Free on the Android Market (or available in a for those who prefer to support the developer), Parcels is a solid, simple package tracker with some robust features. Parcels tracks shipments from more than 25 different shippers and delivery services, gives you all the info you'd get from each service's tracking system, and adds a Google Maps layer to let you see where your stuff is.

There's not much to Parcel: Copy a tracking code out of a shipping confirmation notice and paste it into Parcel. Give the shipment a name like "New Shoes" or whatever, and Parcel will store it as a tile in the app's list. Every tracking code gets its own tile, and Parcel automatically colors each tile according to the delivery company (purple for FedEx, blue for On Trac, yellow for DHL, etc.) so you can tell them apart.

For tracking shipped packages, Parcels includes the ability to use a barcode scanner app to capture the tracking number on a packing slip, so you can snap it instead of punching it in.

Even if you don't send and receive as many packages as I do each week, Parcels is a cool app for the holiday season or any other time when you're eagerly awaiting a shipment.