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"The dating arena can be a dangerous place. It's a battleground out there, and you need every tool at your disposal. It's not cheating \u2014 it's just using the resources available to you. \nHere we've hand-picked 10 iPhone apps that will help you navigate the dating minefield and avoid potential disasters.  From asking that special someone out, to knowing what fork to use, to how to make a hasty escape if things don't quite go according to plan, these apps should be part of every dater's arsenal.\n\n1. Awesome Pickup Lines\n\n\n\nTo get to the dating stage you've got to meet someone first. Imagine you've just seen the human of your dreams across the room but your mind's gone utterly blank. There are tons of apps offering pickup lines on the App Store, with some even specializing in pirate, ninja, vampire or robot-themed conversation starters.  But we like the \"Awesome\" offering as it serves up hundreds of tried and tested lines added by users \u2014 you know, real people like you. \nPrice: Free\n\n2. Date Smart\n\n\n\nYou've aced the ask, but now need an amazing date idea to really make that crucial first impression. Based on your location or the input of a zip code, Date Smart will generate tons of ideas for what you could do on your outing. Categories include cultural, outdoors, adventurous, romantic and novel, with \"first date\" options offering suggestions for the yet-to-be-properly-acquainted.\nPrice: $1.99\n\n3. Romantic Recipes For Dinner Dates\n\n\n\nHe/she has just taken you up on your casual suggestion, \"Why not just have dinner at my place?\"  Now, assuming your noodle sandwich special is not going to impress, this app will provide you with particularly romantic dinner recipes, advice on creating a great atmosphere, as well as some random dating tips thrown in, which we're less sure about, such as: \"Women will ask questions about your prospects. Even if they pretend it isn't important, it is\". Price: $2.99\n\n4. Fine Dining Etiquette - Mind Your Manners\n\n\n\nYou may have been dragged up rather than brought up, but your date doesn't have to know this. Remember the scene in Pretty Woman with the silverware confusion? That will never happen to you with this handy app, as it will guide you through the pitfalls and perils of fine dining. There's advice on how to order your meal, and that all-important section on \"napkin usage.\" Good manners are free, you know. Well, technically they're 99 cents if you get them from this app.\nPrice: $0.99\n\n5. Conversation Starter\n\n\n\nWhen the small talk runs out and you're a little tongue-tied from sitting across from such a stunning specimen,  you may need a bit of assistance to keep the conversation moving forward. This app promises provoking, intriguing and challenging conversation starters that you can use to spice up the dialogue. Having topics readily at hand will also stop you from blurting out what should really be a third date revelation (\"Did I mention I collect airline sick bags?\") just to avoid an awkward silence.\nPrice: $0.99\n\n6. AnswerWiki\n\n\n\nEverything's going well, the conversation is flowing, but in your eagerness to match tastes, you've just found yourself agreeing that Bob Dylan is God's gift to music.  It's not technically a lie, as you did own a Bob CD way back when, but the finer points of his huge catalog are lost on you.  This sticky situation calls for AnswerWiki.  Just excuse yourself for some digital brush up.  In minutes you'll be explaining why you've always loved Nashville Skyline, and who knows?  In years to come you could both be laughing about it together.\nPrice: $0.99\n\n7. Excuse Me\n\n\n\n\"Oh really, Robert/Roberta, I had no idea there were so many ways to preserve insects in formaldehyde.  Oh, there's five more methods?  Oh, hang on, my phone, sorry... Hello, what's that? Trapped in a well, you say? I'll be there right away.\"\nFake call apps are a dime a dozen, but this one lets you set a timer, displays the \"slide to answer\" screen and even offers an indistinguishable male or female voice. It's ideal for those times when you absolutely, positively have to leave.\nPrice: $1.99\n\n8. Taxi Magic\n\n\n\nAfter a date's gone well (or if it hasn't, see #7 above) you want to make as smooth an exit as possible in order to maintain the positive impression. Avoid any awkward hanging around on street corners and get you and/or your date safely in a cab faster than you can say \"back to my place for a drink?\" Taxi Magic lets you book a cab with the tap of the iPhone's screen, and offers live updates on where the cab is on a map. \nPrice: Free\n\n9. Cover Up\n\n\n\nYou know how when you first meet someone you pretend you generate no gaseous bodily emissions?  This app will help you keep up that polite pretense. Not to put too fine a point on it, a press of the screen and the app will generate socially acceptable bathroom noises (flushing toilet, running water, hand dryer) to mask any more unpleasant audio. \nPrice: Free $0.99\n\n10. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover\n\n\n\nTo use a cliche, breaking up can indeed be hard to do. If you really can't think of the words, then this app offers you the proverbial 50 to get you out of an unwanted romantic entanglement. With audio clips (so you can hear how bad it sounds aloud, perhaps?) there's letting-them-down-gently lines as well as harsher options, presumably for those that have done you wrong. If you're still indecisive, then the \"random\" feature will present you with one option out of blue. That, or just slip out the back, Jack.\nPrice: $3.99\nMore iPhone resources from Mashable:\n\n- iPhone TV: Top iPhone Apps for Live Streaming Television- Top 10 iPhone Apps as Judged by Mashable Readers- 7 iPhone Apps That Can Save Lives- 5 Must-Have iPhone Apps for Wine Lovers- 20 Creative Apps For Your iPhone\nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, CREATISTA"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2009/12/07/iphone-dating/>