App-titude

 Sometimes I look at my phone and wonder when I’m going to figure out what all those apps were that I simply had to have when I downloaded them.

Some of them, naturally, came with a subscription fee and after the trial period I just didn’t care enough to buy them, but didn’t care enough to offload them, either. (I will one day when space runs thin.) Others were amusing, or disappointed me, or I’ve simply forgotten. Others I use every day and would feel somewhat lost without.

I won’t bother with things like the built-in necessities like contacts and the camera, or links to apps like Netflix or Prime Video that can quickly find a movie I’d like to watch and add it to my list.

Like many others, I’ve migrated from just Messenger (or the built-in text app) to include others, like one of my favorite options, Signal, that allows for a certain amount of privacy while texting, and WhatsApp are options many favor.

There are shopping apps that are useful. Since I shop at BJ’s fairly frequently, I use their coupon app, which can also shop for you – providing your discounts, and, thanks (I say, ironically) to the COVID limitations, allows you to shop and have your purchases brought to your car at the store location when you arrive if you’d prefer not to shop inside.

SkyView is an app that was introduced to me a couple of summers ago, and I must admit I really enjoy it. Turn it on, and it will (if you choose) play some “music of the spheres” to you while you enjoy pointing it in any direction to see what constellations are around you in three dimensional space. It’s particularly wonderful when there’s an unusual happening in the sky, like a Super Moon, or a conjunction of planets that happens only once in a “blue” moon!

An app I’m a big fan of is Shazam. If I’m watching a movie, or listening to music, and hear a song I simply have to have on my playlist, but I don’t know what it is, I pull this app up, tap it, and literally in seconds (I’m somewhat astounded at how quickly it works) it will tell me the song and who is performing it.

Plant Snap and Picture This are frequently invoked when I’m walking in the woods and I want to identify a plant, and I’ve just recently added Rock Identifier, as I’m always curious what any rock outcropping I see is, and why I’m seeing it.

There are a number of apps that are everyday useful, like grocery lists and photo enhancers, Waze will help you get where you’re going with live updates about traffic and weather, and WorkFlowy will help you synch your ToDo lists between your computer and phone so you always know what you’re supposed to be doing versus what you are doing.

And for a little fun, try ReFace, to combine your face or a friend’s with a movie star or other oddity, or Randonautica, if you’re in the mood to go wandering and can’t think of where – put in your mood options and let it send you off on a quest.

And with that, my phone has signaled I should be done writing.

I recommend a language-learning app to anyone who has ever studied, or would like to study a foreign language. I refreshed my French, and am (trying as hard as ich kann) to learn German using an app called DuoLingo. While it may not be the very best in terms of how it teaches, and I leave that to language experts to discuss, what I do like is that you can keep it free fairly easily and the lessons are bite sized at about 5-15 minutes depending on your speed and skill. Many apps, especially learning apps, will “trick” you with the free version into running out of errors – and thus not being able to complete a lesson for a period of time, perhaps 24 hours, until your “bank” builds up adequately. DuoLingo will usually let you get through your lesson without running out of “hearts.”

I’m delighted with the Audible and Kindle apps, that allow me to carry books, and listen to books, while traveling. Though I prefer a tablet for reading if I must read electronically (yep, I’m a Luddite when it comes to books), it is nice to know that if you’re stuck in a waiting room or on a trip, you do have something useful to read with you.

Nancy Roberts