App Fever

Last week, the timer and the GPS were vying for the position of favorite app on my iPhone.

I was a latecomer to the iParty, and actually succumbed to the iPad before the iPhone. And while I've enjoyed both from the beginning, the first time I realized how much I appreciated my iPhone was last spring, when I managed to get turned around and lose my bearings only a few miles from home. I refuse to say I was lost, because I'm sure I could've eventually found my way back to a place that would take me out of the maze, but I had neither the time nor the patience to prove it.

Fortunately, there was no need. With no idea where "current location" was, I plugged my destination address into my phone and it patiently - and silently - told me how to reach my destination. It even gave me choices.

I immediately called my husband and told him he was right. The iPhone that he'd been suggesting to me for years was a good idea.

Lately, I've been using the timer function on my iPhone to help curb my procrastination habit. I'll sit down at the computer to work, but invariably decide to check something (usually Facebook) for "just a few minutes." A few minutes turns into half an hour, and by that time, the motivation to work has faded.

So now, when I am tempted to play for a few minutes, I give myself permission to do so - right after I decide how many minutes are in "a few" and set the timer on my phone. When the timer goes off, play time is over. Invariably, this strategy works, if only because I don't even delude myself into setting the timer when the urge to work is weak and feeble.

I've decided that if my iPhone can help me break my procrastination habit, it's well worth the price of the data plan.
But then last night at dinner, a friend introduced me to the app that lets you scan all of those customer loyalty cards into your phone so you don't have to invest in a separate key ring to carry them all around. Since I'd just alphabetized my loyalty cards onto a key ring of their own last week (sad, but true), I was immediately interested - and downloaded the free app on the spot.

So, this week, I looking to maximize the return investment on my data plan. If you have an app you love, leave me a comment and tell me about it. You should know up front that I am partial to freebies, but I have been known to shell out small amounts of cash for apps that promise a return investment in either efficiency or enjoyment.

So, entice me - which apps should I invite to my iParty?