Call me a cynic, but it seems to me that year after year, we find ourselves being inundated with reminders of the holiday season earlier and earlier.  I used to think that it was crazy to hear Christmas music on the radio before Thanksgiving, but a recent addition to the App Store seems to be taking this pre-celebration insanity that to another level.  Gifts HD, a new app being promoted as a holiday shopping organizer, is hitting before the trick-or-treaters have even had a chance to knock on your door.

Trust me, in my exceedingly old age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of basic daily information, so something that could help me tame the insanity of my Christmas list would be amazing.  I guess that has a tendency to happen when you come from an extended family that consists of over fifty cousins!  So how exactly is this supposed to redefine how I experience the holiday rush?

• Add a Budget for each “Person to Buy For” and see if your exceeding your limit in one easy screen.
• Track Gift Purchased, Gift Mailed and Gift Wrapped for each person.
• Settings configurable to cross people / gifts off your list when a threshold has been met.
• Countdown to Christmas and Chanukah – Both Configurable.
• Summary screen shows Total Gifts, Purchased Gifts, Gifts Left to Purchase, Gift Wrapped, Left to Wrap, Estimated Budget, Actual Cost and Cost Per Gift.
• TO DO list is a quick glance of who still needs gifts and what actions need to be preformed. (Purchase, Mail, Wrap)
• Built in calculator in App.
• Built in Web Browser built in the app – Browser automagically bring over your TO DO list so you can see what gifts you need to purchase.
• Just tap on the TO DO list in the browser and it will go out and search Google Products for the best prices.
• Email the Summary and TO DO list off to your phone so you can see what you need to purchase and for who on the go! –via MacSpots Developer Blog

Just looking at this list of features leaves my mind swimming with possibilities.  If you were curious on how all of these seemingly different features work together, check out this handy tutorial trailer below.  The background Christmas tunes alone make it well worth your time.

Productivity apps like this one prove why the iPad is the kind of device that can redefine your lifestyle.  Gone is the nonsense of pen and paper, replacing it with the glory that is multi-touch.  Now is the time to embrace the future possibilities that only this device can provide.  This could very well be a godsend to countless “Secret Santas” out there – will you be one of them?

$1.99

Gifts HD

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-10-06 :: Category: Productivity

A friend (who happens to be an app developer) and I were discussing the other day the feasibility of a grocery store app that would help users find what they were looking for. The general thought was that it would be a neat app, but the time spent to money earned ratio didn’t really seem to make the app worth it, at least in our eyes.

Aisle411 doesn’t think so, however, as they are releasing “the first comprehensive mobile shopping platform for (the) iPhone.” The app lets users find specific items in stores, and even guides them to the specific section of the aisle. In addition, the app provides product reviews, a shopping list generator, social network integration, and provides reward points and coupons for specific items.

“According to National Consumer Research, 83 percent of shoppers have trouble finding what they are looking for in stores,” said Nathan Pettyjohn, CEO, aisle411. “The launch of our iPhone App and mobile website will dramatically transform the way customers find what they are looking for and make purchase decisions. As more shoppers engage with mobile technology to enhance everything from building shopping lists and finding product reviews, to navigating retail environments and sharing their shopping experiences with friends, aisle411′s groundbreaking solution is evolving the way consumers interact with retailers, advertisers and brands.”

The Aisle411 iPhone app is looking to launch this fall and will be available in over 1,400 retail stores in the US. There’s been no mention of social achievements or status rankings yet, but I’m absolutely dying to be the mayor of Safeway, aisle 5.

Note: The video below further explains the benefits of the Aisle411 system to retailers, but it only describes the current service that is available for free by dialing 1-877-AISLE-411.