Productopia | Cell Phones

Let me guess, last year, you gave your mom flowers on Mother's Day. And the year before that, too. Maybe you took her out for brunch. While giving flowers and treating her to a delicious meal continue to be appreciated as presents, why not do something a bit different this year? Smartphone apps can help you bring a modern flair to Mother's Day, whether you want to bake your own Mother's Day dish, or create a customized eCard or entire eBook. Why not put together a special gift, such as a collection of "mom appreciation" songs. Or bring the whole family together to watch a Mother's Day TV episode. All in all, it's a special day for your mother - make sure you show her how much you love her!

On a recent rainy day, when I was particularly keen on staying home, I gave three free shopping apps a try: Google Shopper, eBay and Amazon Mobile. Each offers different ways to search for and purchase products, including bar code scanning - with varying degrees of success. Check out our photo gallery, which includes a screenshot walkthrough of each mobile shopping app.

I remember the times when I used to compile multiple shopping lists from several different cookbooks. At the grocery store, I would frantically take out my post-it lists and wander the aisles looking for the ingredients. Back home, when I finally got started in the kitchen, the paper cookbook would get splashed with water, greased with oil, and if I was baking, covered in flour. I would then realize that the timer on my oven wasn't working, and that I needed to look at my watch every five minutes to make sure things didn't get burnt. All in all, it was a hectic and stressful experience.

Many of my friends had encouraged me to substitute my paper cookbooks for cooking apps, but, as a bookworm, I had been reluctant to let go. Cooking apps abound, and after writing about wine apps, I finally decided to give it a shot with three free apps: Epicurious, Dinner Spinner by All Recipes and Real Recipes from About.com*. At first sight, it appears that all three have similar features. For purposes of comparison, I began by searching for a popular recipe: chocolate chip cookies. 

*Editor's note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but we are not editorially affiliated.

It's been a busy few weeks in the mobile world. Aside from the countless smartphones -- Windows Phones, Androids and BlackBerrys -- being released every day, there's all sorts of intrigue in the wireless space. Here's a look at some of the more interesting developments, including unlocking the iPhone, cell phone wiretaps, and an FCC plan to deter cell phone theft.