Price: $2.99    Score: 8/10     By Anna Papachristos

Packing can often times be a tedious and annoying task.  While the end result means you are set and ready to venture off to your desired destination, the process can be a little stressful as you scramble to make sure all the necessities are accounted for.

Many have a hard enough time planning an outfit a day in advance, let alone being prepared for multiple days (or weeks), which is where Packing Pro by Quinn Genzel comes in.  Essential for anyone who appreciates having enough clean underwear, Packing Pro helps you plan out a well-developed list so you will hopefully leave nothing behind.

As an enhanced version of the Packing app, Packing Pro expands upon the original with its helpful, customizable features designed to take the stress and guess-work out of packing.  Upon start up, users are faced with the main screen labeled as the ‘Packing’ tab.  Here, you can view and edit your lists, view sample lists, create a new list or import and export content.  With twice as many sample lists as the original, Packing Pro’s predefined lists serve as valuable tools that provide ideas and suggestions users may otherwise overlook.

To begin making a new list, simply tap ‘Create New List’ on the home page (packing tab).  Here, users will be able to choose whichever list-making option is perfect for their current needs.  You can import a list that you’ve been sent, create a new list based off a previously existing list, or you may restore a deleted list that is still in the trash.  Users can also create their lists from scratch or based off of one of those many, helpful sample lists.

However, if you really need help, ‘Expert Help’ will aid you in creating a list well suited for your purposes.  Simply enter information such as the number of adults, both male and female, going on the trip, the number of children, how many days you are staying, the temperature and destination specifics, and preferences for food preparation and laundry services.  Packing Pro will then generate a list of items that would typically be found on such a person’s list.  Best of all, when using your list to organize, you can sort what appears by showing all items that have been packed, all that remain unpacked, or both.

With the easy-to-use navigation bar at the bottom of the screen, users have access to all aspects of Packing Pro with the tap of a finger.  Under the ‘Catalog’ tab, users will find a breakdown of all the possible categories they may need to consider while packing for a trip.  From pre-trip To Do tasks and clothing, to toiletries and gadgets, users are sure to have all their bases covered as each list of items is exceptionally extensive.  Users can even expand upon the existing Master Catalog by adding their own items, or by creating their own, new category.

The ‘Design’ tab allows users to customize the appearance of their lists.  Choose from a collection of various themes, layouts, colors and fonts to make your lists attractive and tailored to your specific needs.  If you have any questions about how to use any aspects of Packing Pro, the ‘Help’ tab covers every topic you could possibly imagine, making this single tab just as comprehensive as the entire app itself.

According to the App Store description, both American Express and National Geographic deemed Packing Pro one of the best apps for travelers, which seems quite accurate.  Though Packing Pro may seem a bit daunting at first, the overwhelming feeling only stems from the extensive Master Catalog.  With so many outstanding characteristics, to go into each detail adequately would take more time than downloading Packing Pro and experiencing its ease and convenience for yourself.

Packing Pro requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later and is compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch. A small fee was paid by the developer to expedite the publication of this review.

Price: $1.99    Score: 9/10    By Sarah Parker

For busy people on the go, list keeping iPhone apps are heaven sent. But the holiday season can make gift tracking frustrating if your list app is too complicated. Holiday Gift List, by Mobile Simplified, is an easy to use gift-tracking app that simplifies holiday gift giving.

Holiday Gift List is a straight forward gift list that is very user friendly. The main page has 4 categories: Family, Friends, Work, and Other. Each group allows you to track multiple people and multiple gifts. To add people or change names in each group, simply press the Edit button and make changes. The main screen can be customized to be more simple, showing only the name of the person in each group, or you can use the Details feature to view each person’s gift details from the main screen.

When you have set up the people you want on your gift list, you can then set the budget, and the gifts and prices for each person. To set the price of each gift, just write in the price after the item name in the description. The app will then keep a running tally of how much has been spent on each person.

Another nice feature of Holiday Gift List is the gift wagon icons. When you select “Still Shopping” for a person on your list, the wagon icon appears empty. When you are done buying gifts, check off the gift description and choose the “Finished” option. This will show the wagon icon filled with gifts, and let you know at a glance who still needs gifts and who doesn’t. Do you have snoopy friends or family members who can’t wait until Christmas? Put a lock on your Holiday Gift List by going to your iPhone’s Settings app and creating your 4 number passcode.

Holiday Gift List has a very simple design and intuitive interface, so it is easy to get your gift ideas put into the app without too much hassle. This is great news for busy people who have a lot of gifts to buy. And you can use this app for any holiday, not just Christmas. I like that the user can set a budget for each person and track their spending. This is a great feature, and may even keep post-holiday stress to a minimum.

Holiday Gift List is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch; requires OS 3.0 or later

Price: $3.99     Rating: 8/10     By Anna Papachristos

With so many things on our minds these days, it’s easy to become a little scatterbrained and forget a task or two.  Whether your mind is on the 50 other things you should be doing at any given moment, or you simply forget to write something down, important pieces of information inevitably get lost every day.

Sometimes even jotting things down on a slip of paper doesn’t help.  What if you can’t remember where you put that little piece of paper that had a vital bit of information on it?  List Maker! by List Logic Software, enables you to enter and sort all of those pieces of information floating around into one convenient and organized list app.

With List Maker!, users can arrange anything and everything they need to remember into neatly organized and labeled lists, making all their important reminders accessible at the tap of a finger.  Users are provided with example list templates, such as shopping, to do, homework, workout, passwords, movies, music, wines and gifts.  You can work from the provided fields or create new lists to accommodate your needs.

Under settings, you can enable a password lock to keep others from accessing private information.  List Maker! also allows users to alter the default settings to their liking.  You can edit folder color, turn the check mark and due date options on or off, alter item colors and adjust new item placement.

List Maker! makes managing your lists easy by allowing users to sort folders as if on a computer, as well as color-code them with various customizable specifications.  Other functional highlights include the ability to copy and move items from one list to another, create lists within lists, add photos, email lists and use List Maker! in landscape mode for a larger keyboard.

The comprehensive “Help” tab clears up any potential questions a user may have.  List Logic Software has also already begun working on updates to this already handy app, which includes soon-to-be features such as backup/restore/sync, search and drop-down selections.  Plan on!

*Update 29/10/09. List Maker! has made the New and Noteworthy section in the App Store. New features coming soon too include – Backup/Restore/Sync/Import/Export, Total Row, and Screen orientation lock.

List Maker! requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later and is compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch.