With so many exercise programs and related apps geared towards experienced athletes looking for an edge, it's nice to find a clean, simple, well-thought-out app for the beginner in need of motivation. The Couch-to-5K app takes the exercise novice by the hand and leads him/her from their living room sofa to the finish line of their very first 5K race. The training workouts are layered and varied, allowing users to spice up runs with music and chart their routes via GPS to track distance and pace. A seamless integration with social media allows participants to share progress and encourage each other through Twitter and Facebook. And the app incorporates three different personal trainers (lithe ladies Constance & Billie, and no-nonsense Sergeant Block), each with their own motivational messages and advice. The trainers slowly increase the difficulty of the workouts as the runner progresses. Individual training sessions last roughly 30 minutes, and the recommended program is three times a week for a total of nine weeks. As a neat bonus, after users complete the program, they're eligible to receive discounts off select 5K race registrations in their area which they can conveniently register for through the app. Cheers to Couch-to-5K for removing every roadblock from getting in shape!

It's hard to believe that Viddy has only been available in the iTunes store for a little over four months. In that time more than 750,000 people have downloaded the slick app that is essentially a video form of micro blogging on a mobile app platform. More than an app, Viddy is also social Web site Viddy.com, where Viddyers and their followers can see, share and like each other's videos. But the heart of the whole Viddy experience is this marvelous little app. Viddy let's you shoot video and share it. Tap the share button and you're immediately presented with a host of options including Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. You can also upload the video to your Viddy account. Much like Twitter limits posts to under 140 characters, so Viddy videos are limited to under 15 seconds. The app let's you post as is, or style your video with a host of themes, such as "Retro" and "3D," with music to match. The themes are impressively professional looking and easy to apply. And they do add that something extra: A video showing the vapid questioning stares of unsuspecting co-workers was amusing enough, but after run through the "Junkd" filter it was actually whimsical and funny. You can also import video shot on the iPhone camera, or videos edited in other apps such as Adobe's PhotoShop app. One of the best features is that the app knows when to to stop recording so videos are never more than 15 seconds long. It's easy to see how this app might lead to yet another interesting variant form of storytelling. What can you film in 10 to 15 seconds? Viddyers are testing those limits for sure. As I skimmed through the video snippets posted by a young woman I had randomly chosen to follow, I became aware of a fascinating, sometimes choppy, montage-like portrait she -- whether wittingly or not -- was painting of herself and her life. Goofy song parodies, random observations and pranks played on friends, combined with her infectious laugh, made for a moving picture of "TaylorMaylor." Viddy is quite simply, Twitter for the mobile video age.

Our very first Featured app is the 2011 Appy Awards winner, and our personal favorite - Newsy for iPad. There are many other contenders in the world of news aggregation apps, but this one is very different and yet familiar at the same time. Like news analysis and clipping services in days of yore, Newsy takes a curated approach to presenting news videos on the iPad. Topical reports from multiple news outlets are accessed and analyzed, compared and delivered in two-minute video segments. Users can filter videos and create personalized playlists, as well as rate, comment on and share videos via Twitter, Facebook and email, even access source links in transcripts. True to the app's name, Newsy is not a new aggregator, but a news analyzer. Try Newsy now for free via App Store.

We mean that literally. No matter what time of day or what time of year, the door is always open here at the Appy Awards to accept entries in all categories. If you've made a great app, and you know it deserves the industry's coolest recognition, there's no need to wait. Enter it today to win your Appy! The next exciting Gala Reception & Appy Awards Ceremony will take place on March 21st 2012, and all entries submitted before February 8th will save 20%. Stop by our Deadlines and Fees pages for more details. Find out how your entry submission can be completely free, and save even more with our Appy Referral Program. Any entry you submit today will be eligible to win an Appy Award on March 21st, and may also be selected as our "Featured App of the Week", scoring you some seriously instant gratification.