Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Thing #5

I am in the market for an excellent note taking app. Or, more accurately, the perfect combination of note taking and list making app. For two years, I've been using a mix of the Calendar, Reminders, and Notes apps native to my iPhone in addition to a really basic app called Easy List. I also recently read about and downloaded an app called Any.DO. I think I learned about it on a link from the 23 Mobile Things website, but I'm not certain. The issue for me is the crossover. Where exactly does an entry belong? I make appointments in my Calendar, but I could do that as a Reminder or a Note. I use Easy List to keep lists of things, like Christmas gift ideas or groceries, but I could use Notes for that, if I chose. Do you see my problem? I'm a paper and pencil person too so that means I carry a small notebook with me wherever I go. I haven't successfully figured out just how I want to streamline this whole process of keeping track! I'm looking for something simple, straightforward, and efficient.

I downloaded Springpad, Remember the Milk, and Dragon Dictation. I'd downloaded Springpad years earlier, but abandoned it. The same for Dragon Dictation. I played with Springpad for a couple of hours, but determined that it's just too busy. There's too much going on for my needs. I already have places where I keep track of books, movies, images, recipes. Since my iPhone model doesn't have Siri, I was interested in trying Dragon Dictation to use for texting. It was mostly accurate as long as I spoke clearly. It took only a few steps to copy and paste what I'd dictated into a text, but I don't know that it really saves me any time, which is the point for me with this app. For that reason, I likely won't use this app very often.

Remember the Milk might be the note taking/list taking app for me! I'm going to use it for awhile and compare it to AnyDo and see which one I prefer. It has a very simple interface. It's easy to pick options like due dates, priority, how often to repeat, etc. You can view your entire week on one clear and easy page. It would be even better if you could dictate into an app like this. How about combining an app like Dragon Dictation with Remember the Milk? Genius! Maybe Siri already does something like this? I will find out next fall when I update to the newest iPhone model. Until then, I'll continue to use Remember the Milk and AnyDo and report back on the winner.
                                                                     

Friday, February 21, 2014

Thing #4

I decided to download the Flipboard app for this Thing. I like the concept, the fact that it aggregates content in one location, and the quick and easy way to "flip" through pictures and pages once you're inside a magazine. For my purposes, the most useful feature is how it puts all my social media sites in one easy to access place. I like having Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram available so efficiently. The content appears more quickly in Flipboard then it does in the individual apps, though with Facebook it doesn't seem like you get as much information. That could just be a misperception on my part, however. I'm accustomed to viewing Facebook in a particular format. I suppose I've become fond of that. Since I don't use Twitter or Instagram that much, I'm not particularly tied to an already familiar format. That means I'm more open to what Flipboard offers as it pertains to those two apps.

I haven't been able to watch any of the Olympics on tv so I created a Sochi Winter Games box (is that the right terminology?) that is a useful way to keep up to date. I have to say that I haven't yet looked at it. I also think this might be a handy way for me to follow blogs on my phone, which is not something I currently do. I read several blogs on a daily basis, but I do that on my laptop. In the future, I might be inclined to aggregate a group of them in one place.

Playing around with Flipboard makes me wish I'd taken the time to learn about Google Reader. I have a vague idea of what it did, but never saw it in action. I know there are various replacements for it, but I've heard a lot of mournful noise about its demise!

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Thing #3

I've long wondered about the sort-of-looks-like-a-barcode squares starting to show up on various objects. I understood that clicking on them brought one to more information, but I wasn't sure if they were particularly useful or how they functioned. I tried the RedLaser Barcode and QR Scanner on library books and various products around the house. I didn't know what to expect. Would I learn the price? Biography? Where to buy an item? This uncertainty highlights the main reason I'm hesitant to use the scanner in any habitual way. The nature of the information being linked to isn't obvious. For my purposes, that means it's a waste of time. That could have something to do with being a librarian, however. I can see how other users would like the instant response to their curiosity. Just scan the QR code and you're immediately linked to more information. As QR codes become ubiquitous and their uses more obvious, I can see them being used more frequently.

Wi-fi Finder is an app I already had on my iPhone. It made the cut when I recently cleaned up my iPhone real estate. I don't use it that often in my daily life, but for road trips and vacations it's very useful. A year and a half ago I used it regularly on my road trip moving from California to Minneapolis. It's easy to access and use and the information is clear and uncomplicated. If you're traveling and need wi-fi, it's an invaluable utility that I highly recommend.