Grown Up Thinking

As a recent transplant to New York, I haven’t fully embraced New England winters. Luckily, there’s an app that can keep you nice and toasty (and help you avoid a dreaded hat hair situation).

So how does it work? The Pocket Heater app warms your hands through “Patented Technology”—basically, it puts your iPhone’s battery and processor on turbo charge, causing it to overheat and become warm to the touch.

The app is a pretty nifty idea. And while I’m skeptical it may eventually cause my iPhone to self-destruct, it gets extra points for novelty (and for making me use the word ‘nifty’). Perhaps I’ll go rogue and leave my mittens at home tomorrow…

Brands have been scrambling to come up with iPhone applications that both add value to consumers’ lives and help drive basic business goals.  Some, like the Zippo app, are more awareness plays, while others are more successful at bringing the product to life within the device’s interface and actually driving sales.

One of the cooler apps that I’ve come across recently was just released by Benjamin Moore. Well, actually very similar apps have come from both Benjamin Moore and category rival Sherwin-Williams. These apps allows you to take a photo using the iPhone’s camera and match the colors in the image to the colors in the manufacturer’s paint catalog. If you want to get even more design savvy, shake the iPhone to reveal coordinating colors to complement the color matches.  Smartest of all, these apps usee the iPhone’s LBS capabilities to locate the nearest retailers to purchase the paint.

Which app is better I’ll let my dear readers decide.  Either way, these apps represent  a perfect marriage of utility and engagement. They tap into the consumer’s creative inclinations and uses the iPhone’s core functionality to bring their inspirations to life.  Thankfully, now I can finally figure out how to match the walls in my apt with Keyboard Cat’s dress.

Thanks bookof joe [via geeksugar]