Thing 12

12. Books

I'm not a big fan of reading books on my mobile phone. I like my Kindle or Tablet for this. And when I do read ebooks I'll use the Kindle app. I don't feel like stacking up libraries in different applications so I will stick will Amazon and my Kindle.

Thing 11.

Thing 11. Library Apps

The elm4you.org website turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me. I can see it being a useful tool when I am on the go. I made sure to bookmark it and sync my bookmarks on my other devices.

Thing 10

Thing 10. Sharing Photos

I'm not one that shares many photos. When I do I will post them on facebook. But I did give Instagram a try. I just can't think of too many reasons right now why I would use Instagram over Facebook if I want to share my photos.

Thing 9

Thing 9. Taking and Editing Photos

The Aviary app caught my attention so I gave it a go. I like it. When it comes to taking photos I like to capture what I see and not do to much editing. Aviary has some basic tools that I can be helpful if the mood is right. Overall I am satisfied with the basic camera of my phone and what it can do.

Thing 8

Thing 8. Social Media Management Tools

I've been using the major social network tools (linkedin, facebook, foursquare Google+ and twitter) so I decided to look at how Hootsuite can integrate all three of these tools together. I'm having trouble getting Hootsuite to work with Foursquare and Google+. Google+ seems to be a coding issue and Foursquare integration requires a subscription payment to integrate into Hootsuite.

Overall I like how hootsuite can interface with Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook. It looks like a nice option to manage my social connections.

Thing 7

Thing 7. Content Saving & Sharing

I've given Pintrest a go.  But I gotta say it is not my cup of tea. I prefer using Evernote and the bookmark sync functions of my favorite browsers. I need to spend more time with Pintrest ti really figure out how it will fit into my life. For now I will enjoy browsing the images.

Thing 6

Thing 6 Creating & Editing

I've been using Quick Office for a while. It suits my needs quite well. I tried CloudOn as well. Both have there place in productivity apps and I might use both both if I need to. But I'm not a big fan of using mobile phone to create large documents. I prefer my laptop for this.

Thing 5

Thing 5 - Note taking

Spring pad is shutting down so I did not get a chance to use it. Bamboo paper is not available for my devices for some reason and I really don't like remember the milk. I've tried remember the milk when it first came out and was not impressed. I've simply fallen into the habit of using Google Keep, Evernote and pen and paper for taking notes. I will often take pictures of my notes and store them on my phone in Google Keep for ease of finding them.

Things 4

Keeping Up

FlipBoard

At first glance I was apprehensive about trying flipboard. But ... once I installed it, created an account, and started selecting content areas, my mind changed. I like it. I started collecting technology related clippings.

Thing 3

Utilities

I gave the wi-fi finder app a try. Looks like this is a keeper!
It nailed all of the spots near me and identified areas I was unware of having free wi-fi.

Here is a screen shot of how it looks in the area near me.

Pretty neat I think!

Thing 2

Thing 2

Mobile Device Tips

What I discovered for my Nexus 4 and 7 devices

Nexus 4

I just love my Nexus 4. It was good decision and I never had a case of buyers remorse with that decision. One of things I noticed is I use it more for tasks and actions versus as a phone. I suspect this is the case for many smart phone users.

My Take Away

I took a look at the 25 google nexus 4 tips one the Item 2 page. Here I took advantage of the pattern security tip. I also took adjusted my font setting by increasing the default font size. I never paid attention to this setting before. It sure makes a difference. At age 43, I now employ reading glasses, but being able to optimize the font size helps relieve eye strain when using my Nexus 4. I also discovered the Nexus 4 user manual and added that to my phone as an app from the Google Play Store.

Nexus 7

I picked up my Nexus 7 at Microcenter in September of 2013. It was only sale as an opened box special for $149. It is a 1st generation model and it does run a little slow at times. But I do like it and am glad I made the purchase. It has been a great aid when I need to read digital items for class.

My Take Away

I read through the Nexus 7: 30- Tips and Tricks and 40 Google Nexus 7 Tablet Tips and Tricks sections and also took advantage of the pattern security function and font adjustment tips. I also added the Nexus 7 user manual to my apps section. It is available in the Google Play Store. Other than that, I did not learn much more from these sections.

Thing 1

Thing 1

Start blogging 

My decision to use Google Blogger

I chose to use Google Blogger because it seems like a simple application to use. Going with blogger eliminates the need for me to set up a hosting service and install additional software. I might consider WordPress in the future if my blogging needs require more advanced services. For now I will focus on learning Blogger. Item 1 was an easy task to complete.

23 Mobile Things Mn Coach

Hi. My name is Eddy. I am one of the Coaches for the 23 Mobile Things MN project. I am looking forward to answering your questions and providing support as you work through the 23 Mobile Things!

See 23mobilethingsmn.org for more information and to get involved in the project.