Category Archives: App

A To-Do List With An Attitude

carrot-screenMaking a to-do list doesn’t necessarily mean that things are going to get done. The universe of GTD (Getting Things Done) is complex indeed. To get things done, we all need a bit of motivation. So, if just like most people you are still a good friend of procrastination, we found the perfect app for you: CARROT. Carrot app doesn’t just make things done fun, she makes getting things done addictive. Yes, it is a she. You can compare her to Siri but with more attitude. Carrot can be the perfect app for you if you are looking for something that really pushes you and forces you to get rid of the sloth in you and turn you into a productivity beast. In few words, Carrot is a To-do list with feelings. She has two distinct personalities:

  1. The happy Carrot takes joy in seeing you succeed, and showers you with praise for completing tasks.
  2. The angry Carrot hates you simply because you exist, and only takes joy in showering you with insults and petty sideswipes. Yes, a little rude.

No one expects to come across a rude, bossy app especially after you pay for it! But that’s Carrot for you. The premise is simple – you complete your tasks and Carrot is happy. You slack off and Carrot starts to get cranky.  At its core, Carrot is a minimal to-do list for iOS with barely any feature. Swipe down to add a new item. Swipe right to remove it when done. Swipe left to access the settings and options. That’s about it. You can’t even edit items you’ve created.  But Carrot  is as much about the personality as it is about the list and that makes her stand apart from the crowd.

Clearing tasks also entitles you to rewards as you climb up the levels. Initial rewards are simpler: like wisdom on how to prioritize tasks and not get overwhelmed with too much to-do. According to developers, there are nearly 300 unique rewards. And there are all different to the situation. For instance, reaching Level 15 could unlock mini-games. What is even more fun with carrot is that you can interact with her even if you have nothing on your list. For instance, in the text entry box you can type “Carrot I’m bored,” and Carrot will add a ridiculous item to your list.

What Sparks Our Fire: a task manager that blends a bit of fun with just the right amount of functionality

We are not going to spill all the beans. Get Carrot on the app store to kick off your productivity. Oh, do come back and tell us how you find this ‘really different’ productivity app.

Translate Any Text Using Your Phone’s Camera

camdictionary-476551-1319696805We’ve all been stuck at least once in our life in a totally unfamiliar language environment. At these times, even our smartest-smart phones are rendered useless, unable to type the word we needed to translate because we did not have the local language characters on our keyboard, leaving us feeling lost. Since we love to share useful apps, we found CamDictionary by IntSig Information Co.,Ltd, a snap translator on the go, and an indispensable travel tool. Believe it or not, your phone’s camera can translate. In few words, CamDictionary is a professional instant translator application for Android and iOS devises. It supports 36 languages that the app can translate on the fly instantly. All you need to do is snap a picture of the text you want to translate and the app will do the rest in real time and you even have the option to hear the pronunciation. Isn’t that magical?

What Sparks Our Fire: an ingenious app that makes our life easy by enabling us to quickly and easily translate languages.

Are you ready to never get lost in translation with CamDictionary? Let us know your thoughts on this app.

Get Ready To Gift Unique Items This Season

It’s that time of year again, it’s that special season when you realize you’ve been so focused working late every night to avoid having to schedule conference calls over the holidays, that you’ve forgotten to purchase gifts for at least a third of your significant others extended family. Don’t worry, we’ve come up with a list of five great gifts ideas, that your loved ones never knew they wanted.

1. Shoe Shine Boy

Screen Shot 2014-12-15 at 4.52.13 PMShoe Shine Boy is perfect to make shoes and bags shine like never before. This small gadget set has all the goodies one needs for a thorough gleam on calfskin pieces to extend their life. All you need to do is insert two AA batteries into your device, attach the microfiber pad, apply shoe polish to the pad and turn on polisher. Shoe Shine Boy works at 420 rotations per minute and can be used on a wide range of leather products including car seats, shoes and leather bags. If new, the batteries can last up to 70 uses. Think it might be the perfect gift for someone you know? Don’t hesitate to purchase it here. 

What Sparks Our Fire: A gadget that can keep our leather goods looking good with  minimum fuss.

2. Lensbaby

Lensbaby-Sweet-Spot-LensLensbaby is a mobile lens more fun than a barrel of filters. Thin enough that it won’t interfere with most cases or other lens attachments. With the lensbaby, you get an effect that’s very similar to the one you get when zooming a lens while shooting, with a depth-of-field blur. A gadget highly recommended for people looking to enliven their camera photography but still merit a #nofilter. So if you want to gift someone who is really into photography, we recommend getting your hands on this. Where to buy? Simply click here.

What Sparks Our Fire: A gadget that can make us have professional camera effect with just our mobile phone.

3. Fujifilm’s Intax Printer

image128Another gadget for photography lovers. With apps like Instagram and its many filters, quite often, one wish to have its pictures printed. With this Fujifilm’s Instax Printer, anyone can have their phone pictures printed like a Polaroid. Now, that’s cool, right. What is fun about this is that there is no need for a separate supply of ink so you don’t have to worry about running out of ink and don’t have to load cartridges. The gadget actually uses the same cartridges as Fujifilm Instax instant cameras. The camera simply uses LEDs lights along with a liquid crystal shutter to expose the film inside the printer. It is fun and you can watch the image develop over the next several minutes. Fancy this? Get it here.

What Sparks Our Fire:  A portable photo printer, because in 2015 millennials will appreciate pictures in print more than the ones on their instagram feed (maybe).

4. Hoodie pillow

Screen Shot 2014-12-15 at 5.00.14 PMAnd yes this exists. Simple as the tittle, it’s a hood with a pillow. This hooded pillowcase can provide ultimate “ Cocoonification™”, helping you tuck away the stresses of your day. Useful for long flights trip or simply for curling up with a good book, dozing on the couch, watching TV. This is the perfect accessory to enhance your lounging experience. The HoodiePillow Hooded Pillowcase fits all standard bed pillows and measures. There is alsoi the C shape version. Sometimes, pictures speak louder than words. Get one here and why not for yourself as well.

 What Sparks Our Fire: a gadget that every holiday season traveler wants, but is too embarassed to purchase for themselves.

5. Slimger

1048029_1526493884264679_3972367664762119302_oWe all suffer from short life batteries whether we have an iPhone or an Android. For some reasons phone makers have not tackled the issue yet. So, in the meantime while they get it all together, we have this suggestion that could be the gift of the year. It is called Slimger: a charger so thin and small it can fit in your wallet. This is the result of a project on indiegogo that received more than six time its initial pledge of $10,000. Thank you to all backers, we can now all benefit from the magic. If you need to purchase a devise. Here is the link

What Sparks our Fire: a useful devise that is easy to carry around and a life/phone save

We hope you found this list useful. What did you pick? Let us know.

You’re One App Away From A Comfortable Retirement

acorns appTo build wealth, and become financially independent, you need to start investing early and there is an app for that. Acorns enables you to start saving early, invest often, and feel secure about your financial future without having to think about it.

So, how does it work? Simply connect a credit card, or debit card and a checking account, and enter some characteristics about yourself. Acorns will automatically recommend a stock portfolio based on information like your age, time horizon, investment goals and the amount of risk you’re comfortable taking. Then each purchase you make with the registered card is rounded up to the nearest dollar, and the difference is invested in low-cost ETFs. For instance, if you spend $10.49 on lunch, that remaining 51 cents is invested. And if you’re worried about the safety of your personal information, don’t be, because Acorns has been awarded TRUSTe’s Privacy Seal for the collection and use of personal information. According to its maker, “what makes Acorns different from any service out there is that it offers a personalized investment portfolio with no account minimums, no commissions, and fractional investing all at your fingertips”.

What Sparks Our Fire: An app that intuitively makes it easy to save and invest.

What do you think of Acorns? Would you use it?

Take a ‘Petfie’

petmatch-app-screensPetMatch is a revolutionary new app that uses Superfish’s patented image recognition technology to help you find adoptable dogs and cats in your area. Simply take a picture of a pet you like, upload it to the app, or use a picture from the PetMatch sample gallery to get started. For instance, if you walk through the park and see an adorable dog that is just the type you always wanted? Take a ‘petfie’.

PetMatch will find you look-a-like pets in your area up for adoption at that exact moment. It can be as accurate as registering details like the shape of an animal’s mouth, the distance between its eyes, coloring and general size and shape. Though, there’s more to the relationship between humans and pets than physical appearance. The app can also help place pets based on personality, character traits and habits.

Superfish is also behind ShopScout, an app that uses the same image recognition algorithm and lets you take pictures of products and find similar ones for sale online (Something worth checking out).

What Sparks Our Fire: An app that takes image recognition a step further.

What is your view on the PetMatch app? Have any of you tried it? Let us know what you think!