These iPhone apps can impress your valentine, provide dating advice, send virtual flowers, or even help you work out your anti-Valentine’s Day resentment.
Romantic Love Note/Card
iWrite features eight different Valentine’s-appropriate styles of poetry. For each one, it walks you through the process from brainstorming, to examples, to step-by-step guidance. If you really want to cop out, it’ll even generate your poem for you.
I have to admit I was skeptical that an app like this could be anything but hokey, but it’s actually great. I am not a poet at all, but in about one minute it helped me create a poem I’d actually like to share with my boyfriend.
For a less helpful, but more humorous version of this try the (free) Love Poem Generator.
Cost: $1.99
2. Valentine ~ Postage
This is a special Valentine’s Day edition of the Postage line of iPhone apps. This app has a lot of high quality e-card designs and lets you easily insert your own pictures into its templates. Customize your card with photo effects and your own message, then share it via e-mail or Facebook (). A word of warning, it’s hard (read: impossible) for any e-card to be as personal as a nice hand-written one, but this is perfect for long-distance friends or relationships.
If you don’t believe you should pay to make an e-card, then try StickerJam Hearts – Free.
Cost: $1.99
For the Perfect Date
This app is more than a little cheesy, but it has some genuinely good ideas. It has everything from the obvious (heart locket) to the more creative (romantic crossword puzzle). I’d definitely recommend it for anyone trying to come up with the perfect Valentine’s surprise and in need of a little inspiration. The ideas are categorized by price and difficulty level and each idea breaks down what you’ll need.
Cost: $0.99
4. 20 Minute Meals – Jamie Oliver
A home cooked meal is often much more romantic than a dinner out. There’s no need to deal with traffic, reservations, or a crowded restaurant. This app opens up the possibility of a home cooked meal for those of us lacking talent in the cooking department.
Why this app? At $7.99, it’s pricey, but it promises and delivers on two key things: 20 minutes meals and easy to follow instructions. Really, what else could you ask for?
But if you’re still not convinced it’s worth the price tag try Allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner or Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List, both free.
Cost: $7.99
Virtual Gifts
Remember Sweethearts, that candy that was the number one choice for elementary school Valentines? Well, now you can send them in virtual form with the Be Mine Hearts app (we all know they didn’t taste that good anyway). Shake your iPhone to get a different heart (and message), add your own note at the bottom, then send it in e-mail. Not groundbreaking but very easy, and definitely cute.
Cost: Free
6. Send eFlowers
Flowers are a Valentine’s Day classic for a reason, and this app allows you to send virtual flowers to everyone you care about (or even people you don’t) with the touch of a finger. You can send via e-mail or MMS. It’s a nice touch, and I highly recommend it for sending to friends and family. However, if you send your girlfriend virtual flowers instead of real ones, don’t say I didn’t warn you. To send real flowers on the go use the 1800Flowers app.
Cost: $0.99
If You’re Single
7. iFlirt
iFlirt is “your fearless dating companion” and offers pickup lines and tips for dating. Definitely use it with a grain of salt, but it could be just the ticket for coming up with an icebreaker — or maybe just for realizing that you should stop staring at your iPhone and go talk to someone if you’re out.
If you’re feeling lucky, check out “Get Any Girl: The Ultimate Pickup and Dating Guide.” I’m pretty sure it’s just for laughs (and some might even find it mildly offensive), but there’s only way to find out…
Cost: $0.99
8. iXplode – Valentine’s Day
If you’re feeling a little bitter about the whole (admittedly over-commercialized) holiday, then iXplode may be just the app for you. Watch Valentine’s gifts such as candy, a teddy bear, or roses blow up. This app also allows you to send these videos as anti-Valentine’s Day cards and, luckily for your ex-girlfriend, it clearly labels it as an iXplode card before viewing.
Cost $0.99