New apps high on nostalgic value with digital scrapbooks of memories

New apps are keeping track of people's special moments and memories by producing digital scrapbooks and journals that help users log where they have been and what they have done.

While some apps like Snapchat catch a fleeting moment and make it disappear, memory apps can record the details of each day, whether it is a visit to a restaurant or event or a precious moment with family and friends. HeyDay, a free iPhone app, creates a daily timeline based on photos found on the device that are added to a timeline. It also logs venues using the phone's GPS system. Personal notes can be added to the timeline manually.

Journal brings in nostalgia

"It's this idea of being able to know exactly what you did on every single day of your life. We want to be the ultimate artifact that puts the entirety of your life in your hands," said Siqi Chen, chief executive of San Francisco-based HeyDay. The appeal is emotional and nostalgic, he added.

"Everyone likes the idea of having a journal or scrapbook but most people don't want to put all that work in. We give that experience in an effortless way," he said. The app will also give notifications when people return to a city they have already visited and prompt them to look at photos from their past trips to revive memories. Users can tag people in their lives to remember who they were with.

The app runs in the background and uses up the battery faster than usual. But Chen said the company is trying to reduce the battery drain. LifeCrumbs, a free app for the iPhone and Android, lets people record their memories on a calendar and to include a note and photos. Memories can be kept private or shared on social networks.

Another journaling app called Day One, for iOS devices, records events and logs the temperature and weather in the area. The app, which costs $4.99, also tracks a person's motion activity such as walking, running and biking, and can log what music was playing on the device during the entry.

Reuters