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five years ago apps were things you filled out when you were looking for a new job or trying to get into college.  now apps rule our lives.  these are the seven apps that make my wife feel like i’m cheating on her with my phone.
*click on the picture to go to the iTunes app (all except march madness)*
se7en | soundhound
i’m sure some of you understand how this app works, but it still blows my mind that an app can understand words/key/notes/melodies and deliver the answer to you in a moment.  for those that don’t know about this app, sound hound listens to a song that you’re listening to and tells you the artist in just a few seconds.  its really remarkable and helpful when you’re debating whether a song is by Jesus Jones or U2 (no offense to Bono and the boys!).
 
six | ncaa march madness on demand
its hard enough living in czech and having to watch sports at odd hours, but this app made all the difference during the magical season known as march madness.  the pinnacle of its usage was when i was watching listening to a game while driving home from a youth retreat.
 
five | starbucks
some of the apps i use are pretty useless in czech.  this is one of them.  i had it but had never really used it until we got to the states last month.  at that point i unlocked its inner beauty.  i was able to put all of my gift cards in one place and am able to pay with my phone.  it finds the nearest locations, plus it tracks my *stars* which gives me free perks.  very useful!
 
four | what to expect
2011 has been the year of the baby.  our whole world has been consumed with baby things.  this handy app allowed us to track the growth of our child weekly, give us tips daily, and most importantly, track how many days until he arrives.  its one week and five days in case you’re wondering.
 
three | foursquare
if you know me at all you know that i love tracking things, competing, gaining points, etc.  so foursquare is the perfect app for me.  go somewhere, check in.  check in enough times, become the mayor of that location.  but what has really propelled this app recently is the usage by certain retailers to give deals for checking in.  we’ve saved money at dinner, coffee shops, and even gotten free things at grocery stores.  plus it links to my number one app, so checking in is easy!
 
two | heytell
thanks to a certain mr. robert h chestnut for recommending this life-changing app.  now, maybe its not life-changing, but if you hate writing text messages or talking on the phone, hey tell is for you! it finds a happy medium between the two by allowing you to send instant voice messages to any of your contacts who also have hey tell.  husbands, earn points on your way home from work by hey telling your wife and asking her if you need to pick up anything from the store.  forgot what time the party starts? just push the button and ask your friend! its so easy to use and saves your fingers from typing out lots of messages.
 
one | instagram
if we’re Facebook friends, if you follow me on twitter, if you read my post from two days ago or pretty much if we ever hang out then you’ve seen these fun little pictures.  it is super simple to use and an easy way to connect with friends or strangers.  i’m able to share pictures with the community that’s following me and i’m able to be inspired by those photographers that are producing beauty.  easily the most used and fun app on my iPhone.
 
honorable mention | camera+
a lot of my pictures on instagram owe a lot to this handy app.  its only $.99 plus i think another $.99 to access all the features, but its totally worth it and make those pictures on instagram pop even more! totally worth it if you like doing some minimal editing and using filters.  quite a bit more intensive than instagram, but easy to send your edited pics over to instagram for easy posting.
 
what apps should i be using? what are your favorites?

so, this will be my final top ten of 10…time to stop looking back and start looking forward.  but, before then, here it is

top ten_iphone apps

ten | espn

this is my go to for sports info when i’m not around my computer.  all too often do i check this app first thing when i wake up to see who won the games while i was sleeping.  easy interface and i love that i can choose my favorite teams and have them all located on the front page.

price: free

nine | my fantasy teams (free)

depending on the time of year and how poor my real teams are doing, i very well may pick this app as the first thing i check in the morning.  i love that i can track all my fantasy teams in one place.

price: free

eight | czech-english dictionary

not all of these apps are “cool”.   these are just my favorite/most used.  and this little pocket dictionary helps me to survive in czech and has saved me more than once!

price: $1.99

seven | currency

you can definitely tell a missionary by their most used apps.  its interesting to live in a place where your salary changes daily! this is a simple app, but i check it almost daily…especially towards the beginning of the month when i pull out my money! :)

price: free

six | esv bible

i don’t use this app a ton (i still haven’t gotten to a place where i like to read digitally), but it has one of the slickest, simplest designs of any app i have.  very clean, clear and easy to use.  my favorite way to use it is to favorite verses that i’m memorizing.  say goodbye to index cards!

price: free

five | imdb

i’m an information junkie.  just ask em.  i google everything.  one of my favorite things to look up are movies, actors, directors, etc.  why use google for that, when there is imdb?  when i found this app, i was overjoyed.  now, i can search for actors while lying on my couch!

price: free

four | evernote

i learned about evernote from carlos whitaker’s digital toolbox blog only a few days ago, but it is already changing my life.  i take notes all the time and sometimes when i don’t have anything to take notes with i lose the thought.  the other problem is that i often have notes all over the place…on paper, in notes on my phone or in my comp, in my journal, etc.  but, evernote syncs all your notes in one place and allows you to link pictures, websites, written notes, and voice memos.  it has taken my note-taking to another level!

price: free

three | instagram

this is another app that i learned about from loswhit.  emily and i both have been taking a ton of photos with this over the first few days of us using it.  i love the simplicity of being able to post it to facebook and twitter and that it locates where the photos is taken using gps tracking.  the filters are really simple, but the best aspect is the community of other users.

price: free

two | lose it!

i downloaded this app almost two years ago.  at the time i was just returning from the states after a home stay and i was pushing 190 pounds.  i wasn’t necessarily looking to lose weight, but when i heard about this app i thought i’d try it.

the app is simply a calorie counter.  you enter some basic information about yourself: height, weight, age, goal weight, and when you want to reach that weight, and based on those factors it creates a daily calorie limit.  it then has a database of thousands of foods and their nutrition information as well as exercise and their calories burned per/hour.  your responsibility is to just log all the food you eat as well as any exercise you do and make sure you don’t exceed your max calorie limit for each day.

since i started lose it i have lost almost 20 pounds!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

see that really low dip? yep, that was when em and i did our detox.

it is quite exhausting to track everything, but well worth it.  i promised myself that once i hit my goal, then i would only track my weight and if it then breeched my goal weight again, then i’d go back to tracking.

more than anything it makes you aware of what and how much you are eating and how it affects your weight.

price: free

one | angry birds & angry birds holiday

this is absolutely the most addicting game.  so simple in concept, yet so creative in gameplay.  they keep coming out with more and more levels, which leaves us fans loving the game more and more.  the addition of the holidays version is equally fun and creative.  absolutely worth the cost.  the question is it worth the time that it will suck from your life?

price: $0.99/each

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