Buying gifts for your loved ones is never easy, but we're here to help. These shopping apps make it easier to find gifts, save money, and save time during the holiday rush.

It’s December and you need to buy presents, and fast. To help you in your increasingly frantic search for material happiness, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite apps to help you find the best gifts, save money, and save time. If you’ve waited this long, you’re already pushing it to the limit and risking a Jingle All the Way scenario. That’s why we want to help. Avoid a toy race against Sinbad and earn the love of your friends and family by purchasing them things with the help of these apps.

Finding the right gifts

As great as the option of variety is for picking out one of the many gifts for friends and family, it can also be certainly intimidating to the average shopper. Thankfully, there are a variety of apps available to help you figure out just what to get gift-wise this holiday season for anyone from your parents to your co-workers, friends, and everyone in between.

Amazon App (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)

Let’s face it, if you’re not using the largest online retailer to look for deals and gift ideas, then you’re just not using your holiday shopping time wisely. Amazon’s mobile app for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone not only lets you browse the online catalog for anything from A to Z but also gives you easy access to their daily deals and lightning deals anytime you want from now until the end of the year. With the Amazon App you can not only brainstorm for gift ideas but also save some cash.

Gift Wizard (Android) & El Gifto (Android, iOS)

If you’re looking for smart gift suggestions and have no idea where to begin, then here are two apps for Android and iOS that can both be a blessing for buyer’s block. Gift Wizard for Android offers up an intelligent gift engine, helping you really figure out with some serious thinking what would be the right gift for anyone from your boss to your best friend. El Gifto, for Android and iOS, suggests gifts based on your relationship to the individual, their age, and their lifestyle. Both are great when figuring out which gift to get someone this holiday season.

Appadvice (iOS)

If you’re looking for great app suggestion for your friend or family member who just bought that iPad Mini or iPhone 5, then you can’t go wrong with the Appadvice app, which has been helping people discover new and nifty applications for years. if you’re considering an iTunes gift card as a gift, be sure to suggest some great apps along with it.

Be sure to check out our holiday gift guides through the coming holiday season for more ideas.

Saving money

In case you missed the memo, this year is an especially important one for shopping, as major retailers such as ToysRUs, Best Buy, and Target are all upping the ante and matching prices with select online retailers for certain periods of time, and that means making sure you know what things are going for online. While picking out your favorite doorbusters though, it’s important to know that there are some great apps you can use to find great deals while at the store, figure out what your favorites are worth, or perhaps even find a better deal.

Google Shopper (Android, iOS)

The Google Shopper app may be your greatest asset in your shopping adventures this holiday season. The app, available for both iOS and Android devices, lets you use your phone’s camera as essentially an image and barcode scanner, allowing you to match up products in the store with their counterparts in online shoppingverse. Along with price comparisons, you can also find similar products, or nearby retailers with lower prices.

Dealnews App (Android, iOS) 

Dealnews has been around for nearly 15 years, helping internet users find the greatest deals on the items they love. This year Dealnews is offering up its app, which brings the power of its already resourceful website in your hands, tied together with a focus on all the big holiday retailers. With this app you can stay up to date on the latest sales and ads for the rest of the coming holiday season. This ad is a must have if you’re going to keep up with all crazy deals that are announced from now until the end of the year.

Saving time

If there’s anything more valuable than saving cash and making your family and friends happy this holiday season, it’s all that extra time you want to have resting and relaxing during your valuable vacation. Thankfully, even while you run about grabbing all the gifts, there are a couple apps you can use to stay organized, avoid traffic, and save time.

Shopper (Android, iOS)

Staying organized will keep your mind on point and your wits sharp through the holiday season, so be sure to take advantage of a powerful shopping list that stays with you wherever you are. It’s time to abandon the pen and paper and pick up Shopper, a free app for Android and iOS that lets you virtually write down and organize all the essential things to buy this holiday season. The app even lets make in depth organization, as well as track important contact information for your favorite shops.

Waze (Android, iOS)

If you’ve never used Waze before, now’s the time to get it. While Google and Apple war with one another over which can provide the best maps experience, Waze offers up an entirely new flavor: The Social GPS. Waze essentially has its own network of users contributing important information such as traffic updates, red light cameras, and speed traps, giving you a better idea of what’s going on with greatest variable while driving – everyone else. The app even lets you collect points for fun custom content, and will save you time and frustration while running around for your holiday shopping.

In the end, these are just a few of the apps out that you can add to your mobile arsenal to save time, money, and more this holiday season. Be sure to stay tuned to Digital Trends throughout the holiday season for even more tips, tricks, and guides, and feel free to share with us your favorite holiday shopping apps in the comments below.

Have you tried your luck at buying Google’s flagship handset, the LG Nexus 4? If so, you would know that it can be quite frustrating and difficult ordeal, except for the few lucky enough to get an order through.

The words “Sold Out” are plastered on the Google Play ordering page in capital letters and red. “We are out of inventory. Please check back soon.”, has been on the website a few times now and the backorder on the device had reached 9-10 weeks.

The 16GB variant  is in stock on Google’s website despite a 6-7 week delay in shipping. With a price tag so low and specs so good, it is not that surprising to see the LG Nexus 4 continue to fly off the virtual Google Play shelves. On the other hand, it is very strange to see Google having trouble fulfilling orders. This is not Google’s first rodeo, so you have to wonder if they are at fault or if LG is simply having trouble producing enough of Nexus 4 handsets.

Are you having trouble ordering a Google Nexus 4? What do you think about Google having trouble keeping up with Nexus 4 demand? Let us know in the comments below.

Recent reports show stagnation in the game industry. It's a problem that can be solved - but not without publishers changing how they do business.

The past few years have served as a reality check for the gaming industry. A period of amazing growth in the middle of the last decade left many wondering if video games were entertainment’s next cash cow. Analysts and publishers were even throwing out the term “recession proof” in 2007 and 2008, backing up the argument with the theory that entertainment spending goes up during a recession because people are in greater need of escapism. History has proved that argument wrong.

The last few years have seen a constant slide in retail sales. Digital distribution has made up much of that ground, but the overall picture is one of stagnation. U.S. game sales were down 9% overall in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the same point last year – and that does include digital purchases. The boundless optimism of 2007 has turned towards caution in 2012.

But why? The recession was a factor, but it’s technically over in some countries – including the United States. Some blame must fall on developers and publishers. So what can they do to improve and rejuvenate the industry? Here are a few ideas.

Gaming needs to broaden its base

The game industry has traditionally catered to a particular demographic that tends to buy high-budget, high-profit tiles more than anyone else. This is the “core gamer.” The stereotypical core gamer is a white male with disposable income who is somewhere between 16 and 35 years old. The majority of big-budget titles, and even many indie games, are designed with this demographic in mind.

Catering to reliable customers makes sense, of course, but it can also result in a narrow viewpoint. Nintendo famously took advantage of the industry’s blindspot with the original Wii, an incredibly successful and profitable console that has sold nearly 30 million more units than Microsoft’s Xbox 360. No one saw its success coming because customers outside the core gamer had been written off as uninterested.

Similar stories can be found in software. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the best selling game in the world for 2011, but did you know that the latest Pokemon was in third, Just Dance 3 was in 5th, and Mario Kart Wii was in 6th? It’s clear that there’s demand for games outside the core demographic.

Analysts have argued that, while this is true, gamers outside the core don’t buy games frequently enough to make an impact. But what games might they buy? The Wii, which became popular thanks to non-core gamers, is notorious for becoming a cess-pool of terrible third-party games and sub-par ports. There’s not much worth buying beyond a handful of immensely popular titles.

That seems strange. These games can obviously generate a lot of money – yet the attention remains on games that are designed with core gamers in mind. It’s not hard to understand why this is the case after paying attention to the gaming press for even a short period of time. The industry is dominated by white male developers and businessmen who are, for the most part, interested in games that will impress other white males. Working on the next Halo earns far more respect than working on the The Sims.

This also shows a continued, and even stubborn lack of recognition of what a “core gamer” really is. A recent ESA study shows that the male demographic is barely even the majority, with 47-percent of gamers being female. Woman over the age of 18 are also one of the fastest growing demographics, and yet the stereotype remains. Just look at games like Dead or Alive 5, the newest iteration of a sixteen year old franchise that revels in what many have classified as misogynistic representations of women. That series may be an extreme example, but there is a sad lack of empowered women, both in games and in the industry. That needs to change.   

This narrow focus isn’t healthy. White males are a large demographic and one with money to spend, yet but there are limits to the demographic’s influence. Just ask Mitt Romney about the problems with relying too heavily on white males for support.

Game publishers need to treat customers with respect

Another problem that is related to gaming’s limited base is the industry’s poor relations with many customers. Games prices haven’t really risen since this cycle of consoles began, but compared to some other forms of entertainment, they remain costly. Paying $250 for a console and $60 for new games is more expensive than $80 for a Blu-Ray player and $20 to $25 for a new movie (nevermind DVDs, which are even less).

Selling a product that’s more expensive is always more difficult than selling one that is cheap. This can be combated by ensuring a high-quality products, or through excellent customer service. Games offer neither. Many games – and particularly those sold by major publishers at high prices – require online connectivity and/or use restrictive DRM. Customer service is nearly non-existent. Players of a game with bugs can’t return the product. They have to hope for a patch.

Both PC and console games fall victim to this. Most EA titles on any platform, for example, require users to create an Origin account. My girlfriend, who is an active gamer but obviously not part of the so-called core demographic, usually responds to these contrivances with the phrase “What the **** is this?”

That’s a good question. Games should be finding ways to make themselves easier to play. Instead the major publishers confuse customers with a plethora of proprietary login systems, digital stores, and online-only DRM.

This is most likely to alienate the inexperienced or new gamers that the industry needs to catch. These players haven’t been buying new titles every month for the last few years and aren’t used to obtuse logins or DRM. To core gamers these are an annoyance. To other players they can be a barrier, and at the very least, they create a bad and unwelcoming impression of the industry for new gamers.

Hardware excitement must reignite

The current console generation has been exceptional because of its duration. The Xbox 360 was launched about 7 years ago while the Wii and PlayStation 3 are just over the six year mark. Nintendo’s new Wii U, just recently introduced, is the first new console from any company in six years. It appears Microsoft will be stretching its console cycle out to 8 years and Sony may do the same.

It’s not hard to understand why the console manufacturers like a longer cycle. Developing and producing a new console is expensive. Getting the most out of the money spent on a new console makes sense.

But stretching out the cycle also reduces excitement. Consumers like new graphics, new controllers and new features. This is both common sense and supported by sales. A successful game console tends to sell strongly at launch, peek in its third or fourth year, then stagnate or lose ground.

In the past, this decline has been met with a new console while this cycle has been met with new peripherals from Microsoft and Sony (in the form of Kinect and Move). Both have also introduced numerous apps to present their systems as more than just a gaming system, but rather an all-in-one entertainment device. It’s a strategy that has had some success, but its impact has already waned.

Current console sales for the Xbox 360 are the lowest they’ve been since 2009 while the PS3 has declined 25% when compared to its 2011 numbers. Retail game sales – which are most representative of the console market – have declined from 152 million units in 2009 to an estimated total of 98 million units in 2011. That’s a nasty drop. Black Friday sales for Microsoft and Sony were respectable, but while the Xbox 360 sold 750,000, this is a decline from last year. The PS3 actually did better this year, but its 525,000 units moves were lower than it Microsoft rival. 

Nintendo’s new Wii U drives the point home. It has sold 400,000 units during its first week. That’s behind the pace of the Wii but, even so, it’s one of the largest console launches in history (the Xbox 360 and PS3 sold 326,000 and 197,000 units in their first two weeks, respectively) despite reported shortages. And don’t forget – these sales figures are in spite of an MSRP that’s $50 to $100 more than the Wii when it launched.

Stretching out the console cycle is an experiment that has, at best, had mixed results. While it has kept costs down it has also contributed in the industry’s stagnation. This isn’t the result Microsoft and Sony hoped to achieve. Future console development will demand new ideas to keep costs down while also delivering the exciting hardware consumers desire.

Conclusion

Resolving the problems above is important. Relying on core gamers will only become more difficult as the development costs for new titles rise. A couple decades ago it was possible for a cutting-edge game to make huge profit off just a few hundred thousand sales. Today’s reality is different. Games cost more to make so they must sell more to remain profitable.

This means that the industry has to walk out of its echo chamber, start treating customers with more respect, and commit to frequent releases of exciting hardware. Improvement in these areas will help to attract more people who don’t currently consider themselves gamers. Those gamers-to-be are needed to keep the industry healthy.

Weeding through the offerings in the app store is no easy task. Don't dive in alone - let us provide some discretion to your downloads. This week saw updates to Google Drive, Rdio, Facebook, and more. Plus a new Android app to keep ads away and some games you'll definitely want to play.

The app marketplace is expanding exponentially. The Google Play Store and Apple App Store already have millions of apps between the two. Even the newly launched Windows Phone 8 has more than 20,000 apps available for download in just over a month of existence. New apps are always trying insert themselves into the market to either fill perceived voids or improve upon existing options. The top developers roll out updates as fast as new apps can pop up to try to stay on top of the competition. Here are the best updates to existing apps and fresh launches that are worth checking out from the past week. 

App updates

Google Drive (iOS and Android)

Spreadsheet nerds, rejoice! You can now work on your odd hobby while on the go if you use Google Drive. We’re just poking fun, of course, as this is an ability we’ve all been waiting for. An update to Google Drive has made spreadsheet files editable within the app. You now also have the ability to format text options – including size, color, and style – and a much needed copy and paste feature. Spreadsheet formatting is also manageable from Google Drive, allowing column shifts and changes and data sorting. All in all, a step toward total on-the-go editing.

Vimeo (iPhone)

Vimeo keeps doing the best it can to dig a niche for itself in the video hosting market so heavily dominated by YouTube. Its iPhone app update is a step in the right direction, making improvements to the app’s upload options and simplifying navigation. Taking out the rarely-used in-app video editor and allowing videos to upload in the background as users enter in pertinent metadata for the film has streamlined the overall process. A shift to tabbed browsing from the previous grid layout has also made consumption of content a lot easier. The addition of social sharing features also seems to be a good move for improving viewership. It’s the first update to come straight from Vimeo’s own design team. Hopefully it won’t be the last.

Facebook Photo Sync (iOS and Android)

Facebook wants you to trust it with even more of your information. This time, it’s in the form of a cloud storage option for your photos. Facebook calls it Photo Sync, and it’s available in the latest Facebook app update. Facebook is offering users of the new feature 2GB of free space to host images. Photo Sync will take all of the images you snap on your smartphone or tablet and automatically upload them to Facebook. From there, you’ll have the option to share them or keep them or delete them before you make a horribly embarrassing mistake. Encourage your friends to get this app, because  it will inevitably produce a hilariously disturbing moment.

Rdio (iOS and Android)

If Rdio acts as your personal band, then the developers of the app just gave it new and shiny instruments to play. An overhaul to the interface of Rdio’s app came out this week. A sliding style navigation now remains constant throughout the app, as does the sleek white interface. Also popping up for the first time is a unified player option, which will sync your listening experience across your devices. Start a song at home and finish it in the car by accessing your Queue. Finally, remote control options will allow Rdio listeners to control their music remotely from another device.

Words with Friends (Windows Phone)

Remember when Words with Friends was super popular and the object of obsession for mobile users? Thanks to an update to the Windows Phone version of the game, now it has the ability to catch on with Microsoft fans, as well. Of course, it could have done that when it first launched had it simply worked properly, but better late than never. The update from Zynga to it’s popular title provides much needed stability and performance improvements. If you already paid the $3 price tag for the game, might as well get the update that makes it actually playable.

New Apps

AdBlock Plus (Android)

AdBlock Plus is a popular option for keeping annoying ads at bay in web browsers on desktops. Now it’s made its way to Android to take care of the advertising that is scattered across apps and browsers alike. Keep your eyes from being violated by banner ads, push notifications with a sales agenda, and more. It’s free and doesn’t require rooting, though you are likely to see better results if you’re willing to take the risk to root. The results that the app promises includes saved bandwidth and increased screen space, but most importantly it promises to keep you from overexposure to advertising.

New Games

Jet Set Radio (iOS and Android)

A classic game making a welcome return on a new platform. This is nothing new, but it’s still great to see. It’s especially awesome when the game is a cult classic like Jet Set Radio. A game that suffered from the curse that was the Dreamcast, Jet Set Radio managed to build a following with an extremely unique look, insane tricks, memorable moments, and a pitch perfect soundtrack. All of that is back and as good as it ever was in this mobile re-imagining. It’s one of the only times where you can describe a game as “grinding” and it’s a good thing. 

The Bowling Dead (iOS)

“How many zombie games do we really need?” you may ask. That’s a fair question, and it’s pretty impossible to deny that the genre is packed to the brim. However, if there is one place that the undead are under-utilized, it’s bowling alleys. A crossover that is rather unexpected, The Bowling Dead puts survival horror in a new lane as it pins bowlers against zombies. More than just a clever concept, responsive controls and silly but fun story makes this title a perfect strike.

BattleFriends at Sea (iOS and Android)

Take to the open oceans with friends … and then try to sink them. It’s international waters, so it’s not a crime or anything. BattleFriends at Sea is like board game classic Battleship with a social twist. Free to play, the game uses a pretty impressive graphics engine to provide a new skin on an old game model. It can be played cross-platform so you can take down your friends no matter what type of ship they sale the mobile oceans on. There are a few added twists to the gameplay to keep things interesting, so set your sales for your app marketplace of choice and pick this one up.

Fruitiny (iPhone)

The first ever real time memory game ever made, Fruitiny puts a new twist on the old matching card game. You have a simply goal: match bananas with bananas and apples with apples. Sounds simple enough, and the vintage appearance and overall presentation furthers that. But once you start flipping tiles and trying to put together matches as quickly as possible to keep bugs from invading, it starts to show its depth. Extremely addictive and deceivingly challenging, it’s a memory game you won’t forget.

Keep business transactions and personal messages as safe as possible with these tips to defend your email account against any malicious interference.

Between phishing attempts and classic “Nigerian” email scams, there are plenty of threats to the integrity of your email account. Even if you think you would never fall for a blatant attempt to get you to give up sensitive data, you might still be vulnerable to various kinds of hacking attempts. It’s never fun to have to explain to all 347 of your contacts why your email address has spammed them with a link for buying knock-off Oxycodone. Ultimately, email security remains an essential part of maintaining your privacy online.

In fact, the U.S. Senate’s proposed amendment to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act aims to make it harder for law officials to search through your old emails. But if you care about protecting your information, why wait for the Senate to take action? Follow our tips to make your email account safer from prying eyes. We’ll start with general suggestions and then cover some nifty tricks just for Gmail.

Password security

If you’ve worked at a desk job within the last few decades, you’ve probably heard dozens of lectures about how important it is to choose a secure email password. As boring as the topic may seem, it gets repeated for a reason. A ridiculous number of vulnerabilities can be avoided with a strong, robust, and frequently changed password. Don’t forget to make your security question a tough one, too.

If you have trouble inventing new passwords, try the sentence method: come up with a sentence that would seem obvious only to yourself, such as “My dog Spot eats steak quickly!” Then, turn it into an acronym and add a number for good measure, so that you wind up with, “MdSesq!64.” Your new password will roll off your fingertips while seeming impenetrable to anyone else. Of course, if you’re still having trouble remembering, you can always use a password manager app.

As important as it is to have a strong password to begin with, it’s just as essential to remember to change it often. To keep yourself honest, set a recurring reminder on your favorite calendar app. We recommend changing your password every three months to stay safe.

Avoiding cookies, viruses, and malware

This may go without saying for long-term Internet denizens, but general online security practices can help keep your email account safer, too. It’s helpful to set your internet browser to automatically clear all cookies every time you close the browser window. In Chrome, for instance, you can do this by opening “Settings,” clicking on “Advanced Settings,” clicking under “Content Settings” beneath “Privacy,” and then choosing “Keep local data only until I quit my browser.”

Additionally, you’ll definitely want to install dependable anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, keep them up to date, and run scans of your computer regularly. If you don’t know where to start, well-reviewed freeware such as Avast Free Antivirus, Microsoft Security Essentials, and Super AntiSpyware are all good bets.

Public key encryption

Email encryption using public key cryptography is practically the next best thing to printing all your emails and locking them within an impenetrable bank vault. Essentially, it generates two different keys for every message: an encryption key, which is completely public; and a decryption key, which is private to each user. The beauty of the system lies in the fact that users don’t need to send a secret code ahead of time before exchanging encrypted text. With public key encryption, even if someone gets ahold of your email password, all they’ll see is gibberish without proper decoding.

All public key encryption is based on software called PGP, which stands for “Pretty Good Privacy” and is available through a number of free programs. Try your hand at using Gpg4usb, Pgpi, or Enigmail (for Thunderbird only), and enjoy the exhilaration of feeling like an international spy.

Cross-website security with Tor

Even though they offer spectacular free email services, companies such as Google have a nasty reputation for collecting your browsing patterns across the Web. That’s where the free program Tor comes in. Originally developed with the U.S. Navy in mind, Tor now allows any security-minded individual to avoid cross-website tracking, thus safeguarding online privacy during email sessions. Basically, Tor blocks what’s known as “traffic analysis,” which can reveal a message’s source, affiliation, and other characteristics, even if that message contains encrypted data. Keep in mind that it will block browser plugins and downloaded files while running.

Anti-theft security with Prey

We hope it never happens to you, but if your computer does get lost or stolen, Prey may be your last best hope. Simply register your computer and download the free Prey software ahead of time. If your beloved device ever goes missing, you’ll be able to use Prey from afar to manage it. You can lock your computer, as well as delete all browsing data and cookies, from the safety of your home. That way, thieves won’t  be able to log into your email account. Prey can even attempt to geo-trace your device and snap webcam photos of whomever’s using it, making it an invaluable detective’s tool.

Gmail-specific tips

Thanks to  a healthy array of security options, Gmail provides one of the most secure email services out there. If you’re using Gmail, you’ll definitely want to try out these privacy measures.

1. 2-step verification: With 2-step verification, your Gmail account will require more than just a password every time you log on. It will also text a 4-digit code to the phone number you have on file, which you’ll need to enter before you can access your email account. While cumbersome – and ill-advisable for those without unlimited texting plans –2-step verification does add an extra layer of protection.

2. Always use HTTPS: In your Gmail account, click on the gear icon in the top right-hand corner, then select “settings.” Under “Browser connection,” highlight “Always use https.” With this option, Gmail will establish a secure connection during sessions, from login to logout, even if you’re using a public wireless network.

3. Modified email address: It may surprise you to know that Google doesn’t count anything after a plus sign as part of an email address. What does this mean for you? Well, simply add a “+” to your email address every time you provide your email to a company, and soon you’ll have a surefire way to discover which companies are sending you spam. For example, if your normal address is johnsmith@gmail.com and you’re about to sign up for a website called Kitten Cute, you can use johnsmith+kittencute@gmail.com as your email address for that site. That way, if you ever get spam addressed to “johnsmith+kittencute,” you’ll know exactly where it came from, helping you stay away from suspicious and potentially fraudulent messages.

Image via Elhombredenegro