The One Thing That'll Make Sunny Weather Even Better
Condiment: Five Faves: Apt2b.com's Mat Herman
iPhones, how did we ever live without them? It can do everything from count calories to play our favorite songs. It can even help us with home improvement and decorating projects. However, finding handy applications for the home can be challenging.
(Dear Apple, Why is the "lifestyle" section of the iPhone app store dominated by programs with names like "Bikini Blast" and "Hottest Girls"? Couldn't you come up with a separate section for lads and another for those of us interested in home, gardening, cooking and shopping? Sincerely, Your Friends at ShelterPop.)
Thankfully, your faithful editors collected our favorite finds, so you don't have to weed through the duds.
ben® Color Capture™ (free)
An application developed by paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore, ben Color Capture allows you to snap a photo of a color inspiration and the program matches your photo to the nearest Benjamin Moore hue (see right). It also lets you save your faves for future reference.
Home Sizer ($2.99)
This handy app allows you to calculate a rooms square footage in a snap. Plus, it has functions to estimate the cumulative usable square footage and gross square footage of your home, for even better space planning. Perfect for anyone who is decorating a new home or reconfiguring existing rooms.
eBay Mobile (free)
Finally, a mobile version of one of our favorite online shopping destinations: eBay. eBay Mobile allows you to bid on that amazing vintage wallpaper while in the middle of a meeting or on the road. Never miss the end of an auction again!
Evernote (free)
It's technically not a home or interior design app, but we've been using Evernote as a decorating tool. This application let's you snap a photo of business cards, signs, products, paint chips, wallpaper patterns or any other decorating-related item and file them in your own personal, searchable and easily accessible online database. Check out the demo on Evernote's site to see how it works.
Level apps
One app that we really wanted to love, but found didn't work at all were various level apps (including iHandy Level and The Stanley Level). We suspect these apps don't work because the iPhone itself isn't really a good shape for a level. Some things are a good idea in theory, but not in practice.
