Members nat whilk II Posted August 19, 2015 Members Share Posted August 19, 2015 I'm a bit of a computer geek, but of the old stolid desktop tower type. Never owned a laptop. I do have a Kindle Fire HD, which I love, but it's just a media delivery device - I read and listen on it, period. So the family has been badgering me forever to get rid of my 2006 cell phone (why?? it takes messages and you can talk to people on it, says me). And now they have forced the issue and now I own a Nokia Lumia 635. Ok, well, I'm ready for my life to change. I'm waiting for my life to change. Waiting.... Will someone tell me how my life is going to change? What's the top 3-5 things I should be doing besides using this phone like a, well, phone? I'm not the type to take pictures of my tacos and post them on FB or Pinterest. The camera is on the back, so I'll have to get someone else to take the selfies I wouldn't be taking anyway. Instruct me, enlighten me, make my family happy as I do love them so, pushy as they are nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 19, 2015 Members Share Posted August 19, 2015 Main thing I do with my phone other than use it as a phone is I can get on the internet pretty much anytime, anywhere. Now you can post in this forum while standing in line at the bank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Probably my favorite thing about having a smartphone is that it's like having a research library in your hands... have a question about something? Are you trying to remember the name of an actor or of a song? Want to find out whether the price you see marked on the item in front of you is a good deal or not? You can look it up on the spot. Another big plus: You now always have a camera with you - and you don't have to pay to get the film developed. You also have the ability to carry around a considerable amount of music to listen to, and the playback device is built right into your phone. No need to get directions - just give me the address and my phone will tell me how to get there... Car broke down on the way? No need to try to find a pay phone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gubu Posted August 19, 2015 Members Share Posted August 19, 2015 What Phil said. Also, Spotify. I also like having work emails, plans etc in my pocket at all times. And having a camera in my pocket at all times. I was at the top of a 25' extendable a-frame ladder on Monday, trying to rig hoist rope over a box truss, and couldn't figure out the instructions that were being shouted to me from the floor. So I took a cellphone picture of how I had it rigged, shared it with the visiting tech, and we both finally understood what was going on up there. It's like having something from Star Trek, or 2001: A Space Odyssey in your pocket! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 19, 2015 Members Share Posted August 19, 2015 My smartphone is one of those things that when I first got it, I questioned whether would I really need it. But now I wonder how the hell did I ever live without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted August 19, 2015 Members Share Posted August 19, 2015 I'm a bit of a computer geek, but of the old stolid desktop tower type. Never owned a laptop. I do have a Kindle Fire HD, which I love, but it's just a media delivery device - I read and listen on it, period. So the family has been badgering me forever to get rid of my 2006 cell phone (why?? it takes messages and you can talk to people on it, says me). And now they have forced the issue and now I own a Nokia Lumia 635. Ok, well, I'm ready for my life to change. I'm waiting for my life to change. Waiting.... Will someone tell me how my life is going to change? What's the top 3-5 things I should be doing besides using this phone like a, well, phone? I'm not the type to take pictures of my tacos and post them on FB or Pinterest. The camera is on the back, so I'll have to get someone else to take the selfies I wouldn't be taking anyway. Instruct me, enlighten me, make my family happy as I do love them so, pushy as they are nat whilk ii LOL. Thank you for not taking pictures of your lunch. On the selfie thing, check, there may be a hardware button that can be mapped to the shutter so you might be able to conveniently take a selfie after all. My extremely modest Android 2.3 LG Optimus phone (I got my first version of it around 2010, after getting my taste whetted by a similarly modest Blackberry for a few years before that) only has a back cam but has couple of buttons on one edge, at least one of which is available to camera apps. Make it a lot easier than hitting a virtual button on the screen. (My first version on my previous carrier didn't have the buttons, I don't think. Carrier versions seem to vary more than I would have expected, at least in this case.) For me, some of the more used apps are these: audio recording - I use it all the time. I have a $2-ish app (I think) that allows me to record 44.1 16 bit 128 kbps mp3s -- well-enough matched to the decent but not exactly Neumann built in mic. (The app is Hi-Q MP3 Recorder; free version works fine but is limited to 64 or maybe 96 kbps MP3s, I seem to recall.) music playback - I'd used MOG on my phone but when Beats shut them down and I moved to Google Play Music, that software's design decision that puts ALL the album/single graphics for ALL your favorited artists in INTERNAL storage -- which is already plenty limited -- was a deal breaker. My graphics cache for GPM is well over 500 MB. (They allow music files to be stored to SD -- which I've got buckets of, 32 GB, but only 512 MB of internal storage! Even without GPM, I only have about 60 MB of available space! (It works OK but a bit slow on my Google Nexus 7 2012 tablet -- but at this point -- depending on the weather or ? -- a lot of what I try to do on my Nexus 7 runs slow. (Cleaning the system cache out helps but it's a pain and it only helps for a little while. So, on my phone I use Shuttle+ (I think it was a relatively expensive $4 but by the time I decided on it, I was pretty amazed there weren't better options. Anyhow, it works overall quite well, and I can pack a huge amount of files into that 32 GB. And it doesn't try to store anything but the prg itself in internal memory. (Many apps will run well from SD, at least on my device. Google, though, is dead set against SD memory, and doesn't allow it on their own branded devices. Another reason I'll almost certainly never buy G-branded hardware again! The Nexus 7 has been a total pain ever since the last few versions of Android 4.x) vid - the video on my phone definitely shows the device's age... but it's still very convenient as a quick way of recording sequences of actions or quickly surveying some visual situation photos- yeah, snapshots of the kitty, but on the practical side, I've found myself taking quick snaps of all sorts of things rather than trying to jot down stuff. One of the few features my cam has is a macro setting and you can get close enough to photograph small print. I also take photos of wiring harnesses/rigs/setups -- or just the back of devices I can't get to easily... a lot easier than trying to stick a mirror behind and reading tiny print backwards and upside down (if you go in from the top) chromatic tuner-- I fell in love with the free (Lite) version of DaTuner -- very usable -- and popped the few bucks to get the premium version -- although I had to stick with the lite version for my phone. The pay version has an interesting 'true stroboscope' visual mode. (It is, of course, animated.) level -- I've had a bubble level app a few times and they come in handy NPR app -- my only audio/video news source, as a rule, either on the radio or the phone -- but, since there's only one working radio in the house that gets my local NPR station, the app comes in very handy. SPL sound meter -- to be sure, there can be calibration and automatic volume control issues, but, on my phone, up until I reach the upper threshold not far above 90 dB SPL, my app, Sound Meter V2.7 by Borce Trajkovski, seems to mirror the ubiquitous RatShack SPL meter pretty closely. remote for Windows desktop - I use Unified Remote, a paid app (there's a limited trial app you should use to check out basic connectivity before buying). I find it very handy, particularly for controlling the machine from across the room. Since there's often only limited, if any, info feedback from the apps, it's a bit flying blind from another room -- but fine for skipping music tracks, adjusting volume etc. It comes with remote profiles for a load of Win application and you can have 'brute' control of mouse or keyboard as well. flashlight -- I use the free ColorFlash GestureSearch - allows one to quickly navigate through contact lists by drawing a letter or two or more with one's finger on a blank screen Google Calendar widget -- I put a 4x4 widget on my home screen that shows the next few appointments. My mom LOVES this (and loves G Calendar). ColorNotes - Yeah, Evernote, Google Keep (no more google apps for me because of the internal storage ish -- in fact, I have to ROLL BACK updates of many of those I do have just to keep the phone running. The Play Store and Play Services will pretty much cripple the phone, otherwise) offer more options but just don't seem to fit for me. ColorNotes is very simple but lets me keep clustered check lists (or text blocs)... I use it for my grocery shopping -- I have a list of all my typical grocery items in store aisle order(I couldn't believe it that my Kroger supermarket's own app doesn't even have store maps or allow you to sort in aisle order per store -- I suggested it to them but never heard back. Of course.) Anyhow, I roll my own, screw Kroger's deadhead desk-filler ambition-and-innovation-free coders. I also use it for jotting notes for my writing, since I can use voice recognition to get a semblance of what I speak into a text file (that can then be emailed, archived, etc). barcode reader-- comes in handy every now and then... some folks use them a lot in their shopping and comparison, etc, and I think there are even some apps that attempt to automate the comparison process Calls Blacklist - ad-driven, it works solidly. Add a nuisance caller to the list from your call log and the next time they call, it will be intercepted. You will get a missed call notification -- if you want -- and there are a number of blocking options. The caller can leave a voice mail. (There's a pro version of the app, not sure the features.) Unless noted, most of the apps I use are free. Not all apps are created equal. Even if I'm prepared to buy, I'll check out the free version first. I don't think I've ever paid more than $4. PS... I use a a phone plan (Ting) that is super cheap for txt and voice but pricey for data. So I actually usually keep my phone's network data turned off, using WiFi at home and only turning on data when I need maps or such out in the world. This might sound a hassle, but I share a 2 mobile account with my senior citizen mom [hmm... that's pretty much both of us, that senior thing] and, as long as we keep our data under 100 MB/mo and our voice use under 1000 minutes and texts under 100, our bill is under $40 total, including taxes. If we go between 1000 and 2000 voice minutes, it goes up to around $55. I'd prefer straight metered use -- but THAT would clearly be too logical for the phone biz. At least, with Ting, there aren't nasty rate penalties that kick in if you go 'over' -- although the block tier thing does make for some potential big jumps. https://ting.com/rates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted August 19, 2015 Author Members Share Posted August 19, 2015 Wow, blue, now that's some help. The recorder thingie for composing on the sofa, yes. And the tuner app. If I buy a memory card, can I just drag and drop mp3s into the thing? I need something I can jot lyric ideas on, too. At red lights, doctor waiting rooms, etc. Is there a voice-to-text translater (like Dragon) for phones? nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 19, 2015 Members Share Posted August 19, 2015 Directions/GPS. Getting information of any kind. Figuring out which restaurant you wish to go to via Yelp or other means, whether traveling or even around your own town. Communicating easily by using voice-to-text (sending a quick email to someone, to yourself, or texting someone). I love this. This was one of the tipping points for me getting a smartphone. I love this. Using apps for controlling a DSLR camera, using it as an intervalometer, trigger, or other reasons. Determining the position of the sun/moon or other heavenly bodies as well as other things for photography. Purchasing concert tickets when I'm not at home. Information about flights when I am at the airport, including notifications if the gate has changed, if there's delays, etc. Voice-to-text reminders. I create reminders when I am driving and happen to think, "Oh, I should do _____." I can create reminders at a specific time so I don't forget so much. I am forgetful and have a lot going on in my life, so this is invaluable. Always having a camera with you. Very nice for a multitude of reasons, whether it's hanging out with friends or having to document something or photographing something to remember it. Posting on forums or Facebook when I am on the go. Setting an alarm for any reason. A flashlight. A tip calculator. Determining the weather in a certain place while on the go. And on and on....~~~~You have a powerful computer that you can keep in your pocket. Use it. It will probably do just about anything you want it ot if you want. If you have a smartphone, use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted August 20, 2015 CMS Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 I used to keep my old not-too-smart phone turned off most of the time since only a few people had the phone number and mostly I used it to make calls a couple of times a month. When I found that I could get an Android smart phone for $25 that would work with my AT&T pay-as-you-go account, I picked one up to see how well it did with the relatively few audio apps available for it. Now the phone is turned on most of the time (and about the only time it rings is with spam calls) but I find it really handy to have a calculator in my pocket, I use the apps from my local grocery stores to keep track of what's on sale and what I need to buy, I have an SPL meter and FFT spectrum analayzer, and, though I've never used them in real life, a signal generator and an audio polarity tester. I've occasionally used it as a recorder and to check the status of my flights when traveling, or making hotel reservations (the Hilton and Air BnB apps work much better than the real web sites). Who needs a phone? Not me, really, but all this other stuff is really cool and occasionally useful. I originally got a mobile phone just before an AES show about 14 years ago so I could find someone who I wanted to meet during or after the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 20, 2015 Members Share Posted August 20, 2015 It does eliminate the need for a lot of other tools, for sure. It's my radio, my MP3 player, my alarm clock, my flashlight, my address book, my calculator, my still and video camera, my calendar, my metronome, my voice recorder, my GPS,my db meter. It has pretty much eliminated the need for all those other stand alone devices and fits in my pocket in a device not much bigger than my wallet. And that's not even getting much into the apps available from 3rd parties that make stuff so much easier: Transferring money from one bank account to another. Setting a TV show to record even though I'm miles away on DirecTV. Finding nearby restaurants or shopping with AroundMe. Finding out what song is playing over the radio in a restaurant or store and who performs it with SoundHound. Keeping track of my mileage for my tax writeoff with MileIQ. Mixing my own IEMs on stage with the X32. Finding out traffic conditions with INRIX. And then of course there's all the basic internet stuff like checking news, sports, weather, stocks, posting on forums, shopping, Google Earth, Facebook, YouTube, etc etc etc. Getting "push" news updates from the local TV station is pretty cool too. Not to mention all the stuff it does that I don't care much about doing. Like games or watching TV shows or movies. But I can always hand it to my kid to keep her quiet if I need to. And, of course, it makes phone calls and texts. But really, it's a small computer that also makes phone calls more than the other way around. Arguably the most important invention for our society since the automobile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 20, 2015 Members Share Posted August 20, 2015 I got pulled over the other day for speeding and I couldn't find my proof of insurance in the car. I told the cop "I can look it up on my phone though". He said, "that'll work". I quickly go to my insurance company's website, log into my account, and hand the phone to the cop and he scrolls through the page seeing that my insurance is valid and hands the phone back to me. I still got the speeding ticket, but at least I didn't have to deal with the BS of the no-proof-of-insurance-in-the-car ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 20, 2015 Members Share Posted August 20, 2015 But really, it's a small computer that also makes phone calls more than the other way around. Arguably the most important invention for our society since the automobile. So, wait....you don't include cheese in an aerosol can or Cup O' Noodles among those? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beck Posted August 20, 2015 Members Share Posted August 20, 2015 Old guy gets first smartphone! Careful about apps and such. It's a slippery slope. I'm still part of the resistance and often leave my phone at home or at least turn it off... and sometimes remove the battery when I want to feel that peace that only comes with solitude. I never take it with me when I go running or take walks in the woods. If I fall and break my ankle or something (Which has never happened yet) I'll do what I always planned... crawl to my car (no matter how many hours it takes) turn on my CB, dial in channel 9 and "Breaker, Breaker" for assistance. If you keep your smart phone with you all the time one thing you're doing is what law enforcement used to have to get a judge to make you do... wear a tracking device at all times... and you're paying for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted August 20, 2015 CMS Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Wow' date=' blue, now that's some help. The recorder thingie for composing on the sofa, yes. And the tuner app.[/quote'] My tuner app of choice, Pitchlab, works quite well. It has too many modes, but one cool mode is one that displays only the the strings of the instrument that you're tuning. It comes with a bunch of instruments and tunings (including a few banjo tunings that I contributed) but you can add your own. If I buy a memory card, can I just drag and drop mp3s into the thing? Yes, but I've tried several different players and I can't find one that's exactly right for me. I've settled on one that was pre-installed (MX Player, I think) but either the app or I aren't smart enough to make it just display and play files in one particular folder. It seems to find every music file on the phone and play those along with the ones I want to hear at the time, including test tones for the polarity checker. What I want is one that I can drag and drop files on a play list and it will play those filles, in that sequence, and then shut up. I didn't think that would be so hard, but every one I've tried makes is too hard to do that. I need something I can jot lyric ideas on, too. At red lights, doctor waiting rooms, etc. Is there a voice-to-text translater (like Dragon) for phones? You're probably better off using a simple recording app than trying to convert speech to text. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted August 20, 2015 CMS Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 I'm still part of the resistance and often leave my phone at home or at least turn it off... and sometimes remove the battery when I want to feel that peace that only comes with solitude. I never take it with me when I go running or take walks in the woods. I used to leave my phone off all the time until I wanted to make a call, and often left it at home or in the car, but I'm getting older. I go out for a walk every day and I think that something could happen that might have a better outcome if I could get some help quickly. Still, it might be turned off, but at least it's at hand. As far as all the apps go, yeah, now I'm carrying a whole lot of things along with me that I've never carried before. But thinking back, I used to carry a pocket slide rule from about 7th grade up through several post-college years, and ever after I got my first pocket calculator (which was too big to fit in my pocket). I still use a dedicated GPS in my car because it's easier to operate than my phone's GPS. I've started using the phone as a music player when I travel. I can get around the "plays everything" issue by using the "recently added" list that it creates. I record 2-3 hour long radio programs (on my computer) and listen to them when I'm driving or flying, so my playlist is rarely more than half a dozen entries. It's a good procedure, though, since I don't need to listen to these programs over and over. Once I've heard one, I delete it so it keeps the amount of memory I'm using down to a sane level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted August 20, 2015 Author Members Share Posted August 20, 2015 If I fall and break my ankle or something (Which has never happened yet) I'll do what I always planned... crawl to my car (no matter how many hours it takes) turn on my CB, dial in channel 9 and "Breaker, Breaker" for assistance. Ha! Yes, in genuine Tarantino style! Lots of great suggestions everyone, really - thanks. It'll take me some time to digest all this. Right now I'm doing my usual thing with a new gizmo - hunting up the manual online and reading it, scout's honor. I'm around Smartphones all the time (everyone else has had them for a long time now) while people still seem to get confused how to get somewhere via Google Map directions, or the restaurant that someone suggested from Yelp turns out to have shut down a year ago, etc. And of course the silent dinner companions, which is a sore spot around here. Probably my biggest need is for a good scheduling/calendar/deadline reminder/alarm/messages to self sort of app. I work solo but have some 100 clients and I'm not a good secretary for myself at all. And I need a reminder program to help me remember to update my reminder program. Maybe even triple redundancy on that wouldn't hurt. I'm the poster child of the single-focused male with no multi-tasking ability or awareness of anything whatsoever except for the one thing I'm bearing down on at the moment. If I was the sort to talk on a cell while driving - well I'd have occupied my grave long ago. If I'm just thinking hard about something - say a song lyric I'm working on - while in the shower, I'll get out of the shower unable to remember if I shampoo'd or not. I got it bad. nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted August 20, 2015 Members Share Posted August 20, 2015 Wow, blue, now that's some help. The recorder thingie for composing on the sofa, yes. And the tuner app. If I buy a memory card, can I just drag and drop mp3s into the thing? I need something I can jot lyric ideas on, too. At red lights, doctor waiting rooms, etc. Is there a voice-to-text translater (like Dragon) for phones? nat whilk ii If your phone will accept SD or microSD memory, yes. (And it appears to. ) Many/most will but companies like Apple and Google want to try to upsell you at the front on the device where they get the money rather than let you buy something inexpensive aftermarket, so they don't allow add in memory or replaceable batteries. It's very 'transparent.' As in blatantly exploitative rip off. I'm thinking your Android is probably already lousy with Google's voice reco by nature of the beast -- but it might not be turned on. It generally requires a data connection (via Wi Fi or your mobile network -- watch out for charges on the latter, depending; your phone should default to Wi Fi whenever it recognizes your system; I think I mentioned my network data connection is expensive so I have the network data turned off normally in case I'm at home but my WiFi is on vacation [rare but it's happened]). Dragon, however, has a new app that's just coming out that *apparently* runs natively (on the phone)... don't know much about it, including how much it costs or if there's (ha ha) a free version. (Probably not on the last. Dragon doesn't really need to establish itself.) It's supposedly really good. But I've found that much depends on the speaker. Both me and one of my iPhone pals are always kvetching about our respective voice reco, but one of my other pals says iPhone almost never gets anything wrong. (He does have a background doing telephone voice mail systems, which I think he originally got into as a voiceover guy, so...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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