The iPhone Mom

If the title of this post didn’t scare off any male readers, let me spell it out for you. This will be an app review geared for my female reading audience. You can’t continue reading and then say I didn’t warn you.

There are several apps available that help you keep track of your menstrual period. They also help you predict fertile days of the month if you are trying to get pregnant.  I wrestled with trying to find a clever nickname or acronym to use for period/menstrual cycle, but came up short. So for this type of app review I’ll be calling a period… a period. Like I said before men who are still reading, you’ve been warned.

The premise behind Comfy Period is that is helps you keep track of the days you are having your period. When you open the app the Home screen  will tell you how many days until your period is expected and the date it should start on. If you are just beginning your cycle then you click on the "Start Period" button and choose the date your period began. Comfy Period then tells you when your period is predicted to end. When your cycle is finished you open the app, touch "End Period" and enter the date it stopped. The app will now tell you when next month’s cycle should be expected.

The "Period Overview" button at the bottom of the screen shows you when your predicted periods will be for the next six months. It also shows you your past cycles and how long they lasted so you can make comparisons. The "Calendar" button shows you the same information in a calendar format. If you touch a date on the calendar you’re able to add notes about your period. The red squares that show up on the calendar are for days you had your period. The green ovals show your expected fertile days.

The "Settings" button lets you adjust your default cycle length. This would be for those who don’t follow the textbook 28 days (and isn’t that just about everyone??). Under settings you can turn off the estimated fertility dates. Comfy Period settings lets you choose from nine color themes for your app. You also have the ability to choose the symbols that show up on your calendar. In case you don’t like the red square you can use a little heart or flower to show when those grumpy days are going to hit.

Comfy Period is a decent little app that does the basics when it comes to helping you track your menstrual cycles. For those who have irregular cycles it’d be really helpful to have the information in one central and portable location, for your own personal use or to show your physician. Another plus is the app icon that shows up on your phone. It’s not pink, just a simple flower. I am however convinced that a man named this app because really, Comfy Period, is there such a thing???

Seller: Hamidreza Baghi

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store

Wurdle is a fabulous little game. The best way I can describe it is that it’s similar to Boggle. You have a group of letters and your job is to connect them and make words. You do this by touching a letter and then “drawing” a line with your finger to the other letters you want – creating a word. If you click on the small “i” in the lower left corner of the screen you can completely customize your game. Change the playmode from classic to a two player version. Change the look of your letter tiles and the wallpaper behind them. In settings you can adjust your time limit. My husband likes to play in the two minute mode. I prefer five, or even better, untimed.  You can change the minimum word length to three, four or five letters (for you super smart people out there). Unfortunately there’s no one letter limit. For the more serious players you can also choose the dictionary you want to play from.

The premise behind Wurdle is deceptively simple. Grabbing a high score is much harder than it sounds.  You’ll find yourself playing over and over when the highest scoring word you’ve made in five games is TIN.

Seller: Semi Secret Software

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store

When I first got my iPhone I immediately started looking at grocery apps. I was looking for something that would do the actual shopping AND pay the bill but it seems no one has perfected that concept yet. Darn.

After doing some research on iTunes I decided to give Grocery Zen a try and I’ve been so happy I haven’t looked for another app – yet. Grocery Zen is easy to use and does a great job helping you keep track of what’s on your shopping list.

You start with a master list that the app developers have created. This pulls up as "Items" when you first start up the app. There’s also an "Items" button at the bottom of the screen that will always take you to this list. To add something to your shopping list simply touch what you want on the master list. This adds one of the item to your cart. You’ll see a little red number one show up next to the cart icon on the bottom of the screen – more about that later. If your finger slipped and you added coriander instead of corn you’ll want to touch coriander again. That will remove it from your list. If you want to add more than one of something click the edit button at the top of the screen. Then click on the item you want to change. You’ll head to a screen that lets you add quantities up to 99. Wow! 99 chocolate bars or pints of Ben & Jerry’s…You can also change whether your quantity is an item, pounds, ounces, pints, etc…you get the idea.

The great thing is you’re not restricted to what’s on the original master list. You can customize it and add whatever you want that they haven’t thought of. To be honest, they didn’t put in a lot of extra "mom items" so you’ll probably want to personalize your list. You’ll have to add pull-ups and greeting cards and candy corn. You know, the staples. To add your own items to the master list you just touch on the "plus" button at the top of the items screen. This pulls up a screen where you can type in your new item, the quantity that you want, and which aisle it’s found on in the store. The item you added is now part of the master list and will always show up. One of my only complaints with Grocery Zen is that there’s no way (or at least no way I’ve found) to delete something from the items list. Once it’s on there it appears to be on for good – so check your spelling! If you want to try and delete an item for yourself, touch it and then touch "edit". A red circle with a line shows up next to all the items. Touch the circle next to the item you’re trying to delete. The line will rotate and then you get a little box next to it that says delete. Click on it. This should delete the item but mine never go away. If someone figures out how to do it please email me!

Grocery Zen sorts your items into aisles like produce, meat, deli, dairy, etc.  When it’s time to shop with your final list everything will be sorted into aisles so it’s easier to find things. The items that come on the master list have already been assigned an aisle, but it’s easy to change. If you add one of your own items to the master list you’ll also want to give it an aisle. It’s easy to do. Touch the "Edit" button again, then touch the item you want to change. The edit screen pops up and now you touch the aisle line. It’ll pull up a long list of possible aisles. If you don’t see the one you want scroll all the way to the bottom to "add an aisle". Then type in what you want. The app will remember the new aisle for next time. A trick I like to use is my "Costco Aisle". I have a number of things (okay, more than a number) that I always buy at Costco. When I first added them to my master list I edited the aisle they’re found on to say "Costco". Now whenever I add them to my shopping list they’re automatically sorted to the Costco aisle. When I pull up my shopping list these items are all grouped together so it’s easy for me to see my Costco items separate from my regular groceries.

When you’re done adding things to your list and ready to go shopping click on "Shop" at the bottom of the screen. Your list shows up already sorted into your aisles. As you’re shopping and put something in your basket, simply tap the item you’ve grabbed. It gets crossed off and moved to the bottom of the screen under a heading "Have". I mentioned the little red numbers by the shopping cart earlier. This is a great feature that shows you the total number of items on your list. As you shop the number will decrease until you’ve finished shopping. I also love that this number shows up on your iPhone home screen above the Grocery Zen icon. When you turn on your phone it’s a great visual reminder that you’d better get shopping. At the end of your trip, if you’ve managed to get everything on your list, all your items will be in the "Have" section. There’s a button at the top of the screen that says "Check Out". Click on this and your shopping list will be deleted and you’re ready to start all over again. Happy thought.

In addition to the "Items" and "Shop" icons at the bottom of the screen there’s also a button that says "Share". Clicking on this will allow you to email out your list. This way if your husband happens to call you and says he’d like to stop at the store and do your weekly shopping you can send your list directly to him. A nifty way to make sure he comes home with what you need instead of four boxes of Captain Crunch and a can of chili.

The last button on the bottom is "Recipes". When you click on this button Grocery Zen pulls up a screen that allows you to enter in your recipes and their ingredients. After you’ve done this you can pull up a recipe and then click on the ingredients to directly add them to your shopping list. The cool thing about this is if you know you’re having meatloaf for dinner you pull up the recipe, click on "add all ingredients" and they go right on your list. No need to add them all separately. I’ve had grand plans to go through my recipes and add them all to Grocery Zen. Don’t ask me if it’s happened yet. Also, when you’re editing items on your master shopping list there’s a spot where you can add the items to your recipe that way.

Pre-iPhone my habit was to write grocery lists on scraps of paper. This worked but when I was done with the lists they always hung out in the bottom of my purse. Now I’ve simplified – one phone=one list and it’s worked out great. Not to say that I won’t be looking at other apps. There are a couple features I’d like to try- something where you can add coupons, or keep track of what things cost so you’ve got some sort of clue before that LARGE total flashes on the register. But for now Grocery Zen is one of my must have apps on my phone.

Seller: gbcb Software, LLP

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store

This is another app that will track the progress of your pregnancy. The interface isn’t quite as exciting as iPregnancy and doesn’t have the baby name feature, but it’s a good little app.

When you open Pregnancy Tracker for the first time it asks you for your due date. After that the main screen will tell you how many weeks your baby is, what trimester you’re in and how many weeks you have left until you are done. You can always touch the "Tracker" icon at the bottom of the screen to get back to this page. Something I really liked is towards the bottom of this screen. The app tells you "your baby is as big as" then gives you something to compare the size too. My baby is as big as an apple right now. A few weeks ago it was a lemon. I’m very curious to see what I get as the pregnancy goes on. Will it always be fruit? At the end will it be as big as a watermelon? A pumpkin? Ah, anticipation.

Touch the "Week by Week" icon and you get a screen with information about what your body and your baby are doing this week. Some weeks you get a nutrition tip. I never got one that told me it was okay to eat six frozen Hostess cupcakes in one sitting. I wish I would had.

The "Photo Booth" icon allows you to take pictures of yourself and your growing belly. You can take a picture each week and save it on your phone. I won’t be using this feature as my stretch marks are sure to last longer than any photograph.

If you’re expecting and looking for a simple app to help you stay on top of what you and your baby are up to, this is a good one to try.

Seller: R.B. Designs

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store

Ok, before I start this app review I just have to say I’m not a huge fan of the icon that shows up on your phone and again when you first start up the app. I know I’m a prude but really, do we need to see that much naked pregnant belly? And if we do, couldn’t it be more realistic? I mean where are the stretch marks???

With that out of the way, this is a nifty little app. It’s purpose is to help you keep track of your pregnancy. I think this app is great for first time moms who want to know exactly how many days pregnant they are and what that little baby is doing  right at this very moment. I am not a first time mom. I am a fourth time mom. For me, this app is handy because I tend to forget I’m pregnant. Other than the growing tummy and never ending fatigue that is. When I’m so inclined I can open up the app and have a panic attack by seeing just how much closer I’ve gotten to complete sleep deprivation.

When you use iPregnancy for the first time you enter in your due date. From then on your main screen will be big and bold with information telling you how many weeks your baby is, when your due date is, how many months you have left, all handy  information. At the top of the screen you can touch the button "Weeks View" or "Days View" and it’ll change how the information is displayed. Basically they tell you your baby is 110 days old or 15 weeks 5 days old. I like the weeks method because thinking of it in days overwhelms me. But that’s probably just me.

A few other features – click on "Pictures" at the bottom of the screen. This pulls up 3-D ultrasounds of babies who are the same number of weeks as yours is. I’m a fan of old school ultrasounds but these give you a good picture of what your little peanut looks like. Touch the "Baby Info" icon and  you get information about what your baby is doing this week, as well as how long they are and how much they weigh.

The "Names" icon takes you a screen where you can keep track of names you’re considering. Touch the plus icon and you get a choice – add a name from the picker or add a custom name. Custom name lets you type in your own. Like Jehosephat for example. Yes I know I probably spelled that wrong, my spell checker couldn’t handle it. If you want to choose a name from "The Picker" then it shows you 1000 of the most popular names. I think they come from the Social Security registry, but I can’t remember for sure. It told me when I started the app for the first time but the info. went the way of pregnancy amnesia. You can sort the names from decreasing/increasing popularity or alphabetically. If you’re really feeling adventurous you can shake your phone and get a random choice. I did it and got Valentina for a girl and Tyrone for a boy. No lie. On a side note, it’s obvious this app wasn’t developed by a mother with a preschool aged son. Otherwise you would know that naming something "The Picker" is just wrong.

With the "Settings" icon you can turn off the sounds for the app. You can also enter in "boy or girl" and you get an appropriate background color. Isn’t that sweet.

All in all not a bad little app. It does a good job with what it promises as you wait and wait and wait and wait for your due date to arrive.

Seller: Gregory P. Moore, M.D.

Price when Reviewed: $2.99

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store

This app was designed for all the hypochondriacs and worrying mothers in the world. And yes, I place myself in both categories. It takes the "Symptom Checker" feature from the Web MD website and puts it on your iPhone. Touch the "symptoms" button on the bottom of the screen and you get a graphic of a body. I personally think this is even creepier blown up on the phone then it is on the web. Do I really need to be touching those areas?? Couldn’t I just type in groin and be done with it? But no, you touch the area on the body where you’re having "issues" and the app pulls up a whole list of potential trouble. Select one and you’re lead through a series of questions to get to the possible causes of your symptoms. Click on the one you like and it gives you an overview of the illness, a list of symptoms or Web MD articles with more information.

This alone could keep you busy for hours as you search for the cause behind that mysterious rash on your child’s neck. But there’s more. From the main page you can do a search on the Web MD site. Type something in and it’ll take you directly to a Web MD search results page. For more fun try the "Drugs & Treatments" button. This feature lets you read up on all the goodies in your medicine cabinet. Your hubby has a cold and you can’t remember if that stray pill is a Midol or Tylenol Cold? With the app you can look the pills up by name or by shape and color. I found searching this way a bit too subjective. It’d be nice to have actual pictures of the pills. Typing in the name of the medication was faster, but that won’t help you with the Midol/husband issue. Once you find your drug of choice you can read up on all the warnings, uses, side effects,  precautions, interactions and overdose information for the medication. Everything they warn you about during those tv ads.

Last but not least is the First Aid part of the app. This gives you a list of possible emergencies. Everything from allergic reactions to vomiting. Click on the emergency that you’re having and you get First Aid information for treating your crisis. I don’t think I’d be whipping out the iPhone if I found myself in a true emergency but given how my kids freak out about bees (and yes flies) I like knowing that I’ve got the information to assist a little person with a nasty bite or sting.

Seller: Web MD, LLC

Price when Reviewed: Free

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store

Simple Tic Tac Toe Game that the kids love playing. It lets you enter the names of players and then keeps track of your scores at the bottom of the screen. So, so simple yet it keeps the kids entertained for hours.

Seller: Optime Software

Price when Reviewed: Free

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store

Click here to see the full version – Tic Tac Toe Pro – at the iTunes

A simple memory game. You touch the tiles to reveal adorable animal faces. When you get a match you’re rewarded by colorful shooting stars. The app keeps track of your score and your game time at the bottom of the screen. This is a fantastic game for those of us who hate setting up the classic Memory game over and over again for our kids.

Seller: Jirbo Inc.

Price when Reviewed: Free

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store

My kids love this app. The idea is you have a stick figure that moves and rotates with your phone’s movements. The settings screen lets you adjust the “physics” behind it but we just love watching iChalky wiggle and jump on his own. You can also touch iChalky and a thumb tack appears. Click on the thumb tack and you can “pin” him to the screen. My kids like to see how many pins they can attach and what positions they can get iChalky into.

The best part of iChalky, and the thing that gets my kiddos most excited, is changing iChalky’s face. You can use the default face, a photo from your iPhone album or you can take a new picture with your phone’s camera. Our whole family, including the dog, have gotten our groove on as iChalky.

Seller: Eric Metois

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store

What a handy little tool this is. Once a week I have a night where I’m in the car from 4:50-7:15 shuttling kids to and from classes. Lovely timing right in the middle of dinner and if my kids don’t get fed close to schedule they become very, very disagreeable. So once a week we hit a drive-thru. My kids could dine on McDonald’s several times a week and never get sick of it. As much as I love their fries, I can’t handle that much McD’s. But our options are limited to staying within a 5 mile radius so we can make it back to pick up/drop off on time.

Thanks to this app I can spice things up a bit. It takes your location from your phone and pulls up a list of fast food restaurants. If I had a hankering for Taco Bell I’d select it from the list and then I’d get another list of all the Taco Bell’s in my area and how far away they are from where I’m at. I’d pick the closest one and then I’m shown the restaurant address and phone number. In case I had no clue where the address was I can also choose to see it on a map. The app will even allow you to email the restaurant address to someone.  No more aimlessly driving down roads hoping to see something other than the golden arches appear.

Seller: Kuchbi Inc.

Price when Reviewed: Free

Click here to see the app at the iTunes store