By Caitlin Irr
It’s that time of year again: the season of twinkling lights, cold weather, long shopping lists, cranky cashiers, and anxious gift givers – and receivers. You know what I’m talking about – the holiday season! Keep your days merry, bright, and stress-free by taking a few shopping suggestions from your holiday elves at ACT | The App Association. Regardless of your budget, or the date of your next holiday party, we’ve found season app-ropriate apps for everyone on your nice list. Read on about how you can fill your family and friends’ phones and devices – er, stockings – with some digital holiday cheer. Happy downloading!
App-solutely Perfect App-Supported Gifts
If you’re looking to take advantage of extra cash and a little extra time, the following apps may be just the gifts you’re looking for. The following app-enabled products are sure to create a unique experience and a memorable gift!
Wonder Workshop Robots
Price: $29.99 – $279.99
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Education
This holiday season, the Dash, Dot, and Cue robots help your favorite family member or friend learn to code. These app-enabled educational robots teach coders (ages 6 year and up) through interactive play on their engaging platform.
Download here!
Price: $126.00
Compatibility: Smartphone
Category: Lifestyle
Designed as a wearable device for children, Tinitell allows calls to and from up to 12 pre-approved contacts. This gift is great to give children freedom, while allowing parents and caregivers to manage contacts, location, and more through the Tinitell app.
Download here!
Price: $595.00 – $695.00
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Entertainment
Can’t decide on the perfect artwork for your home? You don’t have to choose with Meural, a digital picture frame that allows users to seamlessly switch from Van Gogh to Ansel Adams, and then to your niece’s newest masterpiece. Meural allows you to enhance your artwork on your home’s four walls with a few clicks in the app.
Download here!
Price: $199.99
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Lifestyle
For the dog owner and canine connoisseurs in your life, GoBone is an interactive dog toy that keeps your furry friend entertained for hours. Pet owners control the GoBone toy through a smartphone-enabled app to keep their pups mentally and physically active.
Download here!
The Final Countdown:
App-ealing Gifts for Last Minute Shoppers
Only a few hours to spare before your gift exchange? Download and deliver these gifts in as little time as it takes to say “procrastination”!
Price: $25 and up
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Entertainment
Know a film buff sick of long lines at the movie theater? Leave the theatrics to the actors with the Atom Tickets app. Atom Tickets simplifies the movie ticketing experience by allowing users to find the right movie, purchase tickets, pre-order popcorn and concessions, and skip pesky lines, all at the tap of the app. But stay off the naughty list by remembering to turn off all devices at the start of the film! 😊
Download here!
Price: $9.99
Compatibility: Smartphone, laptop
Category: Food & Drink
Every cocktail connoisseur would be app-reciative of New York Times drinks writer Robert Simonson’s bartender app, Modern Classics. The app is great for the host with the most and provides a carefully curated list of 99 essential cocktail recipes in an easy-to-use interface. Drink responsibly!
Download here!
Price: Free download; auto-renewed subscription
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Education
The Great Courses Plus app provides access to more than 8,000 college-level videos and lectures delivered by leading professors from across the globe. Users have control over learning pace and teaching style for a range of topics – from science and health to photography and travel. After a free 7- day trial, gift givers can choose from the following subscription options: $19.99 per month, or $179.99 per year.
Download here!
Price: $2.99
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet, wearable device
Category: Reference
Unsure what to buy your special stargazer or amateur astrologer? Sky Guide AR is the perfect last-minute gift for earthlings of any age. Their interactive experience utilizes augmented reality to show stars and constellations of the night sky, even on a cloudy night! Users can explore the celestial landscape anywhere in the world and even view the sky at different moments in the past. The best part? Internet, cell phone service, and GPS aren’t necessary to enjoy this app.
Download here!
Price: $6.99
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Health & Fitness
Essential oils have been one of 2017’s hottest health and beauty trends. The EO Bar is a fantastic app for anyone on your list who app-reciates, or is curious about, alternative medicines. The app is brand-agnostic, with plenty of tips, recipes, and educational explanations for anyone eager to learn the essentials of essential oils.
Download here!
Price: Free download, paid subscription
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Health & Fitness
Amongst the cheer and excitement this time of year, the holidays can be a stressful and anxiety-inducing time for many. Pacifica is a great supplement to help your loved ones manage stress and anxiety year-round. The app provides users with access to guided self-help paths, thought recording and journaling, a peer support community, and so much more. The app is free to download, but users can receive unlimited access with a subscription of $5.99 for a month, $35.99 for a year, and $199.99 for a lifetime subscription.
Download here!
Price: Free download, paid subscription
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Health & Fitness
CycleCast can help your favorite fitness guru or interested exerciser get a jump-start on their New Year’s resolution. All that’s needed is a bike and a smartphone or tablet to get an amazing cycling workout. CycleCast provides users with a variety of instructors with different teaching styles, musical mix tapes, and flexible times to ride. Post-workout, users can track their progress, calories burned, and heart rate data. After a free 7-day trial, users can subscribe for $9.99 per month, or $89.99 for the year.
Download here!
Price: $3.99
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Education
Looking for a gift for a lyrical little one? The Little Fox Music Box app provides a sing-along songbook for children aged 2 to 6 years. Keep any child occupied with the app’s more than 100 interactive elements, stunning graphics, karaoke sing-alongs, and the ability to record original music.
Download here!
Price: $4.99
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Education
Learning is fun, especially when Dragonbox turns solving math equations into a game. Dragonbox secretly teaches kids ages 8 to 11 years old the fundamentals of geometry. With more than 100 levels of puzzles and whimsical characters, pint-sized users can become geometry geniuses and have fun all at once!
Download here!
Budget App-roved Stocking Stuffers
Stuff your loved one’s app folder with these entertaining and thoughtful gifts. The best part – each of these apps are free!
emojiTap
Price: FREE
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Utilities
Supplement your favorite wordsmith’s virtual vernacular with the emojiTap keyboard app. Users can tap into thousands of emojis, GIFs, and stickers to add color and flair to every text, email, or online conversation.
Download here!
Price: FREE
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Food & Drink, Entertainment
Calling all foodies! The popular Tastemade app brings inspiring food and travel shows, how-to videos, and easy-to-follow cooking lessons right to your fingertips. The app hosts Tastemade videos from up-and-coming chefs and original cooking series like Tiny Kitchen, Cookie the News, and Alice in Paris.
Download here!
Price: FREE
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Food & Drink
Perfect for the millennial still learning to “adult,” Runtasty provides a database of simple and healthy recipes, how-to videos, and cooking hacks. Users can filter recipes based on dietary restrictions, flavor profiles, and cooking time, and keep track of each recipe’s calories, macros, and nutritional details.
Download here!
Price: FREE
Compatibility: Smartphone, tablet
Category: Lifestyle
A visit to the world’s best art galleries would usually require costly airline tickets and hotel reservations. Thankfully, the ArtPassport app gives users access to 360-degree views of modern and contemporary art exhibitions uploaded daily!
Download here!
Price: FREE
Compatibility: Smartphone
Category: Utility; Lifestyle
We all have a friend who simply cannot start his or her day without a strong cup of joe — in some instances, we ARE that friend. For the coffee snob in your life, Filtru is an interactive coffee brewing coach. The app provides step-by-step instructions to teach users the nine most popular brewing methods, and features an interface that allows users to create and save their own coffee creations.
Download here!