD Tracks Santa
Free
The NORAD Tracks Santa App is the official mobile app of the NORAD Tracks Santa program. Watch the days countdown to Santa’s flight, follow Santa’s progress on December 24, play “Elf Toss” to help Santa’s elves deliver presents, and learn about NORAD and its mission. Please note that the countdown in the app is NOT a countdown to December 25. It is a countdown to when the app begins tracking Santa’s flight.
3. FlightView – (Free, $0.99, $3.99) Travel with ease this holiday season by tracking your own flights or timing airport pickups for other travelers. The FlightView app will automatically update you if your flight plans change and will provide insight into which airports are experiencing the heaviest delays. Its social media, email, and text integration allows travelers to easily share trip itineraries and flight status information.
FlightView Elite FlightTracker
Free, $0.99, $3.99
description: Flight tracking app from the leaders in real-time flight information. Real-time flight tracking from industry leaders. Track flights live & save to My Trips. View Arrivals & Departures Boards for US & Canada’s largest airports. See gates, delays & cancellations. Instant flight status change alerts. Send trip itinerary or flight status to others or calendar. View airport delay map + weather.
4. Price Check by Amazon – (Free) There’s still time to rush last minute deliveries. Use Price Check to scan a barcode, snap a picture, or type or say an item name to check prices instantly on millions of Amazon products. If you don’t have any time to waste, buy gifts directly through the app.
Price Check by Amazon
Free
Use Price Check to scan a barcode, snap a picture, or type or say an item name to check prices instantly on millions of Amazon products and buy it directly from the app. And to make in-store price comparison even better, we’re introducing a new price sharing feature that helps ensure our prices remain competitive for our customers.
5. Epicurious Recipe App – (Free) Entrees, drinks, desserts, and more. Gain access to over 28,000 delicious, professionally tested and created recipes from renowned magazines, popular cookbook, top chefs, and leading restaurants. The shopping list feature helps organize your preparation so wowing the in-laws is a piece of cake!
Epicurious Recipe App
Free
Want something delicious? Get the free Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List app. This app from award-winning food site Epicurious.com includes over 28,000 delicious, professionally tested and created recipes from renowned magazines such as Gourmet and Bon Appétit, popular cookbooks, top chefs, and leading restaurants. Features a home screen “Recipe of the Day” widget and voice search.
6. vinspired – (Free) ‘Tis the season for giving, and what better way than volunteering around your community. Vinspired makes it easy to make a difference by compiling opportunities to get involved.
vinspired
Free
Thinking about volunteering? From stewarding at the biggest music festivals, helping out at football clubs, or even helping to stop cyber bullying from comfort of your own home – however and whenever you want to make a difference, the vinspired app helps you give something back. It’s easy to use and you’ll be able to find opportunities and get involved more easily than ever before! Plus, by recording what you do, while you’re doing it, you can boost your CV with a vinspired award.
7. Angry Birds Seasons – (Free) We all need a break from the bustle and your guilty pleasure just got festive for the occasion. Angry Birds Seasons offers 25 new levels featuring plenty of holiday fun. We won’t bother with a description of the game – we all know you’ve played it.
Angry Birds Seasons
Free
Angry Birds Seasons: Wreck the Halls! It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but the pigs are up to their usual tricks! Use your best puzzle skills on the Angry Birds holiday calendar – 25 new festive levels featuring gingerbread cookies, bells, twinkling lights, and candy canes. The newest Angry Bird will also make an appearance! And on the last day you’ll meet the big pig himself… It’s going to be an egg-citing holiday season!
8. InviteWiz (Group SMS Invite) – (Free) Rally the holiday troops with the click of a button. This Android app sends out invites by bulk text message and automatically tallies the replies for you! With no limit on the number of attendees and optional personalization – you can be sure that everyone is arriving at the right house and at the right time.
Group SMS Invite
Free
Group texting with reply tallying! Group SMS app that specializes in sending invites for group events by bulk text message (SMS) and automatically tallying replies. Great for organizing parties, meetings, sports games, club events, catching up with friends and more. Note: the app installs as InviteWiz but is currently listed in the market as Group SMS Invite for discoverability purposes.
9. My Coffee Card – (Free, $1.99) Caffeine is the key to survival and Starbucks has made it even easier to get your fix. Baristas have accepted over 26M mobile transactions this year alone, so next time your digging through your bag – consider pulling out your phone instead.
My Coffee Card Pro
Free, $1.99
Leave the card at home and use your Android phone to pay for Starbucks purchases No more hunting through the purse or wallet. Now you can leave the card and cash at home and pay for your purchases at Starbucks with My Coffee Card Pro for Android. My Coffee Card Pro is an advanced Starbucks Card manager that supports all of the features of the official Starbucks Card Mobile application such as:
10. Postagram Postcards – (Free) It may be too late to send a Christmas or Hanukkah card, but you still have time for the New Year! Postagram prints and ships photos to friends and family as real postcards. Take a shot with the app or use photos from your photo library or Facebook. The app is free, postcard production and delivery totals 99 cents.
Postagram Postcards
Free
Postagram prints and ships your photos to friends and family as real postcards. Postagram makes it easy to send a printed photo in the mail to yourself, friends or family anywhere in the world. Take a shot with the app or use photos from your photo library or Facebook. ★★★★★ FEATURES ★★★★★ – Printed on thick, glossy photo postcards at 300dpi resolution – Delivered anywhere in the world for 99 cents – US delivery takes only 2-5 business days. International delivery, a bit longer. – Postagrams are personalized with the profile photo of the sender – Include an optional 140 character message – Photo pop-outs of the postcard as a 3×3 inch photo print – You can snap a shot with the app or select a photo from your phone’s gallery or from Facebook
How did you like these Android apps recommendations? Have any you would like to personally add? Drop them in the comments below!