Monday, April 08, 2013

There's an app for that!

In the wide world of apps, it's easy to be sidetracked by amusing apps like Fatify (What would I look like at 250 pounds? Now I know.) or Poo Log (What's your poo telling you?). However, I find apps like these tend to be temporarily interesting and then they lose their luster.

What has a bit more longevity, you ask? These are my top five favorite apps at the moment.

1. KEXP - This is a great app because of the live streaming playlist that not only shows you what song/artist is playing, but also allows you to "favorite" the song by selecting it and then touching a star icon. This is priceless to me, because I can never identify what songs or artists that I like when I hear them. Is that Pickwick? Is that song from the Foals' new album? Normally, I would never know. You can buy the song straight off iTunes, or just leave it in your favorites list for later (This is what I do, so that I can check Aaron's iTune library to see if he already owns the song/album.) The KEXP app also allows you to listen to live streaming audio or even go back and check out archived shows. It is free, but if you would like to donate to the station, you can do that from this app, as well.

2. Fab - Aaron introduced me to this free app and I love/hate him for it. I am obsessed with everything for sale on this app/site and I want to buy it all! They have art, jewelry, stuff for your home, gifts, and clothes, just to name a few. All the items listed are only on Fab for a limited time and are at a discounted price, which creates a sense of urgency. It's all stuff I didn't know I wanted, but when I see it, I have to have it RIGHT NOW! So far, I have bought mustache fridge magnets, a subscription to Nylon magazine and 8 inch x 8 inch prints from Pro Luster Prints. There have been many other things that I wanted to buy, but I exercised restraint.

Oh, and after popping over to Fab for a minute today, I see that I may also need some Spinal Tape for a gift for a friend. Thanks, Fab! Thanks for making me a penniless hoarder!

3. Photolettering - Aaron suggested this app, as well. It is free and allows you to select pictures from your camera roll and then add text on the photo. Sure, you can do that in Photoshop, but Photolettering allows you to do it right on your phone. It comes with three fonts and you can adjust the size and text color. More fonts are available to download, but you have to pay for them. I have been coming up with some pretty entertaining creations, if I do say so myself.


4. Phoster - Want to come up with some cool faux album covers featuring your cat?



Well, so did I! (Yep, Monkey is my muse.) Phoster is $1.99 and has a bunch of pre-made posters that you can select. Then, you can add your own photo, change the text and font and then add some effects to the overall appearance of the poster. Prepare to lose many hours of your life to this app. Aaron recommended this one, as well. Clearly, he wants me to quit my job and spend all of my waking hours dinking around with photos of Monkey.

5. MakeupAlley - I love this app! This is one that Aaron did not recommend. I discovered the MakeupAlley website through a co-worker quite a while ago. On the website, users can check out product reviews, post a question about make-up or swap make-up with other members. I could spend all day reading products reviews, and conveniently, that is what the app provides. All for free! When you open it, you are presented with three blank fields where you can input the product line name, type of product and name of product - then up pop all the product reviews for that specific item. It's ingenious. 

So, those are the apps that I'm obsessed with lately. No wonder I have crow's feet from squinting at my phone all the time.

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