Thing 5

I started with bamboo book. I like the concept of a digital notebook and/or something that made me reminisce about the days of PDAs. Now, a was then, it's nice to be able to carry around a lightweight, pocketable (well, if used with a Smartphone anyway) device rather than some clumsy notebook or notepad. I like the ability to share your notes to social media and email....but in the end, I'm sorry to say, I'm not impressed with bamboo book. I don't have nor do I want to purchase a stylus, bamboo book pushes dreaded IAPs to allow more options and functionality. I frankly stink at digitally writing, especially with my fat fingers.

For example:

  

On to Don't Forget the Milk (DFTM). A very well designed and functional note-taker, I'm fairly impressed. I didn't like creating an account, but it was cool to see that by doing so, I could share my notes on social media (not sure why...) and DFTM even e-mailed me a silly reminder I gave myself. If I were to chose a note-taking app, this would probably be it.

Lastly I decided to try the  Dragon Dictation App. I like being able to dictate notes and even more so on a tablet or smartphone. Dragon is very simple and easy to use...but it suffers from the same issues as most voice recognition software I've ever tried: way too many mistakes! I'd take as much time editing as I would just t(ap)yping the darned thing out!

In the end, I'm not much of a note-taker anyway. In my job it's not a bad idea, but I don't need to do it much at this point, maybe that will change someday. If I decide to become a note-taker with my tablet, I might just use the native/built-in app on my and my work's iPads. I don't need anything fancy and it's already there.

Thing 4

I started out with Flipboard...kind of a mistake. It's just far too busy! I like the idea of a one stop place to catch up on social networking and various articles, but Flipboard looks more hip and fun than it does professional. I will admit I didn't spend a lot of time with the app, but at first glance, I was turned off. 

Zite looked interesting in its description and screen shots, but it requires an update to iOS 7 and beyond...I know I should do this, but I really am more comfortable with iOS 6 at this point. One thing I found attractive (via the App description) is that Zite automatically will add/suggest content for you; I will admit that sometimes that can be annoying, but I do like the idea of the app finding material for me that I may have missed otherwise.

Thing 3

For fun, I started out with the RedLaser Barcode and QR scanner...for fun. I don't see a lot of professional use for this app for me, but a colleague of mine told me about a different colleague of ours that found a way to generate QR codes for her library displays. Basically she found a free QR code generator online, drew up or found a review for the book and made a code on a bookmark with that info on it. Pretty neat, huh?

In my personal life, I could see having a barcode and QR scanner, especially on a phone. RedLaser did have some nifty ways to find deals, prices, info, etc. 

Google's app is pretty nifty, but I don't use Google much on my personal or work iPad, except for searching Safari. I have a separate app for YouTube and that's the only other Google product I use. Though they're not universally loved, iOS comes with its own map program, so no need for Google maps. Google goggles is interesting, but again, no need, beyond satisfying curiosity.

Wi-Fi finder looks like quite the app. I downloaded it to my work iPad to check it out and I am impressed. It came up with several free and paid hotspots using my GPS based location. I can see if a place I'm going or if something nearby has wi-fi before I even go there. Honestly, no need for it on my work iPad as HCL has wi-Fi in all its locations, but it looks like a must have for your smart phone or on the go tablet.

I am on the fence about downloading Chrome to an iPad...no need when you have safari, though as the description on the project page says, it's good to have a backup. I do like Chrome and prefer it on PCs but I just don't know that I want it for iOS.

Thing 2

Very cool link to a tips and tricks page! I'm going to bookmark it on both my work AND personal iPad. I didn't view the video due to the fact I am using iOS 6 and I don't think I have permission to upgrade without consent on my work iPad and the same probably goes for my personal one too since it is shared by my family and I.

My personal favorite has to do with how to close background apps...it's so simple I can't believe I forgot how to do it. Closing unneeded apps will keep your battery from needing a recharge and get you out of apps you don't necessarily  want to keep open at all times.

Thing 1

Registered and ready to go! I'm new to the world of mobile devices so I am looking for ways to educate myself and to see what is out there.

I hope to gain both personal and professional knowledge from this activity.