Another year has passed and there’s a new year staring us in the face. Here we are, wondering just how different it’s going to be from last one. A crystal ball would be nice ya think? Well, tarot cards or not, I plan on making this year my best year ever by grabbing control of it before it takes control of me. First areas of business? My waistline and my budget. The iPhone is the perfect place to start for both of these.

I shall show you how to kill two birds with one stone. But I will not mention anything about what I have to share that’s worth two in the bush.

The Apple App’s Store is loaded with apps on cooking. The food we eat being the first point of attack against a big grocery bill and tipping the scales in the wrong direction.

20 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver: How many times do we end up eating junk food or other belly busting foods simply because we don’t think we have the time to cook a good meal? For $7.99 you’ll have over 50 tummy tempting receipes to choose from. The app also includes quite a few videos of this famous chef.

Allrecipes.com’s Dinner Spinner app is free and offers you the same great recipes for your iPhone that can be found on the website. It includes what they call a “Dinner Spinner” letting you pick dinner based on different criteria such as the type of food and preparation time. Put control of dinner back in your hands with this great free app.

Are you one of the many of us who enjoy a good breakfast for dinner? If so you’ll love the “More Breakfast” app. The app is relatively inexpensive at $0.99 and is a cool little app that’s designed to put the power back in your breakfast. The most important meal of the day gets even better with “More Breakfast”.

The Apple App Store has tons of other apps for cooking. Take a few minutes to check out the selection and put soem great food ideas in your hand!

A few years ago before I bought the love of my life, my first iPhone, I hedged on buying it because I thought it was too expensive. I, of course, finally gave in and got it because there was no way I was going to miss out on what everyone was raving about. Through the years I have grown very attached to my iPhone and it has become attached to me. At least that’s what my boyfriend says!

It has given me great joy and hours of endless gaming, talking and texting as well as a more practical gift. My iPhone actually saves me money. So much for too expensive:

There are several apps that can save me money by directing me to the local gas station with the cheapest gas. You might not think that 7 cents on a gallon of gas is much of a one time savings and you’d be right. Saving 7 cents a gallon on gas for the entire year is another story. Check out “Cheap Gas!” and “GasBuddy” in the App Store.

Hate to eat out with your family because of the expense? Try the app “Kids Eat Free Restaurants”. The app will set you back $2.99 but will save you a lot more in free food for your kids. The app searches for and then lists local dining establishments offering free food for kids. Most of the time you’ll have to pay for an adult meal but hey, it’ll at least get you out of the kitchen and the house for a night of fun with the family!

Search the App Store and you’ll find apps for a lot of the places you shop. I have used apps for Target, Amazon and Overstock during the past holiday shopping season and saved hundreds of dollars. Instead of just coughing up what Best Buy wants for that new HD television check out what it’ll cost you at others stores without leaving your home.

If you are willing to take the time to search the app store you’ll be surprised at how much money your iPhone can save you!

The most difficult part of buying my new Mac laptop wasn’t so much the most challenging part of getting the cool computer. The biggest challenge I had after the purchase was trying to figure out how to accessorize it. I mean, buying a new laptop and then leaving it all plain jane is almost a jailible offense in some countries. I am not sure whether it is or not in the United States so I am not going to take any chances. Black and white stripes don’t work for me and I don’t think I look very good in orange.

First thing to figure out? The color scheme. It’s just like when my dad told me I could finally pick the paint color for my bedroom when I was a teen. I learned everything starts with a base color and then grows outward.

I didn’t have a lot of choice in the color of my MacBook so a skin is definitely a must have. I am thinking a midnight blue shaded skin would look awesome. No, I didn’t paint my bedroom midnight blue, it was pink. I have outgrown my pink days and moved on.

Some people add stickers and decals to their laptops like they are suitcases on a trip around the world. I personally don’t care for cluttering up my computers exterior with a lot of busy stuff so mine remains as pure as the driven snow. They can, of course, make a nice addition if you are into that sort of thing.

Finishing off the perfect look I added a cool screen saver I found on a National Geographic website. I really like animals and this one is a twilight picture of an African field full of lions and other animals. Make sure your screen saver fits the vibe you started to create with you exterior design choices. Voila!

There is little doubt that Apple products have changed the world we live in a lot of different ways. One such way is how medical information is delivered to both medical professionals and to the everyday consumer. Before the advent of the iPhone and the long list of applications out there for answering medical questions most of us had no other option than to be frustrated by our doctors. No more! Here is a look at some “iApps” that can help you out when you have questions about your, or a loved ones health.

WebMD is my personal favorite. I have used this app to identify pills, help diagnose a pulled hamstring and give first aid to the neighbor kid who had a rather nasty spill on his rip stick. The app is free and really helpful. It has saved me probably $200 in doctor office copays.

iPregnancy is a great little app for women who are pregnant and even for nervous expecting fathers who want to feel more a part of the pregnancy (although they could get a sense of “participating” by swallowing a bowling ball and passing it!). The app includes pictures of a growing baby so both Mom and Dad can have a better idea of what their coming bundle of joy looks like.

iPharmacy lets you check out medications and possible treatments. The app also shows you the proper dosing instructions along with a list of potential side effects for the drug(s) you are taking. Taking mulitple medications? The app includes a list of possible srug interactions as well.

iGlucose. Most diabetics have a difficult time maintaining records of blood sugar reading and this app offers them a helpful tool to keep track of where they are in their battle.

Ho, ho, ho what do you know? Christmas may have come and gone but it doesn’t have to be a holiday to get crazy with the “iGift” giving does it? Nahhh, the other 364 days of the year are just fine for spreading a little bit of Apple joy to our friends and loved ones.

What are some of the cool iGifts you can give during the upcoming year? There is always gifting your favorite nephew with a brand new iPod Touch. Touches make awesome birthday presents for kids. My little brother used to spend all of his free time on his Nintendo DS before he got an iPod Touch. There are endless gaming apps for kids and adults.

Have a health nut in your house who loves to run? Getting the new iPod Nano would be a great idea. There are loads of fitness applications available for download froom the Apple App Store.

Of course the iPhone or a Classic iPod would make a great gift also.

So what other cool things can you get for your “iDevices”?

Quite a few manufactures make third party accessories for iPhones on the go. The is an iPod 5-in-One car charger on the market that would make a good gift for the traveller in the family. Long days on the road get a little easier with this bad boy. It’ll keep a hold of your iPhone so it isn’t slinging around the car as you drive around corners and it will keep it charged. Not a bad little device.

If you are someone who makes a lot of use out of voice notes on either the iPod Touch or the iPhone there is a neat little gadget you’ll be sure to enjoy. Its a miniature microphone that fits into the headphone port on your iphone and used to make recordings of business meetings or your professors latest lecture. If you search the internet you can most likely find it for a fraction of its $22 cost. I found one on Amazon for just two bucks and some change.

Don’t forget iTunes gift cards. They make great gifts too!

The holidays are over and now it’s time to sift through the 913 pictures you took on your digital camera and try and make some sense out of them. Organize them, yea that’s the ticket. Good luck with that!

Let’s face it, sorting photos has always never been as much fun as snapping them off. Good thing Apple took the time to make it easier for us to take, organize and share all the memorable photos we’ve been taking.

Are you one of the lucky recipients of an Apple iPad this Christmas season? iPads make managing your photos a lot more fun than you could have imagined before. Tap it, flip it, pinch it (Wow, that almost sounds like good advice from a woman of the evening doesn’t it?)

Have a Mac computer that you want to stash your pictures on? There are a lot of ways to share them with family and friends thanks to Apple. If you get yourself a subscription to Mobile Me you’ll be able to give direct access to your photo files online. That’s a whole lot better than uploading them to Facebook to share. Besides, you probably wouldn’t make Aunt Millie too happy when she discovered the photo of her with eggnog dripping out of her nose is plastered all over the internet.

The iPod Touch and iPhone are also great places to load and share your photos. Incorporation into iTunes gives you greater control of your photos as well as makes a good secure place to keep photos. Plus you can keep those candid phone pictures close at hand to IM them to your friends.

Few women have made as much of an impact in the social, television, political support, and commercial worlds as the fabulous Miss Winfrey.

Oprah’s career has been a game changer since day one. She’s the quintessential role model for women of every race, age, and creed. When Mizz O announced recently that she was pulling the plug on her record breaking talk show, women across the globe heaved a collective sigh.

Now, I’ll admit that while I am an admirer of Oprah’s long standing career and philanthropy efforts, I’ve never really been one to watch her talk show. (Not that I’ve got anything against it, I am just usually working during the afternoon hours) Hey—I even missed the now infamous Tom Cruise couch jumping fiasco!

But, when I heard that Oprah included the iPad in her list of favorite things ever during her very last “Favorite Things” episode, I had to send out a mental high five to the daytime diva. How awesome is that?

Here I have been wondering if maybe I’ve been spending too much time doling out praise to my nifty little iPad on my humble blog, and Oprah goes and names it one of her favorite things… ever. As is, EVER. Guess I wasn’t too far off the mark there after all, huh?

Have I mentioned that I am completely, utterly, head over heels in love with my new iPad yet?

Not only is this little gadget tons of fun to play with, but I can take it places that have made my life a lot easier. I can take it on the train, go over emails and notes over a quick lunch downtown, entertain myself during a long flight, read in bed, and more.

And, much like every gal needs a snazzy dress, my iPad was in need of a good case.

When it came to choosing said case, I was torn. I thought that I would love to have different colored cases (a girl has to accessorize right?) that look great with what I am wearing. I also knew that I needed a case that was going to provide some level of protection for my newest toy. And finally I wanted to make sure that what ever case (or cases) I did opt to buy offered some additional utility value.

So I was off on the hunt. And boy was I surprised at what was out there.

Were you aware, my style savvy Mac lovers, that they make everything from simple skins to portfolios, bags and more? All of the selection was a bit overwhelming.

I visited ipadcasestore.org and immediately found dozens of cases to choose from. They had the bags which I really liked for the traveling part of what I do. They had tons of storage for papers, folders, headphones etc.

They even had a case that had pretty much an Indiana Jones looking satchel vibe. I loved this particular bag for its nostalgic look and bohemian feel. I’ll work great for weekends when I sit and relax under the big oak tree in the park.

Of course I could have continued scouring the internet for more options but these two seemed to do the trick for me.

Ok, I’ll admit it– when I first heard that Apple was coming out with something called an iPad, I wasn’t very excited. I mean, I already had the iPhone and my MacBook. What possible utility value could this new toy offer me? It seemed to be too small to be a real computer (and I use mine a lot) and to me all it really appeared to be was a giant iTouch. Well, when they finally hit stores I went for a look (you might recall the longing blog I wrote shortly after) and was completely surprised at what I found. I was so enamored that I finally ended up buying one (the Wi-Fi, 16G version). Now I can’t live without it.

Like I said, I use my laptop A LOT. I am a writer and I also do a fair amount of travelling for speaking engagements and some literary classes. The best parts of my iPad came shinning through pretty quickly.

The first week I had my new toy, I had to travel to Boston for a series of lectures. The trip over was where I began to notice the value of my new iDevice.

I was able to keep working as I waited at the airport thanks to the email program that comes standard with the iPad. I wrote 38 emails before boarding and another 7 once I boarded the plane prior to departure. (It was a bit of a wait)

Once in the air I was able to spend a good amount of time going over my lecture notes. Usually, I would use my laptop for this mundane chore, but as the flight continued my laptop case was able to rest comfortably in the overhead storage bin.

After I had reviewed my notes enough (I was also able to review and update my slide presentation during the flight on my iPad) I opted to sit back and enjoy a movie on my cool new little toy.

Now, there are about a million other applications for the iPad that I once didn’t see a use for. What can I say, Apple? I’m sorry I ever doubted you.

Are you in the market for a new smartphone? Here’s a quick look at some of the differences between two of the hottest phones on the market right now:

Let’s check out the iPhone4 and the HTC Evo.

Sexiness and Durability
When it comes to what’s sexy to look at and what isn’t the Iphone4 is a runaway winner. The boxier design is a bit more stylish than earlier models. It has a sleek, clean looking profile and a shinny skin.

The HTC Evo comparatively has a bit more bulk to it for my taste. The one thing I have never liked is a smartphone that feels like a brick. The phone is a bit chunkier than I care for. Not so crazy about a camera lens that protrudes either; seem it’s just asking for disaster.

User Interface and Controls
When it comes to ease of use for the end user the iPhone4 is right on the money. The addition of folders is an upgrade. Retina display, retina display, retina display. The HD touch screen is lights out awesome to use. The home screen icons are so clear they almost look like a plastic covering.

The HTC may have that nice 4.3 inches in size but the iPhone4’s retina display knocks it out of the park. It has several home screens and widgets that are nice but still, there’s that whole retina display thing.

Multimedia and Web browsing
The iPhone4 added multi-tasking and Facetime is a real nifty feature to make the phone fun. Safari is still the web browser and it’s hard to find another browser that has the same level comfortably. There is now a combined email box to capture all of your emails and put them in one place.

The Evo does offer some additional cool stuff with the ability to use the phone as it’s own wi-fi hotspot (but you’ll need 4G to really enjoy this and the number and location of 4G is extremely limited). If you want to get the full benefit of a 4G phone you’ll probably be waiting awhile.