I’ve discussed before my absolute, complete, and utter adoration of my iPhone. Up until recently cell phone technology has held little interest for me. While some people mastered all the many function of their cell phones I used mine only as a phone. Then it happened – David bought me an iPhone and my life has forever been changed. I frequently tell people that next to my mini-van (which I’ll discuss in a later Tech ‘o Beth feature) my iPhone is my absolute most necessary mommy device. From the simple ability to balance multiple calendars on one phone (this way David and I are always in sync and never have to worry about double-booking each other) to the convenience of being able to take photos of the kids and instantly email them to my parents. I love, love, love this device and if you don’t own one you must do whatever it takes to get one in your possession. (and I mean ANYTHING!!)
One of the coolest things about the iPhone is the ability to download applications that cover everything and anything you can think of, from a menstrual cycle tracker to games that can entertain your kids. Here is a short list of five of my “must-have” applications for the iPhone:
1.) Restaurant Nutrition by Healthy & Fit Communities
This little application provides you with the menu and nutritional information for almost all the major chain restaurants. Trying to figure out whether a Big Mac is better for you than a Quarter Pounder? Well, you can find that information here. Want to decide if you should take your kids to Chilis or Boston Market? You can see what their menus have from this little device. It also allows you to map the nearest location of any of the restaurants listed (I use this all the time to find an Arby’s. They never seem to be close). I love this application for its ease of use and the fact that it is always updating with new information and data. I feel so much more empowered to make smart food selections for my kids with this application at my fingertips. The best part? It’s FREE. That is right, it is one of the many free applications you can download for the iPhone.
2.) Facebook & Twitterific
As a blogger I like to keep in constant contact with my blogging peeps. My online community is a big deal to me and almost every tool that I use online to stay connected has an iPhone app that can be easily downloaded and used. This is a no-brainer, but these are also two apps I use every day, every hour.
3.) Flixster
The number one thing David and I like to do on date nights is go to the movies. However, we are notorious for not deciding on a film or a time until we are half-way through dinner. Usually I’m the one frantically trying to print the film listings from my computer as we race out the door. Now, no more worries. Flixster allows you to identify your “favorite” theaters and see all the current films and show times. It is wonderful and alleviates so much stress from date night. You can also access trailers, descriptions and critic reviews.
4.) Lose It! by FitNow
This application allows you to set a goal weight and then determine how quickly you want to lose the weight. (1lb a week, 2lbs a week, etc). It then calculates how many calories you should eat each day. It provides you with a log where you can track your food intake and track your fitness. In addition you can customize if you want to track sodium, carbs, fat, etc. This was another free application and I love it. It is very user friendly.
5.) Games
Now, the iPhone comes with a built in iPod which is great for storing cartoons. I have saved my sanity more than once by having the ability to instantly provide my children with ten minutes of a Dora cartoon. The other component to this though are the games you can download. There are hundreds to choose from but the ones my kids like to play the most are “Rolando” by Hand Circus and “Spore” by EA. David and I are rather partial to a good electronic solitaire game and there are several word puzzles you can download. All of these are perfect for when you are waiting at the gynecologist’s office pretending that you aren’t naked and cold.
This barely touches the surface of fantastic applications for the iPhone. If you have a favorite please tell me about it in the comments section. Don’t keep great apps to yourself! Technology, for me, is all about function. What can it do for me? And I can honestly say I use EVERY SINGLE function and feature of my iPhone. If I could give every mother in the world two things it would be a cleaning lady and an iPhone.