9 Useful iPhone Apps To Tide You Through The Lunar New Year

January 2011, Singapore – Are you ready to welcome the Year of the Rabbit? Here are 9 useful iPhone Apps that we feel will tide you through this festive season.

Funny and Quirky Festive Greetings

Festive Cam (free)– With this app, all you need to do is snap a picture of yourself or your family and friends.  Customize these photos with fun Lunar New Year decorations and festive traditions.  And Walah!!! Your homemade festive greeting is now ready to be shared with your family and friends via MMS, Facebook or Twitter. This fun app makes a perfect icebreaker at reunion dinners and gatherings. Click here to download

For those who are not fluent with Mandarin

Mandarin – New Year (99cts)– “Gong Xi Fa Cai”, “Xin Nien Kuai Le” these are the common festive greetings people traditionally utter at house visit during Chinese New Year.  Be different this year and impress your relatives and friends. This app will give you a variety of greetings and all you need to do is click on it and there will be voice playback to teach how to pronounce it correctly. *Note this app is in full Chinese only. Click here to download

Keep the kids (and you) occupied

Festa Feast (free)– Teach the kids about the Chinese festivals and culture with this app. The kids will definitely love the interface and graphics. Let them do some reading and explore the many years of Chinese culture with games while you mingle with your relatives and friends. Click here to download

GongXi (free)– Lighting firecrackers is an old tradition during Chinese New Year which is unfortunately not allowed in Singapore for safety reasons. Here’s a fun and safe replacement to show off to the kids that can keep the tradition going. Just shake your iPhone as vigorously as you can! The longer and harder you shake, the more firecrackers go off! Click here to download

MotionX Dice (free)– Bored and sitting around the coffee table because the mahjong table is full? All you need is ask those who not at the mahjong table to download this free app, you will be ready to start an old school & fun game of Liar’s Dice (click to find out how to play). There’s no limit to number of players for this game.  It is only limited by the number of iPhones you have to spare. Click here to download

Coin Dozer – Asian New Year (free)– Fans of Coin Dozer & Cookie Dozer, don’t miss out Asian New Year version! In this version, they have new collectibles like the Golden Bunny, Fortune Kitty, Dragons and many more for you to collect. So if you are bored and are the anti-social type during gatherings, this app will help you fill the spare time. Click here to download

Having trouble finding your way?  Running out of cash?

gothere.sg ($2.99)– This app may be an expensive, but it is definitely worth every cent.  The last thing you want during this festive season is to get lost and not be able to keep up with your super packed itinerary, be it for house visits or for that card game that your lucky streak is going to win you a fortune. Gothere.sg will give you directions for bus, train, taxi or driving from point A to point B anywhere in Singapore. It also gives you the estimated time of arrival and calculates fares for public transport. Furthermore this app will also provide you with a list of useful amenities and businesses around your location.  You will know where to find the nearest ATM when you need that cash to fill for your ANG PAOs (red packets). Click here to download

Tracking your expenses

Expenditure ($1.99)– Bills for reunion & gathering dinners can pile up.  You will find this app useful to help you keep track of how much you have spent or “earned” (if you are still single and eligible to receive red packets) during this festive season.  You would want to know how much you have spent on red packets or how many jars of beer you have bought for this joyous occasion. Effortlessly add a new transaction, attach a note or a photo and save it with just a few taps. Expenditure will help you keep track of all these expenses and make sure you do not overspend. Click here to download

2011 Chinese Horoscope ($1.99)– To usher in the Year of the Rabbit, this app gives you a  general forecast of the year using Chinese Astrology and provides you with the daily and trimester forecast.  May these Zodiac forecasts give you a joyous and prosperous year ahead.    Click here to download