Best iPhone Apps For Women: Simplify Your Life
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Yes, there's an app for just about everything these days, but that's not necessarily a good thing if you can't take the time to sort through them all and figure out which ones can really simplify your life. Here are 21 iPhone apps that have made the lives of AOL/Huffington Post female staffers easier. We hope they'll do the same for you.
Have a favorite app that we didn't include? Let us know about it in the comments.
Awesome Note
"It's the best to-do list app I've used so far" says Jessica Rudis, Editor, <a href="http://evanston.patch.com/" target="_hplink">Evanston, Patch.com</a>. "You can set alarms in advance to remind you of certain things you need to do, and you can synch it with Google. You can also break your list up into sub-lists, such as things you need to do today, your shopping list, etc." <strong>Price:</strong> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/awesome-note-to-do-diary/id320203391?mt=8 " target="_hplink">$3.99</a>
ClockIn
If you're a freelancer paid by the hour or do work that requires you to track how much time you spend with individual clients, ClockIn can help. Part of this app's charm is its simplicity: It keeps track of your time for you in much the way a timesheet would but allows you to export that time sheet to send to clients and download it for your own records. Price: <a href=" http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clockin-33-off/id300065032?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a>
Dinner Spinner
As antiquated as it sounds, cooking emergencies do happen. Maybe your in-laws are coming over on short-notice and you need to impress. Maybe your boyfriend forgot to tell you that his best friend is throwing an around-the-world potluck dinner, and you're representing France. Dinner Spinner Pro can make these situations a little easier. If you're standing in front of the fridge, you can search for recipes based on the ingredients you already have on hand; it also comes in handy at the grocery store when you suddenly discover that halibut is on special. The app also lets you save and share recipes and shopping lists, and cooking instructions can be displayed in a mercifully phone-friendly way. Price: <a href="http://allrecipes.com/features/more/iphone.aspx" target="_hplink">http://allrecipes.com/features/more/iphone.aspx</a>Free (Pro Version $2.99)
Evernote
Evernote turns the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad into a tool for remembering anything and everything that happens in your life. Notes, ideas and recordings can all be put into Evernote and synchronized to your iPhone to your Mac or Windows desktop. Remember the guy in Memento? If he'd had this, things might have gone differently. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a>
Grocery Gadget
With the Grocery Gadget, handwritten lists are no longer necessary. Separate what you need to buy with categories like groceries, home improvement, recipes, or errands. Other major pluses? You can scan the barcodes of items you need to replace instead of typing them out, match coupons to shopping items and sync your list with a roommate's or significant other's. Presto: no more duplicate half gallons of milk coming home to your fridge. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grocery-gadget-shopping-list/id287932487?mt=8" target="_hplink">$3.99</a>
iBody
iBody turns your iPhone into your own personal health and fitness advisor. You can use it to keep a fitness journal for your workouts, jogs and bike rides. It keeps track of your target weight and how many calories you're burning, in addition to your cholesterol and blood pressure. The option to register up to three additional users and passwords means you can partner with a friend and motivate one another. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibody-get-in-shape/id306402292?mt=8" target="_hplink">$9.99</a>
Instagram
Instagram is photo sharing, reinvented. First, there's the aesthetic appeal: This app allows you to make a mediocre iPhone snapshop lovely. Just choose your favorite vintage filter and apply it to your photo to completely transform the look and feel. Then there's the spectacular functionality. In just a few seconds, you can share your photo via Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and/or Tumblr. If you love the way vintage photographs look but probably aren't going to go be dabbling in photography anytime soon, this is the app for you. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/instagram/id389801252?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a>
iWedding Deluxe
Weddings planning can very quickly take on a life of its own -- and take over yours. iWedding Deluxe can help you manage the beast by organizing and providing inspiration as you debate peonies versus roses. This app's to-do lists, budgeting and guest list organization are also perfect for brides trying desperately to reign in the chaos. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iwedding-deluxe/id336602601?mt=8" target="_hplink">$6.99</a>
Loopt
Local app Loopt gives you the lowdown on what's happening wherever you are. Need to take clients out for dinner in a city you don't know well? See what locals think of restaurants on a given block. Looking for the best cheeseburger? The app will find it for you. You can also locate friends who may be in the area and receive alerts when there's a live deal nearby from Groupon (lunchtime? Ding! Deal down the street). Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/loopt/id281952554?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a>
Mint
A bad credit score is no fun to get out from under, nor is buying a latte only to find out it's going to cost you $150 in fees because yep, you just overdrew your account. Mint.com is a great solution: It alerts you when bills are due, when fees are about to be charged, and when bank funds get low. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-new" target="_hplink">Catherine New</a> of The Huffington Post is a big fan: "There are a lot of new apps that do this to some degree, but I like Mint's interface, usability and transparency. I think financial independence is a huge issue for women -- and taking any vagueness out of keeping [track of your] personal finances is a first step. Debt is a big issue -- and with the boom in credit card-spending sites online (daily deals, Gilt, RueLala, etc.,) it can be really easy to dig a money pit that is both real and takes a long time to get out of." Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mint-com-personal-finance/id300238550?mt=8 " target="_hplink">Free</a>
Intuition: Mom's Personal Assistant
Even if you're not a mom, this organization app may be the one for you. The easy interface allows you to quickly enter your to-dos, grocery lists, ideas, and appointments and display them in a way you can get your mind around. You can also share your tasks via Facebook or Twitter, and get alerts when you're near a store where you have a pending errand. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/intuition-moms-personal-assistant/id339653402?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a>
MyFitness Pal
If you're wondering whether that health muffin you eat every morning on your way to work is actually healthy, try looking it up in MyFitnessPal. The app has nutrition information for over 1 million foods and restaurant items. It's a favorite of Jessica Rudis, Editor of <a href="http://evanston.patch.com/" target="_hplink">Evanston Patch</a>. "It's free and an easy way to see your eating patterns. I know a lot of people use it to lose weight and have had success with it; I use it to try to keep myself in check to eat healthier (when I see I've had pizza multiple times a week I know it's time to shape up)." Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calorie-counter-diet-tracker/id341232718?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_hplink">Free</a>
Period Tracker
Sure, you know it's coming every month. But have you noticed how you still sometimes manage to forget that you're about to get your period until you're in a place where it seems impossible to find a tampon, or some Advil? The period tracker app can help mitigate a few of the unfortunate circumstances that tend to accompany your period. The app tells you when your period is coming, how much longer you have and what moods you may be feeling on what day. It's also an easy way to recognize when you're late and when you're most fertile. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/period-tracker-deluxe/id289084315?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a> (Deluxe Version $1.99)
PulseNews
Born out of the frustration that often comes with reading the news on a mobile device, PulseNews rearranges your favorite sites on your screen in a more visually appealing way. When an article really speaks to you, you have the ability to save it and to share it with friends. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pulse-news-for-ipad/id371088673?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a>
Shop Savvy
You found the best pair of black boots for fall at the very first store you stopped into on a day-long shopping excursion. Yay! We're excited too, but we're also familiar with that feeling of being swindled when another store you go to later that day has the exact same boots for 30 percent off. There's a way to avoid that with the price-comparing app Shop Savvy. Input the item you want and it compares prices online versus in stores, tells you the cheapest option and what store is closest to you to buy it. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shop-savvy-barcode-scanner/id338828953?mt=8 " target="_hplink">Free</a>
Snapp!
Ever come home from a work or networking event with a stack of business cards and no place to put or keep track of them? Enter Snapp! This app allows you to can enter a contact's email address on the spot and it will shoot them a personalized follow up email right away. Price: <a href=" http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/snapp/id376700688?mt=8 " target="_hplink">Free</a>
Stylish Girl
Remember in 'Clueless' how Cher was able to remote-control her way through her closet to find the perfect outfit? Stylish Girl is the closet thing we've found so far. You can input what clothing you already own and mix and match it with what's in stores. Ploy to get you shopping? Sure, if it succeeds, you'll at least be buying clothes that go with what you have. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stylish-girl-your-fashion/id301669520?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a>
The Pill
If remembering to take your birth control is a constant struggle, you'll love this app. The Pill sends you a daily reminder at a time you choose by email or message alert. It can take into account the 7 days of stop pills, or it can continue to send the reminders for the full 28 days of your pack. The beauty of this app is that it doesn't need to be running to remind you. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-pill/id329504686?mt=8" target="_hplink">$0.99</a>
Yoga STRETCH
You had to work late (again) and (again) miss yoga, the only activity that gives you some semblance of zen these days. Before you lament the bill you pay each month to not go to the gym, take solace in knowing that for $0.99 you can get class-like guidance at home. Can't remember if the pigeon pose comes before or after tree pose? The app has pre-set routines and audio instructions that talk you through the poses. Plus, if you're not into the nature-themed soundtrack your instructor usually plays, you can select your own music and warrior II to Katy Perry instead. Now about that gym membership ... Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yoga-stretch/id295454747?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a> (Pro Version $0.99)
WebMB Symptom Checker
That cramp in your lower abdomen: is it the sushi you ate last night or appendicitis or something else entirely? It's easy to panic when something with your health seems off, and WebMD's symptom checker can be a quick way to ease your mind (although you should always consult a physician if symptoms persist). The app also offers First Aid information and listings for local healthcare providers, and it allows you to save the names of prescriptions you're taking and bookmark articles you'd like to revisit. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/webmd/id295076329?mt=8" target="_hplink">Free</a>
Women's Health Workouts
With 16 complete work-outs and 130 different exercises, Women's Health Workouts offers a chance to change up the monotony of your regular fitness routine. Some of the options address your whole body while others target specific areas (if you're more interested in toning your butt and legs than your tummy, for example, you can try the lower body blast). You can keep track of the progress you've made by logging when and how often you work out. Price: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/womens-health-workouts/id323860554?mt=8" target="_hplink">$1.99</a>
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The Huffington Post Katie Bindley and Danielle Sinay First Posted: 08/25/11 10:16 AM ET Updated: 10/24/11 06:12 AM ET