Did you know that smartphones can be sinful and tablets at times are tasty? That’s right, for every fitness app out there that helps you lose weight, and every news app that keeps you more informed, there are alternatives that cater to our less disciplined selves. Whether you are looking for the best cupcake recipe or want to keep up-to-date with all the celebrity news and gossip, there are mobile apps that provide gluttonous and mindless indulgences. Here are five of our favorites.
Food Network Cupcakes! (iPad: $2.99)
This brand new app from The Food Network is exactly what its name suggests, and more. Inspired by the popular show Cupcake Wars, this app showcases more than 100 different types of cupcakes and includes recipes, illustrations and cooking tips. The only pertinent information Food Network Cupcakes! seems to be lacking is (thank goodness!) a calorie count. The app has extensive information about every genre of cupcake from “Go-To” (Vanilla, Chocolate, Marble) to “Cupcakes for Dinner”, which includes recipes for Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes and Corn Dog Cupcakes (a “Blue-ribbon treat”). Food Network Cupcakes! also includes a recipe index where you can choose selections from Food Network personalities like Rachael Ray and Paula Deen. Hungry yet?
TMZ (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android: Free)
Celebrity news is best digested when it’s being delivered by a camera hastily put into a famous person’s face, and that’s why we have the TMZ app. TMZ offers a mix of articles and videos to keep you up-to-date on the latest in famous people. Not only can you watch TMZ TV clips, but you can read recaps of all the relevant award shows. For better and worse, the TMZ app is shameless in its coverage of Hollywood DUIs, drug busts and divorces. TMZ reports on the wash-ups and has-beens with as much enthusiasm as the A-listers, so be prepared for a good dose of smut.
Foodspotting (iPhone, iPod Touch, Android: Free)
Do you like to see food before you eat it? If so, you will love the free foodie heaven app that is Foodspotting. Instead of looking at people’s ranting reviews of local restaurants, you get to view what counts the most, the actual food. Users take photos of what they are about to devour and share with their snaps on Foodspotting. If you love food, this is a must-have app for guilty pleasure time. More interested in sharing libations? Then check out the free See My Drink app, which offers recipes for more than 1,000 different kinds of cocktails.
Punch! Culture Shelf (iPad: Free)
If Mad Magazine were invented in the age of tablet computers, it would probably look and feel a lot like this innovative new application. Rather than copying and pasting a website onto a tablet, Punch! is a satire publication built specifically with the iPad in mind. The app includes hilarious pop culture quizzes and celebrity spoofs. A current feature called “Cabin Pressure – What Happens When Pampered Stars Take Flight” – through a touchscreen Where’s Waldo?-like game – cleverly chronicles episodes like actor Alec Baldwin getting thrown off an American Airlines flight for not turning off his Words with Friends game.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians (iPhone, iPod Touch: Free)
What says gluttony more than a Kardashian with an American Express card? Well, downloading the Keeping Up With the Kardashians app on your iPhone is a good start. If you can’t get enough of the gossip about this Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney, you’ve found your 15-minute guilty pleasure. The photo carousels are also useful in planning a girls’ night out. Think of it as a little guilty inspiration.
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