Lose it! is a free app that allows you to create a daily calorie budget and then monitor your food and physical activity. You set weight-loss goals and then view your progress in easy-to-read graphs. Once you enter your stats and create your plan, your analyzed progress is sent to your email.

A similar app is My Fitness Pal that provides an easy way to keep a food journal. Their extensive food database makes it easy to track the food that you’re eating, and their recipe counter provides the nutrition in homemade meals. Calories burned through physical activity are easily logged as well.

Meal Snap monitors holiday eating by using your iPhone camera to take a picture of your meal, prompting you to enter a brief description, and then analyzing the food for calories. This app also allows you to share your meals via social media, view estimated calories for each meal and the full day, and review archived meals.

Fast Food Calorie Counter and Restaurant Nutrition both provide nutritional information including calories, fat, carbs, fiber, and protein. Fast Food Calorie Counter offers details on more than 8000 menu items from 70 top fast food restaurants, while Restaurant Nutrition has information from more than 250 restaurants, organized by location.

The free Calorie Counter tracks food, exercise and weight that can then be synced with a FatSecret.com account. This app features a barcode scanner for nutrition labels, a food diary to track eating habits, an exercise diary for counting calories burned, a weight chart and a journal.

Another app that can be used to monitor holiday eating is Food Scanner which uses the iPhone camera to scan barcodes or the food name and then displays nutritional facts, recipes and calories. The app also provides the option to sync the information with a DailyBurn Tracker account.

You can also use your phone to try the Twitter diet: CNN reports that Senator Claire McCaskill tweeted to her 59,000 Twitter followers before embarking on a plan that included eating healthy foods every three hours, doing lots of cardio and using Twitter to maintain accountability. Five months later, McCaskill was down 50 pounds, according to the network.

Shopping for a new mobile phone or wondering if you have the best rate plan? Allconnect makes comparisons easy. Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including utilities, mobile phone service, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

For storing and traveling with devices, Grid-It organizers are sturdy, slim, and incredibly practical when it comes to fitting and protecting phones, tablets, cords, chargers, ear-buds, etc, in a cleverly designed packing system. They have a range of sizes and prices depending on how many gadgets your geek is packing.

If your high speed Internet geek watches movies, TV and video on the tiny screens of hand-held devices, open up their world with the Vuzix Wrap 310XL video eyewear. This sunglass-style widescreen eyewear allows you to watch your movies and videos in a 16:9 widescreen format without attracting stares. The glasses create a virtual 55-inch screen seen from 10 feet.  Both standard 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios can be displayed, as well as 2D and 3D format.

High speed Internet geeks use their phones for more than talking and all that extra activity drains batteries quickly. Place the iPhone in the attractive, slim Morphie Juice Pack Plus case and it more than doubles the battery life. The hard-shell case offers protection and the case design acts as a virtual speaker box, redirecting sound from the bottom of the iPhone to the front, improving the sound quality.

Your gift recipients may have cases for their eReaders, tablets and phones, but these offer little protection from water when reading in the bathtub or at the beach, following an online recipe in the kitchen or getting stuck in the rain. CleverWraps comes to the rescue with clear, disposable protective sleeves that keep moisture out, but allow dialing, talking, texting, using the touch screen and listening to music.

Meanwhile, if checking to see if you have the best deal on high speed Internet is also on your list, compare prices and plans for your location at Allconnect. Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including home utilities, mobile phone service, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

To utilize these apps you’ll need a smart phone and a decent coverage area. Allconnect’s mobile phone comparison tools can help you find the best services for your area. Also, if you’re in the market for cable and Internet services in addition to mobile phone services many companies offer phone, cable, internet bundles for easy payment and reduced pricing.

Top Five Mobile Apps for Runners

RunKeeper Pro – Is one of the most popular mobile apps for serious runners. The apps offers GPS tracking, distance, speed monitoring, caloric output and activity history for a variety of activities, including sports like running, cycling, hiking and swimming. RunKeeper Pro also allows users to sync their exercise data to the RunKeeper website for easy tracking and sharing on social networks.

iMapMyRun – This free app allows users to track their runs via a GPS-based route tracker and an activity log. Users can also store data on the app’s website to monitor progress and share routes through social networking sites.

Fitnio – Provides GPS-based tracking and monitoring for walking, running and cycling. The user-friendly interface records a user’s activity and then displays distance, pace and caloric burn. Additionally, Fitnio syncs workouts to its website and provides an emergency contact option for users.

Run Coach – This 99 cent app is great for experienced and novice runners who are looking for some motivation to ensure running success. The app offers a variety of training plans – 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon, etc. – and provides personalized plans. Along with tracking your progress, the app also offers running and nutritional tips.

Interval Run – For runners looking to mix up their routines, Interval Run is a great choice. The app offers a variety of training plans that prompt users with voice commands so they know what to do and when to do it.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

Children are becoming more and more active with sports, after-school activities and other events, which are time consuming for both the parents and children. Many parents have found that giving their child a cell phone makes coordinating activities, events, pickups and drop-offs easier for everyone involved, with the added bonus that children and parents are always just a phone call away.

Another factor parents consider is safety for their child. If your child has a cell phone, they are always able to call for help or assistance from you or local authorities, if needed. Also, GPS-enabled phones allow parents to track their child’s movements and locations.

Below is a list of simple steps to follow, if you’re considering purchasing a cell phone for your child.

• Consider the pros and cons – Every family is different, so determine what works best for your family and situation.
• Discuss the possibility of getting a cell phone with your child – Make sure everyone is on the same page and has the same expectations, whether they’ll be getting a smartphone or limited-plan phone.
• Research phones and services available in your area. Many networks offer children protection plans, some at an additional cost, that limit in-coming or out-going calls and text messages, data usage and other services. Also, some networks offer limited-service phones like FireFly Phone and            LG Migo.
• Make a decision that works for you, your child and your family. If you’ve decided to purchase a phone for your child, discuss it with them and establish ground rules for phone use.
• Stay alert, but be respectful. Monitor your child’s phone activities — texting, data usage, phone usage — for safety. Also, make sure your child understands the responsibilities, general and financial, of having a cell phone.

Remember when selecting phone plans that you can go with the traditional monthly plans through a network such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint, or you can choose to purchase a pay-as-you-go phone, which puts more limits on usage.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including mobile phone service, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

With the advances in mobile phones and service, video streaming is becoming mainstream for many cell phone providers and manufacturers. However, if you’re looking for a new smartphone or wanting to upgrade it’s important to keep a few things in mind, particularly if you want to get high-quality video streaming.

• Network – Not all mobile networks are created equal. Take the time to research networks in your area for coverage, service quality, video-streaming capabilities and costs. Also, check for 3G and 4G coverage abilities in your area.
• Display – If you’re planning to use your phone for watching videos, think about choosing a display as you would for a television or computer monitor. Brightness, contrast and resolutions can make or break a smartphone video viewing experience.
• Hardware – Make sure your phone has the necessary hardware to support high-quality video streaming — some phones just don’t stack up.

With phone manufacturers always trying to outdo each other, there are a lot of high-quality, video-capable smartphones on the market. Explore the available phones and see what works best for your needs. Below is a list of some of the top-reviewed video-capable smartphones on the market today.

• iPhone 4 – available on AT&T and Verizon.
• HTC EVO 4G – available on Sprint.
• Google Nexus S – available on Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T.
• HTC HD7 – available on T-Mobile.

In addition to video streaming, the above phones also offer superb photo and video capturing features. When looking for phones with high-quality camera and video capabilities, remember to check for quality display characteristics, an easy-to-use but high-quality camera that will capture quality images and videos, and an intuitive interface for image posting and sharing.

Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including mobile phone service, high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

If you decide to go with an international data plan, here are some things to consider so you buy enough, but not more than you need.

• Estimate how much data you need. For example, AT&T has a calculator that allows you to enter how many pictures, emails, attachments, and downloads you expect to access, and it then totals your data needs.
• Carriers may allow you to only be charged for the days that you are abroad, however, that means that the MB you purchased for the month will be prorated based on the days you have the plan activated. Therefore, if you buy a 20 MB/month package and cancel it after two weeks, you only have approximately 10 MB at that fee.
• Monitor your data usage once you’re out of the country. Reset the usage tracker to zero —this is usually under Settings —when you arrive overseas and then track your data usage while abroad.
• Cancel your plan when you return.

And, always remember, if you don’t have a plan, turn off data roaming unless you are able to access a wi-fi hot spot and download data using that network.

If you need a new phone, or want to upgrade your existing one, compare mobile cell phone plans and services with Allconnect. Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.

Website such as Openwifispots.com and Hotspotr.com allow you to enter your location and see the options, the only catch is you have to be online to access the website. That works if you plan ahead and research locations before you arrive. Smartphone apps, such as Wi-Fi Finder by Jiwire and Free Wifi by Makayama, solve that problem as they work when connected to a cellular network. However, Wi-Fi Finder also allows you to download the offline directory database so you can access your wi-fi options without any connection at all. The sites also show which hot-spots are free, they have maps pinpointing the exact location, and addresses and phone numbers allow you to call and confirm that the location is open.

Meanwhile, depending on where you are traveling, your destination may be a Wireless Access Zone (WAZ) with access to the Internet provided as a universal service. Also known as Muni Wifi Cities, lists of these city-wide hotspots, including those in foreign countries, are available at Muniwireless.com and on Wikipedia under Municipal Wireless Network. In the U.S., Houston, Seattle, Miami Beach, Philadelphia, Denver and Raleigh have some of the most extensive free public wi-fi networks.

No matter where you work online, make sure you’re getting the best deal on internet services with Allconnect. Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems. Allconnect also offers wireless internet cards.

If you decide to go with an international data plan, here are some things to consider so you buy enough, but not more than you need.

• Estimate how much data you need. For example, AT&T has a calculator that allows you to enter how many pictures, emails, attachments, and downloads you expect to access, and it then totals your data needs.
• Carriers may allow you to only be charged for the days that you are abroad, however, that means that the MB you purchased for the month will be prorated based on the days you have the plan activated. Therefore, if you buy a 20 MB/month package and cancel it after two weeks, you only have approximately 10 MB at that fee.
• Monitor your data usage once you’re out of the country. Reset the usage tracker to zero —this is usually under Settings —when you arrive overseas and then track your data usage while abroad.
• Cancel your plan when you return.

And, always remember, if you don’t have a plan, turn off data roaming unless you are able to access a wi-fi hot spot and download data using that network.

If you need a new phone, or want to upgrade your existing one, compare mobile cell phone plans and services with Allconnect. Allconnect is a free online resource to review and compare the costs and choices for essential home services, including high speed Internet, phone, cable TV, satellite TV, and home security systems.