You might think that you have all of your school shopping done, but think again. When you’re not busy with bio quizzes and pondering homecoming dates, you’ll be dishing about the latest styles, guys and pop culture hits and misses. Be the belle of the conversation with these back-to-school must-have apps.

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Hair, Make-up and Style:

Fashism [free] – Get collective advice on your fashion decisions in realtime. Need a second opinion on an outfit before heading out? Ask the Fashism community!

Makeup Master [$.99] Makeup Master is full of simple, yet effective makeup tips and tricks. With this app, you can learn how to flaunt different eye shapes and how to choose the perfect eye shadow to suit your eye color.

Lookz [free] – Learn how to apply the looks donned by your favorite ladies in Hollywood. The celebrity-inspired tutorials include Lady Gaga (for those brave enough!), Katy Perry, and Miley Cyrus. You can also get great ideas for events, whether it be a regular day, a girls’ night out or a super glam dance.

Beauty Calls [$.99] Beauty Calls offers useful hair and makeup tips and tricks, including DIY masks and recipes. You can also score some sweet deals on beauty and health-related products.

Style Studio [Free] – Have a knack for design? Apply your creative skills and personalize your favorite fashions using Style Studio. Choose from skirts, dresses and tops and add buttons, belts, any type of personal flair to make it your own!

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Dating and Social:

Boyfriend Evaluator [$2.99] – Want to know if Johnny Football Hero is going to be a good match? Ask the Boyfriend Evaluator. This compatibility test asks you 50 questions and determines if you and JFH will have a relationship that sizzles or fizzles.

Love or Not [$1.99] – Similar to the above app, Love or Not will help you determine if a guy is right for you. Instead of a simple yes or no, it provides characteristics about you both, how you two interact, areas of compatibility and conflict, as well as how you can make the most of the relationship.

Boxcar [Free] – Who doesn’t want to know when they’re being talked about? Boxcar will notify you any time someone mentions you in a Tweet or responds to your Facebook status. Our eyes and ears can’t be everywhere at once, so let your iPhone track your digital social standing while you manage your reputation in school.

Fring [free] – Keep mom and dad happy by saving money when socializing. Fring lets you and your friends keep in touch with free chatting, voice and video calls. (Of course, if your pals all have iPhone 4s, you’re probably already having a ton of Face Time!)

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Pop Culture 101:

MTV News [Free] – Stay up to date on all things music, movies, tv, celebrities and gaming. Watch exclusive videos from MTV News, read articles about your favorite celebs and get sneak-peek of MTV event pictures.

People Celebrity News Tracker [$1.99] – Stay informed about all of Hollywood’s breakups, makeups and everything in between with the People Celebrity News Tracker. Be the first to know who’s dating who, when Taylor Lautner takes off his shirt, or who Lea Michele is wearing!

CWTV [Free] – Keep up with info on your favorite CW shows, including ANTM, Gossip Girl and 90210. Although it doesn’t offer full episode streaming, it does allow users to view photo galleries of cast members, check out behind the scene clips and and stay on top of up-to-the-minute air times and dates.

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And if you’re a parent-pleaser:

Cram [$3.99] – Think of Cram as your personal study buddy. It helps you prepare for class quizzes and tests through flashcards, pictures and multiple-choice tests.

GradeTracker [$1.99] – Instead of being surprised at mid-term, keep an eye on your grades by using GradeTracker. You can easily determine what effect your next grade will have on your overall grade – that could mean a reward is coming!

Got any other fabulous apps or accessories in your arsenal for the school year? What are you looking forward to showing off most? Let us know in the comments.

While it might not be as bad as the holidays, I think back-to-school time is pretty high up there on the stress scale.

If you’re a mom, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. The kids are back in a normal routine and won’t be running around the house all day. But before you can reclaim your home, you have to worry about new clothes or uniforms, lunches, a long list of school supplies and after-school activities.

If you’re a student, it probably seems like the school year is never going to end, and it hasn’t even begun! There’s a lot of pressure returning to school (especially if you’re going back after being away for a few years). Aside from getting used to new classes and a new schedule, some of you are moving away from home, some are returning and some might be trying to balance home and school. All of this is happening and you’re still trying to fit in a social life and maybe even a job.

And let’s not forget the teachers. Needless to say, their work is just beginning too.

Returning to school can be fun and exciting, but it can also take a toll if you’re not prepared. As women, we really like to multitask and pile on the responsibilities, so it’s important to set time aside for ourselves — even if it’s just a few 10-minute breaks throughout the day. To help, give one of these apps a shot. I find that indulging in a little “me” time with my phone and a relaxation app can do wonders to ease the pressure.

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Mental Health

mind Wave [$1.99] – Make sure you bring your headphones because you’ll need them. Mind Wave helps to ease your brain into a certain state of mind by using binaural tones to manipulate your brainwaves (sounds cool right?) There are different beats available that range from soothing (sleep induction), stimulating (creativity boost) and behavior-changing (weightloss/smoking). After trying out all of the sounds, I’m most a fan of sleep induction.

BrainHack [$.99] – BrainHack is another app that uses binaural beats to help alert, enhance or soothe your mind. What I like about BrainHack is that there is a great variety of different beats, including brain power and super learning (great for late night cram sessions!), as well as confidence, creativity and stress release. They even talk about the different theories behind binaural beats on their website.

Simply Being – Guided Meditation for Relaxation and Presence [$.99] – Sometimes it’s difficult to clear your mind and think of nothing. Simply Being guides you through the meditation process. You can choose between different lengths, depending on what your schedule is life. So if you’re between classes or getting ready for your shift, you can still squeeze in a 5-minute meditation. The voice is really soothing so be careful you don’t get too sleepy! I recommend trying this before going to bed too.

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Stress Relief

Stress Shaker [free] – Stress Shaker is comprised of hundreds of quotes that help you reflect and deflect stress. The quotes are arranged within four different levels of stress. If you’re having a particularly crazy day, shake the app and the higher level of stress relief quotes will appear. When you feel yourself calming down, just tap the screen and you’ll be brought back to the more light-hearted quotes.

Bonsai [$2.99] – Don’t worry, you don’t need a green thumb to download this app. I always found bonsai trees to be beautiful. Something about them makes me feel relaxed. The Bonsai app gives you a virtual tree to take care of. Be sure to check on its water levels, health and if it needs a trim. Don’t stress over the added responsibility. If you neglect it, there’s always another one waiting for you.

Yoga STRETCH [$.99] – If you find yourself with a bit of alone time during the day, add some yoga to your routine. Yoga STRETCH is your own personal yoga instructor. The app walks you through custom and pre-loaded yoga sessions. The best part is that you can pause your session in case one of life’s little interruptions pops up.

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Just For Fun

Glade Relaxing Moments Composer [free] – This is a pretty simplistic app, but sometimes less is more. This app comes with a variety of backgrounds and soothing sounds. As you touch different parts of the scene, a different sound will play. If you come up with a melody that you like, you can record it and slip back into that relaxing atmosphere with a swipe of your finger.

Bubble Blow [$.99] – Bubble Blow is another simple app, but I find it fun. You can blow bubbles on your watch and watch them drift away, bounce around or, as most would do, pop them! So whether you’re looking for some relaxing fun or want to take some stress out by popping bubbles, this app is for you.

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Regardless of age or role — whether parent, teacher or student — back-to-school can be stressful. Adjusting to a new routine isn’t easy, and you might not think you’ll have time for your iPhone. Or maybe you’ll be on that productivity/gaming/communications device too much as it is. But don’t forget that the handset that’s always with you anyway can also serve as an excellent relaxation tool.

How has your device helped you mellow out after a rough day? Share some iRemedies with us in the comments.

One of the hardest things about moving to a new city is not knowing where to go. I mean that in the most literal sense. After I moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, I couldn’t find anything. (Where are my frequently visited national retailers?) The only way I knew which way is West is because I finally located the ocean!

Not knowing how to get to a destination — well that’s a problem. But what if you don’t know where to go to begin with? New cities are full of undiscovered treasures, and I was itching to get out of my apartment and explore L.A., but I didn’t have a clue where to start.

Being the tech-savvy gal I am, I turned to Groupon for guidance. If you don’t already know about it, you can learn more here. In a nutshell, it features daily deals on the best stuff to do, see, eat, drink, and buy in various cities. There is a new deal each day, that people can sign up for (but it only becomes active after it meets a minimum level of interest).

If it weren’t for Groupon, I wouldn’t have learned a valuable lesson about myself — I am not coordinated enough for pole dancing. Seriously.

The first Groupon deal I snagged was for two sexy cardio classes and two pole-dancing lessons. (Needless to say, my mother was proud. Not.) Long story short, it is definitely possible to make pole dancing look unsexy. But at least I got to try a new experience and made some new friends who accepted my clumsiness. Since then, I’ve been collecting deals as if they were Pokémon (gotta catch ‘em all!). I’ve dug up a few restaurants for when family and friends visit, but most of the time I look for new activities. I need fun weekends after spending all week in front of a computer.

Clearly, I have become a fan of this service and iPhone app. So imagine my excitement when I learned about The Dealmap app. It aggregates local deals from sites like Groupon, Restaurants.com and other daily coupon services. On any given day, the service has around 350,000 active deals!

As a website, Dealmap allowed you to sign up for notifications with your e-mail address or immediately search for local deals with your zip code. It would then pull up a Google map, and deals were flagged according to their categories (restaurants, shopping, kid-friendly, etc). And the app version has even more perks than the website! It automatically displays offers within a one-mile radius of your current location (thanks to GPS). With a sleek interface, it’s easy to filter the deals based on category — this is helpful when you know what you’re looking for, unlike me who just loves to have options!

One thing that Dealmap is doing right is incorporating a leaderboard: The more deals you add, the more points you rack up. You can also view the top scorers and track your points. These can eventually add up to badges and free gift certificates.

The only big downside so far is the quality of the deals. There are some really good ones, but sometimes, there’s more to it than meets the eye. (Occasionally, you need to check with the deal provider for further restrictions.) So a deal could say “$25 gift certificate for $2,” but there may be some fine print. Another frustration was looking for deals this evening, and finding many of listings had expired.

Update: I just received a tweet from The Dealmap. The expired deals showing up is a bug and will be fixed in the next update. Quick customer support rocks!!

Even so, I’ve found a lot of great restaurant deals that will come in handy when my family visits next month. (Although I haven’t found any other deals that require coordination or grace.)

Do you have any favorite iPhone apps that helped you while visiting or adjusting to life in a new city? Chime in below!

When I was younger I had a list of must-haves that my future husband Prince Charming, er… must have. He had to be tall, like mermaids, know how to cook and be okay with owning 11 dogs and a pony. That list has changed some what over the years. At 26, I’m less concerned about the mermaids and pony, and I’m really looking forward to the cooking. My list is still in the re-editing phase though.

As a blogger, I find it difficult to date other bloggers. But as an iPhone owner? I’m not sure I could date anyone else.

I spend a lot of time reading and writing about iPhones and its apps. I’ve turned into those annoying commercial personalities when I’m with friends. We were standing in line waiting for a movie and talking about banking. That’s when I say, as if on cue, “That’s why I love the Chase Mobile app for the iPhone. It lets me deposit checks right from my couch!” At that moment I felt like that obnoxious woman who, out of no where, bombards her girlfriends with birth control information. I don’t mean to be a walking advertisement for the gadget, but I can’t help it.

It’s not that I spend a lot of time talking about it; it’s that I don’t realize I am. It just seems like such a normal thing to do, whether it’s recommending an app, sharing frustration over early adopter woes (ahem proximity sensor!), or talking about mobile trends. I even recommend apps to my mom, who doesn’t have an iPhone! It’s either a gift or a problem.

Not only am I a walking infomercial, but I get defensive when someone tries to talk me out of loving the iPhone. I’m not completely brain-washed, I know the iPhone has its flaws. I know it can’t bring me waffles in bed or rub my back.

Can you see how this would be a problem if I dated someone with a Droid? Everything would turn into a Battle of the Phones. Road trips would become tests of GPS accuracy. (Droids have sweet turn-by-turn directions, and I’m jealous of it! Yeah, I’m a sore loser.) Self-taken pictures with each other would turn into a “My camera is better than yours” snap-off. (Obviously the iPhone 4 would win, thanks to its dual cameras.) Before you know it, “date night” turns into “who can tweet the fastest?”, and game night turns into swapping phones and trying each other’s game apps (say, Bejeweled or that bubble-popping game on the Droid?). Emails that should hold sweet nothings would carry links to Android Outsells iPhone articles instead. Where is the love?

Maybe I’m making too much out of it. Maybe “mixed” couples, like Android/iPhone or iPhone + anyone else, would complement each other — offering a collective set of droolworthy features that no single handset or platform can top. That is, as long as neither party tries too hard to convert the other. Hmmm. That could get annoying.

For me, I think it’s safe to say that my list now has “must have iPhone” on it. I’m willing to negotiate; healthy competition never hurt anyone. But it would probably be beneficial to my relationship’s longevity to date another iPhone user.

Are you in a happy state of couplehood with a Droid, Evo, Pre or BlackBerry user? Or do you let the phone wars into your relationship? (And have you dated a fellow iPhone user? Was it great or awful?) Share your stories in the comments below.

For someone whose iPhone is practically glued to her hand, I sure do misplace it often. I’m not as bad as the guy who lost the iPhone 4 in a bar; I’ve never left a location without it. But I do wander around my apartment looking for my device. Luckily most of the time, it’s still in my purse, aka the black hole. But what would happen it went completely MIA, for real?

Too often, I’ve seen women pull everything out of their bags, looking for their wallets at the checkout, then miss one little thing when putting it all back in. (Raise your hand if this sounds familiar. Yup, my hand’s up, too.) Or, unable to stuff anything in those skinny jeans or skirts, some wind up hand-carrying a wallet and phone — which I personally find unnerving, to say the least. Then there’s the obvious: Those big slouchy purses that are so en vogue these days, slung over the back of a cafe chair or on the floor at a restaurant, just begging to be dipped into by strange hands.

Yikes! The mere thought makes me shudder.

Simply misplacing an iPhone is annoying enough. But having it ripped from you? I can’t imagine what I’d do. Well, okay — actually, I could: After cursing and complaining to Twitter (as if I could remember how to access it without my phone), I’d probably turn to MobileMe. If you don’t know what this is, then I have got quite a story for you. Earlier this year I read the account of an iPhone owner who lost his handset on a flight — then somehow managed to get it back from a thief! The tale went something like this:

An iPhone owner named Sam was on a plane landing in Los Angeles. The man next to him (who the narrator dubbed “Pinche”) asked to borrow a pen, to fill out a customs form. Soon after, Sam texted a friend and put the phone inside his pocket. This was the last time he had it. As the passengers deboarded, Pinche bumped into him, and then jetted off the plane. When Sam reached into his pocket a few moments later, he found nothing but air. Of course it wasn’t back at his seat, on the floor or anywhere on the plane. It was gone.

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Airports are so unfun as it is...

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Sam wound up conducting an epic online manhunt using a combination of web tools and searching, online background checking tools, and a vague recollection of some of Pinche’s info (noticed on the customs form filled out on the plane). The essential component of his sleuthing? MobileMe.

The Find My Phone feature located Sam’s phone in Sun Valley (half an hour from L.A.). He also used it to remotely lock the device and protect his personal data, before displaying a message on the screen with a phone number and a request for the iPhone’s return. Despite multiple messages, there was no response. Sam had wondered if the phone could’ve accidentally fallen into Pinche’s bag, but that faith was gone by the second day. (The iPhone was still tracking, and Pinche would’ve undoubtedly discovered it by then.) No, without a doubt, it was stolen. And that fact, friends, was what gave Sam license to do what he did next — launch a full-on investigation/internet stalking to retrieve his phone.

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This is like something out of CSI...

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You know those TV shows that highlight the world’s dumbest criminals? Yeah, this could be one of them.  The thief placed a few calls using the iPhone. Bingo! And those numbers lead Sam to addresses, family members, even the type of car Pinche drove (thank you, Google Street View!).

The whole ordeal took about a week and ultimately, Sam got his iPhone back. (You can get the entire story here. It’s worth a read.) And it’s not like he hired a private eye or had a friend in the police department — he used tools (Google, AT&T, MobileMe, White Pages and USsearch.com) that are available to anyone and everyone for a small price. The level of detail Sam was able to learn about Pinche blew my mind. It definitely made me promise to never steal an iPhone. More importantly, it made me want a MobileMe account.

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Skeptical about this service? So was I. I’m the first to admit that I expected my iPhone to have the precision and accuracy of Google Earth. While Apple is taking over the world, they’re no Google (yet). But they come pretty darn close. I spoke with a friend of mine, who is also a super nerd/Apple employee. He estimates that indoors, the iPhone’s GPS can locate within 55 meters (it relies on Skyhook technology). Not bad, though not entirely accurate. This is due to the fact that satellite signals have a harder time penetrating walls or glass. However, outdoors is pretty accurate. And the longer you let the phone search, the more precise it can triangulate.

In June, MobileMe released the Find My iPhone app, which I find kind of funny: They released something to find a lost object… that requires launching it on the lost object?

Well, yes and no. The app — which requires a MobileMe subscription — would come in extra handy if you have multiple iDevices and one is lost. If you only have the one and it’s missing, MM is also accessible online via web browser. However you tap into it, the service allows users to track their iPhones (stalk them), lock them to protect data, or completely remote wipe the phones clean.

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MobileMe also lets you sound an alarm on your phone, even when it’s set to vibrate, which is especially helpful when you’re trying to find it in your home, under a car seat, between couch cushions or another dark scary place. The service/app is also available for the iPad and iPod Touch as well. (But bear in mind — devices without GPS can’t be geo-located with pinpoint precision. Just a reminder.)

Our phones hold more than just phone numbers. We store memories in addition to passwords and important account information. A thief can learn just as much about you as you can about them, so for me, spending $99 a year to protect my identity and memories seems like a bargain. There’s even a 60-day free trial going on, so fence-sitters can take it for a spin. Aside from the remote location and security features, the service also includes easy cloud-syncing services across all your Apple devices (Mail, Contacts, Calendars) — which is actually the main reason some people sign up for this — as well as online storage for files/photos and webmail.

Are you a MobileMe subscriber? How has your experience been? Or have you ever left your phone/had it taken from you, and wished you had the service? Leave your stories in the comments below.

As a woman, I am programmed to multitask. It’s in my genetic code. Some of us can run on a treadmill, catch up on the news and paint our nails at the same time. Others, well, they can try to do all of that, but they usually end up dropping that nail polish bottle and turning that hasty manicure into an accidental pedicure.

While the ability to multitask is a survival skill I’ve been refining from birth, as a community manager, it is a requirement of my job. From the minute I wake up until I go to bed, I am doing more than one thing at once. And I don’t doubt it’s different for many of you. Who wakes up in the morning and only eats breakfast? We’re usually eating while either watching re-runs of Sabrina the news or catching up on emails or blogs. And then there are those days when you wake up late, and you’re trying to eat, shower, get dressed and check email all at once. (I don’t recommend holding one hand outside the shower. It greatly slows down the showering process — not that I’d know.)

I haven’t been able to figure out if the iPhone is a force of good or evil when it comes to multitasking. On one hand, it’s made it worse. At times when I should be focusing on one thing, I’m still doing something else on my phone. (Hello Bejeweled! It’s the conference-call boredom killer.) And now with the proximity sensor issue still looming large, even my ears are multitasking! (Deep breath.) On the other hand, multitasking is invaluable when trying to get through a busy workday when a to-do list longer than LeBron’s pants stands between you and the latest ep of So You Think You Can Dance.

The following is my list of must-have apps for multitaskers. Hopefully, you’ll find something useful here, whether you’re a task-juggling savant or prone to accidental pedicures. [Links open in iTunes]:

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Chase Mobile SM (free) – Going to the bank is such a pain. There’s never enough parking. They’re not open when I get out of work, and there isn’t a location nearby. With the Chase app, I can not only pay bills and check balances, but I can even deposit checks — all from my office or the comfort of my couch. Of course it would be nice if it had a built-in ATM! But with this app, at least I can get my finances in order while I’m stuck on a long, dull conference call.

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WordPress (free) – Whether you’re an amateur or pro blogger, if you use WordPress, then this iPhone app is a must-have. The most recent update includes optimization for the Retina Display and support for fast app switching. Now, if you need to do research on the web or want to switch songs on Pandora, you won’t lose your place while you’re working on a post. I don’t know about you, but I need the right music to to get the creative juices flowing. I take any opportunity I can to get some writing done, so it’s nice having an app to depend on.

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Apple Store (free) – I have a horrible memory. I had been meaning to schedule a Genius Bar appointment for a while, but kept forgetting. While at lunch with co-workers, out of the blue I remembered the task and was able to make my appointment right from the app. I also love that I can shop, read reviews and find nearby Apple stores on a whim.

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Dunkin’ Run (free) – I work at a start-up, so we all wear many hats. Some days I’m the bearer of coffee, and other days it’s waiting for me when I get there. I also mentioned that I have a bad memory — I can forget your order in less time than it took you to say it. Thanks to Dunkin’ Run, the process of grabbing caffeine for my team isn’t difficult. You can invite your coworkers to the app, where they will select their order. And you can pick it up on the way in to work. The runner has an organized list of everyone’s order, which ensures that no coffee gets left behind.

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Those are just a few of the apps in my multitasking folder (I love folders!) Even if you can’t tackle more than two tasks at once, I’m confident these apps will make your day-to-day activities a bit easier to manage. Which apps would be in your multitasking folder? Leave your favorites in the comments below.

You know what I miss? Slumber parties. When I was little, I always loved having one of those stereotypically girly sleepovers. We would sit around in our cutest PJs and pig out on popcorn and ice cream while chatting about the who’s-who of grade school and Tiger Beat (obviously JTT. If you don’t know that is, fake it! It’s my birthday… Seriously.) Those nights soon became teenage slumber parties: Still stereotypical and girly with the PJs, popcorn and ice cream, but instead of planning dream weddings, we’d be taking quizzes in Seventeen and stolen copies of Cosmopolitan. We’d pick out dream prom dresses and check out crush profiles on AOL. (Oh yeah, it happened.)

The one thing all those nights have in common is that boys are involved. But for grown-ups, those nights have been turned into a solo affair with a glass of wine, a guilty-pleasure TV show and a smartphone app (like say, for the iPhone, hmm?). For this, the Boyfriend Evaluator [link opens in iTunes] app fits the bill nicely. It’s the modern equivalent of hitting up a quiz for dating advice! Some might argue that it’s less fun than a slumber party, but hey — that’s what the glass of Riesling is for.

I didn’t know what to expect when I first downloaded the Boyfriend Evaluator — would it have a sense of humor or should I put on my serious face? Since I was alone, and under no threat of embarrassment, I decided to have some fun and test it with the vamptastic hottie from Twilight. (What? A girl can dream!)

Getting started doesn’t involve much. You have to name your guy because later, you can select ‘View Guy List’ and compare — some girls like options! The quiz has 50 questions. Most of them are easy Yes or No answers, but some of them really made me think.

“How is he with pets?” Well what if that pet is a wolf? “Do you often feel exhausted after you are around him for a while but don’t know why?” Well sure, you’d feel exhausted too if being near him involved being chased by crazy vampires!

So despite his brooding, ability to crush me while making out and imminent danger when I’m around him, Edward Cullen turned out to be a pretty good catch. However, if I were using this evaluator on a real guy, I think it would come in handy. I’d like to say that I’m a pretty good judge of character; I trust my gut about people. But this app asks some questions that I wouldn’t think to ask myself (i.e. “Is he ever unkind to waiters or other hired help?”).

At the end of the day, I actually think it’s a good app to have. It boasts a clean interface and is simple to use for getting the scoop on a real guy, or just indulging your imagination. And if you really want to make your solo slumber party believable, check out these other must-have advice apps [links open in iTunes]:

Cosmopolitan’s Sex Position of the Day ($1.99) — What “girl’s night in” is complete without an issue of Cosmo? And let’s face it, who really reads it for the beauty advice? With this app you can brush up on classic moves or take a risk with more “advanced” options.

Glamour Ask A Stylist (free) —  Oookay. If you really do read the style section, then I recommend checking out Glamour’s app. It’s like having a personal stylist in your pocket, and if you don’t like their opinion, you don’t have to pay them! Just snap a picture of the outfit in question and get advice from some of Glamour’s best stylists.

ELLE Shopping Guide (free) — Indulge yourself in the latest trends and fashions with ELLE’s shopping app. It uncovers the hottest places to shop in 10 cities, so you can plan your next “ladies afternoon out” and be one step ahead with your purchases!

Women’s Health Workouts ($1.99) — If you’re feeling really ambitious, why not bust a move to tone and tighten that hot bod of yours?

Vogue Stylist (free) — Just for funzies! Who could resist the opportunity to Vogue?! If you get really brave, strike a pose and share it with your Twitter friends (okay, me).

Do you have any must-have apps for girlie nights? Share them in the comments below!

Maybe I’ve seen too many romantic comedies lately, but when I discovered an item about the IvySkin iPhone 4 Reception Case, an imaginary love letter popped into my head to “Ivy” from “iPhone 4.” It went something like this:

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Dear Ivy S.,

You already had me at hello. What a pretty profile pic. You are sleek and sexy, and — I hope you don’t my saying this — at $15, you’re a pretty cheap date. We might be a match made in heaven.

It looks like you have more than just beauty, but brains too: You can boost my reception?! WOW. I’ve heard a lot of pick-up lines in my time, but the promise of clearer signals, “fewer dropped calls, wider coverage areas, and faster downloads” could make you my number one. Maybe I’m your reason for being, but I think you just might make me a better phone.

I have to admit, I have issues with communication. I may have a stainless steel frame, but my reception is vulnerable. Could your impossibly thin polycarbonate shell protect it? There are a lot of other cases on the market that look like they could do the same, but I’ll give you benefit of the doubt — at least until we can come together in real life.

I dearly hope you’re not like other online matches, which look far better on the internet than they do in person. But you do seem to have quite the svelte figure, at 0.6 mm thickness on the back and 0.8 mm at the sides. I can’t wait to see it up close.

Signed,

An iPhone 4 Desperately Seeking a Case

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Don't we look great together?

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We’re asking for a product sample to see if the claims made by Ivy S. hold up. In the meantime, here are some other deets on this compelling candidate:

The IvySkin iPhone 4 Reception Case also includes front and back Anti-Scratch Screen guard protectors, and customers who purchase this $15 case also get a $15 credit toward the company’s upcoming SmartCase for iPhone 4, which ships in August.

The only other case we know of that purportedly helps to prevent antenna interference comes from Apple itself. But aspersions have been cast lately about the effectiveness of Apple’s rubber and plastic Bumper cases — that is, if you can even get your hands on them. Right now, there’s still a three-week wait for delivery.

Could impact-resistant polycarbonate, like Ivy’s, do the trick? We’ll soon see. I personally hope so. I’d prefer the near-invisible aesthetic of this item, and the slimness would ensure that the phone still fits in my skinny jeans or small clutch purse.

Anything would be an improvement on my device’s current cover: I’m using a microsuede pouch from another electronic which coincidentally fits this phone, but has me gingerly removing the device with two hands. Nothing less ladylike than yanking it from the slippery sleeve and dropping it on the sidewalk.

Via: GeekSugar

A couple of years ago a blogger friend of mine was asked out via website. It wasn’t just any old site though. He had created an entire website with multiple questions, all leading to the big one — “Will you be my girlfriend?” — complete with buttons for yes or no. This happened at a time when Twitter was still fairly new and more people were starting to “two-point-o-ify” romance.

Since then, we’ve seen marriage proposals on Twitter, Google Maps, Bejeweled and even at Lego Land. Enter the iPhone. The Apple smartphone has changed the way we do many things, so why wouldn’t it change the way we get engaged?

Meet Bryan. Bryan, a self-proclaimed “Romantech” who created an iPhone app that sent his girlfriend on a video scavenger hunt. The app displayed a map containing locations throughout San Francisco, and each location featured a video of Bryan giving clues on where to go to next. The app eventually led her to Dolores Park where he proposed.

And then there’s Claude. Back in 2007, Claude proposed to his girlfriend via iPhone, but instead of creating an app, he created a commercial. You just have to watch it:
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You’ll be happy to know that she said yes, and after checking out his blog, they happily tied the knot.

These geeky proposals sparked a discussion among my friends: Would you be okay with your significant other proposing via one of these platforms? Many of my pals were quick to put the kibosh on 2.0 proposals, but if my hunny wants to hack a video game or develop an app to ask for my hand, I’m not saying no because he wasn’t down on one knee. In fact, my geeky heart would be touched.

And in that vein, like so many things available to iPhone users, there are even a couple of apps to help with that.

If the question hasn’t been popped yet…

Tiffany & Co. Engagement Ring Finder [link opens in iTunes] — This app lets you browse ring styles, view actual carat weights, and help you determine a ring size. It’s a must-have for hubby-hopefuls. And don’t worry, it’s a free app, so you can save up for that ring!

If the question has already been popped…

iWedding Deluxe – the Wedding Planner [link opens in iTunes] — You can plan every little detail of your wedding with this app. From to-do lists and budgets to tracking RSVPs and seating plans, this app does it all. Now if only it could pay for the whole thing too!

So what about you? Would you be happy with a geeky proposal, or are you even planning one of your own? If you have a story to share, tell us all about it in the comments. And if you have any app suggestions for brides (or even hubbies!) to-be, share those as well!

Thanks to the improvements in iPhone 4 and iOS 4 — with better battery life, slimmer form factor, and faster processor — people are going to be spending an insane amount of time on their iPhones this summer!

As it is, I am programmed to be a part of the conversation. I check for missed calls/texts at red lights. I look at my Twitter feed in grocery lines, my inbox at the post office and if I’m at the DMV or in a security line at the airport, I’m definitely reading blogs. And you know what really grinds my gears? People who don’t have iPhone-friendly mobile sites. Yes, we have a full HTML browser, which is great for a lot of things, but it’s unnecessary when you just simply want to read a post. The easier it is to read and comment on a blog on the go, the more likely I am to come back. Given the popularity of the iPhone, you’d think there would be more sites catering to its userbase.

While I don’t understand how some of the bigger sites fail to address this, there’s a bit more empathy for  smaller, individually run sites. When it comes to these bloggers, an increasing proportion of whom are women, just fitting in time to write and post in between hectic work, personal and family time can be tough. (I can definitely relate to this.)

But there are easy tools available that can make simple work of it. If you run your own blog or know someone who does — and given how many people are blogging these days, the chances are pretty good you do — then keep the following in mind.

Below I’ve highlighted a few of easy-to-use plug-ins that are sure to help with mobile viewing for the two most popular blogging platforms. Be sure to pass these along to your favorite Mommy blogger, pal or even your own readers.

WordPress:

WPTap - WPTap displays a mobile-friendly version of your site to touchscreen phones like the iPhone, Android and some BlackBerry devices. It includes standard WordPress features, like search, login, categories and tags, and archives. WPTap also offers many customization features through a user-friendly admin panel.

WPTouch (and WPTouch iPhone theme) – WPTouch is probably one of the more common plug-ins for WordPress users looking to make their site mobile-friendly. If you’ve ever checked out Today’s iPhone on your iPhone you’d have seen this plug-in in action. Their iPhone theme maintains the same structure as the WPtouch, but gives it a more Apple-like feel.

Blogspot:
After a bit of research, I learned that Google has yet to provide an easy way to make your Blogspot blog mobile-friendly. But these are a couple of the options that are available.

Mobify – Mobify works well with WordPress sites, but it also helps platforms like Blogspot and Drupal become more mobile-friendly. It supports iPhones, Android, BlackBerry and others. You’ve probably seen it in action if you’ve visited Wired or BoingBoing on your phone.

MoFuse – MoFuse is another plug-in that can be used for WordPress, but also works for non-WordPress blogs, such as Blogspot. It’s pretty easy to get started. All you need to do is supply an RSS feed, choose some colors, upload some graphics (optional), and you’re set! There is a free version that offers a very basic mobile-site, which is what most casual bloggers need.