Being Social #31 - It's not the phone, it's the apps

My colleagues are now buying the iPad 2, in order to continue to be on the cutting edge. However, no matter what the device, what matters are the applications (apps) on it. Ask any iPad or Nook user about their device and they will soon be talking about the apps that they use. Mobile devices are nothing without software (apps) that give them the functionality people crave. So in this issue of Being Social, I want to focus on apps that you might want to have.

Note: All of the apps I'm going to mention today are free or low cost.

Staying Connected - Our mobile devices allow us to communicate whenever we want to. Generally that communication is going to be through email, IM or social media (e.g., Twitter). LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter have created their own apps. In addition, others have create Twitter apps that provide additional functionality (e.g., Hootsuite or Tweetdeck). All of these apps give you similar functionality to the web version while you are on the go.

Skype does has an app, which I've found useful. Be sure to be connected to a wifi network so that there are no charges.

My must have? Hootsuite

For the Road Warrior - If you are a frequent traveler, then you will appreciate apps that take some of the stress out our trips.

• Yelp provides information (and reviews) on restaurants, bars, coffee shops, places to shop and more. Yelp can show you want is nearby and allow you to see user reviews of those places. This is a great feature for locating restaurants in places that are new to you.
• GateGuru tells you where food and other services are located in airports. This can stop you from wandering around needlessly.
• Local maps - The transit maps for a growing number of major cities are available as apps. Having maps on your phone is handy and will make you look less like a lost tourist.
• Hotel and Airline apps - These may not be all that you expect, but they can be worth investigating. Based on my experience with a hotel app, I would suggest heavy testing before you decide to rely on it.
• My TSA will give you info on the delays at airport security checkpoints.
  

My must have? Yelp

But I'm bored - Time to pull out a book or a game. While the game everyone is talking about is Angry Bird, you might want to try something else. Personally, I like the games produced by Lab Pixies such as Flood It, Trio and LineUp. They are challenging and quick.

As for books, there are a number of ereaders available for your mobile device including Stanza, B&N eReader, Kindle app, and iBooks. I suggest trying out several ebook readers with free books that are available to you. Note that some will sync with other devices, so that you can read a book on whatever device you have in your hands.

My must have? Flood It

Information, please -

• Your local news media likely has developed some apps. I like those as well as apps from ABC News, CNN and NPR.
  
• One important piece of information you need is the weather forecast. For that, download the Weather Channel app.
• Need a sports score? I use ESPN's ScoreCenter.

My must have? The Weather Channel

Things that are hard to classify -

• Amazon.com because of its Amazon Remembers feature.
• Dictionary.com.
• App from your bank.
• i-nigma for reading QR codes.
• TagReader for reading Microsoft tags (their version of QR codes).

My must have? Dictionary.com

What is not available is an app that will read my mind and write blog posts automatically, which is why this one is late. Perhaps Apple is working on that one?

What apps are important to you? Leave a message and let us know!

Want to read previous issues of Being Social? Go to:
http://enetworking101.blogspot.com/search/label/Being%20Social

Comments? If you have a comment about this issue of Being Social, please email me or leave a comment in the blog. Thanks!

Next issue of Being Social will be in about two weeks...

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