Honeymoon Guest Post: San from The In Between is Mine

While Lindsey is away enjoying her honeymoon, I am thrilled that she asked me to fill in for her today. She asked us to write about something or someone we love and I chose to write about MY IPHONE.

But hear me out. It’s not just any other technological toy for me.  Let me tell you a little story.

Last summer, when my parents and my cousin (20) came to visit and we went on our 3-week trip through the National parks, all of us but my Mom were on our iPhones in the evening…. posting updates to our loved ones back home, sending pictures and short messages, skype-ing with my sister. My Mom felt utterly left out and kept complaining every time we were online, until I turned around to her and said: you only feel left out because you don’t have an iPhone.

Obviously, I am exaggerating.

We were only on our phones for a few minutes here and there and not for hours on end.

But here’s my point: after I pushed my Mom to use my iPod Touch, which she initially didn’t want anything to do with, she actually started to like it. And, what do you know, after my parents got back home from vacation, my Mom got an iPhone for her birthday. Honestly, I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been since then, because she has really taken to it and she now sends me text messages, photos and short videos (mostly of my niece and nephew) throughout the week. The iPhone has opened up so many more possibilities for her to stay in touch with me.

My Mom is a very lovely example, but the iPhone has also improved my communication with my sister (who before the iPhone checked her email maybe once a week and is now much more easily reachable) and many of my overseas friends. International text messaging used to be quite expensive, but with all the messaging apps, texting has become affordable (= free).

I am aware that many of you don’t have to deal as much with international communication as I do, but I bet even you appreciate the ease of using the iphone with family and friends.

So, without further ado, here are my 10 favorite iphone apps for keeping in touch.

1. Whatsapp ($0.99) is a smartphone messenger currently available for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones, which uses push notifications to instantly alert you to new messages. (The other person has to have Whatsapp installed as well for this to work.)

 2. Skype (free) on the phone is basically like Facetime, but you can also talk/video chat with non-iPhone users. The quality is better when you’re connected to a wifi network, but I’ve had good reception through the 3G network as well.

 3. Viber (free) is – similar to Skype – an app for free (international) calls and text messaging.

These are my favorite apps to share pictures (instantly!):

 4. Flickr (free) – I love the Flickr App, because I can upload iPhone pictures to my Flickr account directly through this app. This keeps all my photos – shot by DSLR or iPhone – neatly in one backed up space.

 5. Instagram (free) – I don’t think I need to say anything about Instagram, who does not know this popular app? I love Instagram to share every day pictures with my family and friends.

Here are my favorite social media apps:

 6. Hootsuite (free) – This is my preferred app to keep up-to-date with Twitter and Facebook. It’s an app that can keep track of multiple accounts in one place (similar to Tweetdeck) and it’s one of the apps that I use most throughout the day.

 7. Facebook (free) – well, everybody knows Facebook.

 8. Pinterest (free) – This app makes it really easy to stay inspired while on the go. All your pins – and those of your friends – are accessible from the palm of your hand.

And finally, two little extra apps that I enjoy:

 9. Google Reader to go (free) – I love keeping up with blogs in Google Reader and this app is the perfect on-the-go solution.

 10. Postagram (free) is a clever app that lets you choose a photo from your iPhone library, Instagram, or Facebook and then mails a printed photo postcard (for a minimal charge) to domestic or international destinations. Surprise a loved one or friend with a picture when you’re on the road – no need to look for postcards and stamps.

How has your smartphone changed your way of communicating with people? Has it enriched or complicated your life?