iPhone: 13 apps for the holidays

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Feeling festive? Then you need silicon.com's seasonal guide to the best Christmas apps for Apple's iPhone.
First up is the Solar System app, a cosmic take on the advent calendar that lets you journey to the earth's neighboring planets.
Behind each virtual window on the phone is a shot of a different planet, asteroid or moon, all sourced from NASA.
Pictures range from shots taken by space telescopes to photos of various planets' surfaces taken by landers.
Captions by Nick Heath. Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
Christmas approaching and you can't remember if you bought a present for your great aunt Mildred?
Worry no more as the Better Christmas List app will keep track of who you've bought presents for and who you've missed out.
The app also makes it easier to monitor your festive budget by allowing you to set seasonal spending limits.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
Love both Christmas and cocktails? Here's an app for you.
This cocktail maker app will give you ingredients and recipes for a selection of festive drinks, as well as a range of other cocktails.
Pictures of every drink will let you see if your efforts are up to scratch and you can search for drinks by your favourite ingredient too.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
If you fancy sprinkling some Yuletide magic around the office or just driving your colleagues up the wall, how about this sleigh bells app?
The app turns your iPhone into a set of virtual sleigh bells that will ring whenever you shake the handset.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
If you've got a hankering to hear Jingle Bells, Christmas carols and Slade on a loop until the big day, then you need the Christmas radio app.
The app lets you listen to online radio stations playing nothing but traditional Christmas music, Christmas rock, Christmas jazz and even music from a radio station broadcasting from the North Pole.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
If all the rushing to and fro picking up presents has left you dazed and confused on where to go next, then try the Christmas List app.
Christmas List will send you alerts or set off an alarm when you are at locations that you have tagged as places to buy presents.
The system can use GPS, known wi-fi locations or mobile triangulation to pinpoint where you are.
The app also lets you share your festive to-do lists so you can compare your presents with a friend or relative.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
If you want a festive news fix to keep you going over the Christmas period then try the ITN Christmas App.
The app will stream video gift guides on the best gadgets and toys as well as news stories about good deeds that are being carried out around Christmas.
And if you fancy finding out how the stars will celebrate the holiday or what are the worst presents they've ever received then the app also offers access to exclusive celebrity interviews.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
If you're stuck for something to do on the big day itself then why not test the family's festive knowledge with the Christmas Quiz app.
The app presents a series of questions about the history of Christmas and covers subjects ranging from carols to seasonal foods.
Questions are accompanied by illustrations and come in a range of difficulties so are suitable for both adults and children.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
This A Christmas Carol app brings Charles Dickens' festive classic to the iPhone.
The novel comes with customizable fonts and backgrounds.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
The Night Before Christmas app updates the timeless children's poem about Santa delivering presents on Christmas Eve.
This app brings the tale to life with illustrations, music and games where children have to find hidden objects in different festive scenes.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
The Christmas Compo app packs in festive themed music, games, books and calendar.
The app can play six traditional Christmas music tracks, features an e-book version of A Christmas Carol and two Christmas-themed card games.
Illustrations include a festive snow scene and a Christmas candle and even a virtual sprig of mistletoe, together with a virtual set of sleigh bells for you to play with.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
Finally here is a Christmas app for children that aims to help improve their geography skills.
The app, also called Night Before Christmas, is a memory game where players have to remember Santa's route around the world to deliver his presents.
Players are shown Santa's route and then have to remember the order in which he must travel to different continents.
There are three rounds that increase in difficulty by giving the player more continents to remember.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith
If you want to find iPhone apps that will help you get stuff done at work then check out silicon.com's round-up of the top apps for business.
Image credit: Apple

Published: December 4, 2009 -- 07:42 GMT (23:42 PST)
Caption by: Andy Smith

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Here's silicon.com's season guide to the best holidays apps for Apple's iPhone. Check out the very best songs, pictures, games and tools that'll help you through the holiday season.