We live in the age of information. Gadgets, once the domain of geeks and rich boys, are now even your most prized possessions. If you insist on lugging your electronics with you every dainty step of the way, you might as well make them work for you. If you’ve got an iPhone (or even a Droid), you can download some seriously useful tools, otherwise known as apps. You’re probably familiar with a host of nonsensical apps (does the digital world really need 20 fart apps?), gaming apps (go Pac-Man!), educational apps (a Brainquest app means no more guilt when you hand over the iPhone to your kids), and the tools for every gal worth her Choos (Gilt Group, Pop Sugar).  But let’s get real. These are more distracting than helpful and productive. So, let us present to you, ten apps to make your holiday season go more smoothly. Promise.

eBay Mobile, Free (above, left)

As an avid eBayer, you find yourself eschewing fresh air in favor of tracking your bids. Step away from the computer. It will be okay. Really. As long as you download the newly updated eBay Mobile app, that is. This app let’s you search, bid, and check your progress on the go. You can even negotiate prices with sellers, connect with customer service, manage your account, and conduct secure PayPal transactions. It also delivers push alerts that will notify you if an auction is about to end. Basically, eBay Mobile provides the full eBay experience you crave, without an iota of compromise.

eBay Deals, Free (above, center)

While you appreciate eBay for its access to uniquities (where else can you find a hand carved absinthe tap in a few seconds flat?), it’s the killer deals on everyday items you’re after. The new eBay Deals app feeds your insatiable appetite for bargains by spotlighting items with no bids and no reserve price, all of which will expire in less than four hours. And, every item boasts a free or fixed-rate shipping cost. The app delivers a stream of amazing deals pulled form the sites’ millions of listings, but you can also customize your own search. Finally, you can close the deal in a snap using PayPal.

Mall Maps, $2.99 (above, right)

As much as you’d love to wander ‘round scoping out cute guys and eating curly fries, these days, you need to get in, get done, and get out. But who can remember if Foot Locker is adjacent to Macy's or if the food court provides the quickest access? Or whether that particular behemoth has an Abercrombie and a J. Crew? Mall Maps provides floor plans, store lists, and directions for more than 1,000 malls across the country, plus contact info for every store. You can browse by state, or let a GPS search find the malls nearby.

Coupon Sherpa, Free (above, left)

This straighttforward app lets you easily find deals that you’d otherwise miss out on, either because you didn’t know about them or you simply forgot to stick the actual paper coupon in your overstuffed wallet. While the site's list is hardly long, a deal’s a deal. Who are you to turn down a 20 percent discount at Borders or 15 percent off anything your stylish self desires at Lord & Taylor? Sure, some of the coupons you’ll never use (Target has a portrait studio?), but you know you’re going to pop into Gap this week, so download the Sherpa before you go.

Holiday Gift List, $1.99 (above, center)

Everybody wants something. Even with the pared down approach your family members swore they'd follow, it seems your shopping list gets longer every year. Holiday Gift List is a basic list manager that will help you keep track of your present purchasing, as well as your holiday gift-giving budget. You can create groups, edit lists, and set up a password to protect your list from prying eyes.

iRecycle, Free (above, right)

It’s all about electronics these days, and unlike the board games of yesteryear, you can’t just toss last season’s rejects in the trash. iRecylce is a useful app with a clean, green interface that makes it easy to find recycling centers at which you can dispose of your old cell phones and outdated iMacs, not to mention the plethora of packing peanuts you’re steadily accumulating. For dedicated eco-enthusiasts, iRecyle has an events search too.

Mixology, Free (above, left)

Forget about the hundred bottles of beer—almost 8,000 drink recipes are packed into this über app, and all are neatly categorized by type of drink, including Martinis, Hot Drinks, and even Jello Shots. With Mixology, the fun begins before you even take the first sip. You can click through to the liquor cabinet and find a drink based on the ingredients you’ve got, or go crazy with the slot-machine-like feature. Not surprisingly since it's a drink app, you can shake your iPhone for a cocktail suggestion, too. The app also offers multiple glossaries (glassware, bar tools, terminology) to help you mix it up like a pro.

Flight Update, $4.99 (above, second from left)

Whether you’re jetting off to an exotic locale, taking the fam to Disney World, or acting as your parents' personal car service, shuttling grandma and great aunts to and from the airport, you’ll be glad you downloaded Flight Update. While nothing’s perfect, least of all airline schedules, this app eases the burden of the unnecessary schlep and will cut down on the hours you might have otherwise had to kill browsing Hudson News, or taking the shuttle bus because you parked three miles too far from the terminal.

iCounselor: Anxiety, $.99 (above, second from right) 

Holidays are hard. While the booze and the presents (and the booze) are super fun, weight gain, budget constraints, and family can be a buzz kill. iCounselor: Anxiety is a stress reducing app with content (all written by a licensed psychotherapist) that can help ease your pain. The rainbow-colored scale interface might even lift your spirits a notch. Start by rating your anxiety level—you have ten choices, from "at ease" to "apprehensive" to "nervous" to "panicked." You’ll then be confronted with “calming activities.”  From there, you’ll be guided through changing your thoughts. Obviously, if you’re in crisis, you’ll want to seek a real, live professional, but for a minor crisis, this app will help you stop and smell the mistletoe, so to speak.

Lose It!, Free (above, right) 

Holidays pretty much equal extra calories, so you may as well start counting them sooner rather than later. Lose It! is a cute and easy app that lets you establish a daily calorie budget, record your intake and exercise, and calculate how you’re faring, regardless of whether you’ve eaten an apple or your favorite dish at The Olive Garden.  (Careful, now!) And, while many might balk at the prospect of sharing such secrets with friends, Lose It! lets you track others’ progress and even send them motivational messages.

**Screenshots of mobile apps from iTunes.**

Marni Elyse Katz is a Boston-based writer and editor who covers style, art and design for a variety of publications, including the Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Home and her own blog, Style Carrot.