Illustration by Peter Arkle

Improving Your Life

Pete Daversa, pit master, Hill Country
Favorite app: Kitchen Calculator (iPhone/iPod Touch), $1.99
“When the restaurant’s running at full speed, I don’t have time to stop and figure out complex conversions.”

Marisa May, co-owner, SD26 restaurant
Favorite app: DailyHoroscope (Blackberry), free “I have been going to the same astrologist every six months for more than ten years, so it helps me fill in the gaps between visits.”

Tor Myhren, chief creative officer, Grey New York
Favorite app: Japanese (iPhone/iPod Touch), $19.99
“My wife is from Japan, and my quest is to understand what she’s mumbling under her breath. It’s kind of like a dictionary, flash card, and Kanji writing tool all in one.”

David Barton, gym owner
Favorite app: Calorie Tracker (Blackberry), $2.99
“It’s very smart and easy to use for counting calorie, carb, and protein intake for each meal.”

Nick Miscione, sales clerk, Metro Bikes
Favorite app: Big Oven (iPhone/iPod Touch), free
“You get 160,000 recipes. I punch in ‘lasagne’ or ‘chili’ while I’m walking into the grocery store.”

Tim Sweeney, D.J., Beats in Space
Favorite app: WorldMate Live (Blackberry), free
“I’ve got all my travel itineraries on there, so I, hopefully, won’t miss any flights and always know where I’m staying.”

Ian Berry, children’s media consultant
Favorite app: WeatherBug (iPhone/iPod Touch), free
“Shows satellite images up to the minute, instead of every few hours like most weather apps.”

John Chun, investment banker
Favorite app: FlashLight (Blackberry), free
“The entire screen turns bright white, so you can use it for reading in the dark.”

Adam Benton, portfolio manager, Clearwater Analytics
Favorite app: Zipcar (iPhone/iPod Touch), free
“It’s new and freakin’ sweet. Once you rent a car, you can unlock the doors with your phone. The app looks like any other car-key remote.”

Additional reporting by Sam Dangremond, Iavora Daraktchieva-Dohn, Sally Holmes, Bennett Marcus, Thayer Mcclanahan, and Julie Zeveloff.

Related:

• Articles by Sarah Bernard
• Table of Contents: Oct 19, 2009 issue of New York | Subscribe!