I have a few apps that I love. Most are not terribly useful professionally, but some could be. Here goes:
Apps for places/events:
ALA conference apps: I used the app when I went to the conference last summer and will again this year. It certainly has some glitches, but it does make it easier to condense possibilities and alternate options into one place. The main problem is that there is just so much to look at. I found it easier to view it on the phone, but do the searching and scheduling on the web-based version on my PC. I haven't started using this year's version in any depth, but it seems to work very similar to last year's. And since I've had my smart phone for longer, it should be easier to use/figure out this time around.
Smithsonian app: I used this one when I was in DC last month and I really liked it. Allowed me to look up exhibits, hours, etc. while on the go. Especially useful when plans changed or group members split up and we needed to pick a meeting point. There were a few issues with it not being 100% up-to-date, but those seemed to be things that just got overlooked (genuine errors) rather than a problem with not having any updates.
App for productivity:
Pandora: Music makes me work faster. It just does. I listen to music while I fix website code and fulfill ecommerce research requests at work. I listen to music while I cook, do dishes, fold laundry, etc. at home. I listen to music while I write emails to friends and blog about mobile apps that I try. And yes, I *am* listening to music right now. Pandora is a great free music service. It has ads, but fewer than regular radio. And it allows you to discover music that is related to music that you like. I have a number of genre stations or stations based on a particular band. My experience with Spotify creating playlists has been good, but I also like the serendipity of Pandora. Plus, I'm fairly certain that you cannot pay to have your songs pushed more in Pandora through stations. This does not seem to be true of Spotify.
Apps to save you money:
Gas Buddy: When my dad first told me about this app, I thought it was kind of silly because I don't chase the cheapest gas prices. However, it has actually saved me money. It is a collaborative system where people enter the gas prices at the stations near them or that they visit. The app then lets you look up gas prices using distance from your location, a map with pins that can be scrolled, or finding the cheapest gas within a particular radius. It also sends you notices when gas prices in your area (the Twin Cities for me) are rising or falling. Obviously, the app works better when more people participate. Because of demographics, the gas stations near my folk's place get updated almost hourly, but where I live it is more like once or twice a day. When travelling, it sometimes has super-updated info, but if you are going through rural places you might not have any info at all.
I'm also a huge fan of Cartwheel, Target's money saving app. I pretty much use it to knock a bit of money (usually 5 to 10%) off groceries and household stuff that I already buy. And since I can use it with manufacturers and Target coupons, I can save even more! Yay! (Don't judge. I'm a librarian at a non-profit cultural institution. By definition I'm underpaid and swimming in student loan debt. Every little bit of savings counts!)
App for down time:
Netflix: I know people feel strongly one way or the other about Netflix, but let me make the case on this one. I am annoyed that Amazon Prime refuses to get a mobile app that will work on android devices. I'm a member of both Netflix and Prime, and the fact that Netflix can be streamed on my phone is a huge plus. Perfect for watching on the treadmill at the gym and/or late-night vacation movie viewing (while staying with morning-people relatives).
No comments:
Post a Comment