• About Geek Beat
  • Newsletter
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Geek Beat

One of the world’s most recognizable technology news brands, delivering daily tech news, tips, and reviews.

  • News
    • Apple
    • CES
    • Editor’s Choice
    • Google
    • How To’s
    • Microsoft
    • Music
    • Mobility
    • NABShow
    • Photography
  • Episodes
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Connect With Us
    • Chat Rooms
    • DropCams
    • Geek Beat Live!
    • Product Review Submissions
Home > Editor's Choice > Editor’s Choice: Turn Phone Photos Into a Beautiful Printed Album with Mosaic
Mosaic Screen with Open Cover

Editor’s Choice: Turn Phone Photos Into a Beautiful Printed Album with Mosaic

November 1, 2012 by giovanni

By now we’ve all heard the saying that the best camera is the one you have with you. And with camera phones getting better at a dizzying pace, that phone you have with you is getting pretty good for a point-and-shoot. But once you have a phone full of images, the question remains, what do you do with them? Particularly, how do you share them with the less tech-inclined people in your life?

The new iOS app Mosaic has a compelling answer in the form of a slick app that can quickly turn a collection of photos on your device into a very nice, high-quality printed book that makes a very attractive gift.

The Mosaic App

Mosaic Screen with Photo SelectionThe app that helps you design your photo book is free, and very well designed. It works for both iPhone and iPad (version 5 or greater). I used the phone version to see how it worked on the smaller screen (it works very well). You are guided through the steps to create the book, selecting 20 photos for inclusion. You can pick and choose between pictures in various albums and on the Camera Roll in your device. After you select the pictures you want, and arrange them in your preferred order, you can choose the color of the cover and pages (light or dark). For my book, I chose a set of night time neon from Las Vegas that I shot during CES this year – so black pages fit that mood well.

Mosaic Screen with Open Cover

Mosaic Screen with Page Spread

Before you place the order, you can browse through a simulation of all the pages and get a good sense of how the book will look. Then it’s on to the ordering stage. The app collects your name, street address, and Zip Code. The service intelligently determines your city and state from your Zip, so there’s less typing required (why can’t more services do this?).

One limitation is that for the moment this is a US-only service, but the company says they are working on expanding to international service. You can ask questions about future availability in various countries by writing to international@heymosaic.com.

Cost of the book is $20. Shipping is $5 in the contiguous United States and $10 for Alaska and Hawaii. If you order multiple copies, each adds $1 to the shipping cost. The book arrives 4 business days after you order.

The Mosaic Book

Mosaic in Gift BoxThe book arrived exactly as scheduled, and I was very impressed with the quality. It comes in a nice gift box, that makes a great presentation. The book is 7 inches square and has a stitched binding. The fabric-textured cover has 13 rectangular openings cut in it, and behind each is a small version of one of your photos, bringing home the “mosaic” concept . The paper has a nice weight and finish and the printed photos (one per page) look great. It’s really impressive that such an attractive book can be produced so quickly on a print-on-demand basis. For more pictures and details, you can check out the Mosaic website.

Mosaic Finished Book

I’m so impressed with the end-to-end experience of using the app and enjoying the book that I’m giving Mosaic the GeekBeat Editor’s Choice Award. If you’re looking for a way to make the photos on your phone more permanent, or turn them into a unique holiday gift, Mosaic is a great way to go.

Filed Under: Editor's Choice, Reviews

About giovanni

giovanni is an ad age, emmy, telly, & webby award-winning search engine optimization and social media strategist from texas who works with brands in entertainment, fashion, food & beverage, sports, and technology.

Watch giovanni's latest videos on youtube.

Comments

  1. Meceil says

    November 6, 2012 at 11:34 am

    Nice post! I have read this article. This article is very informative. Thanks for sharing.

  2. Jason says

    November 1, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    Would love to see this on Android.

Popular Posts

  • How To Keep A Constant In Excel And Other Spreadsheets by Scott Ellis | posted on April 19, 2012 | under News, Tutorial
  • How to Use Your Own Router with AT&T U-verse by Chris Bramble | posted on February 17, 2014 | under News, Tutorial
  • Complete Sci-Fi Spaceship Size Comparison Chart by giovanni | posted on September 19, 2014 | under News
  • How Much Money Will Fit in a Briefcase? by John P. | posted on September 26, 2013 | under Episodes
  • How To Add Sound and Voice to Your Photos by giovanni | posted on July 22, 2013 | under Episodes
  • How to Access Advanced Boot Options in Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 by Robert Albury | posted on September 10, 2014 | under Tutorial
  • How to Build a Dust Collector (with Photos and Video!) by John P. | posted on May 30, 2016 | under Tutorial
  • A Tour of QNAP’s Available Utility Apps by Benjamin J. Roethig | posted on April 4, 2014 | under Tutorial
  • Tutorial: Adding a Networked Printer with QNAP by Benjamin J. Roethig | posted on July 7, 2014 | under Tutorial
  • How to Set Up a Plex Server on a QNAP NAS by Dexter | posted on April 18, 2014 | under Tutorial

Recent Posts

  • Go Mic Mobile Wireless System for Mobile Filmmakers
  • A RAY OF LIGHT
  • Keep Devices Charged Anywhere in the World with the Twist Plus World Charging Station
  • Final Leaked iPhone 7 Details Before The Big Event
  • Should Snapchat Be A Part of Your Digital Strategy?

Recent Comments

  • Ricardo Garza on Streambox Announces 360 Live Video Streaming to YouTube
  • Sunbya on Review: Blue Lola Headphones bring unparalleled quality
  • Jay Anderson on CES2016 – Autel Robotics X-Star Quadcopters
  • Scott Ellis on CES2016 – The Parrot DISCO – The Worlds First Fixed Wing Consumer Drone
  • Ricardo Garza on CES2016 – The Parrot DISCO – The Worlds First Fixed Wing Consumer Drone

Tags

3D Amazon Apple apps audio bluetooth business CE Line Shows 2013 CES computers fitness gadgets games gaming geek geek beat GeekBeat geek house Google health how-to ios john p. kickstarter Microsoft mobile Mobility Music nabshow new building Other photography Reviews robots Samsung social media speakers storage tech technology travel Tutorial vehicles video vlog

Copyright © 2021 · Geek Media on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in