Best iPhone Apps to Manage Money

Find a bathroom, cheap gas, or a hiking trail wherever you are

(NEWSER) - If you’re traveling for the holidays, it should come as no surprise that the iPhone can be a handy tool. Michelle Higgins lists some of the best travel-friendly apps in the New York Times :

• HearPlanet, $4.99: Text and recorded commentary for 250,000 attractions and landmarks worldwide.
• SitOrSquat, free: Need a bathroom stat? Find the nearest toilet, or, if you’re picky, check out restroom ratings.
• Gas Buddy, $2.99: One of the best apps for finding cheap gas on the road, but there are many others available for free.

App Store is the leading retailer of mobile programs

(NEWSER) - Apple’s App Store has had a pretty good year—since its inception, the store has sold 1.5 billion applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch, making it the leading retailer of mobile applications, CNet reports. Not only has the App Store done well, its success seems to be increasing: the store moved 1 billion applications in its first 9 months, but then sold 500 million in the next 3 months. More»

'Me So Holy' makers accuse company of being overly sensitive

(NEWSER) - Apple has rejected an iPhone application that lets users put their faces on images of Jesus and other religious figures, Wired reports. The company—crucified in the press last month for approving the "Baby Shaker" app—told the makers of "Me So Holy" that the app contained objectionable content, a charge they firmly deny. More»

Pentagon develops apps for ubiquitous Apple devices

(NEWSER) - With more than 30,000 third-party applications now available for the iPhone and iPod touch, a new organization is getting into the game: the American military. As the Independent reports, the Pentagon thinks Apple's gadgets are ideal for "network centric warfare" and is funding projects for everything from translation to bomb disposal. Some soldiers on the front lines are already using the technology. More»

Quickoffice nice, but wait to buy: Mossberg

(NEWSER) - At long last, the iPhone has a full-fledged office suite that can edit, format or create Microsoft Word or Excel documents. Third-party app Quickoffice has some nifty features—including old-fashioned cut/copy/paste, which the iPhone itself hasn’t implemented yet. But it’s missing a number of features, writes Walter Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal, enough that he can’t yet recommend it. More»