Gadget Guide: Top 10 iPhone Apps for Busy Mompreneurs for Work, Life and Play
Our top picks for helping busy mompreneurs with work, life and play!
I know, I know. Everyone and their Golden Retriever is putting out a “best iPhones apps” article these days. But trust us when we say, this is THE list you need. We’ve kept it manageable and filled with time tested, beloved apps. Enjoy!
- Shazam – “Ooo – what is the name of that song?” “Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about this song!” “I LOVE this song! Who sings it??” This seriously awesome app allows you to find out the name, artist and album of any song you hear anywhere (in the car, in a restaurant, etc…). It doesn’t recognize every single song in the world, but I have about a 99% success rate. When I hear a song I love, I just “tag” it in Shazam and then can either tweet about it, go buy it on iTunes or post track details to Facebook. Free (but can upgrade to Pro for more tags)
- Pandora – If you haven’t heard of Pandora yet, you are in for a surprise – it’s a fabulous online “radio-station” that allows you to listen to playlists inspired by your favorite artist, song or composer. Pandora creates a “station” for you that will play their music and more music like it. You can now use Pandora on your iPhone, which is so fantastic. Five stars! Free
- ShakeitPhoto – Basically the coolest photo app for the iPhone, AND the most realistic instant photo experience. It seriously works just like your old Polaroid! You even get to watch the photo develop (shaking your phone makes it develop faster, which is just darn fun). The photo quality is incredible – way better than normal iPhone photos from Camera. I’m considering starting a photography business with this app. It makes me look like I know how to take awesome photos. Will the bride mind when I show up to take her wedding photos with my phone? $0.99
- GasBuddy – Arguably the best source of gas prices for the iPhone. It basically has a very comprehensive list of gas prices in the US and Canada. Since gas prices change frequently (especially these days) and can vary as much as 20% from block to block, this app helps you find the lowest price gas. You can find them by zip code or GPS, including distance, directions and estimated drive time to get there. Very useful. $2.99
- Cozi – Finally, a way to effortlessly manage your family calendar, shopping lists and to-do lists all in one place! Plus, you can create and manage a family journal, including special moments and photos. It integrates with online Cozi, and syncs with Google Calendars and Outlook. One big bummer: they claim you can integrate with iCal, but not easily and that is a big drawback for us Mac users. $1.99
- 20 Minute Meals with Jamie Oliver – Jamie Oliver has done it again. In the wake of his incredible food revolution, he has created probably the best iPhone app ever and certainly the best thing since sliced bread! It comes with a hefty price tag but it is worth every penny. 60 recipes with easy to follow steps, incredible photos, video with tips, techniques and kitchen skills, interactive shopping list (you are going to be amazed!) and no internet connection needed to view recipes. I am in love with this app and with Jamie Oliver! $7.99
- OpenTable – This is a must-have for all you foodies out there! You can get free restaurant reservations at over 13,000 OpenTable-enabled restaurants in the US, Canada and the UK. Plus, you get Dining Rewards Points to use as any OpenTable restaurant. Know whether a restaurant has space for you before you load the kids in the car! Free
- GroceryGadget – The best way to manage your grocery list while saving trees! You can also import your favorite recipes, and it makes using coupons a breeze! (Hey, that rhymes!) You can also share the list (including photos) with your honey so he doesn’t forget the milk or buy the wrong brand of laundry detergent…again! Basically, it will save your marriage and your sanity. Not bad for under $5. $4.99
- GymGoal – A fantastic fitness application! Loaded with exercises, workout routines, tracking your measurements, workout logs, and it even plays all of your music to make your workout more entertaining! A fun way to stay in hot mama shape while bringing home the bacon and frying it up in the pan! $3.99
- EWG’s Suncreen Buyer’s Guide – An incredibly easy and brilliantly informative way to check on how effective your sunscreen is, including which ones to avoid due to use of dangerous chemicals (yikes!). Makes it easy to evaluate which sunscreen to buy on the fly, especially on vacation or when you are already at the beach! Free
P.S. Don’t forget to check out Jessica Eaves Mathews’ article Choosing the Right Legal Entity for Your Business, in the spring issue of MOMeo’s Busisness in a Box!
Tell us about the iPhone Apps that help you to organize, maximize and simplify your busy busy life!
MOMeo Gadget Guide: Top 10 Blackberry Applications for Busy Mompreneurs!
If the phrase “Work virtually anywhere” is music to your ears, check out this week’s Go-go-gadget guide to the top 10 Blackberry applications. From tracking your time to dictating speeches, these handy-dandy applications will let you keep going while on the go!
For your work life…
#1: Nice Office LITE – Make your whole office mobile. Store forms and documents, send items directly to your client, track sales, manage your schedule and chart your workflow. Nice Office makes it easy to take your whole office with you wherever you go. Free
#2: Exgis Expense and Mileage Tracker – If business has you bouncing around the city or country, use Exgis to track your mileage and expenses. Customize your client list, projects, currencies, locations, payment methods and export all that data as a neat spreadsheet perfect for when you file your taxes. $9.99
#3: Personal Assistant – Every business owner loves having an assistant to handle the details. The Personal Assistant app does just that. Now you can find bank account statements, investment portfolio info, mobile minute tracker, travel itineraries, shopping lists, bills and frequent flyer miles in one convenient place. Free
#4: ProMobile Light – Let your Blackberry do the typing while you dictate ideas, reports, observations, emails or speeches. Each file includes a menu which makes sending and accessing documents really easy. $9.99
$5: My Timesheet – Keep tabs on all your billable hours, costs, meetings, tasks and expenses with My Timesheet. At the end of each day, you can create a report to see what you’ve accomplished and what still needs to be done. $9.99
For your family life…
#6: Healthy Recipes – Dish out something new and exciting tonight. Healthy Recipes has 200, 000 recipes to choose from and for the health conscious, each recipe includes calories, carbs and other useful facts. Free
#7: Happy Family Shared Grocery Lists – There’s no reason why you need to do all the shopping. Sync and share your grocery list with family so they can swing by the store while they’re out. $9.99
For finding a little playtime for mommy…
#8: Calmbiance – Go to your happy place after a long, hectic day to the sounds of a babbling brook, light rains, or waves washing over the sand. Calmbiance features 12 soothing sounds that will help you unwind and recharge from your demanding day. $3.99
#9: Make a Mess - Finger painting fun without the mess. The Make a Mess app lets you (or your kids) finger paint on your Blackberry and share your masterpieces with friends and family through an online gallery. Free
#10: Mobile Bartender – Try something new when you’re out for dinner or out with the girls. Mobile Bartender gives you quick, interesting information about various cocktails, shots and drop shots. $2.99
Did we miss your favorite Blackberry application? Tell us what it is and why you love it!
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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