SHESPEAKS Your Power to Influence

Millions of us unwrapped the seasons hottest gifts during the holidays  - the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, Droid RAZR, Kindle Fire, Nikon 1 and more. For many people these new gadgets were also the first they've owned in a whole new generation of touchscreen and voice activation technology. How many of you were excited but found that after 5 minutes you had to set them down and decided to figure out how to use them later?

With technology overload these days, many of us use our electronics on the "easy" setting. We do what we can easily figure out and never end up using the "really cool" settings and getting value from our investment.

There are some basic steps that can help you get the most fun out of your new "toys." Here are our tips for improving your electronic gadget experience:

1. Set time in your day to read the manual. Even if it is a short manual, we recommend splitting it up reading a few pages at a time. If you read it all at once it can be overwhelming.
2. Utilize what is at your fingertips - YouTube! YouTube has great 101 videos. Received an iPhone over the holidays? Learn how to use it with the help of the 101 videos on TodaysiPhone's YouTube Channel. Received an Android over the holidays? Learn how to use it with the help of 101 videos on MobileUnlimited's YouTube Channel.
3. Follow the company of your new electronics on Facebook and Twitter. These are great customer service outlets. Why spend time waiting on hold when you can have a response on twitter before the agent picks up the phone? Most companies also post tips, videos and important software updates on their feeds.
4. Be brave! Believe it or not, it's pretty hard to break things. Use random settings and see what happens. You can always reset items back to the default.

The trick to getting the most out of your phones and tablets are apps. Here are our five must-have useful, user-friendly apps for 2012:

Apple:

1. Shopper: This is the best-selling grocery app in the App Store, according to MacWorld. With Shopper you can create multiple lists and organize them to match the aisle layout of the stores you shop in. On a budget? Add prices, quantities, and coupons to track expenses.
2. Mint.com Personal Finance: With this app you can easily organize all your finances in one place. It provides you with a look at where you spent your money over the month and helps you come up with a budget. Also, with having it on your mobile device no spending goes unaccounted for.
3. Silent Body Guard: Everyone, every age and gender, should have this app. You hope you will never need it, but if you ever find yourself in trouble this app sends a text message and email with your GPS location to your emergency contacts every 60 seconds. All you have to do is open the app and tap the silent alarm button.
4. Nike Training Club: This app is a personal trainer with you at all times. You get detailed workouts designed to match your fitness goals with step-by-step instructions. Our favorite feature is the ability to set your music to go with your workout.
5. allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner: How many times have you looked in your pantry and thought to yourself, "what in the world can I cook with these ingredients?" Now the answer is at your fingertips! Type in what you have to this app and it will search its recipe database for corresponding dishes.

Android:

1. Grocery King 6 Shopping List: This is the best-selling grocery app in Android Market Store. With app you can create multiple lists and organize them to match the aisle layout of the stores you shop in. Our favorite feature is you can compare product prices to other retailers. Simply scan the barcode of the item you are about to purchase, and it will indicate if it is cheaper or more expensive than other retailers.
2. Mint.com Personal Finance: With this app you can easily organize all your finances in one place. It provides you with a look at where you spent your money over the month and helps you come up with a budget. Also, with having it on your mobile device no spending goes unaccounted for.
3. Emergency Panic Button (SOS): Everyone, every age and gender, should have this app. You hope you will never need it, but if you ever find yourself in trouble this app sends a text message and email with your GPS location.
4. Pocket Trainer: This app turns your phone into a personal trainer. It includes both written and video descriptions of how to perform each exercise. What we really love is that it shows you how to do easy exercises using what you have at home.
5. allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner: How many times have you looked in your pantry and thought to yourself, "what in the world can I cook with these ingredients?" Now the answer is at your fingertips! Type in what you have to this app and it will search its recipe database for corresponding dishes.

Most importantly, remember the goal of apps is to help you simplify and organize. You can get bogged down by downloading too many apps and actually defeat the purpose. Make a list of things you would like help with and then narrow it down to categories. Then purchase an app for each category.

We want to hear from you and which electronics you find are the most user-friendly? We want your recommendations.

If you share your user-friendly electronics reviews and recommendations this week you'll be entered for a chance to win one of our 4 giveaway prizes - a gift card to either iTunes or Amazon for Android Market. Submit your favorite electronic product to SheSpeaks Reviews OR add a comment to this blog post by 6pm EST on January 23rd, 2012. You can enter a review AND a comment and you will have two entries to win!

 Prizes*:

*Winners will have a choice of either an iTunes or Amazon for Android Market gift card. 4 winners total.

Apple iTunes $15 App Store Gift Card

Amazon for Android Market Gift Card

The contest starts January 17, 2012 and ends January 23, 2012; at 6:00 p.m. Must be a US resident. No purchase necessary.

GOOD LUCK!