You’re old fashioned. You’d rather read a real, ink-on-your-fingers newspaper than read the news on asmartphone. And as much as you like your digital camera, you swear that the Polaroid effect just doesn’t compare to the real deal.
Now you can have the best of both worlds. You must know that by now, there’s an app for everything. Even nostalgia.
Below are seven cool apps to make you feel young again.
1. booki.sh
Melbourne-based ebook start-up booki.sh is trying to close the gap between old-fashioned books and ebooks. You can purchase a book from one of their indie booksellers or upload one that you’ve previously bought.
Booki.sh is compatible with your iPhone, iPad, Kindle3 or any other device. The best part is that classic books have that distinct typeface that they should.
2. Warby Parker
Warby Parker is a start-up eyeglass venture founded by four friends who met at The Wharton School. They have created a line of impeccably tasteful yet quirky eye-wear that’s actually affordable, unlike the bland designer eye-wear that dominates the market.
Warby Parker cuts out the expensive middleman by allowing you to try on glasses straight from the website. Just upload a picture or take a photo with your webcam and start to virtually try on different styles. It may even be more reliable than a mirror.
3. Popa
Attach Popa to your iPhone and start snapping a big, inviting red button to take photos. The characteristic textured grip makes your iPhone feel like the camera you knew and loved.
Buy the attachment and download the Popa app for free. The app opens as soon as Popa is attached to your phone so you’ll never miss a fleeting phone moment again.
4. Charlie Brown Christmas app
It’s hard not to be taken in by the A Charlie Brown Christmas app from the moment when you hear those first few notes of that familiar Christmas tune. Loud Crow has done a lovely job capturing the spirit of this annual special.
The whole story is told in a sort of pop-up book format. I wish a screen shot would do the page turns justice, but as you go from one page to another characters seem to fold into slots while new ones pop up on the next page, animating the whole time.
5. The Amazing Type-Writer app
The amazing type-writer app adds nostalgia to your notes. You can probably change the font in your favorite writing app to something with gratuitos serifs and retro charm, but it still won’t come as close to recreating the feel of working on an antique typewriter as The Amazing Type-Writer app does.
For two bucks you’ll be getting the latest in mobile pneumatic tubes technology with the highest-quality digital micro-swingarms available. Adding to the old-timey effect is the use of a simulated, highly textured mimeograph card stock.
Your works can be published to an online gallery that’s also accessible through the app, letting you download and annotate other user’s creation.
6. Hipstamatic
As technology speeds past us it’s perhaps not surprising that we retain an affection for analogue clunkiness. Hipsters have shown a taste for taking everything from the crackle of vinyl to tatty Barbour jackets and dragging them back into fashion. It’s this trend for thrift-store artiness that’s responsible for one of last year’s biggest-selling iPhone apps, the Hipstamatic.
The app itself recreates the look of an old square-frame camera and takes Polaroid-style pictures. With the swipe of a finger you can change its virtual lenses and film formats to create a variety of over-saturated or discolored effects.
7. Commodore 64
For old school gamers growing up during a more simple gaming era, they’ll be happy to relive memories thanks to a Commodore 64 emulator available on the App Store. It might be considered a small victory because it’s the first emulator to be approved for use on the iPhone and runs code within the application.
If that kid in you wants to go back to that age when things were less complicated, then go ahead and pick up any of these apps to catch up on old times.