7 shopping apps to save time, money, and score the perfect gift

Buying gifts for your loved ones is never easy, but we're here to help. These shopping apps make it easier to find gifts, save money, and save time during the holiday rush.

It’s December and you need to buy presents, and fast. To help you in your increasingly frantic search for material happiness, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite apps to help you find the best gifts, save money, and save time. If you’ve waited this long, you’re already pushing it to the limit and risking a Jingle All the Way scenario. That’s why we want to help. Avoid a toy race against Sinbad and earn the love of your friends and family by purchasing them things with the help of these apps.

Finding the right gifts

As great as the option of variety is for picking out one of the many gifts for friends and family, it can also be certainly intimidating to the average shopper. Thankfully, there are a variety of apps available to help you figure out just what to get gift-wise this holiday season for anyone from your parents to your co-workers, friends, and everyone in between.

Amazon App (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

Let’s face it, if you’re not using the largest online retailer to look for deals and gift ideas, then you’re just not using your holiday shopping time wisely. Amazon’s mobile app for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone not only lets you browse the online catalog for anything from A to Z but also gives you easy access to their daily deals and lightning deals anytime you want from now until the end of the year. With the Amazon App you can not only brainstorm for gift ideas but also save some cash.

Gift Wizard (Android) & El Gifto (Android, iOS)

If you’re looking for smart gift suggestions and have no idea where to begin, then here are two apps for Android and iOS that can both be a blessing for buyer’s block. Gift Wizard for Android offers up an intelligent gift engine, helping you really figure out with some serious thinking what would be the right gift for anyone from your boss to your best friend. El Gifto, for Android and iOS, suggests gifts based on your relationship to the individual, their age, and their lifestyle. Both are great when figuring out which gift to get someone this holiday season.

Appadvice (iOS)

If you’re looking for great app suggestion for your friend or family member who just bought that iPad Mini or iPhone 5, then you can’t go wrong with the Appadvice app, which has been helping people discover new and nifty applications for years. if you’re considering an iTunes gift card as a gift, be sure to suggest some great apps along with it.

Be sure to check out our holiday gift guides through the coming holiday season for more ideas.

Saving money

In case you missed the memo, this year is an especially important one for shopping, as major retailers such as ToysRUs, Best Buy, and Target are all upping the ante and matching prices with select online retailers for certain periods of time, and that means making sure you know what things are going for online. While picking out your favorite doorbusters though, it’s important to know that there are some great apps you can use to find great deals while at the store, figure out what your favorites are worth, or perhaps even find a better deal.

Google Shopper (Android, iOS)

The Google Shopper app may be your greatest asset in your shopping adventures this holiday season. The app, available for both iOS and Android devices, lets you use your phone’s camera as essentially an image and barcode scanner, allowing you to match up products in the store with their counterparts in online shoppingverse. Along with price comparisons, you can also find similar products, or nearby retailers with lower prices.

Dealnews App (Android, iOS) 

Dealnews has been around for nearly 15 years, helping internet users find the greatest deals on the items they love. This year Dealnews is offering up its app, which brings the power of its already resourceful website in your hands, tied together with a focus on all the big holiday retailers. With this app you can stay up to date on the latest sales and ads for the rest of the coming holiday season. This ad is a must have if you’re going to keep up with all crazy deals that are announced from now until the end of the year.

Saving time

If there’s anything more valuable than saving cash and making your family and friends happy this holiday season, it’s all that extra time you want to have resting and relaxing during your valuable vacation. Thankfully, even while you run about grabbing all the gifts, there are a couple apps you can use to stay organized, avoid traffic, and save time.

Shopper (Android, iOS)

Staying organized will keep your mind on point and your wits sharp through the holiday season, so be sure to take advantage of a powerful shopping list that stays with you wherever you are. It’s time to abandon the pen and paper and pick up Shopper, a free app for Android and iOS that lets you virtually write down and organize all the essential things to buy this holiday season. The app even lets make in depth organization, as well as track important contact information for your favorite shops.

Waze (Android, iOS)

If you’ve never used Waze before, now’s the time to get it. While Google and Apple war with one another over which can provide the best maps experience, Waze offers up an entirely new flavor: The Social GPS. Waze essentially has its own network of users contributing important information such as traffic updates, red light cameras, and speed traps, giving you a better idea of what’s going on with greatest variable while driving – everyone else. The app even lets you collect points for fun custom content, and will save you time and frustration while running around for your holiday shopping.

In the end, these are just a few of the apps out that you can add to your mobile arsenal to save time, money, and more this holiday season. Be sure to stay tuned to Digital Trends throughout the holiday season for even more tips, tricks, and guides, and feel free to share with us your favorite holiday shopping apps in the comments below.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-holiday-shopping-apps/

Read More

The text message turns 20 today

How times have changed

The first ever text message was sent 20 years ago today, an appropriately festive communique reading "Merry Christmas".

Neil Papworth sent that fateful text, then 22 years old (now 42, maths fans) he sent it from a computer to an Orbitel 901 handset.

To celebrate the text message's 20th, Ofcom has done a bit of research into its illustrious history, finding that we now send around 50 text messages a week each.

In 2011, that added up to over 150 billion texts sent over the course of the year - compared to 51 billion texts sent in 2006, that's quite a leap.

However, texting seems to be on the out - the first half of 2012 showed two consecutive quarterly declines in the volume of SMS messages sent which Ofcom puts down to the rise of instant messaging, email and social networking.

Still, it's not been a bad innings for the little text message that could - James Thickett, Ofcom's director of research explains that, "When texting was first conceived, many saw it as nothing more than a niche service."

And it certainly broke free of those shackles. Happy birthday text messaging. Or, in vernacular it will understand: hppy bday txtmsg.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/the-text-message-turns-20-today-1116489

Read More

Dual SIM Nokia 114 silently unveiled, sort of

Nokia never releases new mobile phones without proper introduction. The Nokia 114 is either the first exception or the administrators of Nokia's Indian website have jumped the gun publishing this one.

Last month's Nokia 109 is an equally cheap entry-level handset and it was announced with the usual fanfare, so we'd take a guess and suppose some overeager hands published the 114 earlier than expected.

Speaking of the Nokia 109, the 114 si like its twin. Both have exactly the same size and design, though the Nokia 114 is a few grams heavier. Both have identical 65K color screens with resolution of 128 x 160px with a 1.8-inch diagonals. The 114 however, adds the extra Dual SIM functionality plus a handful of other extras.

First off, the Nokia 114 comes with a beefier 1080mAh battery, though even with it, its rated standby time is around 20% less. But that's understandable with two GSM radios inside.

Then the Nokia 114 tops the 109 functionality with a VGA camera with QCIF video. And finally, there's the added benefit of Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, which the 109 lacks.

So far the Nokia 114 seems to only be available on Nokia's Indian website, so that should tell us something before we hear more about its regional availability. And we're yet to learn about its launch schedule or pricing.

Now who said nobody ever announces new products in December?

Thanks for the tip, Vishal!

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/dual_sim_nokia_114_silently__unveiled-news-5150.php

Read More

Best apps and updates of the week: The Bowling Dead, Facebook Photo Sync, and more

Weeding through the offerings in the app store is no easy task. Don't dive in alone - let us provide some discretion to your downloads. This week saw updates to Google Drive, Rdio, Facebook, and more. Plus a new Android app to keep ads away and some games you'll definitely want to play.

The app marketplace is expanding exponentially. The Google Play Store and Apple App Store already have millions of apps between the two. Even the newly launched Windows Phone 8 has more than 20,000 apps available for download in just over a month of existence. New apps are always trying insert themselves into the market to either fill perceived voids or improve upon existing options. The top developers roll out updates as fast as new apps can pop up to try to stay on top of the competition. Here are the best updates to existing apps and fresh launches that are worth checking out from the past week. 

App updates

Google Drive (iOS and Android)

Spreadsheet nerds, rejoice! You can now work on your odd hobby while on the go if you use Google Drive. We’re just poking fun, of course, as this is an ability we’ve all been waiting for. An update to Google Drive has made spreadsheet files editable within the app. You now also have the ability to format text options – including size, color, and style – and a much needed copy and paste feature. Spreadsheet formatting is also manageable from Google Drive, allowing column shifts and changes and data sorting. All in all, a step toward total on-the-go editing.

Vimeo (iPhone)

Vimeo keeps doing the best it can to dig a niche for itself in the video hosting market so heavily dominated by YouTube. Its iPhone app update is a step in the right direction, making improvements to the app’s upload options and simplifying navigation. Taking out the rarely-used in-app video editor and allowing videos to upload in the background as users enter in pertinent metadata for the film has streamlined the overall process. A shift to tabbed browsing from the previous grid layout has also made consumption of content a lot easier. The addition of social sharing features also seems to be a good move for improving viewership. It’s the first update to come straight from Vimeo’s own design team. Hopefully it won’t be the last.

Facebook Photo Sync (iOS and Android)

Facebook wants you to trust it with even more of your information. This time, it’s in the form of a cloud storage option for your photos. Facebook calls it Photo Sync, and it’s available in the latest Facebook app update. Facebook is offering users of the new feature 2GB of free space to host images. Photo Sync will take all of the images you snap on your smartphone or tablet and automatically upload them to Facebook. From there, you’ll have the option to share them or keep them or delete them before you make a horribly embarrassing mistake. Encourage your friends to get this app, because  it will inevitably produce a hilariously disturbing moment.

Rdio (iOS and Android)

If Rdio acts as your personal band, then the developers of the app just gave it new and shiny instruments to play. An overhaul to the interface of Rdio’s app came out this week. A sliding style navigation now remains constant throughout the app, as does the sleek white interface. Also popping up for the first time is a unified player option, which will sync your listening experience across your devices. Start a song at home and finish it in the car by accessing your Queue. Finally, remote control options will allow Rdio listeners to control their music remotely from another device.

Words with Friends (Windows Phone)

Remember when Words with Friends was super popular and the object of obsession for mobile users? Thanks to an update to the Windows Phone version of the game, now it has the ability to catch on with Microsoft fans, as well. Of course, it could have done that when it first launched had it simply worked properly, but better late than never. The update from Zynga to it’s popular title provides much needed stability and performance improvements. If you already paid the $3 price tag for the game, might as well get the update that makes it actually playable.

New Apps

AdBlock Plus (Android)

AdBlock Plus is a popular option for keeping annoying ads at bay in web browsers on desktops. Now it’s made its way to Android to take care of the advertising that is scattered across apps and browsers alike. Keep your eyes from being violated by banner ads, push notifications with a sales agenda, and more. It’s free and doesn’t require rooting, though you are likely to see better results if you’re willing to take the risk to root. The results that the app promises includes saved bandwidth and increased screen space, but most importantly it promises to keep you from overexposure to advertising.

New Games

Jet Set Radio (iOS and Android)

A classic game making a welcome return on a new platform. This is nothing new, but it’s still great to see. It’s especially awesome when the game is a cult classic like Jet Set Radio. A game that suffered from the curse that was the Dreamcast, Jet Set Radio managed to build a following with an extremely unique look, insane tricks, memorable moments, and a pitch perfect soundtrack. All of that is back and as good as it ever was in this mobile re-imagining. It’s one of the only times where you can describe a game as “grinding” and it’s a good thing. 

The Bowling Dead (iOS)

“How many zombie games do we really need?” you may ask. That’s a fair question, and it’s pretty impossible to deny that the genre is packed to the brim. However, if there is one place that the undead are under-utilized, it’s bowling alleys. A crossover that is rather unexpected, The Bowling Dead puts survival horror in a new lane as it pins bowlers against zombies. More than just a clever concept, responsive controls and silly but fun story makes this title a perfect strike.

BattleFriends at Sea (iOS and Android)

Take to the open oceans with friends … and then try to sink them. It’s international waters, so it’s not a crime or anything. BattleFriends at Sea is like board game classic Battleship with a social twist. Free to play, the game uses a pretty impressive graphics engine to provide a new skin on an old game model. It can be played cross-platform so you can take down your friends no matter what type of ship they sale the mobile oceans on. There are a few added twists to the gameplay to keep things interesting, so set your sales for your app marketplace of choice and pick this one up.

Fruitiny (iPhone)

The first ever real time memory game ever made, Fruitiny puts a new twist on the old matching card game. You have a simply goal: match bananas with bananas and apples with apples. Sounds simple enough, and the vintage appearance and overall presentation furthers that. But once you start flipping tiles and trying to put together matches as quickly as possible to keep bugs from invading, it starts to show its depth. Extremely addictive and deceivingly challenging, it’s a memory game you won’t forget.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apps-and-updates-11-25-2012/

Read More