I admit to being somewhat of a nosy person, and YouTube videos such as Get Ready With Me, What’s in my bag, What’s on my iPhone always ends up with me putting everything away and clicking the “play” button irrespective of how much work I need to get done.
I’m a recent iPhone convert (as of November 2013) – I was a loyal Blackberry user (don’t judge) throughout university mostly because helped me connect with my sections (Hello, BBM groups!). I’m a huge fan of apps for the iPhone – it helps me stay connected, get work done, and overall, keeps me sane during busy days. Here are some of my favourite apps for my phone!
Social Media & Blogging
1. Twitter/Instagram: The standards right? I cannot live without these and I am most active on both platforms. These are the apps that I use most to get news, updates, and stay on top of blog reading as well.
2. Tumblr/Pinterest: There are days when I just want to look at nice pictures for inspiration, and read photo essays as opposed to blog posts. I have an account on both medias, and they are absolutely fantastic when you’re trying pass time.
3. Bloglovin: My morning fix. Great at letting me skim blog posts quickly and stay up-to-date with the latest blog posts.
4. WordPress: I don’t use this to write posts on the go (I don’t have the patience :D) but it is useful to upload media directly from my phone and to quickly skim my drafts prior to posting if I happen to be out and about. The interface is very user-friendly, and easy to use as expected from WordPress. I love that I can access my blog posts on the go.
Shopping
1. Redflagdeals App: If you are Canadian, you want to get this app – it is my number one source to the latest deals/sales/coupons and I can check them when I’m out and about! I love browsing the Hot Deals forum to check out the latest and best bargains around.
2. Sephora The Sephora app doesn’t have the Canadian version, but that’s totally fine because I use it mostly to do price comparisons (see whether it’s worth waiting to go to the States to get my beauty fix or purchase it from the Canadian website). Typically stuff that show up on the Sephora US website (sale or otherwise) eventually show up on the Canadian page too. I typically use this to scout for sale stuff, and OOS products that might eventually come back in stock.
3. Starbucks: I don’t use this often except to check my account balance, and the occasional Starbucks rewards! Starbucks is sneaky in that sense – they give you rewards (50% Espresso/Food, or BOGO Espresso/Food) directly on your account but doesn’t notify you about it. It’s up to you to check your account for the rewards (they expire quickly too!) The rewards are random and can show up at anytime – I am a Gold member and I get a new reward 4x a month.
4. Trend Trunk: I’ve been selling a whole bunch of my old stuff: clothes, shoes, accessories, bags on Trend Trunk. They are a Canadian-based company that acts as a middleman between you and the buyer. I did a quick post about them late last year, and I’ve been quite happy with the service. I’ve been doing a lot of selling (and only purchased once), and so happy to have sold a whole bunch of stuff that would otherwise sit in my closet without any love. This app has one of the worst interfaces I’ve seen but is great at posting on the go, which is what I often do when I don’t feel like using my camera.
Photo Editing
1. Camera+ ($1.99) This is what I mostly use to edit my photos on the iPhone. It’s like the lightweight version of Photoshop but has the most of its capacity such as Colour Balance/Exposure/White balance/brightness/contrast and a whole bunch of filters. The paid version (which I have) is such a great “investment” at ensuring that my pictures on Instagram look great.
2. InstaPicFrame/InstaFrame Free apps that allow me to use all sorts of frames on my pictures so that I can showcase a number of them at once.
3. Aviary/VSCOCam/Repix: Alternatives to Camera+ that are free and equally great at editing photos. Comes with quite an extensive range of filters, and capacity to adjust colour balance, exposure, temperature, and brightness/contrast. Great alternatives to Camera+
Productivity & Fitness
1. Dropbox: Such a lifesaver – backs up my pictures directly onto my account so that I don’t have to worry about accidentally deleting it. Allows me to access all my files quickly too.
2. xe.com My favourite currency converter app.
3. Fongo: Previously known as DellVoice, this app allows you create your own phone number, make calls/receive calls and text for free via Wi-fi (or data if you want). Great for when you’re traveling (I called my family from Paris for free over wi-fi!) It’s also super awesome if you live in multiple cities and need a number for one of them (i.e. I used to live outside of Toronto for school, and anytime I make calls for interview in TO, I would get dinged $0.30/minute, and this alternative number is the perfect alternative to get around that crazy charge!)
Additionally, I used to have this old Telus plan where I had to pay extra for caller ID and voicemail. With Fongo, both are included for free, so it is a great alternative to paying $10+ on those add-ons!
4. Footsteps (Free/$1.99 paid version) A pedometer that tracks how many steps in a day you’ve taken. Very comprehensive as well – allows you to see not only your speed, but average walking speed, distance, duration, and calories. There is a paid version as well which I use since the free one only tracks up to 3000 steps. Allows you to chart and log your walking sessions as well.
Now, it’s your turn to share! What are you favourite iPhone apps?