App-aholic

It's no news that I love my iPhone.  In fact Andrew often comments that he thinks I'm addicted.  He's not entirely wrong;

ad·dict·ed

[uh-dik-tid]

–adjective

devoted or given up to a practice or habit or to something psychologically or physically habit-forming.

By this definition, actually, he's right.  The reason being that my iPhone does so much! It has replaced many different utensils in my life.  It is my phone, my gaming device, my book, my email program, my web browser, I check facebook and Twitter, I listen to my music, check the weather, It's my camera, my filofax, my blogreader and my torch. There are so many things that I use my iPhone for that it is rarely out of my hand.


The best thing is that these uses just keep growing.  The more I search through the online AppStore the more uses I find and the less often it is out of my hands.


So here is a list of my favourite Apps, skipping over the obviously useful and popular ones like email, facebook and internet readers:


Hipstamatic - Hands down my favourite photo app.  Its got some beautiful lenses and films.  Suddenly those great arthouse type photos I have coveted for years are at my fingertips, no skill required beyond picking the right camera set-up for the shot. ($)


Icredibooth - A very close second favourite photo app, but it's more specific.  It takes photos like you are in one of those old photo booths in the shopping centre.  At every chance I was dragging Andrew and the kids into these old booths because I love the candid photos they take.  Now I have one at my fingertips.  It doesn't quiet replace the proper photo booth photos because part of the fun is trying to fit four people into a space made for one, but still at $1 for the app (versus the $7 per photo at the shopping centre) it's a great app. ($)


iBooks - There are loads of ebook readers out there but this is the one that I use.  It works well, sure on the iPhone, its a small screen but I have decent eyesight so that isn't a problem for me.  And the fact that its backlit means that I no longer keep Andrew awake with my bedside lamp.  Plus I have 200+ books to read when I am out and about.  It was brilliant when I was in India because it meant that I could have a range of books without having to find space in my luggage. (free)


Soundhound - I can't tell you how many times I have been watching TV or listening to the radio and a song has come on that I don't know but wish I did.  In the past I have found some of these songs by spending time searching the web or waiting for another 4 songs to play before the radio announcer finally tells me what I was listening to.  With this app you turn it on and it listens to the music then it comes up with what the song is, most of the time with the lyrics and a link to buy it from iTunes.  You can even sing to it and it guesses what your singing, although you have to be able to kind hold a tune for this one. ($)


Soundtracking - Its a new app and I'm loving it.  I feel so out of the music world these days and this is a great way for me to see what people are listening to at the moment.  It is like Twitter but for music.  You can follow what people are listening to or see what music is trending and listen to a snippet.  It's linked to facebook and/or twitter and adds a post to tell other people what you're listening to at the time to shares the love. (free)


Words with Friends - Simply, it's online two player scrabble.  But unlike other online scrabble games you don't have to plan to have the time to play a whole game all in one go, you just take your turn when you have the chance.  I have been playing with someone called Metallican for weeks, we finish one game and start another but each game takes us about two days to finish.  I love word games but rarely have the time to sit down with actual people and play so this is a good filler. (free)


Honorable Mentions:


Games
- Plants Vs Zombies - It's plants fighting zombies, what's not to like ($)
- Tiny Wings - the little bird can't fly so you help it jump from island to island, its cute with very sweet (basic) graphics and they give you missions to make the novelty last longer ($)
- Carnivores - guns, dinosaurs and spaceships that pick up your dead dinos, bring you ammo and move you around the map, I'm a pacifist, against hunting truly I am but boy I love this game (free)
- Fruit Ninja - cut fruit ... its that easy, best of all you can play online with real opponents ($)


Utilities
- Flixster - check out what movies are on and when locally with the touch of a button (free)
- XE Currency - saved me when I was in India! Seeing that I'm terrible with numbers it was a quick currency converter that helped me decide what price I was willing to pay for things (free)
- Ocarina - lets you use your iPhone like a woodflute.  Why? Why not! (free)
- iTorch4 - turns the flash on your iPhone 4 into a torch, believe it or not I use this all the time (free)
- Netnewswire - news feed reader (blogs mainly) (free)


There are so many more, and quiet a few that I've tried and they failed me but the exciting thing is that I also know there will be more, and the uses for my iPhone will continue to grow.  What apps do you love? use all the time? Found and are just obsessed with? paid for and stink?


In the end Andrew is right, I may be addicted but seeing that it is the most useful device in our home and from my point of view saves us money in the long run, this could be one of those addictions that is a positive thing.


Reading - On my iPhone
Listening - On my iPhone
Watching - Myself killing dinosaurs or cutting fruit or my kids playing and photographing it on my iPhone
State of mind - well and truly but happily addicted to my iPhone :)

Transitioning to the iPhone

What is it about the iPhone?  Everyone who has one, loves it and talks about it like it is gods gift to the universe.  And everyone who doesn't have one says its because they are crap (to which iPhone users retort 'jealous much?').  As with so many things in this life people seem to have trouble being objective.

For me the iPhone is not exactly the wonderful and miraculous device that other iPhone users had painted.  So far I have had a few issues some major and some minor.

1.  The keypad is a pain in the butt to type with.  I used to do all of my blogging from the blackberry, in fact I used to write 2 page documents from my blackberry.  The idea of trying to type anything of any quality on the iPhone sends me into sweats.  Sure I think that in time I will get used to it but so far the transition has not been seamless.

2. The iPhone doesn't have the capability to change ring profiles.  This means that without going into settings and a few other spots and flicking switches off I can't have the phone be silent except for the ringer.  Now for you it might not be an issue but for me its rather a large issue. At the moment I am on call for a birth so I need to be able to have my phone on for phone calls all night but make no other sounds.  What I have to do at the moment is turn off all the other tones at night and then turn them all back on in the morning.

3.  There is no easy way to change your ring tone.  On my blackberry I can load an MP3 and then select it as my new ring tone.  With the iPhone I can go through a 10 step process to create a new ring tone and do that every time I want a new one.

4.  Without jail breaking my iPhone I can't make my own SMS tones or change any other tones on the phone.  What Apple seems to have missed is how much people like to personalise their phones.  They have simplified the device a few steps too far.

5.   When I am on the phone the touch screen often wigs out.  This means that I accidentally hit speaker or call another person or it hangs up or (and possibly worst) it accidentally tries to video call people.  This is annoying if I'm on the phone to friends and just terrible if I'm on the phone for work.

So, so far these are the things that are bugging me about the iPhone.  Now ask me if I regret getting it .... and the answer is an unequivocal NO!!

There are so many things that are fun, groovy and just damn beautiful about the iPhone that most of the time it is an absolute pleasure to use.  Not to mention that fun, practical and super cool apps that are available.  There is Angry Birds and Hipstamatic, Flixter and free comic books, photo editing and zombie killing.  It has become my camera, my iPod, my phone, my email, my facebook, my games console, my internet, my calendar and contacts, and my book/comic reader all in one.  All in all there is so much fun to have with the iPhone that after only a month I wouldn't know what to do without it.  

So first I want to share the video that dad sent me when I was looking at buying an iPhone.  And then I'm going to share a few of the latest photos I have taken using my iPhone 4 and a few free apps.  Sure they aren't the most amazing photos in the universe .... but then what does your phone do? *grin* 

Polaroid #2 aka Testing

So for some reason the last post didn't send the txt as well. This is my attempt at figuring that out without you noticing

Could this be love?

After months of talking and dealing with a semi broken Blackberry.  On Friday I finally took delivery (that is to say that AB gave me) an iPhone.  I had done so much thinking and playing with other peoples iPhones, but I was still unsure that it would do all the things I wanted it to do.  I also realised that everyone .... EVERYONE (well almost) has one.  But I couldn't quiet decide, were people buying them because they were staunch Apple lovers or lemmings? or were they buying them because they were really THAT great.

Well, after a day of playing, downloading little free apps and taking photos.  I can officially say that I am loving my iPhone.  I loved my Blackberry as well, but it was well and truly time for a change.

So now to get my head around the last few bits and pieces and take more photos, changing them to look like Polaroids.

I mean that's what an iPhone is for, right?

iPod Drive Tunes (2)

So before I write this I am wondering if maybe its boring to others to read about the music that accompanied me when I drive? Its just that so often when I'm driving a song comes on and I think gosh this is so great/sad/bad/funny I wish I could share it. I add the links so that you can give it a listen and hope that you also think this is so great/sad/bad/funny I'm glad I heard that today. So if it's boring tell me and I'll ... well I'll probably still write it but at least I'm not thinking that everyone else is loving it *grin*

Saturday I drove up to see Dad on my own. It was a great drive. It reminded me of driving up the coast to see dad before I had kids. Music blaring, not noticing how long the drive is because there are no kids yelling in the background.

The hour drive meant I listened to a lot of music ... loudly !!! Here are a few that caught my ears:

Barry Louis Polisar - All I want is you. This is one of the things that I love about soundtracks. You come across songs that you would never hear elsewhere. I have visions of singing this song at a wedding. For someone who doesn't want to get married I often hear songs that I think would go great at my wedding, or someone else's. To be fair I often hear songs that I think I'd like to play at my funeral as well. There's a blog post (or 2) in that somewhere.

Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Istanbul Twilight. I love this album, its a mixture of global sounds and hip hop beats. Istanbul just happened to be the track that graced my drive but I don't think its my favourite ... actually I don't know what my favourite is.

Prodigy - Voodoo People. This is also a soundtrack favourite. Its from the Hackers soundtrack. If you haven't seen it you should but you'll need to be in the mood for a crazy young 90's flick. It's one of my top 10 (maybe 20) movies of all time. The song really needs to be played loud. My one criticism is that its a bit to long for such a repetitive tune. But really it does get into your blood if you play it loud.

Seth Sentry - The Waitress. I don't know if I actually like this song, but I like the lyrics "the relationship is built on breakfast, I'm waiting on her just to wait on me". Its from Triple J Hottest 100. Which has really become my best link to new popular music ever since I have let myself get sooo out of the loop.

iPod Tunes for the Day

Yesterday as I drove out to Camden I got stuck in the tunnel in traffic. At first I was feeling cranky about the fact that the traffic was making my drive take a lot longer than normal but then I noticed the tunes that were playing and I decided that maybe it was nice for the day to slow down a bit so I could use the time to enjoy the music my iPod decided to show me.

A few got a laugh, a few I just loved and of course a few I skipped cause they just weren't what I was in the mood for. I decided to share a few of the stand outs:

The Temper Trap - Love Lost I really love something about this song. I find myself turning the volume up every time I hear it.

Flight of the Conchords - Carol Brown Who wouldn't get a giggle from the lyrics " Hmm who organised all my ex-girlfriends into a choir, and got them to sing? Shut up, girlfriends from the past."

Kate Miller Heidke - Caught in the Crowd I wasn't ever bullied at school, but something about this song really brings a tear to my eye.

Lou Reed - Wild Side Really there isn't a day that goes by that can't comfortably handle a bit of Lou Reed. And this is the one that my iPod decided to give me.

Florence and the Machine - Dog Days I'm loving Florence and the Machine at the moment and this track is the one that seems to really get into my brain.

Ooh and I forgot Johnny Cash - Hurt Its a very heavy song but its amazing.

Im sure there were more, I was on the road for ages. But these were the ones that corresponded to me being stationary so I could note them down.

What's your iPod giving you at the moment?

iPod Humour

Once again my iPod has proved that it has a mind and personality of its own. Today as drove out to Camden it introduced me to two very weird songs and reminded me of one other. Why it picked these three songs at the same time out of the 1000's of songs I have, I don't know.  But they were all 2 or 3 songs apart and each made me laugh. (the film clips really add to the weird little song feel as well)

Alfie - Lily Allen

Lily singing about her brother Alfie and the fact that he smokes to much pot.

Salmon Dance - Chemical Brothers

This is a funny little song about a guy who invented a new dance style that he calls the Salmon. I hadn't watched the video, how cute is that puffer fish.

Coconut - Harry Nilsson

I'm sure you already know this one, its about a woman who puts lime juice into coconut milk and drinks it, then gets belly ache, calls the Dr and woke him up ...... who comes us with a cure. (why he has a gorilla costume on in the clip I have no idea)

Back from Blogger Mobile Blackout

I have submerged from the mobile blackout that blogger had imposed.  I don't know if you had noticed that most of my posts these days are from my blackberry, I just email my blogger account with any attachments and voila instant post without me having to be any where near my PC

While we were away it decided for some reason, that it wasn't going to let me post that way so it has been a bit quiet from me this week.

But it seems blogger is back and I am sure I will be able to think of a bunch of interesting bits a pieces to share, just not this minute xx

iPod Evil !

Those who know me will vouch for the fact that I am openly and some may say overly emotional person.  I cry easily, I think I laugh easily as well, I have been known to get angry easily, and I love easily. 

It is for this reason that I can't decide if I love my iPod or if I should consider it my arch nemesis. 

Recently the kids decided to use my car stereo as a piggy bank, it was all fine because they had also inserted the Triple J sticker I have been meaning to stick on my car for 4 years, and it was creating a barrier between all the metal coins and the metal pieces in the stereo.  That was until I, in my infinite wisdom decided to pull the out Triple J sticker with the pair of tweezers I had just liberated from the stereo.  Funnily enough I was listening to Triple J at the time and suddenly pop the whole stereo went quiet and black

Anyway I digress, the point is that my car stereo is no longer working and I have been using my little iPod shuffle more than usual. 

Now the problem (or the plus depending on my mood)  with the iPod shuffle is that it has no screen, you are just sitting there at the mercy of what your iPod has in store for you.

So often my iPod decides to play me a bunch of songs that create a mood or recreate an era of my life. Its the weird part about my iPod it seems to conspire to make me feel, not entirely the best thing in the hands of an emotional being like myself.

Sometimes it will pick the most wonderfully happy joyous songs that make me want to jump up and dance and sing.  I look at my little shuffle and I am so thankful that I don't know what's coming, knowing that I love all of the music I own, enjoying every minute of the ride my iPod has taken me on.

Then other times when I am feeling sad, or when I am driving to Camden the music will become slow and melodic.  All of the songs will remind me of friends lost and times past, they will sing about being alone, or about death of life and love.  I look at my little shuffle and I see the overly emotional me's nemesis, I wonder how it reads my mind and why all of my music are these sad sad sad songs.

In the end, I love the part of me that is emotional, I understand that that might make it interesting to be around me sometimes, and that my boys like there father might have to learn to read me as I learn to control them.  It might be better for all involved if I get my stereo fixed though and save my iPod for times when I am feeling happy, maybe then it will stop reading my mind :)

Gadget Love

A while ago I wrote that I had a new phone, a blackberry curve. I've had it a few months now and I say that I love it, beyond the fact that its pretty and shiny and has some great features, it has opened so many little communication doorways, and has made it so easy to keep in touch with people I don't often see.

I can sms like normal, the little keypad making it easy to write longer texts, and its bigger screen means that I can see what I've written so hopefully I make more sense. It also does email, that means I don't have to go to my PC periodically to check my group updates, HAS goings on and also I can read and write longer communications where ever whenever.

The last and newest fun piece of software that my blackberry has is a little facebook program, I don't use online facebook that much, but this little program means that I can just see peoples status updates, write on their walls or send them messages. The main thing I like is that I can see a little bit of peoples days and if I feel like it I can respond, and people who are online also see little pieces of my day and respond as well.

Today one friend who lives in Melbourne is feeling hung over, another in Brisbane is feeling annoyed by her computer game and its villagers, another has had a miscarriage and yet another is packing to go overseas for 6 weeks.

It is these little insights into peoples lives that I wouldn't often see if it wasn't for facebook and the fact that I never seem to get any PC time these days means that this little piece of software keeps me in touch, with help from my Blackberry.

I often felt annoyed at Andrew for being attached at the hip to his Blackberry, but I suppose I get it now, I really am a product of the communication age, not only can I not imagine not having a phone with me but I almost now can't imagine not having my email etc with me as well.

And well did I mention its cute and shiny and has some groovy little bits of software to but ....... I'm such a gadget geek sometimes

The New Phone

I got a new phone on the weekend its a very luxurious Blackberry Curve. So far I'm in love, i have been busily enjoying watching TV, emailing, surfing the net, and all the other little things it does so well. I'm such a gadget girl sometimes and I have trouble assimilating my love of all things bright sparkly and techy with the more simple life I would also like to live.

Is it possible to buy beautiful gadgets (my next one will be a Macbook) and still try and live a non consumerist lifestyle. I mean i didn't exactly need a new phone, yes my old phone was playing up a little but really it wasn't bothering me that much.

Its like there is two of me; one that wants to live in a world of chooks and compost, freecyling and bio-diesel and the other me lets call her evil Leigh :) that wants her world filled with Macbooks and cable TV, clothes dryers and expensive restaurant's.

I guess we all have an evil side, some of us just don't think about it and its consumerist ways or maybe you carbon offset so you don't have to worry, If it had have been a chair that wasn't perfect i would have lived with it or modified it to work better, i mean we still live with an outside toilet and i have a beautiful new phone, of course with my new phone i can now read and respond to email on the outside toilet so maybe that's the trade off :)