Money Fix: Holiday bargains? There's an app . . .

As consumers start revving up for holiday shopping, smartphone users who have not already given the mobile shopping approach a whirl might want to check out a few apps that could help with research and bargains.

Last year at holiday time, more than 25 percent of smartphone users polled said they expected to make a purchase from those mobile devices, according to the National Retail Federation.

For newbies, she says Foursquare is a good social site (with mobile apps) to begin with. Besides those badges and mayorships, it features "radar"-type alerts that "notify you when you are near a Foursquare check-in deal," she says.