I rarely take photos with my phone because I am a lousy enough photographer with a real camera. The various app markets brim with software to help people like me. But I recently stumbled onto something far more useful: apps that take your lousy shots and help you turn them into something ridiculous, bizarre or maybe even beautiful. The short list includes, for Apple users, ToonPaint ($2), SketchMee ($3 for iPhones, $5 for iPads), Unicorn Shots ($1) and Color Splash ($2). For Android are free apps like PicSay and Pic Paint. On BlackBerry, Picture Magic ($5), Doodle ($1) and PhotoColor ($3) are worth a look. As is almost always the case, there are more, and better, apps in this category for iPhone users than for those with Android or BlackBerry devices. For people who are contemplating their next phone, the broader issue here may be worth quickly noting. IPhone app developers Read More

I was about to embark on a three-and-a-half-hour trek home to Connecticut from Maine after a beach weekend. I had two youngsters in the back seat and, my wife and I would quickly discover, no food. But I had gadgets, and I had apps. And I was about to find out if they could mollify an 8-year-old boy, Luca, and an 11-year-old girl, Juliana, more effectively than snacks. A little preview: if you have a BlackBerry, pack lots of snacks. An Android requires fewer, and an iPhone (or, better yet, an iPad) may completely replace road food, if you choose your apps well. My general philosophy is that staring silently out the window is one of the more rewarding uses of brain power. But when that gets old, the children’s bickering gets loud and you notice that two nearby drivers are engaged in highway texting (for real), philosophy does not help. Read More