Experts Review The Best Free Apps For Smart Phones
CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you've got a smart phone, then you know there are millions of apps to choose from. But which ones are the best?
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker's got the scoop on the top free apps to help you with food, fitness, finance and fun.
Whether you're looking for information, counting calories or saving money, the hottest apps today have one thing in common.
"What I look for in an app is ease of use, an attractive interface and something that keeps me coming back for more," CNET Associate Editor Sharon Vaknin says.
Vaknin says her top financial app would be Mint because it allows consumers to monitor their bank accounts and budget their money. Gas Buddy is also a great finance app that gets excellent reviews for helping motorists find the cheapest gas near them.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson Melissa Dobbins says MyfitnessPal and Lose It! are two apps she recommends to help stay in shape.
"They help keep you on track with your food, with your fitness, with your behavior-change goals," she says.
When it comes to food, Epicurious offers recipes from gourmet publications. AllRecipes gets high praise for putting thousands of reviews and homemade recipes right at your fingertips.
Jeff Willinger uses the AllRecipes often. He also uses their feature "Dinner Spinner," which allows users to pull up random recipes, such as birthday martinis, by simply shaking their phones.
And if you're looking for fun, you can take a picture of your favorite tourist attraction and turn it into a postcard. It's easy with the Postagram app. You customize your postcard using your photo. The Temple Run App is a very addictive game. It challenges users to race down ancient temple walls and see how far they can run.
Below are the top free apps that Vaknin recommends.
Fitness:
1. MyFitnessPal
2. Nike Training Club
3. RunKeeper
Food:
1. AllRecipes
2. Epicurious
3. Foodspotting
Finance:
1. Mint
2. Gas Buddy
3. PageOnce
Fun:
1. Temple Run
2. TED
3. Postagram
