the apptimist: my new favorites

being the broke college student that i am, retail therapy is rarely an option to unwind, and my limited amount of income doesn't necessarily cover the bar tab either.  so to celebrate the end of midterm week, this blogger did some shopping in the app store the other day, and walked out a much happier person. here's what i got (for free):

1. twitbird PRO
i have literally experimented with every free twitter app there is on the iPhone. while some stand out more than others, they all share one really annoying graphic that comes with all lite versions: banner ads. for some reason, this pro version of twitbird was in the app store for free one day so naturally i jumped on it. i immediately loved it for the lack of ads at the top, but whats really interesting is that it aggregates all tweets in a conversation template, as opposed to stacking boxes like all other. aesthetically, its visually pleasing and very easy to navigate. i myself would not pay more than $1-$2 for the app but for free, this was an awesome find.

2. epicurious
zomg, what an awesome app for any foodie, novice to expert! being the amateur beer, wine and food enthusiast that i am, i tend to eat out a lot but one of my upcoming resolutions is to actually use the kitchen that i have more often: epicurious to the rescue. they have 25,000+ recipes from experts, magazines, and food blogs and categorize them for your liking. at the top of the menu appears seasonal dishes (right now, you'll see variations of thanksgiving offerings) as well as sponsored lists, lists based on cooking ability, main food, sides, drinks, deserts, lifestyle, snacks, party foods and so much more. if you see a recipe that you like, users can bookmark it, have the ingredients sent to their virtual shopping list, and if you tip your phone over, a step-by-step direction sheet appears. with a helpful search function, it is quite literally the best food app i have yet to see. only downside are the ads that get thrown in between every 10 recipes, but they are definitely better than the banners. a+ in my book.

3. mobiQpons
an app with coupons local to your area. need i say more?

4. remote

for all the other applephiles out there, you would know that most computer products come with a remote control. while my little brother has hijacked mine out of protest, this has come in real handy. it accesses your iTunes library through wifi connection and allows you to control the media selection, volume, play/pause, etc. pretty cool when i use it to watch twilight from my bed every night.