Daily iPhone App: Snapguide helps you dye your hair, fix your car or chef up a great meal
The next time you need help to accomplish a specific task, it might be worth your while to check out Snapguide. Not only are there hundreds of different tutorials available for DIYers, Snapguide also allows you to easily create your own guide for someone else to follow.
Snapguide is a companion app for the Snapguide.com website, which is home to thousands of guides on everything from cooking, fitness, tech and more. Though you can browse the site using mobile Safari, the iOS app provides a much better experience than the mobile website. You get niceties like search and categories, and you don't have to deal with the "Download the Snapguide app" nags in the mobile web version.
The Snapguide app is an all-in-one solution that allows you to view full Snapguide tutorials without ever leaving the app. You can browse through the guides by category or search for a specific topic. Unlike most apps that require a login at launch, you can search or browse through guides without a Snapguide account.
Each guide is broken down into steps that include text, photos or even video. At the beginning of the guide, there is a list of the items required (i.e., the ingredients) as well as a list of the number of steps in the guide. You can skip to any one of these steps via a convenient grid of numbered thumbnails representing each step. If you like a specific guide, you can flag it as a favorite (free account signup required) or choose from several options to share a link to the guide. There are also comments, allowing you to chime in with your own advice or read others' opinions.
Besides reading guides, the Snapguide app also allows you to create your own guide using photos, videos and written instructions. Snapguide "guides" you through the creation process, allowing you to assemble and upload the final project up to its website using your iPhone.
I found Snapguide to be one of those apps that I open up on a regular basis when I have some free time. I regularly scan the latest guides and mark those I want to check out later. It is convenient to have on the iPhone, especially when you are in a store searching for ingredients for a guide. Though not as portable as the iPhone version, Snapguide really comes into its own on the iPad. Instructions are easier to read on the large display and the images and videos really stand out.
Snapguide is available for free from the iOS App Store.
