Free Apps

Yahoo Sports version 5.0 now features a GIF creation tool for sports fans. Users can create their own animated GIFs or "Yahoo Loops" by adding their own captions, effects and comments to memorable sports moments. The Loops can then be shared with family, friends or other sports fans via Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, text and email.

Yahoo Sports version 5.0 also brings a new "clean" iOS 7 redesign, new team / player pages, a new football scores, plus more. Yahoo Sports is free to download for all iOS devices running iOS 7 or later, but the new Loop feature is only available on the iPhone.

If you're always forgetting important events like birthdays and holidays CleverCards is the app for you. The free app easily syncs to your Facebook friends list so you'll never miss another birthday notification. It is also the perfect tool for lazy or busy people who don't want to go through the trouble of buying a card or using a third-party website to create an eCard. All you have to do is sync your friends list, then add those few annoying people like Grandma who don't have a Facebook account, and you're ready to go.

Once set up, the app will send your push notifications for every birthday listed on Facebook or that you manually added. You can then use the service to send a traditional printed card via snail mail for around $3, or send an eCard through Facebook, email or SMS for free.

Creating a card is easy and it doesn't take much time to complete and send. The best feature of the app is that it helps you avoid trips to the post office if you want to send a physical card. You can also pull images from your loved one's Facebook page, use pictures from your Photo app or take a new photo using your device's built-in camera to customize your gift.

Apple is continuing the holiday spirit by kicking off its 12 Days of Gifts event in the U.S. for the first time. The 12 Days app is available for free to iOS 7 users in the App Store. The app allows users to download one free gift a day, beginning December 26 to January 6.

Apple kicked off Day 1 by offering a free download of Justin Timberlake's iTunes Festival EP. The EP includes live recordings of "SexyBack” and "Take Back the Night,” and two live videos, “True Blood” and “TKO.” The free download will only last 24 hours before it will be replaced by another gift.

You can now track Santa on any iOS device thanks to the free NORAD Tracks Santa app. NORAD began keeping track of Santa's Christmas route in 1958, when it it took over from its predecessor CONAD who began the tradition in 1955. The NORAD app allows families to easily keep track of Santa Claus as he delivers presents all over the world.

The NORAD Tracks Santa app includes all kinds of history and facts about Santa. For example, according to the "Secret Santa Files," Santa usually begins his trip at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west before finishing up in South America. The app also features videos and an elf video game for children to play.

The Google Glass companion app MyGlass was briefly released for iOS devices on Tuesday, but it was mysteriously pulled a few hours later. Google eventually told The Verge it was removed so it could be re-released to "coincide with the latest monthly software update". MyGlass was originally only available on Android devices, and this was the first time it had been offered to iOS users.

The app allowed Google Glass owners to manage their device and get navigation directions from their iPhone. It also gave iPhone owners the ability to stream what they were seeing on Glass to their device's display.