App-y New Year - resolution reinforcement is at hand

It's that time of year again when we make predictable resolutions we will forget by Valentine's Day. (Does anyone even remember what they resolved to do last year?)

With the help of technology, it doesn't have to be that way. Perhaps the mobile device we check 100 times daily can hold the answer to making a change in 2014. (Or, maybe our resolution is to stop wasting time checking that device - there's an app for that, too.)

Here are 10 common resolutions and some innovative solutions to get us to success.

Fooducate. Available for iOS, Android. Cost: free to $14.99. Some of the more useful diet apps track calorie intake, water intake, and exercise each day, with a searchable database and a way to scan food bar codes to bring up nutrition information. Fooducate has all of those features, plus it grades what users eat, with an emphasis on minimally processed foods rich in nutrients and antioxidants. It also has paid versions tailored for gluten-free eaters, those with allergies, one for 10-day weight loss, and other options. www.fooducate.com

Zombies, Run! 2. Available for iOS, Android. Cost: $1.99, $3.99. While there are straightforward apps that offer workout planners, trackers, and exercise demonstrations, there's also Zombies, Run! 2. A game with more than 750,000 players worldwide, it inspires users to run by leveraging possibly the best motivation: fear of zombies. The 5K Training version ($1.99), for beginners, allows users to run to their own music through a zombie apocalypse, which is narrated through recordings and radio messages. The Epic Adventure version has more than 100 such missions. www.zombiesrungame.com

Mindnode. Available for iPhone/iPad and Mac. Cost: $9.99, $19.99, respectively. Mindnode uses brain mapping as a model for visualizing and brainstorming a project or concept. Starting with a central thought (write a book or plan a wedding), then branching off into nodes and marking connections between related nodes (create characters for a plot, make a seating chart), the map can expand infinitely while allowing the core intent to stay in focus. Images and documents can be embedded into the map. It can also be used for to-do lists, note-taking, and team-building. Using iCloud or Dropbox, it's accessible from all devices. www.mindnode.com

LiveStrong MyQuit Coach. Available for iOS. Cost: Free. This app allows users to quit smoking cold turkey or to ease off cigarettes gradually, while tracking progress and rewarding milestones with badges. It also tracks the amount of money saved by not smoking or reducing intake. When cravings hit, the app provides helpful facts ("Smoking affects me and my loved ones") and connects the user to supportive communities on Facebook, Twitter, and Livestrong.com.

Way of Life. Available for iOS. Cost: Free for three habits, $4.99 for unlimited. Way of Life prompts users to enter daily activities, rate them yes or no for good or bad habits, and track them over time. This diary of daily actions highlights which habits are going as planned, which need to be increased, and which need to be curbed. If your bad habit is showing up late for everything - and you can't help yourself - at least the person waiting won't have to worry whether you're stuck in a ditch. Glympse shows the user's exact location in real time. Available for iOS, Android, WinPhone, BlackBerry. Cost: Free. www.glympse.com

Equanimity. Available for iOS. Cost: $4.99. With this meditation-timing app, new or occasional meditators can develop a daily practice. While using an app may seem counterintuitive to getting your om on, this one can help establish and maintain a routine to nurture inner peace and quiet. Users can set desired meditation time and number of intervals, which are indicated by chimes. Users can set daily reminders or get alerts when they miss a sitting, and it charts progress over time, tallying the shortest and longest daily meditations. www.meditate.mx/iphone

Duolingo. Available for iOS, Android. Cost: Free. Named 2013's App of the Year by Apple, Duolingo helps users practice their Spanish, German, English, French, Portuguese, or Italian by asking them to translate text from the Internet. Thus, it also serves as a crowd-sourced translator for Web content. But to users, it's a fun way to learn and practice a foreign language during downtime. Duolingo claims that 34 hours using the app is equivalent to one university semester studying the language. www.duolingo.com

Keep Focus. Available for Android. Cost: Free. Keep Focus allows users to block their most tempting, time-sucking websites and apps, such as Facebook or Reddit, allowing them to focus on the task at hand for a set time period, or at regularly scheduled times. It can also block notifications, phone calls, WiFi, and 3G data.

VolunteerMatch. Available for iOS. Cost: Free. For those who want to help others and don't know where to start, VolunteerMatch is a one-stop shop. Using the resources of parent website VolunteerMatch.org, the app lets the user search local opportunities and narrow the search by types of opportunities, dates, individual or group options, and age range of participants. Plus, it offers virtual volunteering options, which can be done from anywhere. www.volunteermatch.org

Mint. Available for iOS, coming soon for Android. Cost: Free. For those who fear finances - and a retirement that falls far short of needs - Mint helps track spending to reduce categories where money goes to waste. But Level (free, available for iOS and Android) is a real-time money meter that relies on monthly budgets to tell users how much they can spend each day. When they go over or under their daily amount, the rest of the spending for the month adjusts to accommodate. Users also can adjust the monthly budget to include savings - imagine that. www.mint.com, www.levelmoney.com