What's on my iPad?

I stole the idea for this post... Actually no, it's in reply to a post James did over at Whatleydude.com called What's on your iPad?

iPad first page, not really into folders on here

So, if you're interested, here are my top 5 iPad apps. In no particular order.

1) - Pinterest
I absolutely LOVE Pinterest and have done since it's early release. The iPad app is so slick and is perfect for settling down with a cup of tea and being inspired. I could pin all day long if I were allowed to.

2) - YouTube
I've really gotten into YouTube, and it's really ever since I got the iPad just over a year ago. The app came as standard in the original iOS but was then removed but the new app is really great. I can open it up and watch the latest videos from the channels I subscribe to. This is also Ryan and Connor's favourite app. Ryan pretends he doesn't know what it is but he knows that white square with the black and red writing leads him to endless videos of Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder and old Tom and Jerry cartoons.

3) - Sky Go
We don't have Sky tv at home but my sister does. So as soon as I realised that Sky subscribers could use the Sky Go on two devices for free I just had to beg her for her sign in details. She only has an iPhone (my old one) so I use Sky Go on my iPad. It's been really great for me as I love sports so I've watched most of the Australian open on it, I'll be able to watch live F1 races when the new season begins and I'm currently loving the fact that I can watch new US dramas on Sky Atlantic at the same time as everyone else. Hello Kevin Bacon in The Following!

4) - iBooks
I like books, i do, but i'm not a great reader. A book has to completely suck me in for me to stick with it. But having iBooks has made me grow to love reading again. I just tap it open and settle in with a good book. I mostly do this when i have total distraction free time, which is mostly on train journeys. I pack up the iPad and then read on the train. My current book is The Passage by Justin Cronin, a recommendation from Ross (@electroross). So far so good.

5) - Tweetbot
It's no secret that i love Twitter. But the Twitter app on the iPad could be so much better than it is. That's the reason I use Tweetbot on there. Strange, because I flick between Twitter and Tweetbot on the iPhone. On the iPad is everything you need. A clear timeline. Easy to use search. Clear favourites. Heck, there's even mute filters on there if you're one of those folk who pretend to be social and follow you so you'll follow back (to get their numbers up) and they never actually interact with you and they slip up and have a conversation (in your timeline) and let that cat out of the bag and you suss out that like probably most of their timeline they've got you on some sort of Mute filter or List which means they are preaching (and getting paid for it) that they're all social and shit but actually they're probably more anti-social than you. Phew. Apologies, that's a bug bear. But, Tweetbot's pretty decent.

Anyways... what's on your iPad?
EDIT: I just hit publish then checked this post on the web. Oh wow, look how out of focus and non-retina those iPad 2 screenshots are! Jeez...

Angela x

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I Love Instagram: let's play nice

So Instagram's android app was released yesterday. Yay. More people to join the community. Or so you would think. But today and even later last night, I read tweets and stories about how 'iPhone' people are angry at the thought of 'Android' people being on Instagram. How very fucking idiotic can you get eh? There's also those who just criticise it without taking the time to have a look and see what it's all about. Granted, there is loads and loads of shite on there, as with every other social media platform you get. But the cream always rises to the top and you can choose who you follow, so if you don't like their photos don't follow them. Simple. In the same way that if you are seeing Instagram links in your Twitter feed, because the natural thing to do is to share these photos in several different ways, well if that bothers you then don't click the link to view the photo. Simple too.

In saying that there are a few tiny things that bother me about Instagram. In fact it's got nothing to do with the Instagram app itself because I love it and have been on there since day one, but it's the way people are using it. Kevin Systrom (Instagram CEO and co-founder) said recently "We've been very careful about making sure that Instagram photos are about what's happening right now in your life, and we want to allow for more of those photos to end up on Instagram regardless of where they're taken."

And therein lies the thing that niggles away at me. More and more people seem to be taking the instant nature away and are uploading photos that are not in the moment nor are they happening in your life right. In fact they are most probably scenes that happened months or years ago. And more often than not they are photos that have quite obviously been taken with a digital camera or SLR, tweaked, uploaded to Instagram and tweaked even more. And that bugs me. It just niggles away for some reason. The pure, instant, happening right now nature is then taken away and for me so is a little bit of the magic in most of those photos. I mean they are quite good photos (most of them), there's no denying that, but the fact that Instagram is a mobile phone app, whether it be an iPhone and now an Android phone so to me I couldn't think about taking a pre-shot photo and loading it. Use Flickr or something for those shots! Maybe that's just me though.

Whilst we're here I should also add that many many many many lists and lists and lists of hashtags (#) is a bit naff, to say the least. I know that you tag things so that other people can see them but how many actual #Instagram hastags do you need on a photo? Here are some examples #Instagram #IG #Igers #Ignation #bestphoto #igdaily There are more but #popular is also used too. Now, there is a Popular section on Instagram. I'm not sure if using #popular tag gets you on there or how they pick them. Edit: i've just checked the Popular section and can confirm that none of the photos i checked had used the #popular tag. Surely it's up to your followers (or likers) to make your photo popular?.... Less is more people, less is more.

Anyway, I've gone too far on the things that bug me. Rest assured that Instagram along with Camera+ are my two favourite iPhoneography apps. Love them. And let's not start little cliques of Android versus iPhone users. That's just plain silly. We are all in this together. Play nice.

Angela x
Instagram ID: Ange77H

iPhonography with Camera+

As you know I'm a huge fan of Instagram, the app for iPhone that lets you capture moments and upload them straight away and share across your social networks. In all truth I'm just a big fan of iPhonography itself and if you ever get near my iPhone you'll discover 3 folders (which contain 16 apps) filled with lots of different photo apps. There's cameras, Adobe express, framing apps and generally anything to do with enhancing and taking pictures using the iPhone. On my home page, nestling in the corner beside Twitter and Instagram you'll find Camera+, another amazing iPhone app. It cost me 69p about 2 years ago and for 69p you get a whole bunch of iPhonography lushness. The app is produced by Tap Tap Tap and was given an overhaul last year. Introducing new filters, a better zoom and focus and for me it's just so easy to use. I currently have 200 photos saved in the app itself in the Lightbox, so good they are I can't bear to get rid of them once saved to the laptop.

In the app there are different camera settings such as...
SCENES - including clarity (love this one), portrait, scenery, auto, flash, fluorescent and more.
ADJUST - to rotate and flip the picture
CROP - to crop
FX EFFECTS - this is where you'll find 3 different folders. Color. Retro. Special, and another called Analogue that you have to pay for. Inside each folder there are 9 different filters. They are all great in their own way. A few of my favourites are vibrant, tail fins and Lo Fi, fashion and so emo.
BORDERS - are just that white, black, thick, thin, viewfinder, grit and the list goes on. All nice borders.

The camera has a stabilizer and burst setting. Admittedly I've not used that one that much but I'm getting there.
Lastly you have the Lightbox where all the photos you take are stored. You then have the option to save to the iPhone camera roll. Of course there is the option to share your pictures to your social networks (Twitter and Facebook), SMS, email and Flickr account.

Over on Mostly Lisa's blog (Lisa Bettany, co-creator of Camera+) I read a great post before Christmas about how to make the most of the app when capturing Christmas memories. Read it here. These are a couple of pictures I think I managed to capture quite well.

cute Santa ornament and tree

a little bokeh effect on the tree lights

And here are a few of my favourite photos I've captured on Camera +

before

after adding filter

Christmas present ceramic cupcake

before: no filter

after: Fashion filter

One of my all time favourite pictures. The detail on the droplets is amazing. 

I love a cloudy sky picture

Again clouds, just before a summer rainstorm hit

And so if you really love iPhonography, my advice to you would be to go out and spend 69p on a fabulous app, Camera+. You won't regret it. You can see more of my photos on the Camera+ website HERE.

Angela x

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Top Picks from 2011

Since 2011 is over i thought i'd take a loot back and list a few things that i absolutely loved from then. Yes, it's another list and no, i'm not sure how long this list is going to be. And yes, it will be a bit picture heavy too.

So...
* iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S.
Literally could not live without my phone now. Not for the reason we usually have a phone (to call people) because no one EVER phones me on it. Although i did get a nice surprise phone call the other day from someone who was just about to jet off on holiday. That was particularly nice. No, i use it mostly for the internets. The usual Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Words with fricking Friends. Frankly i could not live without a phone. End of. My trusty 3GS saw me through two years without so much as a slight glitch. The quality of the 4S is more superior and aside from the stupid data usage scandal(!), i actually do LOVE it. That is no exaggeration. I can hear folk groaning at reading this but hey, we all have our things we love don't we.

* Instagram.
I know some folk have only just cottoned on to Instagram [you know the type. The social media luvvies who always seem to be 3 weeks behind on the latest thing! Would you trust anything you read from them?.. No, me neither]. Anyway, some folk have only just cottoned on to the fact that Instagram deserves it's title as App of the year on iTunes (probably the only reason they cottoned on to it). I was an early adopter having posted my first photo on 15th October 2010. And i know this because I got this cool little badge from Statigram (that i run alongside Instagram). It's full of cool stats about your Instagram stream.

What I love about Instagram is that you can see a shot, take the shot, enhance it with a filter if you want and upload the photo and share to the web all within a matter of a few minutes. Seconds even but i'll stick with minutes. The filters are basic and cool, there's enough for now. There's a great community feel. I follow Instagrammers from all over the world. I love seeing photos and lives from the perspectives of these people. It's grand. Take a look.


* blogs.
I've discovered loads of new blogs this year and i'm going to list them below. A list within a list. These have been keeping me entertained all year. Thank you Bloggers!
Vivianna Does Make Up - the clue is in the title. Fab young beauty blogger.
RocknRoll Bride - Kat does a fantastic blog about alternatives to the 'big white wedding' every girl is supposed to dream of. Frankly, id rather my wedding day be like one of those featured here. Fab Fab Fab.
The Daybook - lovely lovely Sidney shows us fashion a shares stories from her life with husband Tyson and new baby Ever. Such a lovely family.
Whatleydude - Whatleydude's happy place. Discovered this one back in April/May time, I think. Love the variety of posts. Some days there's the writings from his Moleskine's. Other days there's three lines of words. Always interesting and sometimes cryptic. But always a joy to read.
Pacing The Panic Room - ok, this is a cheat. I've followed this blog from Ryan Marshall for years. It's so incredibly fabulous i just can't describe it. It's honest and candid and the family are just the cutest. It's the ups and downs and he shares a lot of it right there on the page. He and Cole are also massive Instagrammers too. Hearts.
Miss Smidge - LOVE THIS BLOG. Honest, great writing. Fab recipes. Real stories from the life and times of the writer. Miss Smidge also loves shoes, which makes me happy.

* Elemis skin nourishing body lotion
does exactly what it says on the bottle. I have dry skin all over really, except my tummy, i have a really nice smooth flat tummy. But anyway this lotion sorts my dry patches out and smells lovely and clean. Like a new born baby. It's a bit on the pricey side but i'm on my second bottle from a set i got for Christmas last year and hopefully it'll last until my birthday when i might get another bottle?! someone?

* Converse trainers
Except they're not really training shoes are they. They're the comfiest guttie i've ever worn. My purple 2009 affairs were heading on their way out. The sides have started to split and the purple was feeling a little old so i decided it was time for another pair. A RED pair. I love them. Except i made the mistake of wearing them with new dark indigo and black jeans a few times and now they have that annoying faded mark on them from the colour rubbing. Grrr... Oh well, this means i can buy another pair when we're heading into spring / summer. There's bound to be a nice bright colour i can get.

* Cineworld cinema card
I've now had my card for exactly 1 year and it's been a godsend. I've seen more movies than i ever would have if i didn't have that card. Let's face it, the cinema isn't cheap so £15 a month isn't too bad. If you go to 3 movies per month you're already saving money. Oh and i only did popcorn once. Never again. it was like eating the most tasteless balls of rolled up cardboard, and that was the sweet flavoured one too. No, my munchies of choice were salt and vinegar crisps and a bag of sliced apple. Oh and a wee bottle of Irn Bru of course. Anyway, i'd recommend the card if you can afford it and like going to the cinema. Some favourite films were The Hangover Part II, Drive, Blue Valentine and 50/50. Not sure if i want to see The Iron Lady though....

* nail polish
I was never ever really into nail polish. You'd never catch me wearing scarlet red nails... until this year. In particular, the summer gone. I suddenly become more than just a pale Rimmel French ivory girl and ventured into yellow Mimosa from Chanel, bright pink strawberry margarita from OPI and even Rainbow collection glitter top coat too.

It's fun and certainly can brighten up your day when you've got nice nails. It depends what mood i'm in too. Some days i'm all about the nudes, others the reds and lately i've even headed towards the nearly blacks. Brave of me. But i'm not buying any more. I bought some more from a great eBay shop (US) which sells all the top brands (OPI, Essie, China Glaze) much cheaper and they were delivered within a week. They're at least 50% cheaper than here and that includes delivery. Pretty good but i have to stop. As you can see there's not many colours i don't have. Oops.

Anyway that's all for now i think folks. What were your top picks from 2011?

Angela x

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Instagram Worldwide InstaMeet - #InstaWalkAnge #InstaWalkScotland

Wednesday 26 October was the 3rd Worldwide InstaMeet day. What's that you say? Well Instagram is an iPhone photo app (one of my favourites) and an InstaMeet is a group of people who get together and chat, take photos all relating to Instagram. Well, that was the idea, but despite countless calls and few people saying yes, they'd come, I ended having a day to myself walking around taking pictures and posting them to Instagram, and Twitter.

As you might guess this is a picture heavy post so look away now if you don't like pictures. But I wanted to mark the day, my day, in pictures. I decided that i'd go to Edinburgh for this day that on Instagram and Twitter I called #InstaWalkAnge #InstaWalkScotland  I'll explain... The hashtag for the day was #InstaMeet - check the Instagram blog - with the name of the city attached to the end. But since there weren't many takers i thought I'd name it after our beautiful country. I mean surely we have enough going on in the wee nooks and crannies of our cities to capture. Yes we do and that's what i did.

I hope you like the photos. There will be more days like this soon so give me a shout if you fancy tagging along on the next one.

my pillow - the morning of Worldwide InstaMeet day

Connor - one of the angels

Stairs

Scott - The Scott Monument, Edinburgh

Never Ending - Princes Street, Edinburgh

Already Christmas

Occupied

Abandoned

Highland Dress

Pedestrians - Royal Mile

Tea Break - Hula Juice Bar

- - - , Greyfriars Cemetary

Rooftops

Skull and crossbones

Words, Sir Walter Scott

Edinburgh Castle

Castlebarns Steps

This one isn't an Instagram but these shoes kept me walking all day in comfort

White Building - Royal Lyceum Theatre

again, not an Instagram but a picture from food stop at Illegla Jack's

Stained

Castle by night

Door. Pillars

Trains

Last one of the day. Me. Ange

Hope you enjoyed my walk with Instagram. I certainly did. You can follow my photos on Instagram by looking for my username @Ange77H
And a big thanks to @Drgonzolives @CaesarLopez @Cheakodaman @littleembot @abzquine @nickdixon8 @ for the likes and comments on my pictures. Thanks for walking with me, virtually.

Angela x