Thing #3

I installed the Google Goggles.  When I was teaching an adult computer class earlier this year, and was faced with Apple questions, I replied that I was really a Google Girl.  Well, that has been verified further, because the Google Goggles is great.

I have been meaning to download a QR Reader but the Goggles app does so much more. You can read the QR codes, but also art work, logos, and more.  You only need to take a photo with the phone's camera and the app does its magic.  (Google does warn you that it doesn't work well for animals, at least not living ones, but it would probably work for photos of animals.)

For a book's barcode, it read the ISBN number and then gave options of where to look for information.  I chose Google Bookstore, and up came the complete description of the book along with an illustration of its cover.  The possibilities of using this with ISBN numbers are myriad.  Scan a book, go to Google Bookstore, and find books by the same author, or find others in a series. 

You can also take a photo of text in another language and have it translated for you.  I actually could have used this option in Norway (see Thing #2). There is a grid that shows up for taking the photos so that you can keep the text straight and readable.  This is definitely an app that will be used!

23 Things #1 & #2

Okay, so I had given up on doing the 23 Mobile Things since the time got away from me.  Now that the time has been extended, I am working on finishing up all 23, or at least getting half way through.

Number 2 was a great thing to learn since I had purchased a Samsung Galaxy S4 the week before.  I have not tried all 25 tips, but have worked on a few.  Here are some that I found helpful:

The eyeball interaction is handy, but also a bit weird.  I don't know if it is because I have glasses that reflect the light, but the eyeball icon seems to come on sporadically and then disappear.  If I am not wearing my glasses, it is better.

The ability to do so many things with voice commands is great.  I can take photos by saying "cheese."  I have not done any videos yet, but have also found that the ability to send texts by voice command is very helpful when my hands are sticky from pizza dough or some other substance.  (I am not the world's fastest texter, so the voice command speeds things up for me.)

I had been told about the Air Gesture by the salesman (the ability to answer the phone just by waving your hand in front of the phone), but the tips showed exactly how to use it which saved me from my usual experimentation mode.  I need to get a bit more comfortable with it.

While on a recent trip to Norway, I wished that I had international access on my phone to use the S Translator.  I haven't had the opportunity to try it here in the U.S., but now know that option is available.

There are still many tips that I haven't played around with, but I know they are there, ready to use when I need them.