Apps that make having a smart phone worthwhile. (No games please)

[doc1964]

Hi folks,

There are many postings out there asking people to post their favourite apps. I have in fact posted my favourites to several of these.

What I would like to know however is what apps you feel are really productive or money saving, please, no games, there are loads of postings for them.

Here are mine.


1. Google Maps: I recently changed job location to an office further away and that crosses a bridge through the city that is notorious for delays.

I now use google maps which has live traffic information. When I am ready to set out, I enter destination into maps and it shows me several routes I can take.

For each route, it will show normal travel time (i.e. no traffic) and current travel time that includes real time traffic info. One week I used three different routes that allowed me to avoid heavy build ups and it has honestly made my change of location a breeze.

2. Google Now: still not totally convinced about this but have found that the in car hands free module on my car still requires a couple of button presses to dial out. Google Now allows me to do proper hands free dialing through the car module so has benefitted me with this function. It can also use google maps so it will remind you of time to leave for interviews etc. Will persevere with it for another while to see if I can get to love it.

3. Cameralert: This is a safety or speed camera notification that works using your phones GPS and alerts you to nearby cameras. I am not advocating speeding, but I think we all know how easy it is sometimes to be in a strange or unfamiliar areas and drift over a speed limit. The app is free with initial database and you can get updates for a year for about twenty pounds.

4. Hive: This is actually a thermostatic control for your heating that allows you to set schedules, turn on or off your heating etc. via an app on your phone. We were getting a new boiler so I insisted on it much to my wifes disgust as she just thought it was geeky, (as if), anyway she now loves the convenience it offers.

I happened to go with this as it was what my boiler installer used but Nest and Tado etc. do similar things so worth considering.

5. Llama: This is similar to Tasker but free, I believe it is also easier to master. It allows your phone to learn its location by scanning and keeping note of the radio masts around it. You Train it for your home, work etc. then the app will recognise where you are and allow you to carry out many functions automatically.

I use it for a very simple function in that I have it set that when my phone connects to my in car Bluetooth, Lama will start the cameralert app and change my phone profile to loud. This means every time I get into my car, the safety camera app starts automatically it also ensures by changing profile to loud that I can hear any warnings.

The only downside is that later versions of Android do not allow you to disable one app by using another or I would have it set to turn off cameralert when my phone disconnected from my cars Bluetooth. This is an android “Security feature” and not a Llama limitation. Well worth a try as there are endless possibilities for what you can do with this.

6. My Fitness Pal: A weight loss app that has an extensive database of foods stored. You simply tell it at outset your sex, age, weight and height. Tell it what weight you want to be and how much you would like to lose each week. It will work out the number of calories you can eat each day to achieve this. Absolutely fantastic at focussing your mind, if you see you have had your calories for the day you will be more inclined to skip a snack or 4. The more you use it the easier it becomes as it remembers your regular foods so makes entry fast and easy, also has a bar code reader so you can scan labels directly. It also links into various fitness trackers including the fitbit app built into HTC One m8 so your daily exercise etc. is captured and shows at end of each day as, if every day was like today then in 5 weeks time you would weigh XX pounds. Very motivational.

7. PasswordBox: There are many password managers out there, I just happen to use this one but have a look around.

I have been using it for a while now and was amazed to see that I have over 50 web sites and apps that I require a user name and password for, I was also shocked when I realised how many I use the same details for. This app can generate really strong passwords and encrypts them on your phone, You can also use it on your tablet or PC. The passwords are not stored centrally. Have a look at your own phone or PC usage and if you have many passwords that are all similar then really consider a password manager.

8. Sky movies and Sky sports apps: The ability to be able to stream live sport or movies anywhere you have WiFi or data signal is just fantastic.

9. TV Catchup: a free television app that allows you to watch all UK freeview channels on your phone via WiFi or network if you have a data plan.

10. WeQ4U: you can use various websites to find alternative phone numbers to costly 0844 etc. phone numbers but this simple app. Allows you to type in the number quoted and it will automatically search and call using a number included within your phone package, it will also allow you to hold when in a queue and alert you when your call is answered. Very clever and a great cost saver.

11. Whatsapp: A great messenger app that allows you to send texts and picture messages for free using data. This is particularly useful when abroad as you can use wifi to message people or just send them annoying pictures of you having your 6th Pina Colada on the beach when it is snowing back home.


I would hope you would agree when reading through these that these are really useful apps to possibly be able to use, so I would welcome any other suggestions that you feel really showcase the benefits of having a smart phone other than for playing angry birds, candy crush, taking a selfie or updating your status.

Thank you.

 

[athegn]

One I use a lot; but expensive:-

http://www.viewranger.com/en-gb

Bought all England, Scotland and Wales Landranger; got rid of a lot a paper maps, most were out of date or at least older than the 2010 series the app uses. Track walks/cycle rides I do and download tracks from the website; in first two weeks found useful tracks near my home.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ptc.jp&hl=en use this as I travel a lot in London.

http://www.buschecker.com/?app=UK works all over UK

These are only a few of my travel/walking/cycling apps. Have many others; Collins Birds of Britain, Bubble level (used many times), Sony app to remote control Sony camera, Wifi Analyser, Chromecast etc etc

 

[doc1964]

Thank you athegn, it is amazing how many useful apps there are that save you carrying so many books or devices. I use Wifi analyser as well as an app called Network Signal info pro, which produces wifi analysis but also has a database of cell towers and whether they are 2G, 3G or 4G so you can get information on what tower your phone is connected to.
Google maps now has bus and train times so wherever you are you can type in a destination, tell it how you want to travel and it will bring up bus or train times for stops closest to you, used it several times when away from home.
I also bought an app called Smart remote. If your phone has an Infra Red sender then this app makes it work similar to a Harmony One remote control.
The app gives you access to a huge database of devices that are controlled by IR, my phone can now operate several TV's in my house as well as xbox, Tivo, AV receiver, several media streamers and believe it or not it can even turn on and vary the speed of an electric fan i had lost the remote control for.

 

[athegn]

Yes there is a lot. At the moment I am using the London journey app to get me across London to an important appointment; it shows which trains to take.

I like having Viewranger as I can be in a new location and without having my stock of maps with find all the byways (Google maps does not show footpaths); even if I don't have a signal. Use Smart remote. I can control my hifi (sort of; the database does not hold my Cambridge amp), tv, camera and model railway with my S5 phone. Grid Refrence pin points me (to text others with my position) and the Good Beer guide has been used many times.

My smartphone has become invaluable!!

 

[mikedt]

Wechat and QQ for IM, VOIP and social networking, pretty much essential for my business.
Skype for any friends not in China.
Olsen's Standard Book of British Birds (The expurgated version).
Xiami and Baidu for tunes.
aCalendar for my schedule.
PPTV and CCTV C-box for streaming movies and TV shows, (I do use other sources as well, but not OK to discuss on here).
AutoNavi for finding I want to go and not getting lost. Does camera warnings as well.
Pleco and Baidu Translate for any words I don't yet know.
ColorNote for handy note taking and memos.
Flashlight for finding my way to the washroom at Maan Coffee Bar.
PocketBook for e-book reading.
WPS for viewing and editing office documents.
Beijing Subway & Buses, comes in handy sometimes.

That's what I use regularly, and find does make having a smart-phone worthwhile.


I did try TV Catchup, but it gives some crap about not being in the UK. Bus Checker just crashes when trying to determine location, I shall inform the devs about that.

 

[zuben el genub]

Sky Safari Plus,
Mobile Observatory
Vortex
SkEye
Coton (cloud forms and identification)
I know about clouds
LunarMap pro
Audubon Birds, Trees, Wildflowers, Mushrooms
Sibley Birds
iBird Pro
1000 Weeds of the west
A couple of other university provided tree and wildflower identification
Camera manuals in PDF for the Canon 20D and 50SX
Illustrated guide to Astronomical Wonders PDF (bought for the finderscope views)
Right now, Accuweather, and Weather underground
Dolphin Browser has a link to the Weather Channel (not too impressed)

These are why I bought the phone. They only run on Android or IOS.
I also have Color Note, Hungry (shopping list) and Pocket money with no personal info.
Textra, Aquamail, Dropbox and Fotor plus Image Shrink.

 

[doc1964]

Thanks for your input, i had forgot about one of the other features i use regularly.
I have used drop box but currently use Google drive to store a pdf version of instruction manuals for any electrical item or device i purchase.
This can be far easier to read on phone, tablet or PC compared to some of the microscopic paper versions of instruction manuals that come with items. It also means they are always available to me should i need them.
I also store all of my pictures on Google Drive which means that i can view or show them anywhere and can also easily give shared access to anyone i wish.

There are a few mentions of color note, i use evernote which i assume is similar which is great for jotting down anything you know you will need to recall later.

One other app i use is Shazam. I love music and if i am out somewhere and hear a song that i cant remember the name of, simply open Shazam and it will listen to a few seconds of the song and then will tell you the name of the song, the artist and which album it is on. It also gives links to various sites should you wish to purchase it. A very clever app.

 

[James_Watson]

WeChat,for VOIP and social networking.
QQ, for IM.
Baidu Navi, for finding I want to go and not getting lost.
S Health, for walk record. This is a stock app from Samsung.

 

[steiny180]

Here Maps (offline GPS navigator)

 

[mikey1969]

Here are my must-haves:

1. LLama--Lets you create profiles that can do almost anything. It usually starts as a ringer profile app, set different ringers/volumes based on a variety of conditions. You can set date, time, BT state, WIFI networks, even GPS location as triggers, and have it launch specific apps, set volumes to a preset level, change ringtones, etc... The WiFi one is particularly nifty. It doesn't have to get onto the WiFi, it just triggers when a specific WiFi is in range, based on either SSID, MAC address, or even both. I use it for the doctor's office, any doctor's office in my home network, since they all have the same SSID. Any time I enter any WiFi network with that SSID, my ringers all go to vibrate until I leave. It also have 'Noisy Contacts', specific contacts that can ring thru on silent, or even go silent when the rest of the ringers are loud.

2. Ulysse Speedometer--This is an awesome speedometer app, if you have your phone docked, this can be placed where it is easier to glance at than your speedometer. You can configure the colors, and choose the display in the 4 smaller zones around the speedo. I have compass heading, elevation, trip meter(Time and mileage for 'Today"), and an overall trip meter that I reset on gas fillups. There is a configurable night mode, a HUD option(You set the phone on the dash, it displays(just the speed) backwards, and it reflects off of your windshield.

3. HandyCalc--Wonderful calculator app, with all of the usual bells and whistles, graphing, scientific, allows text input for formulas, etc... The absolute best part of this app is the unit converter. Any unit you can think of. Distance, weight, temperature, pressure, energy, etc... You open it up, and it displays all of the different options for that choice. select one of the options, enter your amount(Even has an option to just select '1'), and they are all converted. What is a fortnight in 'Planck Time'(I have no idea what this is), for example? 22, 439,227, 093, 289, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, apparently. Or, with Scientific Notation turned on, 2.2439 E49. I almost never use the calculator, but absolutely LOVE the unit converter.

4. PlanMaker--Just discovered this last week, it is a free, FULLY functional Excel Reader/editor. Part of my job is to go to several different facilities and do equipment punchdowns in various rooms. Test the equipment, replace/repair what's needed, or bump it to the electrical installer or facilities management if needed, make notes on setups, etc. As a result, I have an Excel Doc with assorted macros, conditional formatting, drop down boxes, etc. Docs to Go, Office Suite Premium, Google Sheets, none of these were supporting ANY of these options. I will go into a room, and go through my list of items to check. This requires two things: A drop down box for Pass/Fail, and Conditional Formatting that will make the box red if if fails, and green if it passes. I can add Comment boxes, fully edit the document if needed, export into many different Excel formats, text format, PlanMaker's own proprietary format, HTML, and more. This lets me go through these rooms with my tablet(and a nice hand strap and a stylus) and check them off without having to lug around the laptop and deal with that. The thing only comes out of the bag now if I need to IM someone, or RDP into the room computer. This app is totally free and fully functional. No time limit, no ads, and no locked out features that I have found yet. The GUI is customizable as well. This is one that works so well that I'll be buying the paid version when I get some cash, just because the Devs have done such a great job.

5. Send it Later--This allows me to schedule text messages(Sometimes you remember that you need to text Mom, but it's 2 a.m., or sometimes you're pushing the grace period for rent, and you want to push the message for your landlord out until tomorrow, or Tuesday, etc.). This is great. You add it recipients, your message, and set a time/day for it to send. You can get a notification when it is sent if you want, or you can have it just send it. This also lets you set recurring messages. Simple, yet something I can't live without. SOME SMS apps have this built in, but not all, and SMS is still something that I keep trying out new clients anyway(Gotta love Android).

6. Aviary Photo Editor--This lets you do some basic Photoshop type edits to Gallery photos. It's easy to use, free, and lets you edit your pics before either posting somewhere or sending to people so that they aren't just the same basic crap. 3 initial settings to increase contrast, lighting and sharpness to start with, then frames, color settings, overlays, text entry, a meme generator, sharpness, you name it. A recent example is a pic my wife took at a concert a few months ago of my stepson and my daughter. I sharpened it, increased the contrast and brightness, and then set up an oval vignette on them(Called 'Focus'), so the background was blurred. Next I used a rather easy desaturate feature(Called 'Splash') to desaturate everything but the kids. Makes your photos stand out, and this took maybe 15 minutes, the longest part being to paint out the color in the background, but only because I am anal retentive...

There are more, but those are personal preference apps, launcher, keyboard, music app, lockscreen manager, etc., and while they make my Smartphone easier to use, they don't make it 'worth owning', as per the OP's post.

 

[doc1964]

OK, here is one other that i have used recently that is really fantastic.
74 year old mother in law suffering from dementia went missing the other day. Searched for hours till she eventually walked in door saying she had been shopping but no idea where she had been. Bought a cheap android payg phone with long stand by life and put it in her bag telling her it was only for emergencies as she would be unable to actually use phone. Set phone up using wife's Google account and activated device manager. Wife can now log in and see where her mum is at any time. Great relief to her.

 

[chanchan05]

Tasker. Basically, since you guys already posted Llama, you sort of have an idea what can be done here. But Tasker is basically Llama on steroids. It can do stuff Llama can't, like changing keyboards depending on the situation. For example, my tablet only works with the Samsung keyboard dock if I use the Samsung keyboard. I however prefer Swiftkey. I had set it so that when I connect the dock, the active keyboard becomes the Samsung keyboard. When I disconnect, it reverts to Swiftkey.

I prefer Keep over Evernote or Colornote for keeping short notes.

Medscape - lets you download the entire database, so no need for internet to use it. Quite useful. Although of course, this may not be for everyone. It's more of a technical app anyway. I use it regularly, but then I work in Medicine.

Ticktick - my go to reminders app. Has all the features I need. I chose this after trying out the famous ones like Any.Do, Wunderlist, etc. This was the best.

Waze - the best navigation app IMO.