Tap that App!

App Store!

Apps are quickly becoming an everyday part of life.  The number of users go up, the number of developers go up, the amount of profit goes up... this reminds me Direct Variation that I need to be working on in Math... rats.  Anyway, it doesn't take a genius to know that consumers will be needing reliable sources to check on the APPtitude if they are paying or even using memory.

I received an iPhone 4s last year for my Birthday/Christmas/I paid for part, and it has been so useful and a really fun toy!  (I'm sure I must be overloading Siri's cloudy memory)
The first time I tapped on the app widget I was overwhelmed and felt way out of my league!

A pimple popper? Seriously??? (P.S.  It had many bad reviews)

So I had to swallow my pride and ask my younger brother (who bought an iPad 2) for help.  I soon became familiar with how to use the search function, history, reviews and more.  My brother's rule of thumb is not to get a FREE app if it has under 200 reviews or less then 4 stars.   I am not that strict!  I like to live dangerously :)  I will add new apps just to try it out.

Note: searching "app" is pointless.

So my goal this new year is; two times a month (or possibly more)  I will write a blog post on current apps and the stats.

For January I'll start with my recent find:

SoundHound

I have had soo much fun with this helpful music search!  You can type the artist or band and it will pull up the song for you... normal right?  Well SoundHound also has an option recording your voice singing a few lines of a song that you can't remember.  It searches with your audio clip, and finds the song!!!  Not only can you listen to the song you couldn't remember, it has the lyrics to most of the songs!  It also has other songs from that artist and videos.

(sorry, I'm just a bit giddy about finding this.)  :)

Tell me what apps have been useful to you!

iltechirate

Skype is a wonderful modern amenity!I really take advantage of this brilliant service, my grandparents who live in a far far off land, of two states away, get a chance to watch us grow up without compromising their health by traveling.  No this is no excuse not to have Christmas at grandmas this year!

I'm thinking the only way to get this kid to smile was to give him a huge plate of cookies!

 (as if any grandchild could skip out on grandma's gifts of Christmas sweaters and money, and even if your family doesn't celebrate this baby's birthday, I'm sure your grandparents are gift givers.)
Skype is just a way for the little sibling who can't remember grandma's house at all, to feel included.  Or that outfit that you want them to Oooo and Ahhh over.  
My Grandpa has recently bought a new Mac laptop. . .

And skypes my brother for computer help.  They'll talk for hours about screen sharing, chatting,  Pages,  Microsoft Word, and anything else just to delay my brothers math homework.  :)
 On the rare occasion when my brother isn't available, it gets passed on to me.  These last few questions I hadn't the foggiest grasp of a clue, but I was able to find them within 4 min.  (Yes, I'm very proud of myself).  So last night when he skyped me, he held up this dark square asking what it was.
               "This came in the box"  he said,  "what is it?"
Before I had a chance to reply,
               "No, honey that's your eyeglass cleaner!" interjected my grandmother.
               "I'm sure it came in the box! But I don't know what it is."  He countered.
The two went back and forth, until they had me rotfl. (literally) "Guys, I think it might be a wipe for the computer screen."

My mother added "Dad, your eyeglasses aren't that large!"  (think santa clause style, round and small)
Then came the friendly banter of "I knew it was a glass wipe!" "Well I knew it cam in the box!"
And then, right as we are skyping, in the middle of our conversation he takes the fabric square, and wipes the screen!  Oh tears were squirting out my sockets!  (Think of Steve, on Blues Clues wiping a paw print. . . and my babysitting jobs just all came back to me.)

Anyway,  enjoy these next few holiday months, go visit your grandparents!  Comment below if you have another way of spending time with your grandparents, or have a funny story about the technologically impaired.

Browsers and blue puppies,