The Android train just won't stop: from design to performance to simple availability, the grass is looking greener and greener. After you've picked up the usual suspects - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and obviously Dots - the harder choices come in. Will you use Google Keep for your notes or go with Evernote or Simplenote? What's the best app to wring the most out of the pictures you take on your phone? Will you be reading books on Kindle, articles in Pocket, or news in Flipboard or Press? With Android, you're not wanting for options, but that means you need help choosing between them. Fortunately, we've collected our favorites here, so get …

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Even if you already own an iPhone - in which case many iPad apps will automatically sync over for you during setup - you'll find that getting apps for your iPad is an easy process. Pop open the app store and you'll find thousands, but the "top apps" list is filled with as much junk as it is gold. Fear not, we've collected our favorite below - from great writing to great drawing to great music-making, the myth that the iPad isn't great for "productivity" is officially dead.

This year we've picked out some of the very best apps, games, books, and downloads for your new devices. Dig into our top selections for Android apps, Android games, iPho …

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Whether you're among the chosen to get a new computer for the holidays or are burdened with the responsibility of playing family tech support, we've got you covered with an essential pack of Mac apps, utilities, tools, and time-wasters. Grab another moose-shaped mug of eggnog and start downloading.

This year we've picked out some of the very best apps, games, books, and downloads for your new devices. Dig into our top selections for Android apps, Android games, iPhone apps, iPad apps, iOS games, Windows Phone apps, Kindle books, Mac and PC.

Flycut

Cutting, copying, and pasting are the basic actions without which few computer interactions w …

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"A Windows device" can mean any number of things. Maybe this year you unwrapped a 17-inch gaming behemoth - or maybe you're holding an 8-inch tablet. Either way, there's a lot more to Windows 8 than Office and Internet Explorer. Some of the best apps live in the Windows Store, while you'll have to dig around the web to find others. But if you know what to look for, there's absolutely nothing you can't do. And once you're firing on all cylinders, just fire up Steam and let Skyrim melt your holiday stress away.

This year we've picked out some of the very best apps, games, books, and downloads for your new devices. Dig into our top selections f …

Read the full story at The Verge.

In A Christmas Story, young Ralphie begs his parents for a Red Ryder BB gun. Alas, how times have changed. Today, you're more likely begging for a red iPhone - but just as the Red Ryder is useless without BBs, the iPhone is useless without apps. Apps for shooting photos, keeping track of your schedule, and for logging your every thought and bike ride. An app to tell you when it's snowing, and an app to keep track of your favorite blogs. We'll break down the best apps no iPhone should be without, so when you're cozied up by the fire, you'll have something to do - and an IFTTT app to auto-send holiday greetings on Christmas morning.

This year …

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