Technology has changed many things about the way we as men go about our lives, including how we interact with the opposite sex. The effusive novel-length love letters our male ancestors once painstakingly scrawled as signals of affection have now given way to instantly transmitted, tipsily mashed 140-character text messages. This means we have fewer words to explain ourselves with and a greater likelihood of botching up what does get sent.

Similarly, the pool of available prospects women have today is now open to any dude with an internet connection, as opposed to just the small collection of eligible bachelors putzing around Main Street. Forget about the benefits of having a former love interest quickly fading out of the picture once they stop visiting the homestead since, thanks to Facebook, women can continue to receive a stream of life updates from any ex if they don’t un-friend them.

While these examples may paint the picture of technology as the ultimate libido killer, the reality is that it can cut both ways. In fact, if you’re smart, advances in instant communication and digital information can serve as the ace up your sleeve for impressing women in ways you never could before. . To prove it, we’ve trawled through countless iPhone applications to select the top 5 that provide you with a leg up for wooing the lady (or ladies) in your life. Remember: Apple’s marketing slogan for the app store does state that “there’s an app for just about anything,” and it wasn’t lying.

5 – TrueFlirt

Though the overall execution of TrueFlirt may be decidedly unmasculine, its goal is not. If you didn’t already guess from the name, TrueFlirt is designed to instigate and encourage flirting between people by allowing users to send virtual gifts that invite users to blow, tap, swipe, pinch, shake, or tilt the phone to play with the message. While a buddy who catches a glimpse of you in the act of TrueFlirting on your phone might be tempted to revoke your dude status, for some reason these fancy interactive, animated text messages inspire responses from women — and that’s all that really matters.

Featuring 10 preinstalled “flirts” comprised of three “playful,” four “romantic” and three “sexy” options, what you choose your flirts to convey is totally up to you. Best of all, if the lady in your sights doesn’t have the app installed, she’ll still receive a text message with a link to a website where she can view the flirt in full. We know it sounds desperate, but in the war of dating, every guy owes it to himself to utilize every weapon at his disposal to win.

4 – AroundMe

If there’s one thing women will always hold in spades compared to men (outside of estrogen), it’s the ability to plan ahead. Though no amount of application creativity can ever make up for this skill gap, using the AroundMe location-based app on the iPhone can really help guys fake it.

Utilizing augmented reality and the iPhone’s map features, AroundMe allows guys to view a variety of critical points of interest nearby such as banks, restaurants, bars, and hotels. This makes figuring out date activities in any given area a snap, even in unfamiliar places. More importantly though, it’s a key tool for avoiding those painfully awkward back-and-forth conversations of “what do you wanna do?” Simply pull up your location, and suggest options based on your date’s preferences to avoid any stalls occurring on an otherwise great date. In other words, it’s a game-changer for extending or continuing a night with any woman looking for an excuse to stay out — and that’s a beautiful thing.

3 – Mixologist

For centuries, alcohol has helped men find the courage to further their romantic goals. Liquid courage today, though, comes in far more varieties and serving options than it used to, making the common male task of getting a woman a drink more complex than just simply grabbing a horn of ale, or a goblet of wine, depending on how you party.

Though truly dedicated Don Juans could take the time to study the art of drink making to prepare for any drink request that may come their way, for the less dedicated there’s always Mixologist. Packed with over 7,900 drink recipes covering some 1,300 ingredients, think of it as holding the collective drinking intelligence of the world’s bar tenders in the palm of your hand. Besides being the best solution around for recalling a drink recipe at a moment’s notice, the app can also provide drink suggestions based on the booze you have on hand, or even on a random basis. So, whether you’re expected to satisfy a date with resolute tastes, or wow her with a totally unexpected concoction based around her poison of choice, Mixologist has you covered.

2 – Little Wingman

Wingmen around the world provide a critical service to their compatriots during their biggest time of need. Great for breaking the ice, distracting unanticipated “grenades” and generally being there to watch your back, every guy could benefit from having the services of a wingman. Though no application can ever really replace the skills of a true friend, the Little Wingman app does provide valuable and hilarious conversation starters for guys with the itch to strike out on their next conquest alone.

After launching the app, users simply select the gender they’d like to speak with, a general area they’d like to comment on, and whether the suggestion should be “safe” or “sexy.” Based on the inputted criteria, Little Wingman then provides a line that should get the words flowing from anyone approached. Whether those words are good or bad, in many ways, boils down to the method of delivery. For those just getting started with it, however, we’d discourage you from starting with “as the official legs inspector this evening, I’m going to have to ask you to remove those tight jeans.” That’s unless you like being slapped.

1 – PinPointsX

You don’t have to be an esteemed sociologist to know that today’s societal standards related to sex have changed. No iPhone application illustrates this point better than PinPointsX, which amounts to having the answers to the final exam handed to you before you even bothered to study.

Designed to enable members to “locate and interact with erotic partners and facilitators in their immediate, changing and real-time location,” this app is the holy grail to one of the male species universally held fantasies. Through GPS and the iPhone’s map application, PinPointsX allows users to view and interact with their own “passion map” based around a current location, which can be filtered and prioritized on virtually any need or desire. If after a quick scan users wish to follow up on a particular mapped out resource, users can schedule or directly interact to facilitate next steps right through the application.

Subsequently, it’s one of the most blunt uses of technology to cater to the male libido that we’ve ever come across. If you do happen to download and open this Pandora’s box, though, be careful that any ladies browsing your phone don’t come across it, since explaining what it does will certainly be awkward. Then again, after successfully using this app a few times, the concept of feeling awkward might just become a thing of the past.