My 9 Favorite iPhone Apps

I use my iPhone all day, everyday, and that should not be a surprise to anyone.  Since I upgraded to the iPhone 5 I have a charger in every place I spend more than a few hours because having a dead phone is not good for anyone.  However, only a fraction of the time I spend on my phone is actually using the call function – I would guess 5%, then email, then texting, but the majority of my time is spent using apps.  I love the preset and the traditional ones – Gmail, Facebook, calendar and weather – but then come my nine favorite iPhone apps:

(1) 2048 –  This game is dangerously addictive and after I wrote two weeks ago that I still had not beaten the game and hit that magic 2048 square a few days later.  Besides this game actually involving elements of strategy I love that you cannot die or run out of lives! Oh, and it is free!

(2) Afterlight – Erin of Two Thirds Hazel introduced me to this app which allows quick and straight froward photo editing and it puts Instagram filters to shame. It was definitely worth the $0.99 price tag and one of these days I will definitely use more that the clarify, brightness, contrast, and crop features. Until then…

(3) Heads UP! – I love this app for two reasons – first, because Ellen can do no wrong and second because this game is safe bet for laughs and at least an hour of entrainment.  I have played it on family game night and with friends after a few cocktails – both were great!

(4) Instagram – Honestly, who does not love Instagram? I love sharing photos and these square moments of happiness provide a quick snapshot into my life and through my newsfeed, peaks into my friends and want-to-be-friends  (Bey, Heidil, Lupita, )  lives. And honestly, I really hope this app does not need to be accompanied by a photo.  If you really want a visual head over to my profile!

(5)  InstaPic Frames –  There are times that sharing just one photo on Instagram is just not enough but I do not want to post four in a row so combining multiple shots into one frame / collage is the perfect solution!

(6)  Open Table – One of my first blog posts from November 2012 was about how much I love the service that Open Table provides and how easy it is to make reservations to top New York City spots that are otherwise booked.  A year and a half later, I still concur and now I have gotten pretty sneaky. If I walk into a restaurant and there is a long wait or I know there will once I arrive I go on the app, make a reservation, and usually get seated far quicker.  Being a VIP helps too 🙂 (VIP status is given to those who make more than 12 reservations in one year.)

(7) Overdrive – This is how I listen to my audiobooks and is definitely one of my most-used apps.  I used to use Audible where I was hooked with the free trial and then went on to the one book per month plan and bought credits as they went on sale.  However, as I listen to books so quickly this became very expensive and my dad of all people told me about Overdrive.  You are able to sync up your local library card and borrow any ebooks or audiobooks from your library for free! The selection is somewhat limited but I love it.

(8)  Perfect 365 – The free, one-tap makeover app.  As an example or how it works here is before and after work selfie using the makeup feature.  Honestly, if my skin could look like that all of the time I would never put on makeup.  In totally other news – my hair looks blond and that makes me very happy!

(9) Relax Music – According to their tag line they are the most popular sleep aid app and I would not disagree.  I use their “white noise” sound when I really need to concentrate or if there are too many distracting noises as I am trying to get to bed.

What are your favorite apps?