iPhone & iPad Fun – 3 of My Favorite Apps
Those who know me personally have already heard this, but I'll say it again anyway: I love my iPad. And my iPhone. They're fun, they're useful, and they work! One of the best things about these devices (besides the great Apple customer service) is access to the thousands of apps available through the App Store. I've tried tons of them, both free and paid. Some have been hits; others, not so much. From time to time I'll share my thoughts on some of them. Here are three that I particularly like (all available via Apple's App Store):
- Noteshelf. As the name hints, this inexpensive app is used for taking notes on your iPad. It accepts both typed and handwritten input, the latter using either your finger or, more easily, a stylus – basically a rubber-tipped pen (available anywhere iPad accessories are sold – mine cost $15). You can set up “notebooks” for whatever topics or categories you want. Once you've entered your “stuff,” it's saved on the iPad. You can email the pages (or the whole notebook), print them wirelessly using AirPrint, etc. I've found it really valuable at meetings for work.
- Lose It!. For both the iPhone and the iPad. This free app syncs with the loseit.com online program and across your devices and lets you keep track of both the food you eat and your activity, as an aid to weight management. The app has a huge database of foods (and exercises) that you can search and select to track your calorie intake. There's even a cool UPC code scanner that can read the codes on your foods and enter the nutritional info in seconds. You can enter information into your profile, including current weight, age, gender, and goal weight. The app calculates what your daily net calorie intake should be, and as you enter foods and exercise, it keeps track of how close you are to your daily target. Experts say that one step toward weight loss/management is writing down everything you eat, to become more aware of how much you're taking in. This app makes it easy to do that on the go. If one of your new year's resolutions is to lose weight, check out this app!
- Wunderlist: Another free app, available for both the iPhone and the iPad, as well as for Mac and PC computers. This is a fun and easy-to-use task management (i.e., list-making) app. Set up an account at Wunderlist.com, and link the apps on each device to that account. They sync via the cloud, so adding (or checking off) an item on one device automatically syncs to the others. In addition to “to-do” lists, I use Wunderlist to keep running lists for certain stores I visit regularly or periodically, adding items when I think of them, so when I'm at the store, I don't have to struggle to recall what I needed to look for there. I have lists for Walmart, Lowe's, Staples, the Container Store, and the mall. You can also share lists, so I have a “Honey-Do” list that syncs to my husband's iPad. When I think of a project that needs his attention at our farm, I can enter it on my iPhone or iPad, and it automatically shows up in Wunderlist on his iPad.
Today's technology — and the ingenuity of app developers — make iPhones and iPads handy devices that can make your life easier and more convenient. What apps do you like best?
