PhoneTalk

Not sure what to get mom for Mother's Day this year? Well consider getting her apps that will make her life easier. Whether you're shopping for a new mom or a mom about to send her kids off to college, there's sure to be an app in this group that could help them on a daily basis. While all the apps listed here are free, some of the apps also have premium versions available that offer more features. You can always download one or all of the apps to your favorite mom's phone while spending time with her during the holiday.

1. TrendTracker for fashion forward moms: Know a stylish mom who doesn’t have time to catch the latest news from the runway shows? Get her the TrendTracker mobile app from trendstop. Mom’s can use the app to upload photos of a trend they spotted, get daily fashion news, coverage of the runway shows including videos, and a fashion store finder.

Compatible OS: Android, iPhone, BlackBerry
Cost: Free
How to get it: Visit mobile.trendstop.com on your smartphone’s web browser or visit the app market residing on your phone

2. CardStar for moms that know loyalty: Loyalty programs are all about saving money at checkout or earning points to redeem for products and vacations, but there’s no need to carry all those cards around in a wallet. Mom’s have enough stuff in their bags. Get them the handy CardStar app from CardStar. Use it to help mom keep track, access, and find special offers of all her loyalty programs in one place: her smartphone.

Compatible OS: Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7
Cost: Free
How to get it: Visit the app market residing on your phone

3. Text4Baby provides helpful info for expecting and new moms: Expectant and new moms have a lot on their plates and likely tons of questions. Help them out by signing them up for text4baby, a free educational program from the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. Once registered with the site, soon-to-be and new moms will start receiving via text message tips about pregnancy and caring for a baby. The smart feature is that they are designed to coincide with a due date or baby’s birth date.

Compatible OS: All. This is an app that arrives as a text message on your phone.
Cost: Free. (Note: While there’s no cost to receive the text from text4baby it still counts against the allotted messages on a plan.)
How to get it: Text BABY to 511411 from the cell phone that should receive the messages.

4. OurGroceries help makes the most of a trip to the market: Mom’s are busy, that’s why the OurGroceries app is ideal for the well connected family. The mobile app includes a way to share shopping lists so anyone in the family can add to it, maximize time in the store by grouping like items, and more. Not sure what to make for dinner? There’s even a recipe section that includes a list of ingredients needed.

Compatible OS: Android, iPhone, BlackBerry
Cost: Free
How to get it: Visit the app market residing on your phone.

5. SocialMoms Insider keeps moms in the loop: The mobile version of the popular Mom-centric website is all about keeping moms connected with other local SocialMoms in the know. Since it’s also a social networking app, it’s a little similar to foursquare with check-in’s and the ability to earn badges. There are also useful features such as the ability to keep track of events and schedules.

Compatible OS: iPhone
Cost: Free
How to get it: Visit the app market residing on your phone.

6. GasBuddy helps moms track changing gas prices: It’s no secret that the price of gas is on the rise. In some places, gas is as much as $4 a gallon. Using the GasBuddy app, can help moms save time and money by helping them find the cheapest gas nearby. Since the app relies on local users to update gas prices, users who report gas prices earn points toward a possible prize.

Compatible OS: iPhone, Windows Phone, Android
Cost: Free
How to get it: Visit m.GasBuddy.com from any mobile device or the app market residing on your phone

7. Cozi app helps moms manage family calendars and activities in one spot: There’s not much busy moms couldn’t keep track of using the Cozi app. This mobile app syncs with Outlook, integrates multiple calendars into one view, tracks shopping lists, and sends reminders. Moms that prefer a more personal experience can even use the app to maintain a family journal and create a family photo collage screensaver.

Compatible OS: iPhone, Android
Cost: Free
How to get it: Visit the app market residing on a compatible smartphone or for more limited features visit m.cozi.com on any cell phone with a mobile browser

8. Remember the Milk offers loads of organization features for busy moms: There are many apps available for jotting quick notes and even creating a list of tasks, but Remember the Milk helps moms keep all that information organized. There’s no limit to the amount of lists that can be created and better yet lists can be shared with others. The app also offers a plethora of ways to get task reminders: e-mail, IM, and text message.

Compatible OS: iPhone, Android
Cost: Free
How to get it: Visit the app market residing on a compatible smartphone or for more limited features visit m.rememberthemilk.com on any cell phone with a mobile browser

9. Kid Mode app transforms a mom’s phone into a kid-friendly learning device: Let’s face it, kids like cell phones and they could likely keep themselves occupied with one for quite some time. While they may be a whiz at the cell phone, no mom wants to get a cell phone back with settings changed or calls accidently placed while in the child’s hand. That’s where Zoodles Kid Mode comes into the picture. This app will turn a smartphone into kid mode for kid’s under age eight. The cell phone becomes an educational game center for kids.

Compatible OS: iPhone, Android
Cost: Free
How to get it: Visit the app market residing on a compatible smartphone

10. Peekaboo Mobile finds the best local deals for moms: While there are a lot of ways to get great deals these days perhaps the biggest time saver for mom is an app like Peekaboo that does all the heavy lifting. Not only does the app use the phone’s location to find great deals nearby on everything from restaurants to haircuts, but just show the deal on your phone to the business owner and consider money saved.

Compatible OS: iPhone, Android, with BlackBerry coming soon
Cost: Free
How to get it: Visit the app market residing on a compatible smartphone

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