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You might have noticed that I put a couple of new badges on my blog home page.  Click on the Facebook badge to become a fan of Chili Dawg (he does have some good status updates).   And you can see my latest 12 Second video right there inside the badge by clicking the “play button.”

Okay; the geeky updates are over.  Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

*I don’t get paid for my opinions in any way; this is just me sharing stuff that I like and I think you will too.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I love my iPhone!  I have a few apps, but really I am not utilizing the iTunes App Store as much as I could be.  So I added Pandora, Tap Tap, Tipulate and Shazam…..and to this date I haven’t used any of those.  But I did find this cool new app that I just have to tell you about.

I’ve been sort of in a funk lately (as opposed to funki, which is the preferable modus operandi) and so I’ve been thinking that I need to start a gratitude journal to focus on the good stuff.   The trouble is, as hard as I try, I’m not a very good journal writer.  I buy a pretty journal and pen, set them next to my bed, write in it for about two weeks and then fall off the wagon.   And about six months later I repeat the process again.  Instead of feeling grateful, I end up feeling like a failure.

That’s why while reading the latest issue of Skirt! I was so happy to read about an iPhone Gratitude Journal app by Happy Tapper.  For .99¢ I figured that I could give it a try and I must tell you that I absolutely love it!  I think that this will work for me!  The app is also very user friendly and has a feel-good, groovy feel.  The little Buddha is so cute and makes me smile.

You can change the background and even lock your journal from curious eyes:

The quote displayed after each journal entry is a nice touch (or you can turn this feature off):

I like the fact that I can type in my “grateful thoughts” the minute they happen in a concise bullet format and I love that I can add a photo to my journal entry as well (the photo goes in the spot of the little Buddha in the first screenshot).  

This week I have been grateful for:

a great pedicure

the ice cream truck

good iced tea

• a fantastic facial
• beautiful weather
• nice visits with my parents and mother-in-law
• a listening ear in Renee

And I am very grateful for my iPhone and the Gratitude Journal app.  Namaste. 

Apple pie, carmel apples, applesauce–apples are good right?  Well, maybe the food, but I wasn’t a believer in Apple the technology until recently.

My husband gets all the credit for keeping me technologically current.  He insisted that I get my first Palm long ago and then he bought me a Treo a few years ago and I loved it.  With the Treo I became hooked on having an organizational tool at my fingertips.  It is important to note that I did not activate the mobile feature on my Treo as I did not want to be connected 24/7.

When my husband got an iPod and then a MacBook he became a lover of all things Apple and never looked back; in fact, I think he’s sort of obsessed.  

My first baby step over to the Apple side (or the right side, my husband would say), came when I bought an iPod to use at the gym; my workout went a lot faster listening to podcasts.  Then when I needed a new laptop, I made the MacBook my choice (with a lot of coercing from my husband).  There was a learning curve, but a class at the Apple store helped tremendously and now I can work my MacBook just as well as he can.

A few months ago I decided that I needed a new phone and my husband was urging me to get a new 3G iPhone (of course), but I was not buying into the hype.  I loved my Treo and had planned to just buy a newer version, but when I found out that Verizon didn’t carry the new Treo, I became more open to the iPhone.   Still, I had to make sure that the iPhone would actually satisfy my needs.  At the suggestion of an Apple employee, I made a list of all the ways that I use my Treo and brought the list into the Apple store (yes, I’m crazy like that); the employee went over each item and showed me an iPhone application that could perform that function.  In the end I did buy the iPhone, but I am happy that I made an informed, well-thought out decision.

So now I’ve had my iPhone for a couple of months.  I have finally transitioned all of my Treo information and have used the iPhone enough to give an educated opinion.  The verdict?  I LOVE MY IPHONE!  There, my husband, that was for you: you were right.  I know that you don’t hear that often from me so I’ll say it again, YOU WERE RIGHT; Apple rocks!

Contrary to my earlier sentiment about not wanting to be connected, I love being able to check my email on my phone.   Since I am so mobile anyway driving my kids all over the world, at least I can surf the internet and read my email on the run and therefore have less to do when I arrive back at home.  

I confess; I’ve become one of those sick people comparing iPhone applications at kids’ birthday parties and school functions.  Well, now that it’s out there, here are some of the iPhone applications that I use :

Twitterific: Mirco-blogging on the go! It feeds the Twitter addiction.  

Facebook: Now I can update my status anytime and anywhere.  I particularly love being able to upload mobile photos: Me!–in the park; Me!–at the store.  My everyday life seems more exciting when I post it on Facebook.

Grocery iQ: My personalized list is organized according to my local Whole Foods aisles.  They even have brand names in the application.  And I like that I can email the list to my husband to pick up a few things on the way home from work.

Things: This is my master to do list for work, chores, and life.  I use the desktop application to input information and then sync with my iPhone.  One look at the “Today” list keeps me focused and stress-free.

mSecure: A secure place for my many web passwords.  My mommy-brain sometimes get overloaded.

Notebook: I keep lists of restaurants to visit, wine labels to try, etc.

PhotoNote: If I see something out in the world that I want to remember, I take a photo and attach a note. This will especially come in handy during holiday shopping.

SplashShopper: I had this on my Treo and used it to death, so I was so happy to see it available for the iPhone.  I keep running lists for Target, the mall, gifts ideas, movies to see, and books to read.  The desktop application syncs with my Macbook for easy entry of items.  It makes running errands a breeze.

My son also has an iPhone (hand-me-down from my husband) and he has many more applications than I do.  Here is just a small list of his favorites along with his reviews:

Dactyl-Mauvila Software (FREE):  The MUST HAVE classic iPhone game. Surprisingly fun for such a simple game. You just tap the bombs as they turn red before they explode.

Sonic Lighter-Smule ($0.99): There is a free lighter, Zippo Lighter, that is pretty good, but this lighter is amazing. You can tilt your light to ‘singe’ the sides of your phone, turn on the gas to make a blowtorch, view a world map of people who are using the app, and blow the flame out using the microphone. However, the best feature is the ability to light other people’s phones that have the app open. You turn on the blowtorch (with the sound on) and put your phone to the other phone. The app also has the ability to light Smule’s bomb app, Sonic Boom.

Pandora Radio-Pandora Media (FREE): Pandora is an iPhone based version of the website.  If you’re not familiar with Pandora, it’s a music service where you type in an artist, and it comes up with songs by that artist and songs like that artist, creating a ‘radio station’.  You can put multiple artists on a station, or do a QuickMix which shuffles your stations.

Recorder-Retronyms ($0.99):  Simple recording app that allows you to name your recordings. It has a pretty good sound quality for a cheap app.

SnapTell Explorer-Snaptell (FREE): This app allows you to take pictures of the covers of CDs, DVDs, and books, and brings up reviews and price comparisons of the product.

TapTap Revenge-Tapulous (FREE): This is sort of like guitar hero for the iPhone.  You tap the colored dots and shake your phone to the beat of the music.  You can download extra songs by artists like Michael Franti, Weezer, and Katy Perry.  The new update allows you to play song simultaneously against people worldwide.  The other MUST HAVE classic iPhone game.

Texas Hold’em-Apple ($4.99):  This is the most expensive app this cheapskate has ever bought, but I think it was worth all the money.  You play against video characters who show emotions like joy of winning, bluffing, etc.  You can also play turn-by-turn (portrait) or whole table (landscape). Very well done for the money.

Trace-Kevin Calderone (FREE): In this game, you control a stick figure that has to move through obstacles, but you must draw him safe paths to get to his destination. Very creative and fun.

Wikipanion-Robert Chin (FREE): This is the easiest way to access Wikipedia from your iPhone.

So if you are like I used to be and don’t believe the Apple hype, maybe this blog post wet your appetite.  I urge you take a bite, taste and see that it’s good.

My husband and I were so excited to vote today!  We purposely waited until today so that we could vote together.  At the time of this writing, the polls haven’t even closed yet, but still there is an electricity in the air.  

To document this historic Election Day, I used my new Flip Video camera.  This is the Mino model; it is so small that it can fit in my pocket!  Uploading videos to the computer is a cinch as the USB plug is attached to the camera.  In no time I had my images on the computer, edited in iMovie and on YouTube.   The Mino model can even be custom-designed; check out my funki camera–pretty sweet!

I am going to continue to document our experience on Election Day, but here’s what I have so far:

If you haven’t done so yet, VOTE!  There’s still time!