what’s app? // how did i ever live without?!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Debbi DiMaggio

What’s App!

As I tend to do when I have a bit of down time – I search, seek and learn. And in the process become a little obsessed. (And if you know me at all you probably are saying – “what downtime!”)

That’s Biscuit my Bichon – He’s waiting patiently for me to get off of my Mac Book and pay some attention to him! Isn’t he cute?! He finally gave up and went to sleep!

In the last 24 hours I began researching blogs, apps and learning more about RSS feeds. I can’t explain that so don’t ask – but I can refer you to a real techie, not an accidental techie like myself! (I will always seek and connect you with the appropriate person to help you with your mission!)

Here are my latest and greatest TOP 3 Apps // How did I EVER live without them?

As you can see from my Blog and my posts, I love to travel. I think of myself as an “Experience Junkie”. I have always been this way, ever since I was a little girl. I crave change; I love meeting new people and have an insatiable appetite to learn new things. When I have an opportunity, I never ask myself can I go or do I want to go, see or do, instead I say – How can I fit it in? I really never care what it is I just know – there is a new experience on the other side.

Speaking of TECHIES and Apps– a few months ago I attended a fundraiser at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco for HACKCANCER a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with my favorite aesthetician and good friend, Jinny Pak, owner of Poilsh Spa on Piedmont Avenue. We found ourselves in a room filled with really smart people, some might say, nerds — from Twitter, Facebook, Google, Pandora and a multitude of other Silicon Valley techies from around the Bay Area. It was a very international group and the “kids” of drinking age I suppose, very young. You might imagine — I felt old! But it was super interesting people watching and Mark Zuckerberg’s sister Randi rocked out on stage with her band. I still see myself as young, healthy and in good shape, but it was just awful when I was told, only after filling out the paperwork and taking the swab test to see if I was a bone marrow match that I was OVER the age limit – translation: TOO OLD!

If you are younger than I am, YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE. If you are a bone marrow match, you can SAVE A LIFE – It’s as easy as swabbing the inside of your cheek.

Click Here

Now I forget where I was going with all of this. I suppose because Charity and Causes are always at the HEART of my being and blogs.

Now…

Back to the Apps

App #1:

Trip It – Trip It keeps track of all of my travel plans. If I book a trip, a flight, a hotel or a car, my email will automatically sync with my Trip It account. My Trip It account will show up in my email and on my phone. It’s genius! No more hunting through a long list of emails to find my trip or my daughter’s flight to or from college or my husband and son’s many lacrosse trips around the country. It’s all in one place! How convenient is that!? Especially when you are trying to find that darn confirmation number while standing in line at the Southwest Ticket Counter? Imagine…

11,000 Emails and Counting! Ouch!

the SOLUTION

I love it!

Next App ( Next Up )

App #2:

Ever Note – At first I didn’t think it was needed as I have those cute yellow NOTES on my iPhone. But one day my NOTES just disappeared. It was our entire move-in checklist detailing everything Bianca and I needed to do including all of the contact numbers and more importantly the location of where we had just purchased her new bed. They simply just disappeared. I thought I was hallucinating but I recently learned from my organizer, Gail Kezerian that the exact same thing happened to her. Not to mention, NOTES on the iPhone are not very organized. It’s a convenient spot to make a list but it’s very difficult to find something you posted a year ago that is still important today. Download EverNote today and see what I mean.

It’s visual – on your iPhone or Android your notes show up in boxes – it keeps you organized and it’s very easy to search and find what you’re looking for.

Up Next…

App #3:

Four Square – Most of you probably already have or know about Four Square, but I wanted to make sure to highlight this App before I review my next 3 favorite App’s in the coming months. Four Square is a helpful and informative tool, not to mention it’s a way to document your fabulous trip or a meal you ate. Make a game out of it like we did and dual with your colleagues. See who will be crowned Mayor of a frequented destination. In this case it was who would become Mayor of HIGHLAND PARTNERS Piedmont. Doug Fuller, Bruce Wagg, my husband, Adam Betta and I were going at it with Check-Ins for sometime. It wasn’t planned, it just sortive evolved. A silly game some might say– but a friendly competition makes for a interesting day! Who is Mayor now? Let me check-in and see!

Another feature I discovered this summer was when my husband and I had about 30 minutes to find a restaurant before getting back to our son’s lacrosse camp. We were fish out of water! Our son Chase was attending the New England Top 150 Lacrosse Camp in Providence, Rhode Island adjacent to Newport, RI. Adam hates to miss any of Chase’s games so I was searching my phone in a panic trying to locate a good place to eat. Within a few moments I found the Best Seafood Shack near Newport. I found it on FourSquare. It was faster than any of the other apps or sites including Yelp. Anthony’s Seafood was fairly fast and super delicious! In the short time we were in and around Newport and Providence we went back 3 times!

Here’s the silly photo my daughter Bianca took while I was eating Mr. Lobster. ( I can’t locate it now, but I’ll post it soon. ) I don’t think I could eat lobster again, at least not if it comes with the eyes and all. I am not a vegetarian, but he just looked so alive and it made me sad.

FourSquare recap — Be sure to leave a tip to help others. It’s also a great way to document your trip! As I was choosing images for this blog I discovered so many fabulous memories, trips and delicious meals we experienced. I better start snapping again. I’ve missed some fabulous opportunities and memories.

I begin snapping again today!

Happy Apping!

If you use a Must Have App please comment below!

XOXO!

Debbi DiMaggio // A Grateful Life

PS. Don’t forget my Travel App // Travel Luxe USA Getaways in Four Days