We all use utility apps if we have smartphones or tablets. Not that I knew that's what they were when I started with a smartphone. Then I got a tablet. I use apps every day, and not just those fun games like Candy Crush that I'm so addicted to. I've used Google Keep for my notes, Pandora for my music, Peel to control my TV, store apps to save money, not to mention the calendar & email apps that I use every day. So when this one came up, I was excited to try some new apps that I didn't really know about. Thing #3 was to choose at least one of the listed apps and give it a try. I decided to take a look at all of them.
The first one was RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner. I get really excited about an app that promises to save me money. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. I tried it first on my tablet. My first disappointment was that it was not very compatible with the camera. It would not focus in on the barcode long enough to take the picture. Let's five it a second chance and try it on my phone. After all, it's my phone that I would have with me in stores if I want to compare prices. Good news, the camera feature worked just the way that it was supposed to. So I decided to do some searches for some simple things to start. Campbell soup. Every grocery store carries that. Here is where more disappointment came in.
Barilla Pasta...Target, Kmart, Walmart this time. Still no grocery stores.
Sears...I'll double check that one against the website.
What did I learn from this? I don't think it's worth keeping on my tablet or phone. I didn't even try the QR code part of the app, but I have one on my phone that I am already happy with - QR Droid.
Next! Google Goggles. I have like just about everything that Google has introduced. This streak has continued. Google Goggles uses the camera on your device and uses that to find information on the internet. I started by pointing the camera at various things around my house. Most of the things brought up a variety of
results. Pictures, videos, definitions, websites, retailers. I like it. Ok...tried to take a picture of my cat. No matching results. Well, she is one of a kind! Overall, this is one app that I will leave on both my tablet and my phone.
Third item...Google Search. Really? Is there anyone that hasn't used it? It's still my go to search engine. Sorry Bing.
Fourth item. StandApp. Good premise. Bad app. I should have paid attention to the reviews on the app store. Nobody was giving it a good review. Well, all in the name of research.... All those reviews were right. I didn't like the app to begin with. I don't appreciate scare tactics, even when they are for my own good. the whole introduction. If you work in an office or sit to much, it could kill you. Wow! After the introduction I got into the actual app. No matter what you are in the middle of, it will pop up for you to do the exercises. 5 minutes worth. I can't always devote that amount of time at one shot. Ok, not horrible. It also opened up every time I tried to open up anything else. That is not cool. No wonder it got bad reviews. I found another one that got really good reviews. It's not as intrusive, but still encourages you to get up and move and gives you a timer and exercises. If you want to try one, this one is called Healthy Break. Only downfall, I can't test it out until Monday, because the breaks are set to go off only Monday through Friday 9AM to 5PM. I do like the simplicity that I have found so far.
Fifth item. iHome Sleep. I took a quick look at it, but realized that it was impractical in my life. I don't have a set schedule ever. Different times that I have to wake up when I have to drive my husband to work. Different times that I go to bed. Is this the healthiest thing for me, no, but it is a fact of life. It might be a good app, but I'll leave others to decide that.
Sixth item. Wi-Fi finder. I was hoping that I would get good results on my tablet when I am connected to the Wi-Fi here at home. I do not have a data plan on my tablet. It gave me good results for Wi-Fi around my house in people's homes. Not so good for public Wi-Fi. It couldn't pinpoint my location. Trying it out on my phone gave much better results. It found 3 paid public Wi-Fi and 13 Free Wi-Fi spots within a couple miles of my house. Most of these I knew about. Mcdonalds, Caribou, Etc. I think that this would be a really great app to use in an unfamiliar area.
Last but not least, Browsers. I took a look at Chrome, Firefox, Dolphin, and Opera. To be honest, most of them gave the same results on a search. Well, there's a big surprise. They all defaulted to Google Search. As for speed, Chrome and Dolphin had just the narrowest edge over Firefox and Opera. Coming down to Chrome and Dolphin, I stayed with Chrome, because I can sync up all of my favorites, and links between my phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop. I'm already using it so why change.
Some winners, some losers, and an affirmation that I am a Google Girl. Overall, an interesting evening.
Nice and very thorough. I didn't like iHome sleep either, especially after I read the reviews that with the latest update to it you have to keep it open all the time for the alarms to go off. Not a great app. I loved reading your thoughts tho!
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