I’m excited to launch a new topic for the blog today — Stuff I Love! This will have quite a variety of topics from gadgets to gizmos a-plenty! Yes, I just pulled that from the Little Mermaid (favorite Disney movie growing up!). I thought I’d jump right in with my top favorite Apps!
It’s crazy to see how much technology has changed over the years. It seems that with most everything “there’s an app for that!”. I remember the day I got my first smartphone and I was SO pumped to load it up with apps. Today the iPhone is the most popular phone in the world! I actually have two iPhones… yes… two. Hard to keep up with at times — especially when Apple made it super convenient to create an entirely new charger for the iPhone 5. So now I get to lug around two different chargers everywhere… super! I love Siri… we’re best friends. I’m always talking to her whether it’s to write up an email or text, remind me to do something when I get home, set an alarm… she’s great! I’m still getting used to the new i OS7 update… it seems that every time I get used to something… there is another update. I’m not complaining because the update is always more awesome than the last one.
Sorry, I’m rambling… SO! Back to my top fav apps!
Waze. Love this app! One of my girlfriends told me about this app a few months ago. I’m always on the go and when I run into traffic or need to get “the scoop” of what’s up ahead, I open up this baby! Not only does it have a really cute logo — but it’s very helpful too! When you’re on the road you can report a traffic jam, police checking for speeding, accidents, hazards, gas prices, closures, and more! The navigation setup is great too! You can even build a profile and add “friends” so you can see fellow “Wazers” on the road. Best of all… it’s free!
Pandora. I love music! I’m always throwing on my Pandora playlists when I’m at work, on the road, cooking dinner, or just lounging around the house. I have way too many playlists! I joined Pandora One earlier this year and it makes a huge difference! No ads, fewer interruptions, higher quality audio, and more! It’s really cheap to upgrade too and totally worth it. I always make sure to “like” a song when I like it and “dislike” it when I don’t. Disliking a song will never play it again (I think?). At least that’s what I’ve noticed. But remember my post about my top tunes and that I like everything… yeah, I just checked my profile and I have roughly 1,100 songs liked! My favorite playlist lately has been “Laid Back Beach Music” — a mix of Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Bob Marley, etc. Others are Rihanna Radio, 80s Pop, The Beatles, Classic Rock, Jingle Bell Rock (Christmas jams!), Ray Charles, and Summer Oldies.
Key Ring. By far the most convenient app! You know those loyalty cards that bulk up your wallet and you lug them around everywhere?! Well… this app brings em’ all together!! The app is free and you can scan and store all your loyalty cards, enroll in new loyalty programs, and access exclusive coupons and discounts. Genius!
Instagram. SO! You may have seen on my Facebook page last week that I recently joined Instagram. Yes… I’m probably the last person to do so… and I love it! Now don’t make fun of me since I only have a handful of posts but I’m slowing building up. I’m adding a new feature onto my website soon that will have a “Today’s Adventure” section on my “Behind the Lens” page. This will be a fun way for my clients, followers, and prospective clients to see what I’m up to each day while they’re browsing my website. Want to put a big smile on my face?! Follow me 🙂
Sleep Machine. This is a recently purchased app. My husband will tell you that I’m a very light sleeper… particularly when I’m just going to bed or shortly before waking up. Ryan can fall asleep instantly while I lay there most nights building a to-do list in my head of what I need to do the next day. I also have a very keen sense of hearing — if the fan is making a weird noise, the raindrops are dripping too loud on my window sill, the birds are chirping, or if my husband is snoring… I wake up and can’t go back to sleep. This app is a lifesaver! They have a lite version but the purchased version has many more sounds and features to choose from. Aside from your typical sounds of the beach, rain, thunder, trains, and birds… They have some pretty strange ones too — air conditioner, bathroom fan, dishwasher, factory, fireplace crackle, hair dryer, inside car, sprinkler, vacuum cleaner. You can set an alarm and save your favorite sounds on here too.
Sunrise & Set. This one is another that I use often since it’s great for scheduling sessions with my clients. As a natural light photographer, it’s very important that I schedule sessions roughly 2 hours before sunset to ensure that I have enough light to shoot in. This is especially helpful now with the seasons changing to know exactly when the sun goes down 🙂
PicFrame. Love this one! I’m always snapping pics with my iPhone. This is a free app that is great for putting my images into a fun collage. From there I’ll post via Facebook and Instagram 🙂
Shazam. This is a great one! You know when you’re out and you hear a song that you love and you don’t know what the title is?? This happens to me all the time… so now I can whip out this app and it tells me within seconds what the song is! I’ll sometimes then take a screenshot of my phone so I can save the song title and download it later via iTunes.
Love this! And I am apparently WAY behind in technology! Super cool apps, I’ll have to get more savvy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
[…] Ring: I’ve blogged about this app before (read it here) and it’s worth mentioning again. How many of you moms out there have a bulky/heavy wallet […]