My smart phone is on my body at all times. I honestly cannot imagine having to function without it. {Que the “First World Problems” response.} Yet, I’ve found that there are a few great apps you can’t live without. These are always on my “Page 1” and never leave. These are the ones that are beyond the Facebook, Instagram, Messages, etc. These are the good ones, the great ones, that you might not know about … but should.
TripCase
If you are traveling, or even going for an overnight at a hotel, this free app {iPhone and Android} is a one-stop shop for keeping all of those confirmation numbers and trip details in one spot.
What I love is that there are no extra steps involved. You book your hotel {and rental car, flight, etc} just as you would normally. When you get your confirmation, you forward the email to TripCase, and they load it into your app. {You can also load the details manually if you love extra work.}
I know it sounds too good to be true, but I tried it out myself last year. We took a 10 day trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I forwarded all of our confirmations for air, car, and hotel into the app, and everything was beautifully organized.
Cozi
We’ve used Cozi as a family for about 3 years. It was born out of necessity – a husband that travels frequently and a wife that couldn’t ever remember where he was going to be.
Once we began using it, we found that there were other aspects of Cozi that were great too, one of our favorites being the Shopping List feature. We use it religiously. Both of us can add to it whenever we think about it or as we come across things that are running low. Then, no matter who ends up at the grocery – we have the list!
Recently, they added a Meals tab. I’ve been logging our family favorite meals, and it helps to look in there when I feel like we’ve eaten the same thing for a month. I only log the meals that all of us absolutely love. Then I know that I can pick anything from that list, and it will be a hit.
Cozi is a free app available for iPhone, Android, or Windows. It allows for shared calendars and lists. There is a paid version called “Cozi Gold” that is $29.99/year. Because we used it so much as a family, for us – it was worth the money to “go gold.”
PicTapGo
PicTapGo is an app for iPhone. Let me tell you a secret about me: I’m cheap, and I don’t buy apps. But I bought this one for $1.99.
I love a good photo, and I’m one of the last remaining scrapbookers alive {I’m convinced of it!}. This app is easy, quick, and helps to create gorgeous photos. I’m used to uploading all of my photos into Photoshop to get the results that I want, but this little app has almost replaced all of my Photoshop needs.
You can crop your photo many different ways, then apply a host of color effects. These are much different from Instagram in that they are not filters. They are true photo effects adjusting contrast, color, lighting, etc … but it’s all in fun everyday language. Never fear though, if you love a good Insta filter, those are there too!
When you’ve finished your design, you can upload directly to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, text, camera roll, clipboard, email, or even open in another program! This little baby does it all!
Amazon Photo
I guess we’ve all come to the realization that the majority of us living this life {especially as moms} have bitten the bullet and subscribed to Amazon Prime. As a Prime member, you have access to Cloud Drive which has automatic photo backup and lets you access your photos from your phone, computer, or tablet.
I’m always so afraid that something will happen to my phone and I’ll lose my photos. It truly is a fear of mine. With this app, I can upload my photos quickly and easily. And when I say “easily,” I mean – you open the app, it identifies which ones it doesn’t already have updated, and pulls them into the Cloud Drive. You just open the app, and it does the rest.
A nice little perk is that it organizes the photos by month and year, so no guessing about when something happened. You can clearly see!
Find My iPhone
Most of us know this one, but let’s face it – moms are sometimes a little absent minded. And, so are our kids.
I use Find My iPhone a couple of ways. The first is the way it’s intended. “Oh crap, where is my phone? Did I leave it at work?” Open the app, and track it down. My son’s phone fell out of his pocket in Las Vegas at the Blue Man Group show. He realized it when we were at dinner afterward. We opened the app and could see the phone – literally – moving throughout the Luxor hotel. Thankfully, it was moving because the show crew had turned it into a security guard that was taking it to the official “lost and found” location. Shew!
The other way I use it is to check on our family members. Did everyone make it to their sport? Are the buses back at the school from the field trip? Has my husband left the grocery yet? I often log on to check and see where everyone is. It makes me feel more at ease to know everyone is in his or her appointed location!
Words with Friends
I’m sure that you have heard of this game. It’s basically the mobile app version of Scrabble. I will admit that I am addicted, and I’m also not very good. But, I love that this app has a free version {ads pop up occasionally} and a paid option for iPhone, Android, and Windows platforms. Now, beyond getting spanked by my very-good-spelling friends, I also use this app to play with both of my kids. My daughter in 5th grade is not an especially great speller, so I use this app with her. It’s remarkable how practice that seems like a game really helps her!
What app can you not live without? I’m always looking for the latest and greatest, let us know!
