Some of My Favorite Apps

If you are like me, you often curse the technology which is supposed to make our lives easier and frequently doesn’t. However, there are times when I find something that actually does what it’s supposed to do and really does benefit my life. So I thought I might share some of those things with you. Mostly these are apps—for phones, web browsers, computers—some paid and some free. But the thing they all have in common is that I have come to depend on them in some way, so I thought you might need them, too! (I won’t try to do this all at once, just every now and then.) 

I thought I’d start with free apps on my phone. I have an iphone, but I know that many of these apps are available for other types of smartphones, too, and some of them I’ll also discuss another time in web apps as well, for a couple of them sync with their web app.  

So—on to free apps. 

I love free, don’t you? Especially when it is something worthwhile! Mostly these involve productivity in some way, not things like social media or games or reading apps or such, though of course I love those apps, too.

Here are some of the apps I can’t live without:

TeuxDeux - keeps a to do list by day (syncs with online). It works so much like I used to keep my paper to do list that the transition was a cinch!

MapQuest - I couldn’t go anywhere without it! The turn-by-turn instructions have saved me from getting lost so many times!

LoseIt! - weight loss/maintenance program that tracks the calories you eat and those you exercise off, with settings to track your weight and to set it for different weekly goals. Using this, my husband has lost almost 40 lbs and I’ve lost over 15 lbs since mid-October! 

AroundMe - determines your location, then lets you see what is nearby—categories like gas stations, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. It has been a lifesaver on many a trip for us. 

Evernote - I’ll talk about this one more in computer and web apps as well, but suffice it to say my whole life is in this program! From anywhere I am I can find receipts, information, travel agendas, whatever I have sent to this virtual filing cabinet—and the powerful search function means I can actually find what I need!

There you go! I’m sure there are more, but those are my most used apps, ones that have truly made my life a bit easier. Maybe one of them will be exactly what you need, too. I'd love to hear some of your favorite, free apps for your phone!