App of the Week – Skitch

By Sarah Combs:

At first glance, Skitch looks like a mobile version of Paint, or maybe a coloring app for parents. I didn’t get it at first. Much like the distortion and coloring effects you can use on the photos taken on your laptop’s webcam, this app didn’t appear to be useful beyond some mildly entertaining scribbling on pictures. Sure, it’s owned by Evernote, but it didn’t seem as useful as a note-keeper that exists on all of your devices.

How wrong I was. Here’s the secret sauce to what makes this app the top pick of the week:

How many times have you tried to explain something to someone over the phone (either through a call or text) that could have been explained so much easier by a photo or a map with specific directions on it?

A picture truly is worth a thousand words, which means a thousand less words you have to share over the phone, and a thousand less words the person on the other end of the line has to write down. And that’s why Skitch is a surprisingly useful tool that can be used for so much more than some time-wasting artwork.

The premise of the app is simple: it gives you the ability to personalize photos, screenshots, and maps and then easily share them through email, text, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.

There’s a feature that allows you to take a new picture and annotate, draw, and markup that picture to your heart’s content. This makes it easy to show someone specific measurements in a room, which paint color you’re talking about, or just point out something interesting in a photo that you’re sending them. You can also select an existing photo on your phone, which makes it easy to share stuff even after the fact.

Maps are infinitely helpful even in this age where GPS reins free; personalized directions can mean the difference between driving right past that hidden taco stand, or missing that fantastic, time-saving short cut. The map feature within Skitch is particularly useful, because it automatically calls up a map of wherever in the world you want, and then gives you the ability to place pins in specific locations and annotate, so there’s no confusion on which turn to take.

And if you just want to send someone a silly, hand drawn note, Skitch has you covered there as well.  The app does allow for easy sharing over email and any social media site you could ever think of. This may be something parents want to watch out for!

Skitch is recommended for Teens and Parents (Ages 13 and up) for easy Internet access and adult utility. Find screenshots, reviews, and family-friendly ratings for Skitch and more free Android apps at Famigo.com.

Developer: Evernote Corp.

Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad (iOS 5.0 or later) and Android devices (1.6 and up)

App Category: Productivity

Price: Free!

Famigo Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars