Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

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kelpseaweedkelp
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Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by kelpseaweedkelp » May Thu 01, 2014 2:46 pm

Hello friends! I am, with a great dragging of my feet and sigh of resignation, entering the world of smartphones. iPhone 5c. The upside is, I can now ask for recommendations from all of you for apps that you love! Anything at all. Except games like Candy Crush - I think I got my fix for life for things like that when I played Dr. Mario for a year straight hiding under my blankets at night. Thank you!! Anything is helpful.
:donald:

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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by Amy » May Thu 01, 2014 8:49 pm

kelpseaweedkelp wrote:Hello friends! I am, with a great dragging of my feet and sigh of resignation, entering the world of smartphones. iPhone 5c. The upside is, I can now ask for recommendations from all of you for apps that you love! Anything at all. Except games like Candy Crush - I think I got my fix for life for things like that when I played Dr. Mario for a year straight hiding under my blankets at night. Thank you!! Anything is helpful.
:donald:
Best app for iphone is the Subsonic app ;) Hands down the winner ~ and it's free! :lol:

cy1229
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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by cy1229 » May Fri 02, 2014 6:38 am

I have an Android phone, so the app availability is a little different. But I most use my Facebook, Google maps, Weather Channel, stopwatch / timer, and flashlight apps. :) also, since I travel a little more than once a month, I have apps for airlines so I can easily check flight status. I also have a fun one called The Night Sky that uses your location and the date, plus the internal compass, to tell you the names of stars and other celestial bodies at night.

Don't sync your email unless you really need to. My phone is also my work phone so I need to sync that.

Have fun exploring!
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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by kelpseaweedkelp » May Fri 02, 2014 12:04 pm

:mickey: Amy! Ha! OK that's the first one I grabbed.

cy - good suggestion on the email. Most of the reason I never wanted a smartphone was bc I don't really care about being connected all the time. No email! Good advice. I'll prob go for no FB too.

Just grabbed a free one called StarMap to see how it goes - if it sucks I'm on to Night Sky!

Thanks! Please keep em coming

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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by Amy » May Fri 02, 2014 10:09 pm

I actually like having my email and Facebook on my phone. I can utilize time spent waiting in lines at stores and other time that would simply be wasted by chucking junk emails and scrolling through the seemingly endless newsfeed on FB. I also use a texting app called Text Free because I don't have a texting plan on my phone (I'm sure I am in the minority, but I don't have enough texts to warrant the extra money per month that AT&T wants to charge, and the free app works perfectly fine) I also have students and parents who contact me via email so I do need to check that from time to time during the day.
I have Mousewait Disneyland, WDW Waits, Disney Parks, and My Disney Experience, although I don't use them very often. I do have some games but don't spend much time on them and don't find any all that compelling to say, oh you just have to get this one :roll:
The app I use most on my phone, other than streaming subsonic in the car, is the camera/video function that came with the phone. I'm forever snapping photos ~ shocking news I'm sure :mrgreen:

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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by NaCler » May Sat 03, 2014 8:31 pm

It is shocking Amy... since we never see them. :)

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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by Amy » May Sat 03, 2014 9:37 pm

NaCler wrote:It is shocking Amy... since we never see them. :)
:lol: Guilty :( I don't know where my motivation and drive has gone, but I hope to get it back soon!!!

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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by cy1229 » May Sat 03, 2014 10:28 pm

Amy wrote:I actually like having my email and Facebook on my phone. I can utilize time spent waiting in lines at stores and other time that would simply be wasted by chucking junk emails and scrolling through the seemingly endless newsfeed on FB. I also use a texting app called Text Free because I don't have a texting plan on my phone (I'm sure I am in the minority, but I don't have enough texts to warrant the extra money per month that AT&T wants to charge, and the free app works perfectly fine) I also have students and parents who contact me via email so I do need to check that from time to time during the day.
I have Mousewait Disneyland, WDW Waits, Disney Parks, and My Disney Experience, although I don't use them very often. I do have some games but don't spend much time on them and don't find any all that compelling to say, oh you just have to get this one :roll:
The app I use most on my phone, other than streaming subsonic in the car, is the camera/video function that came with the phone. I'm forever snapping photos ~ shocking news I'm sure :mrgreen:
I didn't mean don't check your email, just don't have it grab your email every 15 minutes or whatever, unless you know for a fact you NEVER EVER get midnight mass mailings from companies you've done business with recently. Office Depot was really really bad for that, sometimes more than one in a day! And it would wake me up all the time, until I finally figured out how to set my phone to be silent all night long except for phone calls from family members. Which is why, if you text me after 10:30 pm, I won't answer. FYI. 8-)
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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by Amy » May Sun 04, 2014 8:31 am

Oh, ok, that makes sense. I think mine retrieves new emails when I launch the app, but otherwise is it quiet. Very important not to fetch data all the time unless you have unlimited data on your package ~ which I do. I am spoiled and will have to be very careful if and when I ever got an actual data plan. Streaming subsonic adds up as well, but not as much as I would have thought...

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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by cy1229 » May Sun 04, 2014 8:39 pm

Amy wrote:Oh, ok, that makes sense. I think mine retrieves new emails when I launch the app, but otherwise is it quiet. Very important not to fetch data all the time unless you have unlimited data on your package ~ which I do. I am spoiled and will have to be very careful if and when I ever got an actual data plan. Streaming subsonic adds up as well, but not as much as I would have thought...
My data only adds up when I'm not using wifi. In other words, if I'm on wifi, it can fetch whatever its little heart desires and it doesn't go against my 4 GB. Only when I'm not using wifi (which is when I'm away from home) does the amount of data go against me. And then, if it's not on wifi but having to access the Verizon network all the time, my battery runs down big time. Which makes it so very loverly when I'm traveling for work. NOT! :x

Forgot another app that's useful, it's one that lets you find your phone when you have lost it, or discovered someone has borrowed it. I think iPhones have this built-in, but mine has an app such that when I send a secret word to it, I get its location back. I haven't had to use it yet, and hope I never do! But I did lose my phone once, before I had this app, and it was a stressful overnight while I waited to see if someone had turned it into the convention center security office. Fortunately they had... *whew*! :)
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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by Amy » May Mon 05, 2014 6:54 am

cy1229 wrote:
Amy wrote:Oh, ok, that makes sense. I think mine retrieves new emails when I launch the app, but otherwise is it quiet. Very important not to fetch data all the time unless you have unlimited data on your package ~ which I do. I am spoiled and will have to be very careful if and when I ever got an actual data plan. Streaming subsonic adds up as well, but not as much as I would have thought...
My data only adds up when I'm not using wifi. In other words, if I'm on wifi, it can fetch whatever its little heart desires and it doesn't go against my 4 GB. Only when I'm not using wifi (which is when I'm away from home) does the amount of data go against me. And then, if it's not on wifi but having to access the Verizon network all the time, my battery runs down big time. Which makes it so very loverly when I'm traveling for work. NOT! :x

Forgot another app that's useful, it's one that lets you find your phone when you have lost it, or discovered someone has borrowed it. I think iPhones have this built-in, but mine has an app such that when I send a secret word to it, I get its location back. I haven't had to use it yet, and hope I never do! But I did lose my phone once, before I had this app, and it was a stressful overnight while I waited to see if someone had turned it into the convention center security office. Fortunately they had... *whew*! :)
I never can tell what is going to run my battery down ~ my iphone has a mind of it's own...and sometimes an attitude ~ yeah, I'm talking about you Siri :roll:
The latest update of the iOS software does include the find the phone option. Hopefully I never have to use it either!

kelpseaweedkelp
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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by kelpseaweedkelp » Jun Tue 24, 2014 12:44 pm

Just got turned onto one called "LightBomber". Free and I recommended it for all us Disney ppl. Its pretty nifty....

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Re: Cool app suggestions for new smartphone user

Post by Amy » Jun Tue 24, 2014 3:13 pm

kelpseaweedkelp wrote:Just got turned onto one called "LightBomber". Free and I recommended it for all us Disney ppl. Its pretty nifty....
Looks pretty neat! Thanks :D

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