Selena Narayanasamy is extensively involved in all things technology, social media, blogging/writing, entrepreneurship and productivity related. When she’s not dabbling in any of the above mentioned things, you can find her drinking her life substance (coffee) and blogging on Search Engine Journal and her website, Esvienne. Follow her on Twitter- @esvienne and@selenavidya, and like her on Facebook.

How many times are you walking through a store, and you see something awesome that you want? Then you look at the price and see it’s about $40.00 more than you want to pay? This happens to me a lot. Not because I have expensive taste, but because it seems everywhere you look, people are trying to make money and up the prices on items.

RedLaser for iPhone fixes that problem. I spent many an hour scanning things just for the fun of it. It’s impossibly accurate and can literally scan almost anything that has a barcode.

The way it works, is you open up the application and hold the scanner far enough away- so that it hits the left and right side of the barcode. It then scans the item and lets you know what it is.

• From there, you can:
• comparison shop (online and local)
• find books in different libraries
• check for food allergens
• search electronic reviews online.

Checking for food allergens is probably one of the biggest selling points of this free application, mainly because it’s impossible to find ingredients on some foods, and others don’t display everything. If you’re allergic to something that isn’t typical, this application will help you find it and possibly prevent you from eating it and having a reaction.

For books, I always find it nice to be able to find another place where you can borrow the book instead of buying it. I’m not sure how many people actually use libraries anymore (with the nook, e-reader, ipad etc) but I still love to go there and take out a book- because you can risk it being horrible and it’s free

Sometimes barcodes like to be bad- If the barcode can’t be read, for some reason, you can also enter the number in manually.

This app really is a must-have for the shopper. It provides you with so much information to help you make a calculated decision before you accidentally get ripped off buying something. Oh yeah, and it’s fun to scan things for absolutely no reason, too

This week’s featured app is brought to you by the developers at LightPillar.  The Touch LCD Designer Speaking Clock is by and large the best alarm clock app out there for both the iPhone and the iPad.  Recently I did some redecorating in my room, which allowed me to clear my laptop off of my nightstand.  With all that empty space I figured it would be the perfect spot for my shiny new iPad which wasn’t getting nearly as much use as I had originally anticipated.  I also decided to have my iPhone (which was my alarm clock) next to my laptop at night to allow it to charge and sync.  With my old alarm clock on the other side of the room I figured I would investigate alarm clock apps for my iPad.  I came across the Touch LCD Designer Speaking Clock and it was love at first site.  Read on to hear why…

Simple Layout

I love the simplicity of the layout of this clock, you can view it in landscape or portrait mode and can, to an extent, adjust the font and layout of the clock itself.  While the display is simple there are many options and configurations to allow for full customization.  The display is divided into three sections and with different viewing options for each line you can customize your clock to show as much or as little detail as you like.  For example, at the very top of the screen you can set your clock to display the time for your next alarm and the amount of time left until that alarm goes off.  Need to know what time it is in another time zone?  You can set that bar to show the time in whatever time zone you choose.  If you prefer a more simple display you can keep the top part of the display blank.  The middle section is the actual clock, you can adjust how the time is displayed by scrolling trhough the preset designs.  The bottom section is dedicated to showing the date in whichever format you prefer.

Night Mode

I prefer to have my bedside clocks lit all night so I can turn over and get the time at a glance, but one thing I’ve always hated about the traditional digital clocks is the bright light it casts in the room.  Touch LCD Designer Speaking Clock has a night mode to prevent just that.  You can adjust the brightness in night mode and it’s activated with one tap of the screen.

Speaking Clock

Well with a name like “Touch LCD Designer Speaking Clock” you would expect the clock to speak right?  Well not only does this app speak but you can also adjust how and when it speaks to you.  One of my favorite settings is ‘tap to speak’ where all you have to do is tap anywhere on the screen and a nice male computer voice tells you the time.  You can even set how he tells you the time i.e., “the time is 10:30 pm” or “the time is half past ten”.  So now I don’t even have to open my eyes when I need to know the time, I just tap and I hear it.  You can also set the clock to speak at hourly, quarterly and half hourly intervals, it can speak the time when your alarm goes off and you can silence the “speak time” option when the clock is in night mode to prevent unwanted wake ups.  One thing I would ask the developers though is that there is an option of a female voice.

Wake Up Test

Probably one of my favorite features of this app is the “wake up test”.  The wake up test feature requires you to follow a set of simple instructions to turn off the alarm.  How many times have you found yourself accidentally turning off your alarm in your sleep?  I’ve done that far too many times to count.  The wake up test actually requires me to wake up by requiring me to tap numbers in various spots on the screen in order to dismiss my alarm.  While I can easily go back to sleep  after passing the test that requirement wakes me up just enough to prevent me from falling back into a deep sleep.

The Touch LCD Designer Speaking Clock has a plethora of features, far too many to discuss here, if you would like to see a full list of features check out their site (which includes a link to a pdf users guide).  I have to thank LightPillar for creating such a great app, I look forward to more apps from them soon.

Do you use Touch LCD?  What’s your experience?  Do you love/hate it?  Let us know in the comments.

Selena Narayanasamy is extensively involved in all things technology, social media, blogging/writing, entrepreneurship and productivity related. When she’s not dabbling in any of the above mentioned things, you can find her drinking her life substance (coffee) and blogging on

Picture this. You’re at the office, working along happily on some documents. You figure that even though you haven’t finished writing, you can always work on it at home. You plan on attaching it to yourself in an email…

…but wait. If you’re anything like me, you probably forgot to send it to yourself. This poses a big problem- especially when it’s something that’s urgent for the next day.

So what has been saving my life these hectic workdays? A little somethin’ somethin’ called Dropbox. That’s why it’s the iPhone app of the week. So… what is Dropbox?

I discovered this a few weeks ago (even though it’s been around for a while) and it’s a file syncing system that you can use on both Windows and Mac OSX. The other sweet detail about this is that it also has mobile apps for Blackberry, iPhone, Android and the iPad. I can now be a workaholic from my iPhone and iPad. THANKS DROPBOX

The web interface, that syncs files with the app, is pretty sleek and simple. If you’re on the computer where you have Dropbox installed, you simply drag and drop a folder/file into it…and that’s that.

Now, when I start a document at work and stupidly forget to email it to myself, I can access Dropbox 80 billion different ways and completely save my butt.

So why does Dropbox increase your productivity? These are some awesome features that it has:

• Easy drag-n-drop feature for your computer application
• Offline access for the iPhone app
• Changes sync instantly
• Ability to work on the web app if you’re not on your personal computer

If you right click a folder in Dropbox, you’ll also notice that you have the ability to:

• Share file- even with non Dropbox users through public URL
• View previous versions of documents
• Share folders with other Dropbox users- it’ll appear in their own box

On a Mac, you even have an icon in the finder window because it treats it like its own personal drive. You’ll see in my screenshot that I actually have the iDisk icon for my Dropbox  icon. It’s actually not like that originally. If you want to do this (so it looks prettier) follow these steps. It’s pretty simple-

1. Right click Dropbox icon in your finder sidebar and hit “get info”
2. Right click your iDisk icon in the finder sidebar and hit “get info”
3. Click on the iDisk icon in the info window and hit Command C
4. Click on the icon for Dropbox in its info window and hit Command V

Voila! It’s not rocket science but it’s a neat tip that I figured I would share.

If you’re syncing with the iPhone app, you can access anything that you would normally be able to from your computer/web app, as well as “star” them so you can access them if your phone is offline. This comes in handy if you’re getting really awful reception and absolutely need to see a file.

They have a free version which allows you to hog 2GB of storage- as well as paid versions.

I highly recommend Dropbox because it’s made my life so much easier. Not to mention, saved my butt. THAT is why it’s iPhone app of the week!

This week’s iPhone app is Ambiance.  Now I know this app has been around for awhile now but it’s constant expansion makes it feel like a new app every time I use it.  I’ve recently been confined to my office doing very mundane computer work.  Being in my office all day has lead to many distractions (people walking in without knocking, the phone ringing off the hook, etc) which has prompted me to find a way to drown out all of those distractions.  I’m one of those people that get distracted when I’m listening to music so I’ve taken to listening to ambient sounds.  This is where Ambiance comes in.

Created by Matt Coneybeare, Ambiance is an application that plays various “white noises” on a loop allowing the user to drown out distractions, relax and focus.  With Ambiance users can choose specific sounds, add them to mixes and playlists and set the duration and volume level at which each of them plays.  You can set the application to sound an alarm or turn off after a set amount of time, perfect for waking up or falling asleep.  Ambiance offers a great feature that I have yet to see in any of the ambient sound iPhone apps – a “sound store” where new tracks are added daily.  You can browse through hundreds of different sounds to find exactly what you’re looking for.  Users can download the sounds directly to their phone through the application free of charge.

One of my favorite features of Ambiance is the ability to make mixes.  These are not your typical mixes, this feature allows you to overlay various sounds and adjust each tracks volume to come up with a personalized track just for you.  For example, I have two mixes that I have been playing for awhile now.  As Fall approaches I’ve been looking forward to those foggy, overcast rainy days so I created one mix that overlays the sound of ‘rain from inside a car’, ‘rain and windshield wipers’ and ‘thunderstorm’.  I also created a mix of ‘rain interior’, ‘fire crackling’ and ‘thunderstorm’.  Each of the tracks on these mixes have their volumes set differently so that it’s just right for me.

The only downside of the app is that it can crash on me quite a bit when I’m creating mixes but that could just be my phone and not the app itself.  Overall this is a great app with an abundance of sounds available.  Whether you like the sounds of Tokyo’s city street marketplaces or an airplane cabin you will find a sound that is perfect for you to relax to and drown out the outside world.  The app is usually $4.99 (which is a little pricey but worth it) but is on sale for $.99 right now so go get it!

Do you use Ambiance?  What are your favorite sounds to fall asleep to?  Let us know in the comments.

I am on a constant quest to find the next best iPhone app. Whenever I see someone with an iPhone in their hands I’m always curious to know what apps they are using. Just like we share what music we’re listening to (via Facebook, Pandora or Last.fm), we should also be able to share what apps we are using. Wouldn’t it be nice to view other people’s combinations of apps to help create your own ultimate collection? Well AppsFire has created a way for you to do just that. AppsFire is free desktop software (available for both Windows and Mac users) that allows you to create collections of apps and share them with anyone you like. After downloading you will find it in your preferences pane. Before you open AppsFire for the first time make sure you have your iPhone plugged into your computer.  AppsFire syncs with iTunes to get your list of apps.

When you first open the application it scans your iPhone to get the information on all of your apps. It will then take you to a private page where you can customize exactly which apps your friends see. Another cool feature is the approximation of the total amount of money you’ve spent on all of you apps (While it’s a cool feature I’m not sure how keen I am on being reminded of the amount of money I’ve spent). Once you’re on the site you can choose to share your app collection through Twitter, Facebook or Delicious, email, by embedding a widget (see mine below) or through a direct link. People who view your AppsFire page or embedded widget can click on any of the app icons and be directed to the description of the app in the iTunes Store.
AppsFire recently released a native iPhone app (free) that allows users to find new apps by browsing “Top 15″ lists of apps downloaded and clicked. In addition to browsing popular apps, users can also peruse AppsFire‘s VIP lists which are lists of the apps used by some of the top names in the technology blogosphere (@LouisGray, @loic, etc.). AppsFire is a simple app that does one thing and it does it very well, allows people to share their app collections. If you want a way to share what apps you are using with friends then AppsFire is for you.

I know it’s been a few weeks since the iPhone App of the Week and I apologize but I think I have one that might make up for it. I love getting new apps and figuring out how I can incorporate them into my busy everyday life. With iPhone and iPod Touch users downloading an average of 10 applications per month and the App Store reaching 1 billion downloads within less than a year of it’s opening the mobile application market is booming. With new applications being added and updated on a daily basis, it can be difficult for even the savviest iPhone user to stay on top of all of the goings on at the App Store. Have you ever bought an iPhone app one day only to find out the next day it went on sale? Have you ever thought some developers are asking too much for their apps? Well BargainBin may help you become a better app shopper.
Originating from AppAdvice (previously known as AppleiPhoneApps.com) this free application not only aggregates all of the applications that have gone on sale in the app store but it will also notify you (using push notifications) when apps that you are watching go on sale. BargainBin updates frequently to keep you on top of the most recently price reduced apps. You can set it to notify you when a specific application goes on sale for a specific price (For example, you can set it to notify you using push notifications when Oregon Trail is reduced to $.99). The in app browsing is really what sets BargainBin apart from other app monitoring applications out there and makes for an even better user experience. If you see an app that looks interesting just tap on it and a drop down menu with links to a description, screenshots,the iTunes store and to add it to your “watch” list are provided. These links are what really set this app above the other app monitoring applications out there. The utilization of push notifications is brilliant as well, BargainBin will use the new push notification feature to notify you when an app you are watching reaches a sale price.
If you’re an iPhone or iPod Touch user you know that apps are what make the iPhone stand apart from other smart phones. There is literally an app out there for everything. Staying on top of all of those apps and their prices can be a difficult feat but BargainBin makes it a little easier to help us find the best apps at the best prices.

Running along the lines of last week’s app of the week, Good Food Near You is a great app for those who are attempting to lead a healthier lifestyle.  Good Food Near You is a simple yet extremely useful application for people who want to eat healthy but are sometimes too busy to cook for themselves. It is estimated that approximately 25% of Americans eat fast food every day. Those Americans are consuming about 200 calories more daily than Americans who do not eat out. But as we all know, life gets busy and fast food is so much easier than remember to pack a lunch to work or to put the effort into cooking a meal.

Enter, Good Food Near You. This handy little application auto-detects your location (with the option to manually set your location if you desire) and provides you with a list of restaurants in your immediate area sorted by distance. The list can also be sorted by lowest fat. Tap on a restaurant you’re interested in and it will give you a list of menu items sorted by lowest fat, calories or carbs. Tap on an item you’re interested in and you will be able to see all of the nutrition facts for that item. In addition to the menu items you are provided with contact and location information and a link to a map. I have found that the GPS can be a little off sometimes (locating me about 45 mins away from my actual location) but that may be due to my phone as opposed to the actual application.

Overall, this application has proven to be very helpful when I’m traveling as well as in my everyday life. Along with the iphone application Good Food Near You has an equally easy to use web application. Simple and intuitive, this application will help you stay on track with your diet when you don’t have the option of preparing your own meal. Add this application to your arsenal of tools to help meet your weight loss goals.

This week’s app is near and dear to my heart because it has helped myself and my loved ones to get healthier and lose weight.  If you haven’t figured it out from the title, Lose It is an application dedicated to helping people get healthy and lose weight.  It is a nutrition, calorie and exercise tracker that can help you stay on track when trying to cut back.  There are quite a few apps in the app store but Lose It is number one and it’s in that spot for a reason.  Lose it helps you set attainable goals and track your progress toward those goals. So what keeps Lose It in the top spot in the area of Healthcare and Fitness?

Easy Breezy Setup

Setup couldn’t be easier.  When you open the application it will ask you what your current weight is and what your goal weight is.  After that you can enter how quickly you would like to lose the weight.  This is where Lose It starts to stand out from the rest of the weight loss apps.  Lose It gives you have the option to lose weight at a rate of anywhere from 1/2 pound per week to 2 pounds per week.  The fact that it doesn’t go over that 2 pound limit is smart because losing more than 2 pounds per week over a long period of time is very difficult, unhealthy and not a reasonable goal.  A nice extra here is that Lose It will give you an estimated date to reach your goal weight according to the weight loss pace you chose.  After entering the information the app calculates exactly how many calories you can take in everyday to meet your goal, this is your daily calorie budget and it’s the thing you are going to keep track of most when using this application.

It Remembers Everything

With Lose It you are able to enter all of the food you are consuming throughout the day.  When entering this information you have the option to choose from a list of brand name foods from supermarkets or restaurants or you can enter the information manually.  If you choose the manual route, Lose It will remember that food and it’s nutrition facts so that if you eat it again you can access it quickly.  You can also create your own recipes and include calorie content for the recipe as a whole.  Lose Italso remembers what meals you ate so if, for example, you eat a bowl of Raisin Bran, a glass of non-fat milk and a grapefruit for breakfast every morning, when you enter the information you have to option to use previous meals, just pick the breakfast meal from the day before and you’re set to go.  You only have to enter all of the separate food items once.

Graphs, Graphs, Graphs

Graphs are a great way to monitor your progress toward your end goal.  The opening screen of Lose It gives you a visual representation of how many calories you’ve eaten so far in the day, as well as how many calories you have remaining.  In the “Goals” section you can view your goal weight, your daily calorie budget and a graph that displays a line to show your goal weight and a line to show your actual weight.  It’s very satisfying watching your actual weight move closer to your goal weight, the graphs provide another motivator to stay on track.

Exercise

If you want to lose weight and be successful diet is not enough, you have to include some sort of exercise into your daily routine.  Lose It helps you track your exercise as well.  With over 100 different preset activities you’ll be hard pressed to find something that’s not on the list, if you do come across an activity that isn’t on the list you have the option to enter it manually (and yes that information gets remembered as well).

Calories aren’t the only things it tracks

While the default setting for Lose It is to track just calories you can adjust the settings to track nutrients as well.  This makes the app even more useful for those who want to keep track of things other than or in addition to calories.  Other items tracked include: total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar and protein.

The Best Part

There are so many great feature this application has to offer but the best part about it?  It’s FREE!  Yep, that’s right, you get all of the above mentioned features in a compact, fast, smooth running, stable application for free.  Really, if you’re trying to get healthy and lose weight you don’t have anything to lose by putting this app on your phone.  It’s helped me lose 20 pounds in 2.5 months, how can it help you?

Are you using this application?  Do you love it?  Hate it?  Share with us in the comments.

I am a frequent user of Craigslist and one of the problems I run into when using Craigslist is finding a safe middle location for myself and the interested customer to meet.  Enter Meetways,  a service which allows you to enter two addresses and receive a list of meeting points in the middle of those two addresses.  For example, say I was located in the Northwest area of town and my customer was in the Southeast area, I can enter our respective locations and Meetways will deliver a list of possible meeting locations.

Meetways has a free web app available as well as a $.99 iPhone app.  Since this is the iPhone app of the week I will focus on the mobile version of the program.  This is one of those apps that you don’t really realize how helpful it is until you come across a time when you need to use it.  If you’re a busy person like me you’d be surprised at how often you will be using this app.  I’ve used this app for finding stores that I need to stop by while on my way to another destination (for example the other day I was on my way to a friends house and needed to stop somewhere to get a card for them, I entered Target into meetways and it found me the closest Target on my route to my friends house).  Oftentimes finding meeting places for gatherings with friends who are just passing through town or are located in different outlying areas can be a difficult task but Meetways makes your planning much easier

The app is fast to load (though loading directions can take a bit longer depending on your connection) and easy to use.  You can save locations (such as home and work) as pins to allow you to access commonly used addresses.  In addition to receiving the list of locations Meetways also provides a map with driving directions (when getting a route you have the option to avoid highways) which can be easily e-mailed to your friends by tapping the “Share with a friend” button in the application.

While I do enjoy this app it definitely hasn’t worked out all of the kinks.  For example, the opening screen can get mucked up sometimes and while all of the buttons work, things look off center and out of place.  Like I mentioned earlier depending on what type of connection you’re using the maps can be slow to load – the Meetways loading screen is a picture of an eyeball looking around the screen, I little creepy to me (could just be personal preference).  Also, I would love if the app saved all addresses that I entered before.  You can do this manually by creating a pin but I don’t always want to enter all of the addresses that I may use as pins.  Other applications have this ability and if Meetways included this it would make their app 10 times easier to use.  Overall though for less than a dollar you can get a great little app that takes the work out of finding that next mutual meeting place between two points.

Do you have this app?  Have a different experience with Meetways?  Agree?  Disagree?  Leave it in the comments.