Hi it’s me Darla and I will admit I am a technology junkie! I will spend hours combing the web to find interesting things or trends going on in the world of technology. When I have a computer problem, I turn to google and hunt for a solution. When I got a nasty virus on my computer, I again turned to the web for answers. So it seemed quite natural when it was time for me to upgrade my cell phone, I turned to the web to find out what phone – android or Iphone – would best serve my needs. After a great deal of research, I decided to go with an Iphone and was so excited when I received my phone after Christmas. Having had an android phone for 2 years – I was already accustomed to having plenty of apps to make my life a little easier and so it was my hope I could find the same alternatives on the Iphone. I was definitely not disappointed with all the different apps out there but feeling a sense of uncertainty on what might be best for my needs – I again turned to the trusty ole web for suggestions! Here are a few apps that I found to help make your life a little easier or at least a little more entertaining!

Camera +

My android phone had a terrible camera and I was super excited to have a phone that might be able to take photos on the fly. Camera + is a great photo app that allows you to edit, crop and add special effects to your photo. You can also use it to post to facebook, email or text it to a friend. I have to admit I am eager to play more with it but am seriously happy using it over the stock camera app on the phone.

Mspot Music

My daughters have an extensive music catalog on their Itunes account but did not want to transfer all these songs to their phone and thereby take up precious storage that they may want for something else. So we searched around and found this awesome app that scans your Itunes library and stores it in a “cloud” for you to stream on your phone whenever you want. You can choose to upload your entire library or there is an option to select only certain songs for the account. You will need to download the app on your main computer that houses your music library and then add it also to your Iphone or Ipad and sign in and your music automatically appears. We tested the streaming for a week or two and have not been disappointed with the service. Personally, this is what the Icloud feature should be but isn’t. Thank goodness someone had the sense to create this as it has made my little one a very happy kid!

Movies

I had this app on my android phone and was so happy to see it was available also on the Iphone. The app lists all the movie theaters in your area along with movie times, ratings and reviews. There are also some trailers that help make the time go faster when your child is bored. Another neat feature of this app is that it has partnered with Ultraviolet – a service that allows you to play back DVD movies you have purchased on your Ipad, Iphone or android device. You just enter the codes that come with your movie and it uploads to your movie (Flixster) account for you to view anytime you want. As you can see from above, my little one has added Harry Potter and Dolphin Tales to our movie list to watch when we are on the road a long time!

Pinterest

Ok I was really excited to get the Pinterest app for my Iphone! I love pinning new recipes, craft ideas for my girl scout troop or new hair dos for the girls and now I can do this while waiting for my kids or at the doctor’s office. What is even better is now that the SSD Portfolio challenge has its own board – I can peek at the various challenges and come up with ideas offline on what page I might create! I will admit since I got the app for my phone I have become of a pinning junkie….but justify my little addiction when I see how happy my family is with some of the ideas and recipes I have shared with them!

Scramble With Friends

Ok I am a huge Words with Friends fan and was so excited to see that Zynga has released another new app called Scramble with Friends on the Iphone. On my android phone, I used to play Wordroid all the time and this is similar to that. There are four rows of letters and the challenge is to find as many word as you can in 2 minutes and hope that you find more than your opponent! I have to laugh at how competitive my daughters and I have become just playing this game the last 2 weeks. Someone is always gently reminding you to check your phone because you have a game to play lol!

Tiny Towers

Tiny Towers is a cute featured app I found where the concept is to earn enough money to build a tower of various floors that house different kind of businesses or people called blitzens. The game syncs with your game center account and you can see the towers that your other friends are also creating. Right now, my daughter and I are in a match to see who can have most floors…and sadly she is winning – for now! 🙂

Waze

Living in Southern California and driving the freeways here – you cannot be without a proper navigation app. I had an awesome one on my android phone and was definitely disappointed in the stock one on the Iphone. Then I stumbled upon a cute little app called Waze. It gives you the traffic view of the freeway and also updates if there are accidents or problems ahead on your route. The unique feature about this app is that the updates are by other people in traffic using the same app. You get points for alerting others to traffic conditions or accidents similar to a game type app. I love that it gives you alternative routes when traffic is bad and also gives you the time that you will arrive at your destination. There may be a better app out there – but I really love the fun graphics that helps relieve the stress of driving the Southern California freeways!

Kindle

I love to read and do own a kindle so this app was a natural choice for my Iphone! I often on the run and there have been times in which I forgot my kindle at home or in my purse and having it on my phone allows me the freedom to read when I can. It is not unusual for me to whip out my phone when I am waiting in a long grocery or store line. I love how it syncs with my kindle so I never have to worry about where I was last and of course, all the books I own are stored in the archive for future use.

Instagram

Instagram is another camera phone app that I love. The app allows you to take a photo and then offers some really cool filters to enhance your photo. You can then update your photo to an account you create to share with all your friends and family! You can “follow” your friends and various media outlets, and if they follow you back your shared shots appear on the feed for everyone’s viewing and commenting pleasure.

These are just a few apps that I love but there are so many more out there – for the music lovers, TuneIn Radio and Pandora are great to have. For games, Angry Birds and Words For Friends are a must! For the Disney fanatics – Mousewait is a must to navigate your way through Disneyland and California Adventure. The developer makes one also for Walt Disney World that is something you will find especially helpful on your magical vacation! Open Table helps you find reservations for local restaurants in your area while Yelp helps you find things to do wherever you might be. There are banking apps and store apps to help you pay bills, transfer money or spend money while on the go. There is even a Directv app that allows you the opportunity to record a show on your TIVO box that you might have wanted to watch and forgot to record when you were home. Photoshop Express is a mini version of photoshop to edit and enhance your photos. In a nutshell, there is so much out there that I could not cover it all here but if you are in doubt, go to the web and do a search – you might be surprised at all the wonderful apps you find that you can not live without! Have fun searching! 🙂