thing 6

CloudOn

This was great. I was able to view all my Google docs right from my cell phone without having to open a browser going to Google and logging into to G drive.  Also the layout doesn’t look that different from how my Google Drive looks on my computer. The only thing I have to say against this app is that it was a little slow opening each document. Only a few second delay.

Quick Office

This it app is AWESOME! This app makes it possible to use Microsoft, PowerPoint, and Excel all on my phone. Like CloudOn, this app also allows me to access my Google Drive without changing the look of the how the software appears on my computer.

Thing 5 Note Taking

Before reaching this task I used a really simple and straight forward app called ColorNote. It suited me just fine. When it comes to notetaking I just want something simple. I want to get into the app and get down to taking notes. So when reading my reviews for these apps just know that for me, the simpler the notetaking app, the better.

For this task I downloaded for Bamboo Loop, Remember the Milk, and Springpad. Personally I didn’t really care much of any of them for notetaking. I think they try to do too much! Its like having a phone that does thousand things at a touch of a button, but you have press 50 buttons to place a call. But if I had to pick I from these three as my note taking app, I would “Remember the Milk”.

Bamboo Loop

I needed to make an account for each of these apps. Why do we have to do that? Can’t the app just know it’s on my phone? I’m just sick of giving out my email and hoping I remember my password for another thing.

Anyway, I couldn’t find an app called “Bamboo paper”, but I did find Bamboo Loop. First of all, I don't think this app is all that intuitive, and I'm a fairly tech-savvy person.  If I can't figure it out pretty quickly, I lose interest pretty quickly. In about 5 minutes of working with it I hardly figured anything out about it. But when I did figure out how to send a “loop”, it turned out not to really be for note taking. It’s more for a sending a picture with a pictures with a little message/note. But it’s not really for note taking.

Another thing that really turned me away from this app is that although the app itself is free, you have to pay for applications for the app.

Remember the Milk

This app is OK. It’s a little more intuitive. But it seems to be for a lot more than simply taking notes. You can add tasks for a particular day in the future, or the day of, or you can simply take notes. You can also add a location that the notes are for. You can decide if the notes/tasks belong in your “inbox, personal, study, work or sent” inbox. You can also add tags to notes/tasks. Thank goodness there is also a way of searching within the app so if you forget where you put the note you can find it via keyword search.

Basically there are so many parts to this app for organizing your notes/tasks that I think it’s a bit too much for me. Like I said, if I want to take notes on my phone I want to just get down to it and not have to decide what inbox it’s in, what tags it needs etc. But if you were someone who did want to take a lot of notes on your phone the organization features could be useful if you get used to them.

 

Springpad

Once again I don’t really see this item for notetaking. I see it as more of a way to organize and keep track of URL’s  and web pages I like. It also reminds me of pinterest a little bit. Because has built in suggestions for various topics such as recipes which is fun but not great for note taking.

Thing 4-Flipboard and Zite

I looked at both Flipboard and Zite and quickly decided that I prefer Zite. Mainly because Zite uses the exact same format as most social media sites—a wall of feed with the most current posts on top. Zite also allows the user to “like” or “unlike” posts which should help the app learn your interests  and better serve the user the more (s)he use it.

Flipboard, on the other hand, has a more unique layout. It reminded me a little bit of the Windows 8 look. So the layout isn’t bad, in fact fans of windows 8 might prefer the look of Flipboard over Zite.

When you first sign up both apps ask you to select what topics/categories of information you would like to receive. Zite has a larger variety of topics to choose so that is another thing I like for.

One plus side to Flipboard is that you can connect it to your other social media accounts. So you can have your feed of your various information categories, facebook, and twitter etc. all on one place. However, I for some reason don’t enjoy “flipping” each post to get to the next. I prefer just scrolling up and down a wall of news feed.

Thing 3--Utilities

RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner

In the past I have used the QR Scanner on my android phone. But I have may be using RedLaser in the future because it is MUCH faster at loading websites.

Professionally I first used the QR Scanner as part of a display called “Readbox” which, of course, is a play on words from the ever popular “Redbox”.

(picture taken by Sarah Hawkins)

I simply posted an image of a forthcoming title with a QR code in the bottom corner of the picture. The QR code took the patron to book trailer posted on YouTube. (If you are looking for book trailers some go-to channels are: HarperTeen, PenguinYoungReaders, and Fierce Reads.)

I have also used QR codes whenever I do a display for a program featuring someone who has website I can link patrons to. A few times I have used a QR code to link to my library’s facebook, encouraging people to “friend” us.

To make your own QR Codes I recommend http://www.qrstuff.com/ this site lets you customize your QR Codes in really nifty ways.

The down side of using the QR app was that, depending on the type of device the patron had, it could take up to 15 seconds for the trailer to load. Lucky, this didn’t seem to brother patrons much. Redlaser, on the other hand, is much faster at loading videos. Besides being faster, Redlaser also has the benefit of being able to find deals for online shopping. I’m not a big online shopper so none of the featured deals appealed to me. I am, however, interested in what kind of deals that are available in target, and cub etc. So I tried to doing a number of searches and see if I could see what kind of discounts are in those stores, but that unfortunately none of those coupons/deals are found on Redlaser. So the shopping aspect of Redlaser will probably only appeal to those who prefer to shop online. The speed of Redlaser though will appeal to all people who enjoy QR barcodes.

Google Goggles

I think this is an awesome app. The first thing I thought when I first was introduced to it was  that it’s the answer librarians have been waiting for when it comes to assisting patrons who come in looking for “that book”. The Red One. The Red One With the Golden Writing On It. You know what I am talking about?

Anyways, I tied to use this app for that purpose. Unfortunately it can’t be used for this purpose. What you CAN use Google Goggles for is to take a picture of an item and receive immediate information about the item. Finally I can do a Google Search without struggling to type on my tiny little phone! When it comes to books/movies this app is a great way to get reviews off of amazon before checking it out/buying it.

I found that the key to using this app is to use the crop tool—make sure you are only taking a picture of the item. Don’t have any extra background when taking the picture because it can contaminate the search.

StandApp

This is a good app to know about, but when it comes to fitness apps they all annoy me. I often just forget to update my activity and tell the app what exercise I have done. So when it inevitability lectures me to exercise more I just want to sit on the couch to spite it. So again it’s good to know about but not for me.

Wi-Fi Finder

As far as I can tell this app can’t do anything that my android phone automatically does.  I haven’t been able to find any wi fi that I couldn’t before I added the app. However, if I were traveling (which sadly is a big if) this app could come in handy to search out some new and free public wi-fi.