by Allison Carter

I got a new Smartphone over the weekend.  My last phone was at least 3 years old and technology on these handheld devices has come a long way since then.  I am now all about my phone and downloading apps.  And did you know that there are apps to help you keep your holidays organized and keep you shopping smart?

Here are some that were recently forwarded to me (most via CNBC) that I plan on trying:

RedLaser.  (Free, for iPhone, DROID, & Windows Phone) This is the way to shop smart this season.  You can scan a barcode on an item when you are in the store and BAM RedLaser will tell you what other retailers in your area have it in their store...and how much they are selling it for.  Amazing, right?!

GiftPlan. ($, iPhone only) This is a year-round program that is useful during the holiday season.  Facebook friends and contacts are organized into nifty profiles and GiftPlan tells you when their day has arrived so you don't miss it.  You can store sizes, likes, dislikes, wishlists and more in each person's profile for easy shopping.

Christmas Gift List Planner. (Free, DROID only) Love, love love this and already downloaded it.  List the folks you want to buy for, what you want to get them, include your budget, enter when you buy things and for whom, and this app will tell you who you have left to get a gift for and where you are in your budget.  This is really great if you are like me and, 2 days before Christmas, go out and impulse buy because you suddenly feel like you didn't purchase enough gifts for your family.

List Bliss. (Free, for iPhone and DROID) Since I am all about lists...this list operates in a Cloud and can be used year-round (grocey lists?).  If you and your partner share shopping duties, then LUCKY YOU.  And this is the app you want.  You can sync your phones and when items are checked off the list the other person is notified.

CardStar. (Free, for iPhone & DROID) I love Rewards cards to the places I frequent (CVS, NY&Co, Harris Teeter, Ace, and so on).  Yet I do not love trying to keep all those Rewards cards organized and I definitely do not like to have them on my keychain.  Many times I forego whatever benefits I might be able to gain simply because I don't want to fumble for a small card somewhere in my wallet while my 3yo begs for candy and my 1yo wails.  Enter CardStar.  With this app you can store all of your Rewards cards in one place - on your phone.  When checking out pull up the card you want and scan it.  You can also use CardStar to get coupons and deals to places you frequent.

If you are looking for some apps to keep those kids occupied in a holiday way, check out  bestappsforkids.

So carry on you now-app-armed holiday shoppers.  When the holidays are done, we'll discuss the returnguru app!  In the meantime, if you have any apps to share that you just can't live without, let us know.