10 iPhone Apps you’ll Probably Need and Use During SXSW

I am always looking for ways to stay productive. Whether it’s by replying to comments on my site, checking emails, engaging with my Twitter and Facebook community or jotting ideas on my notepad, I like to stay busy and productive as much as I can. With productivity comes great apps to help make things easier. Below are some apps that have made my blogging life easier and that will be useful when attending conferences such as South by Southwest (SXSW).

1. Notepad - notepad will come in handy when you don’t have your laptop around. With notepad you can quickly take notes during a speaker session, jot down important points to help you later compose a great blog post. Another great thing about notepad is that you can easily email yourself the note.

2. Impression - I’ve recently discovered impression, thanks to the App Store’s Genius search. Impression allows you to watermark your images. Simple as that. So next time you take a wonderful picture with your iPhone and you decide to share it on Twitter, Facebook or on your blog, now you can watermark it so everyone knows it’s yours.

3. Instagram - this is another one of those amazing apps that you get excited to have. Instagram allows you to give your images a vintage look to them, without looking too photoshopped. Instagram, SXSW and Brisk Lipton recently had a Twitter promotion where Twitterers submitted their Instagram and a selected few would be chose for a limited edition brisk can. Anyways, using instagram to edit your images can give your post a more original look. So play around with the many filters available and don’t forget to watermark them before posting.

4. Tumblr - another easy way to stay connected and share tons of info without doing too much. If you don’t have time to blog, Tumblr is the perfect app for that. With Tumblr you can post pictures, quotes, notes/text, audio, video and much more.

5. WordPress - if you feel like doing a little blogging while at SXSW and don’t have your laptop or iPad on you, the WordPress app can come in handy. It allows you to compose a post, add images and other media and you can either save it as a draft or publish it. Although this app is a little ‘buggy’ I still recommend having it, as it has potential to be very useful.

6. Voice memos - the voice memo app will be useful in case your typing isn’t fast enough and note taking is getting tiring. With voice memo it is highly recommended to sit close to the front of the room/near the speakers so you can get a better-recorded sound quality.

7. Calendar/Google Calendar - so many events, presentations, free time, blogging time, sleep time. How to manage it all?! The calendar synced to your Google Calendar can help you stay organized. Much needed. Highly recommended.

8. iMovie - the great thing about iMovie is that you can edit, upload and publish videos straight from your phone. The iMovie app allows you to do similar, more condensed editing like you would on your Mac. It’s easy to use, all you have to do is record a video and edit on iMovie. You can add music, themes, text, clip and of course save it as a shareable file. I have used iMovie to share videos on Facebook. It works perfectly.

9. Twitter - I use two (2) Twitter apps, Echofon and Twitter for iPhone. I like options, especially when one gives me grief I use the other one. You’re welcome to use which ever Twitter app you feel most comfortable with. You’ll need the Twitter app to communicate with other people in the conference. Usually by using the conference’s hashtag, you would be able to know what’s going on and share info for people not at the conference.

10. Facebook - Facebook is another great app to help you stay connected and share info. On Facebook you can like companies you meet during the conference, post on their walls. Post notes, pics and videos to share with your family and friends.

Can you think of any other useful apps to add to this list?

Written by Arie Rich. Check out her blog, KMP Blog, an informational/lifestyle blog, which covers topics from financial and money management to what movies are worthy of adding to your Netflix queue.

Be Sociable, Share!

•