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Monday, September 12, 2011

Smartphone Realities

Well I finally broke down and got a 4G smart phone over the weekend.  As someone who has always thought of himself as an “early adopter” I surprisingly waited this long because I hated to add to my monthly Verizon bill.  I had a computer when you had to code a program to run it, got a laptop before most people had a desktop, had a video camcorder when you had to carry a VCR in a pack, got my email address when there were very few people I could email, had a Facebook page when social media really was a novelty and finally started blogging ahead of most people.  The other reason I have waited so long is that I just didn’t want to be tied to my email when I was away from my computer.  I have watched people at meetings constantly checking and responding to emails rather than paying attention to what was being discussed at the meeting.  This always seemed to me to be rude to the other meeting participants.  So I vow not to do this.  Not sure if I check my email at red lights.

The reason I broke down now is because of all the cool apps everyone has and keep telling me about.  I will no longer need a camera, camcorder, GPS, digital reader, alarm clock or any other the other features that I can download as an app. So my question to all of you smart phone pros is “what apps should a newbie like me download that I will love?” 

3 comments:

Young at Heart said...

"Out of Milk" is a great little app for making shopping and to do lists. No more lost paper lists or wondering what it was you needed from Home Depot.

"Advanced task killer" allows you to make sure your apps (you can select which) are turned off when you turn off the phone, saving your battery.

Anonymous said...

weatherbug -- good forecasts and doppler lets you know when heavens are opening up.

A QR code reader.

Words with Friends -- if you like scrabble.

Karen L.

David Bailey said...

The Best of what I call non- web site apps are:
1. Pulse- a news reader app for your favorite blog and/or web site.
2. Picplz - an online photo community where you snap a pic,apply an effect and share with friends everywhere. Similar to Instagram for the Iphone.
3. Netflix - available only on select phones for now but coming to more models daily, lets you watch movies and TV shows directly from your netflix account.
4. Swiftkey - Since I can't type on a touchscreen device, swiftkey helps you type by using auto-complete and auto-correct words as you type since it uses not just dictionaries to make suggestions but also your own writing history. (paid)
5. Lookout - As mobile take the place of the PC security is need more than ever. Lookout protects your phone with free Antivirus, Phone Locator, Data Backup and more!

Should be enough to get your started. Have more but don't wanted to take up too much of your time. Hope this helps.