Saturday, February 15, 2014

Thing 20

I had to chuckle when I read about Thing 20 and saw Candy Crush. I am terribly addicted to that game...so much so that I have lost interest in all the other games I used to play. No longer do I play any of the Angry Birds games. No longer do I play my favorite daily games, WordStorm and 7 Words. So, I decided my addiction to Candy Crush was enough...and I didn't try any of the other games you suggested. I just couldn't..... :-)

Thing 9

I take a LOT of pictures with my iPhone 5. I do basic editing using the basic editor in the built-in camera app.  I rarely add text or stickers to my pictures. I usually just crop them and/or adjust the basic effects. I downloaded all three of the picture editing apps and messed around in each. I will keep the Aviary app and Line Camera app...but I deleted the Color Splurge app almost immediately. If I am not able to figure out how to use an app within the first few minutes of trying it out-- or if there are ads popping up left and right--I delete it. I don't have time or interest in watching videos on how to use an app. If a photo editing app is that complicated, I will just use Photoshop :-)

Thing 8

I am very active on social media. I manage personal and business accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest. I have tried Hootsuite in the past and felt overwhelmed with all the columns and lists on the main screen. Having so many accounts to manage, it just becomes overwhelming to have them all together. It may help save time, but it is too much for me to use Hootsuite. For the purposes of this 23 Mobile Things, I looked into it again, but honestly find visiting each individual app to work the best for me. While Hootsuite is good for scheduling messages, I do not subscribe to that method for social. I have a pattern and system that works for me and despite these great tools, will continue in my usual way...

Thing 7

I have used Pinterest for a year or so. I use it mostly as a way to store ideas and pictures of things I like or am interested in trying. I also enjoy looking at the pins from others I follow. Another app I use to save articles or ideas from the web is Pocket. I have used that longer than Pinterest. I save articles there I want to read later. It syncs between my devices. It works well for me.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Thing 5

I downloaded and tried out Springpad.  I ended up deleting it.  It reminded me a lot of Evernote, which I have on my iPad and iPhone, but don't really use.  I have items in the various folders in Evernote, but I just don't care for it.  Springpad reminded me a lot of that app.  I like the idea of having lists, and a place to store web addresses of items to read later, etc....But I have a few other apps that I use for those reasons.  I use Pocket to save web articles to read later.  I find that app works well for me.  I keep track of my to-do list in Outlook so it syncs with my computer and is saved on our work server in the event something happens to one of my mobile devices.  I think Springpad would be good for someone who doesn't have many apps on their device yet and is looking for a way to get organized.  Since I have found some apps that I like already, I just didn't find it useful for me.

After this level, I earned my first badge!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Thing 4

I downloaded and used the Flipboard. I was hesitant to use it.  I had tried something similar a year or so ago. I wasn't expecting much. But, I was pleasantly surprised.  I have connected it to a few blogs that I follow and hooked it to my Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn accounts. I really like the layout on my iPad, but I especially like the layout on my iPhone. I can see myself using this app often. I think it will be the best place for me to find current news and news related to sports and technology. Thank you for introducing it to me!

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Thing 3

I tried the Redlaser bar code scanner. I was excited to check it out, because the only scanner I have currently is pretty basic. I was really interested in the additional features in this app.

After I got the app, I tried to add some stores to my favorites list, but it only found a few stores nearby. I went through the full list of stores but wasn't able to favorite any of them.  I looked around a little but decided if I had to hunt for it, it wasn't the app for me. 

I liked the feature of creating a QR code. That was a good feature. But, as I thought about it, I didn't think I would really use that enough to justify keeping the app.  I try to keep only those apps that I actively use--I don't want my iPad and iPhone cluttered with apps I don't use.

I looked at the other app suggestions on the list for Thing 3. I already used the Google app, so I didn't do anything with that. The others listed were not of any interest or use for me.

Thing 2

I finally got around to officially starting my way through the 23 things. I learned quite a few things searching through all the tips and tricks. I have now customized my notification drop down to show just the info I care about.  I also changed the text on my iPhone to bold. It is a lot easier to read on my phone now. I didn't need it larger--just darker. I use my iPhone camera a lot and now I feel a little more confident using some of the "advanced" settings I may have never tried. I like the ease of  "point and shoot",  but now I might try a couple other things from time to time. Good info on Thing 2. I am pretty sure I will bookmark a few of the sites so I can refer to them later!