A new toy. And I’m just as annoying as the rest of them.

by Elisa on September 1, 2009

You know those people who get a new toy, and they just won’t shut up about it? Or, if they don’t talk about it, it’s only because you don’t in fact get to talk to them anymore, since they got said new toy? I think that’s probably how someone’s husband felt after he got his lovely wife her own laptop (and any reference to real people and facts is purely coincidental.)

I’m just saying. It has nothing to do with me. Although I did recently get an iPhone, which is kind of like joining a sect:

First you are skeptical about it.

Then you see it, and it seems fun, but not for you.

Then you get sick of people gushing about it all.the.friggin’.time.

Then it seems that everyone, every single person you meet or walk past on the street is a member of the sect. And you start feeling like you are bored with it just by hearing about it and seeing it so much, without even experiencing it yourself.

Then a couple of people you like and know not to be total air heads recommend it. And that’s how you end up giving in. And before you know it, you are in deep.

That’s how I feel right now about my iPhone. And although I had promised myself I wouldn’t be one of those silly people downloading a bunch of useless apps that would take up space and fill pages to scroll through… you’ve guessed it, I’m on the road to perdition! Once you start, there is no going back.

I have owned an iPhone for about 3 weeks now, and I have 3 pages of apps. So the least I can do is make my new addiction useful to someone else, right? Which is why I’m compiling a list of my current favorite iPhone applications.

ColorSplash – take a photo, then turn it black and white. And then “paint” some areas with color again. The effect is pretty cool, although the photos aren’t usually fantastic to start with, because hello, you are taking them with your iPhone. Still, it’s fun and you can create your own artsy portraits to use as backgrounds. ($1.99)

Eight Glasses a Day – no matter whether you do it to lose weight, to prevent those dreaded dehydration headaches or just because it’s a good habit, everyone knows drinking enough water is important. And it’s something we sometimes forget to do. With this app, you can keep track of how much water you drank throughout the day – just tap on one of the virtual glasses every time you chug a real one, and you’ll see it empty out. When out of the application, the remaining number of glasses you should drink that day shows in the corner of the app icon. So you never forget to keep drinking. [insert drinking joke here] (FREE)

Around Me – let it pinpoint your location and then choose if you want to find the nearest bank, bar, gas station, movie theater, hospital, and so on. Choose one, and see how far you are, and the exact route to get there. I downloaded it from the US App Store but I’m using it in Switzerland, so it’s good for users outside of the US too. (FREE!)

Lose it – a fun and user-friendly food and exercise log. Nice database, you can also add custom foods, and set your target caloric (or sodium, or other) intake, and it will tell you how much you have left for the day based on what you already consumed. When used together with Eight Glasses a Day above, it has the potential to be a very useful tool to keep your diet on track (or get it back there, which is what I’m trying to do ) (FREE)

iPiggy Lite – the free, limited version of iPiggy still allows you to set an amount you want to save, pick the date you want to save it by and it will tell you how much you have to save per day, week, month and year, when applicable. It helps you break things down and makes the amount seem more easily reachable. For instance, to have $350 by November 14 I just need to save $4.55 a day, or just under $32 a week. Doable (FREE)

Postman – take a picture, then create a virtual postcard with it. Customize the frame, the font, the text and and then write your message on the “back” of the postcard. Then share it with friends and family on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, or just send it to an e-mail address, from inside the app. ($0.99)

And some honorable mentions:

The ones I wish I had when I lived in NY (and when I visited SF): UrbanSpoon uses GPS to find out where you are and then lets you select restaurants by neighborhood, cuisine and price. It also includes reviews and restaurant hours, and it includes most North American cities as well as London, Melbourne and Sidney. And when you are done with dinner, CheckPlease (Lite) lets you calculate the tip quickly and easily: just input the total and choose a percentage. It also lets you split the bill among several people, and it allows you to choose dollars or other currencies. (both FREE, CheckPlease also has a paid version which costs $0.99)

The ones for fashion maidens: Lucky At Your Service lets you browse the items recommended by Lucky editors, select the ones you like, find them online or find a store near you; it even checks if the store has it in your size, and lets you reserve it so you can try it on before you buy it And because I just watched Clueless again… Stilish Girl lets you do what Cher did in the morning: select your outfit by scrolling through available items and pairing clothes with shoes and accessories. I don’t know if I have the time to do this everyday, but it can help select outfits for special occasions. It also includes feeds from fashion sites in English, French and German. (both FREE) And just for fun, here’s a game for those of us who love, love, love to shop for shoes: The Girl Game ($0.99)

The one that’s really pretty useful but I can’t believe I’m mentioning it online: PeriodPlus allows you to track your cycle, so you don’t ever have to figure out when to expect… things (and maybe your husband/bf will sneak a peak too, to know when he should steer clear). You can input the date of your last period, PMS symptoms and… other stuff that you can check out yourself because ~~I’m getting embarrassed~~ this app is FREE

The “just plain weird” one: Shave Me! – here you can actually use your fingers as a razor and shave… I don’t know, a virtual patch of very hairy skin. You can choose the color of skin and hair, and then just shave. They say it’s fun and relaxing. I just find it kind of ick. (FREE – I’m shocked) And NO, I didn’t download this one!

The “OMG this is so useless but really kind of fun” one: Smack Talk – record what you say and see an an animated guinea pig, puppy, kitten or a chihuahua repeat it in high-pitch squeaky voices. Stupid, I know. But I can see my daughters getting addicted to this and cracking up. And that almost makes me want to download it. Almost. ($1.99)

So. Now that I’m done with this post, my list of apps has increased from 3 pages to 4. So I’m off to re-organize them. I told you I was on the road to perdition.

signature-shoeplate3b