ARTPOP, Lady Gaga’s third studio album is set to be released on November 11, 2013. Are you as excited as we are?? Since her Born This Way album two years ago, she has been keeping a low profile. Not a lot has been said about her upcoming release, but there’s enough to get us Little Monsters on our toes anyway.

Perhaps the most anticipated part of the release is the mobile app that will accompany the album. Described as a ‘musical and visual engineering system that combines art, fashion and technology’, it will be an iPad, iPhone, and computer compatible application that includes exclusive updates, extra content, chats, games etc.

From a PR standpoint, an album app is a genius marketing strategy that is sure to reach the appropriate audience and generate buzz. It takes advantage of our generation’s addiction to social media and connectivity. The ARTPOP app promises greater interactivity between fans and Lady Gaga herself and people are drawn to that. We crave connection to our favourite artists and the sense of intimacy that comes with it.

The idea of an album app is nothing new. Icelandic songwriter-artist, Björk, was first to release her latest album, Biophilia, through a series of Apple apps. It was a collection of applications on the iPad that represented different songs on her album. More recently, Jay Z partnered with Samsung this summer for an early digital release of his Magna Carta… Holy Grail album. Fans were able to download the album before the official release date through the app but because of a server breakdown due to an overload of hits, the app never took off.

Though not entirely unique, ARTPOP will be the first of its kind to create such an immersive experience for fans. We are excited to see where this will lead to and how it will change the music scene in the near future. We can’t wait!

There One Minute, Gone the Next

So what is exactly is SnapChat, and why does it have hipsters abandoning their collection of fun filters? Simply put, SnapChat is a way to share photos with your favourite people (on iPhone and Android) that will get to them 10x faster than a regular MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). Besides being faster, the ‘gimmick’ to Snap Chat is that the photos, or ‘snaps,’ are on a timer so you can control how long receiver of the photo actually has access to it before it disappears from their device. Perfect if you’re trying to organize a surprise for someone who has access to your phone! Of course the app does offer a save option on their preview screen or you can take a screenshot if you’re quick but the sender of the Snap will be notified!

Every App Has Its Dark Side

So you’ve downloaded this app to your phone where you can take ‘impermanent’ photos that will not (supposedly) be finding their way onto the greater World Wide Web, what’s the good in that? It seems the overwhelming answer is the ‘indecent exposure’ kind; which can be corroborated with a quick Google search. With a user demographic between the ages of 13-25 this news is more than a little shocking. SnapChat was recently featured on Good Morning America  with the warning that yes the app may say that the photo is gone after the viewing time is up, but there are other ways to save the photo. The reporter on GMA cautioned parents to monitor what their children were doing on their phones considering sexting is becoming a larger scale issue with teens and young adults. Additionally, the SnapChat developers have stated they cannot 100% guarantee the instantaneous deletion of photos off their servers.

So yes, SnapChat can be fun when people want to send those obnoxious self portraits to their friends: but remember, nothing is fool-proof!

On that note, have you ever had a mishap where a photo found its way onto the Internet when you didn’t want it to?

Giving is as Easy as a Scan & Tap

To raise awareness, eBay set up a pop-up shop at the intersection of 9^th and 14^th St in NYC this past week- where the public was invited to visit and browse a small selection of toys available to be donated. At the pop-up, members of the eBay team were on hand supplying free hot chocolate while showing consumers how to easily scan the QR codes associated with each gift. The donor has free reign over the type of toy donation they make to Toys of Tots, being able to pick the gender, age range & price point of the toy to be donated. The toy donations are then shipped out to children in need.

Everyone Can Get in on the Action

Let’s face it: not everyone has an smartphone (or lives in NYC), so in order to reach their goal, eBay has also set up a webpage for users to donate in the same fashion as the app. The webpage also facilitates easy sharing via social networks, assisting eBay in reaching the largest audience possible.

Everyone is familiar with the concept of a toy drive, but the logistics on such a project can be difficult and overwhelming. eBay has taken holiday giving to the next level making it just a little easier for everyone. Any time, any place, people can donate and make a difference. Even better, eBay delivers the toy to where it needs to be in remarkable time, often in an hour or less. Their goal this year is 25,000 toys (with toy matching donations being made by eBay).

What do you think: will mobile help boost consumer awareness and drive charity focused purchase conversions in the future? Sound off in the comments!

Searching for that email just got easier

1. Search Your Entire Inbox

• No more losing any mail while you’re on the go. It’s always the worst when you try to find anything in your Gmail inbox – because your iPhone won’t store more than 50 messages at a time. The app solves this problem effortlessly.

2. Gmail Chat On The Go

• Use your Gmail chat while you’re on your cell. If you use the chat feature as much as I do – you’ll know how useful this is!

3. Attachments

• That’s right, attach photos in composition mode with the Gmail app! Select multiple photos or files directly from your phone, and add them into any email you compose. This is actually a HUGE lifesaver.

I definitely suggest you download this app if you use your smartphone a lot for emailing. It’s easy, user-friendly, and a step ahead of Apple’s native email app (for now).

Click here to download the Gmail App – available on Android and iPhone.

Whether it’s a friend showcasing a new outfit on their facebook feed, or a collection of similar images aggregated into one photo – collage pictures are everywhere. I’ve spent a lot of time going through all the available apps in the iTunes store and came across ‘Photo Collage Free’. Ok, so they didn’t really get creative with the name – but who cares! This app does the job in a simple and user-friendly way.

The app lets you choose from several different layouts. After selecting, you have the option to fully customize the experience with height and width adjustments and corner shaping. There’s the ability to add effects to your photos if you upgrade – but if you don’t want to pay, just use instagram for the photos before you make your collage. There’s not a lot of bells and whistles to this app – but that’s what makes it so good. It’s not confusing, and simple to operate. I can definitely see this as a great alternative to photoshop on the go – or even for creating graphically stimulating slides for a presentation.

Download Photo Collage Free here – and tell me what you think! Are there any photo collage apps you recommend?

The experience was unparalleled and so much fun for me, mainly due to how kind and inviting Amber is. I have to say this was one of my favourite TV spots I’ve ever shot in my career with Shopcatch – and I definitely recommend following both App Central and Amber on twitter. Amber and the crew are consummate professionals, and churn out absolutely fantastic content.

The set was magical with all sorts of techy gadgets in the atmosphere. Being a closet geek, I was dying while watching as the hosts talked about all the latest and greatest in digital innovation. Amber was looking her best, while BFF Caron Court snapped photos with all the guests (see picture on the right). During our time there, everyone couldn’t help but comment about the Skinnygirl party at The Drake Hotel – we were living vicariously through twitter stream (yes, we’re all nerds). I’ll elaborate on my obsession with Bethenny Frankel another time.

I also took a blooper vid while I was there – Amber almost got hit by one of the gadgets they were showcasing!

To check out my interview (it’s episode 6.1), click here.

Have you ever watched App Central?

For those of you who don’t know about Foursquare, it’s a location based mobile application and website that allows people to check in at various venues. A pet food company decided to utilize foursquare in an ingenious way, and made a little video to explain their campaign.

At the moment, there’s plenty of great rewards to be had all over Canada on foursquare – and they’re not just for your pets. Definitely download this application if you haven’t already, and start rewarding yourself on your everyday travels!

Do you use foursquare? Have you ever received something for using it? Let me know in the comments below.

Mint.com describes themselves as:

“THE BEST FREE WAY TO MANAGE YOUR MONEY
Mint.com allows you to track, budget and manage your money all in one place, so you can see where you’re spending and where you can save. Open an account, add your bank, credit, loan and retirement accounts and Mint will automatically pull in and categorize your transactions. It’s safe, secure and easy to keep your personal finances organized”

I’ll admit: upon first setting up, I was hesitant to provide my login information for my banking – but I’m here to report, there’s been no ‘fishy activity’, or withdrawals from a foreign entity. It takes some time to categorize all of your transactions, so I do recommend using their web version to sort through quickly.

Some other features include:

• View all of your accounts including: checking, savings, credit cards, investments, and retirement.
• Mint automatically pulls in and categorizes your transactions. No need to enter your own transactions.
• Easy-to-understand graphs show you where your money is going so you get a clear picture of your spending and your net worth. (iPad only)
• Know how much you have left to spend. Mint creates a customized budget based on your actual spending.
• Add manual transactions at the time of purchase so you can track cash spending.
• Avoid late fees and monitor cash flow — get bill reminders, alerts and advice sent right to your device.
• View your data even without a wireless connection. (iPad only)

You can download Mint.com for both Android and iPhone, or simply use their web version. Yes, it’s FREE!

Visit their site by clicking here.

This app is one that I think EVERY iPhone user would adore on their device. The concept is simple: Smart Sync lets you connect through your Facebook account, and grabs all your friends photos/status updates – and syncs them with their contact info. It’s a seamless way to always have their latest photo and recent social comments show up whenever they’re calling you – and saves you the work of having to put in any of their photos manually.

It’s completely free, and easy to use. I’ve found that with your friend’s status uploaded on-screen preconversation, it makes for an easy conversation starter. Particularly if you haven’t connected with this individual for awhile. Have a look, and let me know what you think!

Download SmartSync here.

I recently have become obsessed with an app called Flipboard.

Essentially, Flipboard allows you to be the master curator of your own digital magazine. You can easily select your interests, connect to your favourite social networks, and this app will create a magazine-like experience with engaging and interesting content sorted just for you! The best part is, your tweets/facebook are incorporated to provide you with a seamless, image-based customized experience – which I love.

Having a history as a community manager, I always found myself looking for content to share with my audience. I can tell you that Flipboard will make this a cinch for anyone looking to engage both their work and personal communities with relevant news.

This app is completely free, so download before they “wise-up” and start charging!

Also: if you’re constantly buying apps or music through the iTunes store, check out this deal on a gift card (valid this week only).

Have an app you’re obsessed with? Share it in the comments – I’m always on the look out for new and exciting tools!