MOMeo Gadget Guide: Top 10 iPhone Applications for Busy Mompreneurs!
Not to sound like the iPhone commercials, but if you want to book a table in your favorite restaurant, there’s an app for that. If you want to entertain the kids on the go, there’s an app for that. If you want to boost your bottom line productivity, you guessed it – there’s an app for that.
From the mundane to the marvellous, there’s an iPhone application for just about everything a busy mompreneur does in a day.
For your work life…
#1: Evernote – Create text, photo and audio notes and auto-sync your notes to your desktop! Use it to clip and store articles from the web, jot down quick notes or dictate to-do lists. Favorite feature is the ability to make text within snapshots searchable!
Free
#2: 1Password – Store your countless usernames and passwords, login details, personal information and any other sensitive information in a secure encrypted format. Favorite feature is the double defence of the Unlock Code and Master Password to gain access to your information!
$6.99
#3: iMindMap – Turn 10 minutes into a power brainstorming session with this mobile version of the popular mind mapping software. Create complex picture maps of your ideas and export via email as an image, PDF or iMindMap File.
$2.99
#4: Dragon Dictation – A must-have application for the moms who love to think out loud. Capture ideas, dictate emails or rattle off your to-do list and let Dragon convert it into text for export into an email, or clipboard.
Free
For your family life…
#5: Grocery Gadget – Forget paper lists, Grocery Gadget lets you to create, manage and organize your grocery list. Handy recipe import features and coupon reminders make stocking up and saving money a cinch! Love the Share feature that lets you send the latest grocery list to your husband!
$4.99
#6: Allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner – An answer to “What’s for dinner?” in an instant. Spice up your dinner routine with thousands of recipes from Allrecipes.com. Use the spinner or shake your iPhone to let the fates decide what’s on the menu.
Free
#7: Blowfish – A simple, but fun game where you grow the little blowfish before the prickly sea urchins pop them! Handy in case of emergency situations where you need a distraction for the kids (or husband) to finish your latte or try on that oh-so-fabulous pair of shoes.
Free
For finding a little playtime for mommy…
#8: Lonely Planet Travel Guides – Plan the next family trip (or girlfriend weekend) with helpful tips, reviews and images from Lonely Planet. Access over 75 travel guides and audio phrasebooks and prepare to say Bon Voyage.
$3.99 to $5.99
#9: iDreams – Because mommy needs a bit of mommy-time! Relax and refresh to one of the 25 soundtracks designed to help ease frazzled nerves. Love that you can set a timer to have the soundscape stop after a certain time in case you want to catch a few zzz’s!
$0.99
#10 Urbanspoon – Plan your mommy playtime with the help of Urbanspoon. Using the GPS, it helps you find a restaurant near you. Favorite features include the filter by neighborhood, cuisine or price and ratings and reviews.
Free
Do you have a favorite gadget that makes your workday oh-so-much easier (or just a lot more fun)? Let us know and you could be the next reader featured in The MOMeo (favorite) GADGET Guide!
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Great list!! I like the OpenTable app too. Nothing beats checking if a restaurant has space for you BEFORE you unpack the troops and get to the door!
Thanks for this. I am a very late adopter and just finally got an iphone on Friday. I have never had internet access on a phone before and though I am doing my best not to use it cuz lord knows I love my “unconnected time” I love these app recs, especially Evernote and iMindMap and can definitely see using them when I'm traveling.
Thanks!
Grocery IQ is WAY better than grocery gadget. Forget sending your list and try snycing it! It's an amazing app!
My iPhone is probably one of the most used gadgets I own! I'm on the road a lot driving my kids from one place to another, so I love apps that keep me connected and help me save me time and money. Here are my most used apps:
AroundMe: Search for just about anything and it finds it and maps it out on GoogleMaps for you.
RedLaser: Scan most upc codes and find local or online prices for that item.
SnapTell: Take a picture of a book and it will tell you where you can find it at the best price.
LivingSocial & Groupon: Not available in all cities, but these sites email you a great deal that you can purchase on the fly. With the apps, you don't need to print out coupons. They're stored in the app and you just take it to the business and show them your gift certificate via your phone.
AdmitOne: Find out movie times, see trailers, and get your movie fix!
Banking apps: Get easy access to credit card and bank accounts on your iPhone. My bank (USAA) lets me make deposits by taking a picture of each side of the check!
Then there's email, the calendar, facebook, google and google maps, which are all included on the phone and keeps me connected and knowing where I'm going and how to get there.
As a mom who is fairly addicted to her iPhone, I can say that the recommendations for applications in this post are FABULOUS! I love Dragon Dictation and Evernote, but am excited to try 1Password! That is an application that I could put to use often. Thank you for this helpful list!
Yay!!! I LOVE my iphone apps but never have time to sift through them to see what's great and what's not. Thank you for such a helpful list tailored just for moi!
Great recommendations! I couldn't function anymore without my beloved iPhone. I agree with many of the recommendations given. I could go on and on about all the fantastic apps out there, but I'll just add a few of our favs:
Maps: the basic map app that comes with the iPhone is incredible. Sometimes it is better than Around Me for finding places, which you can then get directions to (on foot, via mass transit or via car — you can choose), and it also gives you real time traffic reports that are incredibly accurate. Has saved me many wasted hours sitting in a traffic jam!
Hootsuite and Facebook apps: awesome for staying connected as an entrepreneur who uses social media heavily for my biz.
Fandango: great for finding movie times, reviews and buying tickets so you don't have to wait in line at the theater.
Shazam: I adore this app — when you hear a song you love and don't know the name or artist, just let Shazam “hear” the song and it tells you the song, artist, album and gives you options on how to buy or share it! I'm creating my own playlist from it!
Open Table and Urban Spoon both are fantastic (as someone already said).
Epicurious is also great for finding recipes and downloading shopping lists while on the move.
Southwest Airlines: fantastic app for checking flight times and for checking in online (especially when you get your boarding pass on a first-come, first-served basis with SW). I think other airlines are coming out with similar apps. Huge time saver.
Mint.com: incredible app for budgeting and tracking your budget, and your bank and account balances. It compiles all the info into one place, and even sends you alerts for spending, balances or bills that are due. I use the online version, but the app makes it easy to always be on top of your finances no matter where you are. I must admit that the B of A app isn't bad either.
TaxTracker: you can track expenses and sync with Quickbooks — you can even take photos of your receipts and save a pdf of the receipt for your records (much easier than the paper records).
iTunes and iPod: they also come with the iPhone, but they are great for finding podcasts and listening to them on the run. Also, who can live without great music? With the iTunes app, you can download music immediately without having to sync to your computer.
Three games that my 6 year old loves (great for buying yourself time for an adult conversation or getting a little work done!):
Littlest Pet Shop
Horses (is really a quiz on different horse breeds, which for us, is hugely entertaining)
RhinoBall (from the movie Bolt)
My daughter loves all three (and they aren't violent or noise dependent, so you can silence the sound if you need to without ruining the experience for your child).
There are also great educational apps out there like:
Math Magic
Sums Stacker
bunch of spelling or ABC apps for younger kids
I just love the imindmap ap !
Now you’re making me want an iphone! I am currently a BB gal, but this list is amazing! I already use evernote and it’s awesome as it syncs with the online and desktop version. I am definately going to see if I can find #2,#3,#4 and #9 versions for BB – fingers crossed. Great list, I think a client will love #4 so I am definately going to forward on that info! So this begs the question – will you be doing a BB version?
Now you're making me want an iphone! I am currently a BB gal, but this list is amazing! I already use evernote and it's awesome as it syncs with the online and desktop version. I am definately going to see if I can find #2,#3,#4 and #9 versions for BB – fingers crossed. Great list, I think a client will love #4 so I am definately going to forward on that info! So this begs the question – will you be doing a BB version?
I am going to have to see which of these are available for my HTC Hero now. Wow — I sure hope some of them are!!! — Tara
I am going to have to see which of these are available for my HTC Hero now. Wow — I sure hope some of them are!!! — Tara