There are thousands of apps on the market, but how do you know which ones to download.  OK, if they're free, just go for it.  But if you're plunking down 99 cents or more each time, well, it may be time for some advice.

April 9, 2012: NBC Washington for iPad  -- Now optimized for iPad, NBC4 Washington app connects you to the top local stories, the latest breaking news and real-time weather and traffic.

November 25, 2011: Love Food Hate Waste -- Turkey and stuffing, and pie, oh my! After the big Thanksgiving chowdown, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself drowning in Thanksgiving leftovers.  Instead of consuming turkey sandwiches for days or dumping food in the trash, spice up leftover meals with the Love Food Hate Waste app. Available for iPhone and Android, you can “throw” leftovers into a virtual blender that produces recipes based on what’s in your fridge.  This way you can enjoy Thanksgiving down to the very last bite.

November 23, 2011: TGI Black Friday -- On your mark, get set, shop! The most wonderful time of year is here, but before you dash off to the mall – make sure your game plan is tight. TGI Black Friday, a free app for iPhone and Android, helps you keep track of all the deals and aggregates the enormous amount of ads from major retailers. With more than 10,000 Black Friday deals, you can browse the most popular, search by store brand or category, plus find out what time doors open. TGI Black Friday also allows users to create shopping lists, which can be emailed to friends and family (or that not-so-secret Santa!)

November 16, 2011: Sting 25 -- Oh, how the years go by. Described as an “appumentary,” Sting 25 celebrates the singer’s 25-year solo career with over four hours of concert footage, interviews, photos, memorabilia and music videos. The dynamic app also features interactive views of his signature instruments, exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, handwritten lyrics and journal entries. Truly an ultimate treasure chest for Sting fans. Available for iPad. 

November 14, 2011: Walmart for iPhone -- Shopping at Walmart just got easier.  With the  holiday season rapidly approaching, the retail giant has released an iPhone app that allows shoppers to browse what's in stock at their local Walmart, gain access to coupons and deals and create voice-activated shopping lists. Plus, you can pull product information – reviews, coupons, and aisle location – directly from the app before you even walk into the store. On a budget? The shopping list tool provides local product pricing, so you’ll know exactly how much your shopping bill is before you even hit the cashier aisle.

November 11, 2011: Houzz -- We can’t all be Nate Berkus, but Houzz will guide you in the right direction for your next decorating project. Complete with over 200,000 interior design photos, you can browse photos by style, room, location and color and then create a virtual idea book for future reference. It’s the easy, digital version of making an inspiration board out of magazine clippings – no glue or paper cuts necessary. Also, users can tap on tags to get where-to-buy information, as well as find local designers, architects and contractors. Available for iPhone and iPad.

November 2, 2011: 7 Billion -- The population of Earth has hit 7 billion human beings, and National Geographic magazine has released an iPhone app that explores various aspects of the growing population.  Focusing not only on population growth, but also what it means to the environment and countries struggling with its changes. The app comes with informative videos, interactive maps, in-depth articles, and amazing photography. For a limited time, 7 Billion is a free app and available for iPad. 

October 28, 2011: ZombieBooth Lite – You don’t have to be a “Thriller” extra to transform into a zombie for the night. Zombie Booth, an app available for both Android and Apple devices, allows you to take any photo and layer on creepy, 3D Zombie features over the face. Your zombie creation will be able to move its head, blink, growl, grunt, and much more. Once in full zombie mode, you can make a video for YouTube, or share photos of your zombie on Facebook, Twitter or email.

Sept. 14, 2011: Dolphin Browser HD --  Already established on the Android platform, Dolphin Browser HD now makes surfing the Web on your iPad easier too. The app lets you navigate the Web by drawing gestures on the screen, as well as provides webzine features (similar to Flipboard) for the iPad.

Sept. 9, 2011: 9/11 Memorial: Past, Present and Future  -- Giving you a history museum in the palm of your hand, the 9/11 Memorial: Past, Present and Future iPad app combines some 400 photos and hours of video clips to provide a moving, interactive presentation of the devastating attacks, plus a look inside the making of the National September 11 Memorial.

Sept. 7, 2011: Trulia Real Estate Search -- Finding a new place to live can be a major pain. Through interactive maps and an extensive listing database, Trulia Real Estate Search aims to make that cumbersome task a little easier. The app pulls up nearby properties for sale or for rent that match your specific set of search criteria such as budget or location. You can also view photos, neighborhood amenties, local pricing trends and more.

Sept. 2, 2011: GateGuru – Called the Yelp for airports, GateGuru helps you make the most of your layover time. Containing searchable directories from 98 U.S. airports and 25 international airports, the app helps you find the nearest ATM, cup of coffee, retail store, restaurant, massage table – basically whatever you may need to ease your airport delay. Location listings also include user reviews and available coupons for vendors. Available for your iPhone and Android.

Aug. 17, 2011: Jamie's Recipes -- What’s for dinner? With Jamie’s Recipes for iPad, it’s hard to go hungry. The amazing cooking app comes complete with free recipes from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, along with videos, easy step-by-step instructions (and photos!) that walk you through each recipe. Gone are the days of burning meals.

Aug. 12, 2011: HowStuffWorks for iPad -- With more than 52,000 videos, podcasts, quizzes, fun facts, famous quotes and more, HowStuffWorks for iPad is an interactive resource that’s perfect for anyone with a thirst for knowledge.

Aug. 10, 2011: Sephora App for iPad -- Including beauty news and trends, expert tips, how-to videos, and social media buzz, the Sephora app proves to be a fully integrated beauty experience. It even turns your iPad screen into a virtual side-by-side mirror and video player, so that you can see your face while watching how-to videos for applying makeup.

Aug. 8, 2011: Editions by AOL -- Feeling like you’re suffering from information overload? Editions by AOL is an iPad magazine app that curates content from thousands of websites, and delivers personalized information once a day based on your interests along with local news, weather, birthday reminders and a handy table of contents. Just think of it as your personal daily cheat sheet.

Aug. 5, 2011: Gender Zoo -- So a guy walks into a bar.  If he used Gender Zoo beforehand, he'd know that there were twice as many guys in there compared to ladies, so his odds of finding a new flame wouldn't be very good.  This male-to-female ratio locator works in real time, so you don't have to waste yours.

Aug. 4, 2011: Ustream for iPad – Optimized for the iPad, Ustream allows you to view live and recorded video, as well as enable you to stream your own Ustream channel directly from your iPad 2.

Aug. 3, 2011: Skype for iPad -- Beautifully designed and optimized for the iPad, bring your Skype contacts closer with full screen video at your fingertips.

Aug. 2, 2011: Jetsetter -- Discover the world’s greatest vacations, hand-picked by experts who’ve been there. Get inspired by amazing high-definition photos and first-hand reviews. Book your trip on your iPad, up to 50% off retail rates.

Aug. 1, 2011: Qwiki -- Qwiki combines thousands of sources to present concise, interactive summaries of millions of people, places and things in an experience optimized for the iPad. Explore topics by searching or browse a worldwide map highlighting landmarks, monuments, cities, towns, and more.

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Madden 25, EA Sports' upcoming football game, is a two-headed monster.

On the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, it's a promise to gamers who stuck with the series and begged for more gameplay options and features. On the Xbox One and Playstation 4, it's a glimpse into the future. With a new gameplay and visual engines and a brand-new step-based locomotion system, Electronic Arts believes the pigskin action will never be the same.

"There's that wow factor when you pick up the controller," said Electronic Arts Football General Manager Cam Weber. "It feels amazing."

A celebration of 25 years of the franchise, EA Sports spent significant time developing a next generation football game they felt would change the genre. On the PS4 and Xbox One, the IGNITE gameplay engine will have approximately 300 "live" characters on both sidelines, reacting to the action, as well as a crowd that looks more "real" than the cardboard cut-outs and static virtual fans gamers of all ages have become accustomed to over the years.

The new True Step Locomotion system also promises a better rushing game. Madden 2013 focused heavily on passing and True Step, combined with the enhanced A.I., makes offensive linemen, as well as defensive players, more aware of the on-field developments. The end result, Weber says, is a more authentic and instinctual game of football, with authentic route running, more realistic downfield blocking and better moving player models.

"Every individual step in our game is calculated," Weber said. "In previous games, there were a lot of looping and repeating running animations, without a lot of fidelity in terms of what each individual step would do. Now, with the power of the new consoles, we can make a lot of calculations with every single frame. There will be a precision to every footstep."

But what about the current consoles? Regardless of the effort the company has put into the next generation version of Madden, EA Sports said all the work on the PS4/Xbox One edition actually helped refine what may be the last hurrah for the series on the PS3 and 360.

Weber said that the run-blocking and locomotion system on the PS3 and 360 will be markedly improved because EA was able to transfer over "tidbits" of the new technology to the current generation version. With those improvements and the new and developed gameplay modes such as the "Connected Franchise" and "Owner Mode," EA Sports is confident they haven't left PS3 and 360 owners out to pasture.

"We wanted to deliver on the promises," said Weber. "We wanted to add all the depth and polish. 25 years of innovation-make Madden 25 the most polished experience we could."

Check out this gameplay video of Madden 25 below:

Madden 25 is scheduled for an August 27 release on the PS3 and 360. No release date has been confirmed for the PS4 and Xbox One versions.

Social media's beloved hashtag is finally coming to Facebook.

While many users are already using hashtags on the site, they served no purpose until Wednesday, when Facebook announced in a blog post that they will be clickable and searchable.

"When you click on a hashtag in Facebook, you'll see a feed of what other people and Pages are saying about that event or topic," wrote Greg Lindley, Facebook's product manager.

The feature will allow users to join in on conversations like #NBAFinals and #NSALeaks.

Facebook has been teasing the feature since March, according to The Wall Street Journal, and it's now joining the list of other social media sites with functional hashtags like Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram, which Facebook purchased in 2012.

As was much anticipated, Google bought the popular Israeli mapping app Waze on Tuesday for an undisclosed sum, according to its blog.

"To help you outsmart traffic, today we're excited to announce we've closed the acquisition of Waze," the blog, written by Geo Vice President Brian McClendon, stated. "This fast-growing community of traffic-obsessed drivers is working together to find the best routes from home to work every day."

A source close to the matter told Reuters that Google reportedly beat out Facebook and Apple to buy the crowd-sourcing app for $1.3 billion.

The Israel-based Waze, which uses GPS data and crowdsourcing to create "social mapping," had been wooed by Apple, Facebook and now Google.

Facebook had been in talks with Waze for six months, supposedly beating out Apple's $500 million offer for the startup.

It was rumored that Apple wanted the mapping startup to beef up its in-house Apple Maps after its previous Apple Maps fiasco. Facebook was reportedly offering $1 billion — the same price given to purchase Instagram — but became entrenched in a bidding war with Google. If the deal goes through, Google obviously outbid its competitors. 

Google celebrated the career of late children's author Maurice Sendak today by turning its homepage into an animated homage of his work.

Featuring characters and scenes from various Sendak stories such as "Where the Wild Things Are," "Bumble-ardy" and "In the Night Kitchen," the doodle quickly became a hit on Twitter:

Loving today's @google tribute to Maurice #Sendak. Perfect way to honor an extraordinary talent.

— Kristie Lanum (@IndieFlixChick) June 10, 2013

What @google did today was perfect.Struck a chord with every computer-using generation.Made us pause.Made us more creative. #sendak

— Liz Range-Pendell(@fonzidropit) June 10, 2013

For the record, this may be my favorite Google Doodle yet. #Sendak google.com

— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) June 10, 2013

Sendak passed away in May 2012, three years after his his magnum opus "Where the Wild Things Are," was turned into a feature film. During his more than half century career in children's literature, Sendak published over 40 stories as both a writer and an illustrator.

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled a new digital radio service and an operating system for the company's mobile devices that he called the biggest change ever to the iPhone.

Developers from 64 countries packed the 24th annual Worldwide Developers Conference Monday morning in San Francisco where Cook introduced the new iOS 7 to gasps in the crowd and an "I love you," shouted after the big reveal.

The new iOS7 system has a new user interface, new features, flat graphics, redesigned icons and a fresh palette of colors, all of which can be displayed on a simplified iPhone and iPad - the most radical design change since the iPhone debuted in 2007.

The operating system also has an AirDrop filesharing system and a new language for gesture interaction, meaning there will be a lot more swiping.

The system was designed by Jony Ive, who said: "We've seen iOS7 as a defining and important new direction and in many ways a beginning."

Cook added that this new operating system is the biggest change since the introduction of the iPhone. The new design will appear on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches this fall, the company said.

The other big announcement of the day was the introduction of iTunes Radio, a Pandora-like Internet radio service that will be built into the Music app. It will run on the new operating system and be free of ads for iTunes Match subscribers.

Cook took a full hour to lead up to the big news of the day. Other updates include including new male and female voices on Siri, Apple's voice command technology, and a new look for the Mac Pro, the company's desk top model, which will launch later this year.

Cook opened the keynote at Moscone Center by talking about the status of Apple's more than 400 retail stores worldwide. He says Apple's newest store is in Berlin, at a century-old building that was one of the city's first theaters.

 MORE: Apple Unveils iOS7, iTunes Radio, New MacBook Air, Mac Pro
 
He also touted Apple's online store, which features 900,000 apps, including 375,000 specifically designed for the iPad.

Cook later introduced a new "Mavericks" operating system - the 10th version - which Wilson Rothman of NBC News said will have "crazy power management" and will sharply reduces battery drain, according to Apple. The system will offer tabs, tagging and multiple displays. It was the first time in a decade that Apple didn't name a system after a big cat. Mavericks is a nod to the undersea rock formation that creates the great surfing in Half Moon Bay.

Cook said the upgrades to the Mac's operating system are important to the company's 5,000-plus developers so they can create and modify their apps with more ease.

Apple has also introduced a new maps app with flyover data, points of interest, which you can send to iPhone with one click.

Cook had previously said the public shouldn't expect new products until the fall. Before the conference, Cook was seen with former vice president Al Gore and the late Steve Job's wife, Laurene Powell Jobs.

The Worldwide Developers Conference runs through Friday.


MORE: Before the conference, some were speculating on what the big news of the day would be.

AP's Anick Jesdanun, NBC Bay Area's Scott Budman, NBC News William Rothman and CNBC's Jon Fortt contributed to this story.

With their reputation confirmed after two of the most critically acclaimed series over the last decade, "Jak and Daxter" and "Uncharted," video game developer Naughty Dog has done the unthinkable.

They've created a completely new genre.

Dubbed a "survival action" game, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based company's newest title, "The Last of Us" is set in a post apocalyptic United States and centers around Joel, a smuggler, and his cargo, a young girl named Ellie who he must transport across the country. After a rare fungal infection kills millions and mutates millions more, militarized zones enforce martial law, making the journey a difficult one.

Trekking through flooded Boston and looking for car parts in Virginia among their myriad of stops, both Ellie and Joel develop a relationship that Naughty Dog says separates the game from other titles.

"Throughout the game, Ellie will interact with the environment and you'll get to watch their relationship grow," Naughty Dog Community Strategist Eric Monacelli said. "This is a complex story and there are a lot of layers. We want people to buy into these characters and hear their story."

While the narrative is a compelling one, the amount of attention to the artificial intelligence is where Naughty Dog thinks the game stands out. Enemies respond to everything from sounds and light. One enemy in particular, The Clicker, an advanced form of the mutated humans, uses echolocation, similar to the way a bat finds its prey. If they "click" and you're in the direction of the shriek, they'll find you. And they will make you pay.

Even on the "easy" setting, "The Last of Us" is a challenge. During a gameplay session last week, Monacelli himself made sure to avoid confronting enemies whenever he had the opportunity.

"We've been working on the A.I. since day one, perfecting and honing it," Monacelli said. "We want it to be a challenge. We want the game to have this unique feel from moment to moment where anything is possible.We feel like we've developed a new genre here.It has elements of survival horror and adventure, but it's unique to itself."

With the promise of additional downloadable content to fill out the massive story, Naughty Dog promises "The Last of Us" will be their "most ambitious game to date. Monacelli said that the average run-through could take over 12-16 hours, but could be much longer after DLCs and more thorough exploration.

"We've been working really hard over the past few months to put as much spit and polish on this game as possible," Monacelli said. "We're known to be perfectionists and we've worked really hard on this. We think we nailed this one."

"The Last of Us" is scheduled for a June 14 release on the Playstation 3.

A tool that lets sexually active people receive and share their STD testing results digitally is now available to junior high and high school students in the Los Angeles School District.

Qpid.me relays STD and HIV test results from a health care provider to the user, who can then choose whether to send that information to a potential partner.

The free service is available to anyone older than 13. It's not a program implemented district wide, but rather is available for health education teachers to use in their curriculum if they choose to, Timothy Kordic, manager of LAUSD’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, told NBC4 Thursday.

“We have a huge epidemic of STDs going on in Los Angeles right now. We know that the people we have to look at and target right now are 13- to 24-year-olds,” Kordic said.

"That’s the group that are increasing their infection rates … and it’s coming from sexual activity,” he added.

Offering a digital tool to tech-savvy students so they can be aware of their sexual health status seemed natural, Kordic said.

“We need to make sure we get as much information to the youth as possible to make sure they make better, healthy decisions,” Kordic said.

Kordic said QpidMe.com was “heavily” vetted to make sure it was appropriate for students as young as those in seventh grade.

If students choose to use the service, they’ll receive two messages – one with their results and another about how to prevent the STDs for which they were tested, among them gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and HIV.

That message will say something to the effect of “be careful. Even though they’ve been tested, they may have had sex since. Make sure you use a condom,” Kordic said.

There’s no way to search for other users’ sexual health status and all of the information comes directly from a health care provider or clinic – it’s never self-reported, Qpid.me founder Ramin Bastani said.

When asked if using his service among high school students may promote sexual activity, he replied: “We’re actually promoting testing.”

NBC4's Kim Baldonado and John Cadiz Klemack contributed to this report.

Facebook made a mea culpa, acknowledging in a blog post that it has "become clear that our systems to identify and remove hate have failed to work as effectively as we would like, particularly around issues of gender-based hate."

On Tuesday, Mark Levine, vice president of global public policy, said the Menlo Park-social media giant announced several steps the company would be taking to monitor and train its teams to review and evaulate hateful speech and harmful content on Facebook sites, while working with legal experts and women's coalitions in taking improper posts down. Early in the day, at least 800 people had "liked" the change.

Facebook's announcement did not specifically mention this month's threats against U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.)  —  which were posted on a military-oriented Facebook page that graphically belittled her and her efforts to stem sexual misconduct in the military. But it did come within the same month that the congresswoman has been quite vocal about military members posting denigrating comments on Facebook.

MORE: U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier Calls on Marines to End Vulgar Facebook Page

Speier is not the only one who has felt denigrated; other feminist groups have wanted to ban Facebook pages and posts that glorify violence against women, too.

Speier was threatened on a Facebook page, littered with comments by some active-duty Marines, shortly after she had sent a letter May 8 to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel informing him of a Facebook page which, according to Speier, helped "contribute to a culture that permits and seems to encourage sexual assault and abuse."

U.S. Capitol Police, who are investigating the threats, have asked Speier and her staff not to divulge the nature of the threat. Facebook has since taken the page down.

In addition, there were photos posted mocking Jewish concentration camp prisoners, African Americans, and President Barack Obama, shown with a rope around his neck. But the Facebook page's primary theme involved deriding women in the military, particularly those within the Marines. The administrator posted pictures titled "this is my rape face," and "I can 'bang' even when I'm not on my back!!" atop the image of a woman holding a gun in her camouflage uniform.

There also was a picture of Speier, photoshopped with a black eye. One poster — whose personal Facebook page lists his occupation as "Military infantry" — wrote of Speier: "I still firmly believe someone needs to struggle snuggle the s*** outta her."

In a brief interview Tuesday at a California restaurant, Speier told NBC Bay Area that the military has a "big job ahead of itself cleaning up a very distorted culture that has been allowed to persist for decades."

Facebook, which also lists its "law enforcement guidelines," has been known to cooperate with police agencies with active investigations that may delve into a suspect's Facebook accounts and activity. To read Facebook's prohibited speech and community standards, click here.

Speier has been actively campaiging for the military to more to crack down on vulgar Facebook pages by its members.In her May 8 letter, also sent to Gen. James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, Speier said it was her "understanding that not only is the Marine Corps Inspector General aware of this page and monitoring it, but they have been doing so for over three years."

MORE: Facebook Shutters Page That Taunted Lawmaker's Push to Curb Military Rape

Speier has authored three bills aimed at transforming the military justice system’s treatment of sexual assault cases. Those include the STOP Act (HR 1593), which seeks to take all cases of sexual assault outside of the chain of command by creating an independent office within the military to handle the reporting, investigation, and prosecution of such crimes. The bipartisan bill has 122 co-sponsors but has not been placed into consideration for a House vote.

NBC Bay Area's Marianne Favro contributed to this report.