Wednesday, November 16, 2011

School Me

I don't know if I have any readers left out there on account of my intermittent posting, but I hope some of you are still out there, because I need some input. Technology input. That request will eventually come after the following long winded narrative, so feel free to scroll down to the bottom if you aren't in a patient mood today.

I understand.

I'm not the kind of person who technology comes easy to, I have to really work at it and take notes. Whenever I get a new gadget or thing, I hand it to Peanut Head to set up, figure out, and tutor me. I have the attention span of a gnat, so he has the added chore of having to spoon feed me over many tortuous sessions.

Some might say he's enabling me, but if they did, they would run the risk of me indelicately tackling them and telling them to shut up and mind their own business.

Our technology relationship is an arrangement that works quite well for us.

The married us.


Anyway, shortly after the iPad came out, Peanut Head was telling me how I should get an iPad, it would be perfect for me and my alarmingly out of control e-mail situation, my blog surfing, and my general computer addiction. What I heard was "Spend $800, blah blah blah, don't actually accomplish anything productive on an $800 gadget, blah blah blah, $800, blah blah, portable, blah blah, $800, blah blah."

Actually, I don't think he ever quoted a price, that was just the stubborn and pushy automatic rejection response from my Man Giving Advice Listening Filter app.

Peanut Head does not find my cool app the least bit amusing.

In fact, if he were to ever incite divorce proceedings, this app, er . . . character trait would be at the tippy top of his Irreconcilable Annoyances List.

Flash forward six months and I'm on the Apple website working my way through all the commercials, enjoying myself because it's good entertainment, and I actually watch an iPad commercial.

So picture this, figurative tail between my legs I approach Peanut Head and meekly announce "I think I might want one of them iPad thingies." He knows he has won so he just smiles and shakes his head a little bit which, according to my Body Language Translation Dictionary, means "I know you better than you know yourself. Bazing!"

"Heh, heh. Funny, isn't it?" is my reply. It's true and I hate that it's true, but because I want the iPad thingy, I have to admit it. It hurts so bad.

This took place about this time last year, before the iPad 2 came out. Since Peanut Head is so conservative and patient, he suggested that I wait for the iPad 2 to come out because it was going to have a camera, a USB port, and all the other rumors that were going around about the magical new iPad.

According to the rumors, the launch of the new iPad was always just around the corner. It would come out for Christmas, it would come out after Christmas, the new year, with the new iPhone, etc. It was torture, I tell you.

I have to be honest with you, I don't wait patiently. I waited in agony, whining all the time, stalking the Apple website, Googling for the newest and most promising rumor. I was a druggie looking for my fix.

While I was waiting in agony, I had plenty of time to save up for my new BFF. I passed on a Christmas gift from Peanut Head, and then a birthday gift in February. I scrimped and saved, waiting for my one true love.

Finally the fated day came back in March, and I was joined with my BFF. We haven't been apart since, and I love my iPad more than my dog, but less than my children and Peanut Head. Okay, maybe I love the Bunnery Sergeant a little more, but not much more. The point is, I might possibly take a bullet for my iPad.

Not in an important organ or anything, but for sure in one of my extra fleshy bits.

So I've had my BFF for a little over seven months or so, and I've learned a thing or two about it. I'm pretty comfortable with it, but I don't navigate around it quite as well as my fellow sixth grade teacher who has had his iPad for about two weeks and can dance circles around me, on his tippy toes, with one hand behind his back and only using his pinkie finger. For illustrative purposes, that pinkie finger is in a splint.

Because I'm bitter and passive aggressive, let's just refer to him as Robo Techbot from here on out. Not in person, of course. Just on the blog. He'll never know.

I feel a tangent coming on, so I'm going to hit my force redirect key and attempt to get to my point.

A couple weeks ago Peanut Head and I got our Christmas presents early.

BFF #2, the companion to BFF #1.

And I have this to say. What the heck was I doing with a Crackberry when this Bounty of Efficiency and OCD Enabling Tool existed?!!!!

No, really. And I have exponentially fewer apps than Robo Techbot, but I don't even know how I can live now without the apps I have and use.

And since as a rule I'm always ten years behind on all trends, I need some schooling. What are all the cool apps and what can they do for me?

Please, I'm begging you, one junkie to another, what are all your favorite apps?


  1. Wow! Where to begin?
    1. OliveTree Bible
    2. Amazon Kindle app
    3. Grocery iQ - barcode scanner grocery list creator
    4. My Coupons - I'm a coupon fan NOT extremer
    5. Evernote - awesome for taking notes, clipping info from web pages, making lists, recipes, shopping lists...
    6. Pandora - online, on demand radio
    7. WhiteNoise - always have my noise machine no matter where I am

    I guess those are my most frequently used apps. I have a lot more that I use occasionally but those are the main ones. It would be interesting to see how often I actually use some of the apps that I have installed. I could probably delete a lot of them but I'm always thinking I might want them later!

  2. Hmmmm....

    1. LDS Tools - I'm in the Stake YW Presidency and I can immediately have all of the numbers and emails I need at any meeting.
    2. LDS Library - Same reason with Manuals, Scriptures, Magazines, Image Library, etc.
    3. Cozi Calendar App- holds the entire family schedule, my to do list, grocery list, imports the local middle/high school sports calendar and I can set to send out email & text message reminders and alerts.
    4. Lemon App - I can scan all of my receipts into an online database for work or church. No more lost receipts.
    5. Netflix - Dr. appointments are awesome now.
    6. iBooks - I love that they pre-order new releases and will deliver them to you the night before they're released.
    7. My little boy loves the Duck, Duck Moose interactive books, but I doubt that you need those!

    I'm looking forward to seeing what else everyone comes up with.

  3. My favorite apps are: Sticky Notes (!), Google Calendars, Kindle, Feeds, iPen, Pinterest, Twitter and Hulu Plus.

    Since I homeschool my four kids I have TONS of kid apps and reference apps. The most used are: Audible, Geo Walk, Weird but True, Discovery Kids 'Sharks', iWriteWords, Ansel's Africa, Google Earth, Frog Dissection, Amazing Race, 3D Brain and Organs.

  4. Don't forget "Kiddy Bank". It pays the allowance automatically to its own "accounts" (if you want it to) and you can now instantly track if you lend your kids money on something.

  5. I don't keep a lot of apps.. Michaels, Target, some ereaders (on the phone stanza is the best..but I have kobo as well). Qreader
    Good luck. I am dreaming of having ipad

  6. just had a huge comment and blogger ate it...

    Anyway: Evernote, but I like it better

    Life360...virtual map. shows you predators in your vacinity and has a nifty panic button that will send your coordinates to your emergency contact

    Out of app. Keep a list of what you normally have and qty. once qty=0 it tosses it onto your shopping list

    Zoner Antivirus...cuz you can get ugly bugs on your phone too

    Space Junk...shows where planets, stars and satellites are and names

    Hanging with Friends...virtual hangman. Useless time-wasters need love too!

  7. you're ahead of me, I don't even have the crackberry yet..... I am gonna get one this year though, I'm just undecided between a blackberry and an iphone. I hear each one is better than the other, so that makes my head spin and then i don't get one at all. :o/

  8. I have an IPad1 and I love it but I keep waiting to find the app(s) that are going to make me say "I can't live without this thing!" So I am anxious to read all the responses!! :)
    I don't have an IPhone (have a Crackberry) - feel like having an IPad and an IPhone would be overkill.
    Here are my favorites (I do have a lot of games and kids apps on mine too but didn't know if you were interested in those.)
    - Evernote / So great b/c you can sync it with your PC and save everything in one place and it syncs across all IDevices.
    - GPS Drive HD - Motion X / Think it was a .99 app and it is awesome. It does cost extra for voice navigation but I love it b/c I connect it to my car radio and it comes through loud and clear (pauses my music).
    - UPAD Lite / If you are looking for a doodle pad or enjoy "writing", this is a free app (there are other paid ones that people rave about but this one cuts it for me).
    - Packing List / Very cool if you are a list person for packing. It takes some initial data entry time to create all your lists, but then you can use them over and over. You can also use an old list to create a new one.
    - Kindle app / Have been reading SO much more lately since it's always with me.
    - Zinio / magazine app.
    - Flipboard / really awesome interface and way to read FB, Twitter, etc.
    - Nightstand / Use this for my alarm clock. You can wake to music or sounds. It has timer to fall asleep to or even wakes you gradually. (free)
    - Color Range and Snapseed / Really cool apps to edit photos. Very cool.
    - And my favorite time waster / Real Solitaire HD Free.

    Hope these help!! Still hoping to find that app that "justifies" this purchase!! ;)

  9. My husband just got his iPhone and is in LOVE with it, of course. I don't know much about it yet, but we love the S'Quarrels card game app. Of course, my husband created it so we may be a teeny, tiny bit biased. ;)

    There is also some Twicular grocery list app that will prob make his stopping to pick up things for me easier since I can add items to his list from the home computer. If I can learn how to use it properly, that is. =)

  10. I love the FREE Epicurious app. Great recipes.
    Angry birds is a must time-killer game app.
    BrainStorm is a great app for projects and meetings.
    Kindle Reader is better than iBooks.
    and SoundHound is a great FREE music app that can identify ANY song, and we have tried to mess it up with some unknown ones!
    The iPad 3 comes out in March (My brother is a GeekSquad guy and gets all the insider info).

  11. Grocery Gadget!!!

    Me and my fiance both have it because you can join a group together. Anything I put on the list, he receives on his list as well, and vice versa.

    The cool part is since christmas is coming, I added custom lists on there labeled "Cynthia's Christmas Wish List" and one for him as well. Now he can see everything I want for Christmas. Loooveee it!!!

  12. Ate my previous post. Trying again. I totally agree with previous poster about
    *GPS Drive-MotionX. I paid extra for the voice and absolutely LOVE it!
    *AroundMe - finds stuff around where you are...gas stations, restaurants, etc. Great when you're in a strange area.
    *Fooducate - my daughter LOVES this for trying to find healthier food at the grocery store.
    *QRMasterPro - a barcode scanner
    *TasteofHome - can find inspirations for dinner :)
    Hope these help. Enjoy!!

  13. *Cozi, Cozi, Cozi. Not enough people have said Cozi. You will love and cherish it BUT!!! go to the website first for the optimal experience. It's if you hadn't guessed.

    *LoseIt is, IMHO, the friendliest food/exercise journal out there, and I'm pretty sure I've touched them all.

    *the Geocaching app, while on the expensive side, is fantastic.

    *for travel, oMaps downloads maps in advance for offline use, so you don't plow through your data plan trying to figure out where you are.

    *Evernote, if you're an Evernote user.

    *Endomondo is a fun workout tracker with a great web interface.

    *the app is lovely and slick.

    *Games: Drop7, Cubes, Montezuma (ridiculous but mutable sound effects), CrossFingers, Words with Friends, Carcassonne, Ingenious, W.E.L.D.E.R (hey now, don't judge, most of them are educational as well)

    *just got GasBuddy the other day and it saved me 10 cents a gallon.

    *for the nosey, Zillow will tell you the value of the home you're standing outside at the touch of a button; strangely compelling while stuck in NYC traffic.

  14. My must have apps:

    1) Blogger app
    2) Cozi (I love that it syncs with the site. Calendar ~ syncs with Google calendar, Outlook, etc, To-Do Lists, Shopping lists, Meal planning. It actually allowed me to get rid of a few apps since this did sooo much.)
    3) YouVersion Bible ~ easiest to use.
    4) AllRecipes dinner spinner
    5) SparkPeople
    6) Goodreads
    7) GroceryPal (gives you the grocery ads for your local stores)
    8) iTriage (can easily research sicknesses, medications, etc)
    9) KeyRing (organizes all of my loyalty cards)
    10) Shazam (listens to a song and tells you who sings it and album info)
    11) Tweetdeck

    Games that I have just because:
    Slice It!
    Words with Friends

  15. Jill... I will warn you in advance. EVERNOTE is for you! I'm sorry :(

    I used it all the time! Organizes everything!! Work manuals, recipes, user manuals, scrapbooking ideas, etc...

    It syncs with your PC, iphone, so you always have the contents available to you :)

    I also use:
    pinterest, imdb, google calendar, all the reading apps (cuz each one shares free books!)ie.. kindle, ibook and nook, Games: angry birds, cut the rope

    Have fun!!!

  16. wow, you are going to spend SOOO much time downloading stuff!

    i've been rocking the "better christmas list" so far this season. You can list people by group, create your own groups, budget by group or by person, and then organize everything by store you are going to shop at.

    It's amazing.

    I love my gmail stuff too. If you set up your google stuff right you don't need the google apps, you just use the calendar and mail app on the phone/iPad.

    I also love epicurious... it's pretty amazing.

    I really want an iPad as well...

    happy apping!

  17. I'm up for renewal in 2 weeks.
    I've had a Crackberry for 3 years.
    I'm undecided.
    "Bounty of Efficiency and OCD Enabling Tool"
    I'm decided.
    And will be back to find all the cool apps!!!!!!

  18. My advice: do NOT get Angry Birds unless you want an addiction. I love: Camera+, SoundHound, Quordy (addictive), notes, Hipstamatic, Pandora, DoodleBuddy, Brushes, Flood-It (game), CameraBag, FluidMotion, Google Earth, At Bat 2011, PhotoStudio, yelp, Pinball HD, Star Chart (so cool), Light (flashlight app)... and then there are all the ones my kid loves. I also want an iPad, but a ne one comes out in March?? I just waited forever to upgrade my phone... argh. Apps are fun. I just counted and I have 132. Yikes.

  19. I love many of those already listed.... Being new to the iPhone another app that I have found so handy is keeper. It keeps all of your sites, usernames and passwords secure. My husband is president of a local bank and many of his managers use it too. It is so handy to not have to go look all those usernames up!

  20. These are the ones I use most often (in no particular order):

    1. Craftgawker - I have found some INCREDIBLE crafting ideas from this app/blog. It compiles ideas from other blogs. Awesome!
    2. Weather Channel.
    3. Facebook - yeah, I know.
    4. Seize the Day - organizable list-making app!
    5. CalenGoo - a little pricey at $6, but it allows me to sync with my Google calendar so I can make changes/additions anywhere.

    For Media, my faves are: Pandora, TuneIn Radio, Audible, Hulu Plus.

    For photos: Pano (for awesome panoramics), ShakeIt Photo (simulated Polaroid), Cross Process, Pocketbooth, and PhotoShop Express.

    I'm dreaming of an iPad myself. I've had my iPhone 4 for 1.5 yrs and can't live w/o it. <3

  21. CNN app for current events
    Cat Physics for gaming
    Facebook for easy access
    Accuweather to check forecast

  22. I'm actually working at a school where we are a part of the iPad trial and all the students in our grades 5 and 6 have their own iPad (owned by the school) and they use them every day and it's incredible what they can do with them. It's brilliant!
    They have the iPad1, I have the iPad2, and they use so many apps to enhance their learning. They are able to access the net, and documents quickly, they email work to me to correct or print, and create amazing pieces of work and presentations.
    I noticed that most of these comments didn't include many educational apps you can use at school, so I thought I'd add some, which I put on my blog (ages ago...still not into a routine of blogging!) :
    Edmodo - like Facebook for kids
    Dropbox - store files to access from PC, etc
    ScreenChomp - record voice explaining eg. equation
    PuppetPals HD - role plays etc
    iCardSort Lite - order decimals, numbers, words, etc
    Popplet Lite - like mind mapping
    Idea sketch - similar to above
    Bluster - word sorting game - rhyming, prefixes, synonyms, etc
    Chicktionary - finding words in a word
    Read Me Stories
    Word Shaker or Wordz- like Boggle
    Book Creator
    Pizza 1
    Math Ninja HD
    Math Fractions Lite
    BrainPOP - like the website, facts and video clips
    School A to Z - brilliant app linked to site
    Strip Design - make cartoon strip
    Elf Ur Face - silly photo thing, self-explanitory
    WordFoto - make a pic out of words, clever
    Skindex - change iPad background
    Reel Director - insert photos and record music or voice over the top and make clip.

    Wow...that's a lot...I can feel a blog post coming on...!
    I hope you find these useful, both at school, and at home! :)