Friday I'm in Love: App-Tastic

Please have low expectations for this post; I'm pretty sure this cold I seem to have is actually the beginnings of the zombie virus that will kill me. Also, I'm not a tech blogger.

People keep posting on my timelines about what apps to get for their new smart phones and Kindles and what have yous. I never know the answer to these questions off the top of my head because while I'm addicted to the internet I'm not a connoisseur. So while I have apps I like, I don't have them memorized. This post was written with all the devices propped around me.

Also, there are no links here. But I've used the real name, so you can just search in your device's app store.

For the iPhone:

MyFitnessPal: Keeps track of food and exercise and you don't have to hook it up to your Facebook or whatever. Because that would just be wrong.

Picasa Web Albums: Anything to help me keep photos organized is good.

Camera Genius: More options than the regular iPhone camera.

Fast Camera: If you want to take action shots with your phone, this is the app for you.

Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App: If your kid likes Mo Willems books, this app will provide hours of entertainment, with considerably less guilt than Angry Birds.

For kids, I also like Angry Birds Star Wars, Glow Draw, Lego Duplo Jams, Wipeout and Dolphin Play for entertainment purposes. For learning, I like Meteor Math.

On the Kindle Fire:

Okay, my favorite thing about the Kindle Fire (and the Kindle app and my Kindle Paperwhite) is the whole getting books immediately into my hot little hands aspect. Though being able to download movies and shows for each kid on our road trip was also quite awesome.

But as for apps, I like:

Picasso: Drawing and painting without the mess.

Little Piano: Probably be more useful after they take some piano lessons.

50 States: Geography. Duh.

Minecraft: They say it teaches programming skills. I just like that they're building instead of shooting.

CardDroid Math: Flashcards are more fun when they're on a screen.

Friday I'm in Love: Tech Edition

I never consider myself a tech type person, until I'm chatting with someone and they ask me what Twitter is. Then I feel all kinds of computer nerdish. Of course, then I try to make over my blog and and it takes me forever to tweak just a few things and I still can't make the damn page tabs center.

Nothing like failing at stuff programmers could do in a coma to make you realize that you will never, ever be a computer nerd.

But I do know what Twitter is and I am definitely addicted to my iPhone. I guess you could say I'm tech literate. Which explains why I'm fully qualified to discuss tech/social media/computer stuff I loved this week:

Flipboard: It's an app that turns all the sites you like into a flip-able magazine. Okay, maybe not ALL, the sites, I know how many of you like cat videos, but most of the sites.

Otterbox: I know their cases are expensive, but oh my gosh, are they worth it. My kids have dropped their Kindles and my iPhone countless times and you'd never know it.

Best response to the Wall Street Journal's article that dismissed blogging conferences and the like as "girls' trips": This one by Elisa Camohort Page.

Ribbet: As we've discussed, I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to html and web design and such. But I used Ribbet to make my photo header and it was super easy.

Feedly: You know how Google Reader will be no more as of July 1st? And you're wondering how you will possibly know how many blog posts you've missed without Google Reader to remind you? Well, just sign up with Feedly. It imports everything for you and it's stupid easy to use.

(This post is not sponsored. I have not gotten anything for sharing these, I promise. I just wanted to try a theme.  That is my Amazon Associates link to the Otterbox Kindle case, so if you'd like me to be compensated for this post, you're going to have to click the link and buy a case.)


This has nothing to do with computer literacy really, but I can't write a "Friday I'm in love" post without mentioning my favorite blog post of the week:

This one will make you tear up. In a good way.