Staying informed on the tournament results is a top priority for many sports fans this year – even during work hours, according to a recent MSN survey. In fact, 86 percent of survey respondents said they plan to devote at least some time during their work day to follow the games, with more than half (56 percent) planning to dedicate at least one hour of work during the first two days of the tournament to watching games, getting updates or following scores. With 67 total games and teams from four regions participating in the annual tournament – there is a lot to keep track of. To get a one-stop view of breaking trends from across the Web, what people are saying about the teams and why it matters, including the most interesting conversations happening on Facebook and Twitter – visit msnNOW.

While the weeks surrounding this tournament might not allow March to be the most productive work month of the year, it sure does make for some exciting competition. If watching the tournament is high on your priority list, MSN’s lifestyle expert Karin Muskopf has tips on how you can best embrace college basketball’s most exciting month of the year.

* Put your money where your mouth is. 2012 could be your year to win the office betting pool – while 42 percent of respondents said they won’t be entering any betting pools this year, this only increases your chances of winning. Do your research, place your bets and use your winnings to buy a ticket to next year’s championship game.

* Embrace technology. There are so many options to help you stay on top of the tournament, ensuring you don’t miss a minute of basketball this March. For example, msnNOW taps into conversations happening on Facebook, Twitter, Breakingnews.com and Bing, giving you instant and anywhere access to the real-time buzz on the latest odds, player injuries or expert commentary. It’s never been easier to stay up to date at home, on the go, or at the office – you just might want to make sure your boss doesn’t catch you checking scores during your afternoon staff meeting unless he or she is a fan as well.

* Have some fun. The tournament falls right in the middle of the winter lull – the holidays have passed and summer is still too far away to start the countdown, so why not use it as an excuse to throw a party and cheer up your friends. Encourage guests to wear their favorite team’s jersey, serve game day food and cue up the ESPN “Jock Jams” playlist during commercial breaks so that even those less interested in the outcome of the games can enjoy themselves.

“For our party this year, we’re sending out tournament brackets as our invitations so our guests can fill them out before they come and we can kick things off right away,” says Muskopf. “A little friendly competition keeps things interesting and adds to the excitement of the party.”

* Involve your partner. As the biggest event in NCAA basketball, the tournament isn’t just for the boys. Invite your loved one, roommate, friends, or a date to watch the games with you. Keeping your significant other informed of the latest tournament favorites, winners and losers will help them get invested in the outcome – and might even allow you to rule the remote all month. According to the survey, most people don’t want to watch the games alone. When given a choice of sitting alongside celebrities Ashley Judd, Matthew McConaughey, Condoleezza Rice, Paul Rudd, or Barack and Michelle Obama, the majority of respondents (42 percent) stated a preference for sharing courtside seats with Ashley Judd. Whether you’re sitting next to Ashley Judd or your spouse, the games are better together!

To see the most up-to-date basketball tournament conversations happening on Facebook, Twitter, Breakingnews.com and Bing, visit msnNOW.

USA Today 24/7 Free App Edition – What’s new in version 1.0.1

- Article text size is now adjustable
- Article images can now be enlarged and include captions and credits
- Health subsection has been moved to the News section
- Various visual design updates
- Various bug fixes and stability improvements

Enjoy USA TODAY with an all new look and feel, optimized for the Kindle Fire

Browse through the latest USA TODAY headlines across News, Money, Sports, Life, YourLife, Tech, and Travel sections

Get updated headlines 24/7 and share stories via e-mail, Twitter, or Facebook

View beautiful photo galleries, including The Day in Pictures, Day in Sports, and Day in Celebrities

Access the USA TODAY Opinion section and editorial cartoon gallery

Product Description

Introducing USA TODAY for Kindle Fire!

• An all new look and feel optimized for the Kindle Fire

• Browse through the latest USA TODAY headlines across News, Money, Sports, Life, YourLife, Tech, and Travel sections–headlines are updated 24/7 and stories can be shared via e-mail, Twitter, or Facebook

• Enjoy beautiful photo galleries, including The Day in Pictures, Day in Sports, and Day in Celebrities–flip through the day’s best photos or play them back as a slideshow and share your favorite ones with friends via e-mail

• Access the USA TODAY Opinion section and editorial cartoon gallery

See larger image USA Today 24/7 Free App Edition (App) List Price: $0.00 USD New From: $0.00 In Stock Release date December 20, 2011.

The sync button syncs clock time to always-current iPhone time settings in seconds , and charges and plays iPhone or iPod while docked.

Dual alarm with weekday or weekend 7.5.2 settings that allow you to set alarms for a full week, work week.

Or weekend with separate wake times or alarm sources to suit your lifestyle , plus programmable snooze time.

Customize and update your iA9 with advanced iHome apps by using the free iHome and Sleep app to tailor your alarm.

The iA9 is an innovative clock radio for iPhone and iPod designed to take advantage of our iHome and Sleep and iHome and Radio apps. The iA9 allows you to wake to custom iPod or iPhone playlist at different times on different days with our 7-5-2 feature, and to set custom alarms with the iHome and Sleep app. The iA9 also includes AM or FM presets, international radio band select, EQ controls and 3D sound and Reson8 sound technology for an exceptional audio experience.

See larger image iHome iA9BZC App-Enhanced Dual Alarm Clock Radio for iPhone/iPod with AM/FM presets (Black) (Electronics) List Price: $89.99 USD New From: $66.25 In Stock Used from: $65.00 In Stock

Get Yelping

If you’re an experienced Yelper, you’ll start by signing in to your free account. This is how you connect with your Yelp friends and personalize your mobile experience. If you don’t have a Yelp account, you can still access the app’s main features easily.

After opening the app, you’re directed to a home page that features a search bar at the top and a series of icons below. Jump right in by entering a term in the search bar (from a general term like “music store” to a specific business’s name) or touch an icon for more specific functions. Each icon represents a different Yelp feature, and it’s easy to find your way through them.

The “Nearby” feature detects points of interest near your current location. You can choose from a list of options to narrow down your search (including Restaurants, Bars, Banks & Credit Unions, Gas & Service Stations, and many others) or choose the “Everything” option. Based on what you’re seeking, a list of nearby spots will appear and you can touch any listing to read reviews, get directions, and more.

If you’re signed into your Yelp account, you can use the “Check-Ins” function to see where your friends are hanging out. You can check yourself in to a location as well by touching a button on a specific Yelp listing’s page.

A truly innovative feature of this app is “Monocle,” a camera-like function that uses your phone’s viewfinder to identify nearby destinations. Just touch the Monocle icon, point your phone in any direction, and look at the screen. If a place nearby has a Yelp listing, a link will pop up: just touch the link to read the destination’s listing.

The Listings

When you open a business’s listing on Yelp, whether a restaurant, clothing store, or dentist’s office, you’ll see a layout similar to Yelp’s standard Web version. There’s an overall rating (0 – 5 stars), the distance from your current location, the business’s hours and contact information, and links to reviews by other Yelpers. You’ll also find a few options that you can select to contribute to the Yelp listing or personalize your account.

If you touch “Add Tip,” you can write a very brief blurb to help other Yelpers–perhaps something like “Try the vegan mac and cheese” or “Gets crowded after 9.”

Touching “Add Photo” gives you the option to take a new photo of the business or choose an existing photo already on your device, then upload it directly to the business’s Yelp listing.

The “Check In” button allows you to tell your friends where you are. You can choose to alert only your Yelp friends, or share the information on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Choosing “Draft Review” takes you to a page where you can rate your experience and write a rough draft of a review to be posted on Yelp. (You’ll need to wait until you can access the main Yelp website online–not through this app–to actually post the review online. This restriction is intended to prevent subpar on-the-fly reviews that could read like “if ur @ jacks bistro, try the cfood. Its gr8!”.)

To help beat the winter blues, Hilton HHonors, the loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s 10 distinct hotel brands, commissioned a study conducted by Sperling’s BestPlaces to identify the happiest U.S. cities to travel to during the winter months. The destinations were judged according to annual number of sunny days, average winter temperatures, number of restaurants, number of cultural institutions, number of bars, lounges and nightclubs, and number of ice cream shops. Rankings from the study, as selected by Sperling’s BestPlaces, are as follows:

Happiest cities to visit in the U.S.

1. Tucson, Ariz. – With 286 annual sunny days, 39 golf courses and above average temperatures, Tucson stands out as the top U.S. winter destination.

2. St. Petersburg, Fla. – Fort De Soto Park, home of “America’s Top Beach” for its seven miles of waterfront, is just a short drive away from this winter hotspot.

3. Charleston, S.C. – Its blend of history, southern charm, and mid-60s winter temperatures makes Charleston an ideal place to get your hospitality fix.

4. Napa-Sonoma, Calif. – As the off-season for Napa and Sonoma, travelers can still enjoy the 452 wineries, blooming mustard fields and temperate weather in both of these cities.

5. Seattle – Forget the rain. Seattle provides the highest concentration of coffee shops in the U.S. (612), 26 major museums, and offers some of the best music and food in the country. Just remember an umbrella.

6. Los Angeles – With its warm, sunny weather (284 days a year), there’s a reason this cultural empire includes nearly 200 ice cream shops where vacationers can cool down. Possible celebrity sightings don’t hurt either.

7. Palm Springs, Calif. – Hollywood’s former playground has plenty of luxurious desert architecture tours to keep vacationers active when they aren’t relaxing at the spa.

8. Washington, D.C. – Fewer crowds visit America’s capital in the winter, giving vacationers little waiting time between the 23 national monuments and dozens of restaurant stops.

9. Las Vegas – The winner for most sunny days (294), Las Vegas’ weather is more comfortable in the winter and the city’s 120-plus casinos and countless shows keep visitors both entertained and happy.

10. Houston – For a southwestern destination with good drinks and good eats, look to Houston and its more than 2,100 bars, 5,123 restaurants – and for an added “kick” – 12 custom boot makers.

“Research shows that the anticipation and savoring that comes from an upcoming vacation often increases a person’s level of happiness,” says Coget. “In fact, spending money on other people and experiences, versus material objects, boosts personal contentment – and travel is a great time to do that.”

Providing travelers with extra incentive to book a trip now, Hilton HHonors is offering its “More Points” promotion, which gives members a chance to earn 1,000 Bonus Points per night plus an additional 5,000 Bonus Points for every two-night weekend stay at participating properties. For more information, visit www.HHonors.com/MorePoints.

Cracking the cholesterol myth

Enjoying an egg a day as part of a healthy diet balanced with fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, falls well within current cholesterol guidelines. In fact, according to USDA data, one large egg is 14 percent lower in cholesterol than previously recorded, down from 212 mg to 185 mg, and is also 64 percent higher in vitamin D, with 41 IU per large egg. Moreover, one large egg contains six grams of high-quality protein and 13 essential nutrients for 70 calories.

“Research shows that saturated fat may be more likely to raise a person’s blood cholesterol than dietary cholesterol,” says Neva Cochran, registered dietitian, nutrition writer and researcher for Woman’s World Magazine. “Eating a balanced breakfast with high-quality protein foods like eggs, along with other nutrient-rich foods like fruit and whole grains, is the best way to start the day. Unlike sugary foods, eggs have no simple sugars and contain no carbs, providing steady and sustained energy.”

Additionally, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognize eggs as a nutrient dense food and state that the consumption of one egg per day is not associated with risk of coronary heart disease or stroke in healthy adults. And, eggs provide high-quality protein that helps build muscles and increases satiety for all-day energy, which can help maintain a healthy weight, an important factor in promoting overall health.

Incredible egg benefits

Cochran also points out that at an average of 15 cents a piece, eggs are an affordable, versatile, nutrient powerhouse that contribute to a healthy diet in many ways:

* Breakfast boosters: Research shows that eating high-quality protein foods for breakfast, like eggs, can help increase satiety, maintain long-lasting energy and improve cognitive skills like memory recall time.

* Sunshine supplement: Eggs are one of the few foods that are a naturally good source of vitamin D, meaning that one egg provides at least 10 percent of the recommended daily allowance. Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption, helping to form and maintain strong bones.

* Weight-loss companion: Research shows that eating eggs for breakfast can help overweight dieters lose more weight, lower their body mass index and shrink their waist more than eating a bagel of equal calories for breakfast.

Eggs are easy

Adding eggs to your breakfast routine can be easy, even on busy weekday mornings. Whether you’re craving scrambled eggs, an omelet or an egg sandwich, microwaves can be an incredible time-saving tool, so you can start every day with a nutritious breakfast. Try this quick and easy recipe next time you’re in a rush:

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients:

1 flour tortilla (6-inch)

1 egg

1 tablespoon shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 tablespoon salsa

Directions:

1. Line 2-cup microwave-safe cereal bowl with microwave-safe paper towel. Press tortilla into bowl. Break egg into center of tortilla. Beat egg gently with a fork until blended, being careful not to tear tortilla.

2. Microwave on high 30 seconds; stir. Microwave until egg is almost set, 15 to 30 seconds longer.

3. Remove tortilla with paper towel liner from bowl to flat surface. Top egg with cheese and salsa. Fold bottom of tortilla over egg, then fold in sides.

For more information on the nutrition benefits of eggs or recipe ideas, visit www.eggnutritioncenter.org  or www.IncredibleEgg.org, “Like” the Incredible Edible Egg on Facebook or follow &#64IncredibleEggs on Twitter.