For those who cannot claim to be part of the Facebook generation, you know…those young whipper snappers who have grown up documenting every day of their lives online…for the rest of us there is now a way to get those old photos out of the shoebox and into the digital world! The ShoeBox app is a new iPhone app from 1000memories, an online photo sharing website. The app is a fantastic way to digitize your past by scanning old photos using your iPhone…how cool is that?

 

The innovative part of the app is the simplicity in the process of turning an old photo into a digital one. With ShoeBox, there’s no need for a big, bulky, complicated scanner. All you need is your iPhone. Simply snap a picture of your old printed photo, and easily rotate, crop, and straighten it. You can also add digital captions, dates, and tags to each scanned photo so that everyone viewing the photo knows just who is in the photo and where and when it was taken. The developers of ShoeBox point out that with the quality of the 8 megapixel camera on the iPhone 4S and 2448×3264 resolution of its photos, a scanned photo from ShoeBox nears the quality of digital scanning services.

 

The photo is also automatically uploaded to your 1000memories account, and it can be uploaded directly to your Facebook profile or Twitter.

1000memories is a relatively new service, just over one year old, and it is quietly gaining steam. The idea behind 1000memories is to create a digital memory wall, not only for old family photos, but as a place to collectively share pre-digital memories. You can upload photos, videos, audio files, stories, quotes, and other documents to the site to share a memory about a person. All of the photos are showcased in a beautiful and scrollable display.

 

Add friends and family to your profile, where they can like, comment, and enjoy the memories shared in each other’s posts. So, rather than having the captured parts of one’s life spread out in photo albums, videotapes, and computers wherever family and friends are located throughout the world, 1000memories provides a way to remember these times all together, online. With the addition of the Shoebox app, this type of sharing is even easier.

 

What’s interesting is that 1000memories sounds oddly similar to Facebook’s new Timeline profile layout. However, 1000memories has a much more effective strategy for packing your profile page with memorable information. On Facebook’s Timeline, you’re the only person who can go back and add life events to your profile. 1000memories, on the other hand, lets anyone you know share a memory.
As Facebook has been adding features like crazy lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if a feature update will mimic 1000memories. It surely seems like a logical step for Facebook to give Timeline a more dynamic use.

ShoeBox is available for FREE on the iTunes App Store.

Paul comes to The Beginners Lens from CliqStudios.com, CliqStudios.com sells kitchen cabinets, including oak kitchen cabinets, factory-direct in a variety of designer-selected styles and finishes. Although cabinets are a pretty far stretch from Photography, Paul’s enthusiasm for the subject led him to us and we’re very grateful! Don’t forget to check out the Cliq Studios kitchen remodeling guide to find comprehensive information for your remodeling project.