23 Mobile Things #23 - Evaluation of 23 Mobile Things

I had an unexpected outcome from this program that surprised me.  I thought this program would transform the way I viewed my phone and iPad.  Not so much.  I don't find my phone in particular very intriguing the way other people seem to, based on the way they seem glued to them during every free moment.  I guess I thought people were using them with apps, but I'm now guessing that it's mostly texting.  I find the apps not as powerful or as easy to use as PC programs.  The only reason that I could really see using an app on my phone is if I'm so mobile that a PC is impractical or if the app has a reason to be mobile, like 5K Runner or EverNote at a conference.  The iPad I still find surprisingly useful, although none of these apps in particular make it more so.  I think Evernote is the best app I've ever found for the iPad.

That said, I found it really useful to try so many apps.  I really need a reason to take the time to try apps, and 23 Things provided that reason.  Even when I found the app not very useful, I'm glad that I tried it, because now I don't just THINK it might not be useful for me, now I KNOW.  I did find Instagram useful and will probably keep using it. 

I would participate in another 23 Things program like this in the future.  Thanks for organizing it.

23 Mobile Things #22 - Discovering Apps

For this Thing, I tried Quixey.  As the Things description says, "It’s a much better way to do some keyword searching to find apps than you’ll get in the Apple or Android stores."  I really hate searching the Apple store.  The Things have been nice, because I'm not just looking for apps on a topic, I'm searching for a specific app, which is way easier.  With Quixey, I like the layout and the ease of sorting and comparing in a larger, easier to see format.

Downloading all these apps has made me accutely aware of what a pain it is to type on my teeny tiny phone compared to the iPad.  I also noticed the headline in the Strib Variety section recently was "Is it Time for an Apps Purge?"  I thought, "Yes!"

23 Mobile Things # 21 - Free-for-all

I was volunteering at a half-marathon last spring and was suddenly inspired by the idea that if I ran a 5k in July, I could get my kids motivated to run it with me.  Both are cross-country runners who don't train nearly enough during the summer.  I know that my sister-in-law used an app to get ready for a 5k, so I researched similar apps and downloaded 5K Runner.  The trial version only covers three training runs, so I did end up spending a small amount for the full version. 

The idea is to run a 5K after 8 weeks of training.  The app starts with a mix of walking and running, and it tells you when to walk and run.  I had to change my route away from busy streets, because I can't hear the app when there is a lot of traffic.  The goal is to run only three times per week, but the training program seems to be working.  I just completed week 6 and am up to running 20 minutes.  Nothing the app has had me do is impossible at the point it asks me to do it.  I would recommend this app for anyone trying to run a 5K.

23 Mobile Things #20 - Games

I've been playing Candy Crush for a while, so I thought I would try Bubble Mania.  It's kind of similar to Candy Crush, in that it requires looking at the layout and figuring out the best next move.  I like that it limits you to a certain number of tries per hour.  That's about all I can think of to say about this game.  Besides, I just got a new life, so I need to go play!

23 Mobile Things #19 - Hobbies

I'm a gardener, so I decided to download MyGarden to my iPad.  I like the option for a plant overview without logging in.  The plant overview is kind of simplistic, with no info on zones or colors available.  The plants are really oddly categorized, with some very, very specific varieties, along with "Phlox", which can have tons of sub varieties.  Dare I say that I wish it were more like LC Subject Headings, with broader categories above more specific categories?

The sharing piece is not very interesting to me.  There aren't very many people with particular plants in their garden, and there are very few of them in my zone.  The people who aren't in my zone are pretty irrelevant to me. I suppose this could be useful if I had questions about killing Japanese beatles, but I don't think I would use an app for that.  There are web sites that are much better for this purpose, and the U of M extension service and the Horticulture Society are much more relevant for Minnesota.  I guess that although this is a hobby, it isn't something I consider a social thing.  Or if it, is, it's social with my neighbors, not on the web.

23 Mobile Things #18 - Education

Based on the description, I chose to download Duolingo to my iPad and signed in using Google+.  I used the Spanish module.  I tried to test out of the first 7 skills based on my ancient high school Spanish.  I got pretty far, but eventually failed. I tried the first lesson, and I liked the variation of multiple choice, translating, and choosing words between explanations.  This seems like a great way to buff up my Spanish. 

I also tried Fooducate.  First I tried to locate it in the App Store using the iPad, but could not find it.  When I went to their web site, it said the app was for iPhone, so I tried searching it in the App Store using my iPhone and found it.  This app really wants me to upgrade.  I'm using a Fitbit to track my food, but if I weren't, I might use this.  Oddly, my breakfast cereal gets a lower grade on their website than in the app.  What's that about?  I like the listing of points and the ability to scan barcodes.  I'll keep this in my weight loss arsenal for a while.

This was a fun and useful Thing.

23 Mobile Things #17 - Connecting to Community

I downloaded the Going Out app from the Star Tribune onto my iPhone.  It's great!  I can find movies, restaurants, plays, comedy, museums, and more.  I like the ability to find restaurants by location, and then I can apply filters.  I like the best bets.  The app is easy to use and the person who designed it seems to think like I do.  (That probably means that most people hate it, based on most of the apps I have used so far. :-)

I can't imagine how to use this professionally, but I will definitely be using it personally.

23 Mobile Things #16 - Audio

For this thing, I downloaded SoundCloud onto my iPhone and created ANOTHER account.  I've seen on Facebook that some of my son's friends use SoundCloud, so I was hopeful that it might be a good app.  After I selected several categories to follow, the app went into lalaland while filling my Stream with the latest tracks from people you know.  Did I select too many categories?  Is my wifi too slow? 

I was able to search for an artist and play a song.  The controls are pretty straightforward, and I can see how I would make a playlist.  When I went back to my Stream, it was finally full.  Oddly, one of the items was the "General Prologue to Canterbury Tales" from Smithsonian Folkways, so I listened to that for a while.  A book by Diana Gabaldon was also on the list, but it was unclear whether it was the whole incredibly long book or not. 

The screens for 23 Things must show an iPad, because on the iPhone, when I tapped the Activity tab, all I got was a screen saying, "See Activity from people interested in your posts," with no Record option.  There was a three dot icon option not on the iPad screen shot with account info that included a record option.  I recorded myself playing Ashokan Farewell on the piano.  It was easy.  I could see using this to record a piece at a piano recital then posting it for family to hear. 

I'm trying to think how we could use this in the library.  Not too much comes to mind, but maybe if we had a reading of a banned book during Banned Books Week, we could post an excerpt of someone reading.

23 Mobile Things #15 - Infographics

Being more of a word person, I'm not really into Infographics, but I know some of our students would be.  I installed Visualize on my iPad to try my hand at making a graphic.

I used background to select a corkboard, then selected a question mark icon.  When I tapped for further effects, the app threw me out.  I started over twice, but the same thing happened.  I was able to make the icon smaller or larger, but the orange of the original icon was a limiting factor.  The app helpfully offered to let me buy something better frequently.  The same problem happened with stationery, talking bubble, and anything else under Gallery.  I could draw, but as soon as I tapped futher effects, it threw me out.  Ditto for Text. 

I can see that it might be useful to make infographics for our library, but this is obviously not the way I'm going to do it.  I guess I got what I paid for!  I would be reluctant to try the paid version of this app since I can't really try the features.

23 Mobile Things #14 - Videos

I had heard of Vine, so I downloaded it to my phone and created yet ANOTHER account.  Vine was really easy to use.  I liked the embedded tutorial that you almost could not avoid.  However, the only interesting thing to videotape was my teenage son making popcorn, and he did not appreciate appearing in my video.  He had heard of Vine, but did not want me to post.  I totally understand.  In fact, I think it's a great, easy way to take a short video, but I must be really old school because I don't understand who would want to view my videos, unless it's of some momentous event like first steps or graduation.  Maybe a funny cat?  But we don't own a cat.

Last year was the first time I ran into a patron who only wanted information in video format, not something they could read.  I can understand this for people with learning disabilities, but for most people, I can't really fathom this.  Video is hard to browse.  You can't "scan" it the way you can scan a printed page.  It takes way longer to view a video.  It can be a legitimate source of information, but I can't see it as an efficient source of information.  The same goes for Vine, which seems like the extended version of Instagram.  None of the videos that Vine showed me were remotely interesting or funny. 

I can't think of any way we could use this at work that we couldn't do better with a photo or screen capture. 

23 Mobile Things #13 - Presentations

For this Thing, I downloaded Deck Slideshow Presentations onto my iPad.  I liked that it didn't make me create an account to get started.  (My Password Safe is getting way too much use lately!)  It was really easy to create slides and apply a theme, although I was a bit disappointed that most themes required a fee.  Still, I tried Stickies and Paper Plate and they were both pretty cool.  Stickies reminded me of Prezi.  I can see that some themes might be worth a fee.  I like that it can export to Slideshare, Dropbox, email, and more. 

The drawback to using this at work is that we're a seriously Microsoft shop, which makes it really hard to use an iPad to connect to a projector.  I would definitely have to export these files.  If I export as a Deck file, I have to use an Apple device to get the cool effects, which means problems using a projector.  I could use it as a PDF or Powerpoint with a PC, but then I might as well use something else.  Still, if I exported it to Slideshare, there might be possibilities.  A conundrum worth contemplating.

23 Mobile Things #12 - Books, Books, & More Books

I chose to try the YALSA Teen Book Finder.  I have a teenage son who is a voracious reader, and I have been keeping lists of these titles on my phone to borrow from the teen section at our public library when they become available.  I like the search by genre and the search by award, but I wish you could do an advanced search like by genre by year.  I also like the option for favorites, which would allow me to keep track of which books I've already offered to him.  The nicest thing about this app is that as long as I can connect to wifi, I no longer have to type in the titles in Evernote.  Very nice.

23 Mobile Things # 11 - Library & Reference

Our library has a mobile version of our catalog at https://cen-mplus-mnpals-net.cenproxy.mnpals.net/vufind/.  It's not an app, but for a library catalog, in some ways, I think that's better.  Gale has an app, but EBSCO has a mobile version that detects the type of device you are on and switches to the mobile version if necessary.  We've had some problems with off-campus access through the Gale app, but no problems with EBSCO mobile because access goes through our proxy server.  Apps and proxy servers do not necessarily play nicely.

We have a guide to mobile access for our library that includes mobile versions and apps at http://libguides.century.edu/mobile.   My favorite app there is the Bluefire Reader, not so much because it's a great reader app but because it facilitates the download of our ebooks onto Nook and iPad without having to go through the hassle of downloading through Adobe Digital Editions first.

For this Thing, I downloaded the St. Paul Public Library app.  It has a number of options:

• My Account: It's nice that it can save the login info.  I may use this to renew books.
• Library Locator: A good thing if you're out and about and want to find the closest branch of the library. Oddly, it wanted to know my location, but then listed every branch, with no regard to where I was located.
• Ask A Librarian: It's nice that Email Us and Call Us are just a click away.  I'm surprised that there is no chat option though.
• E-books and Audiobooks Available Now: Nice!  OverDrive, 3M Cloud Library, and OneClickdigital, all ready for use.  I'd better put this app on my iPad, though, because I really don't want to be reading books on my phone.  Downloading audiobooks might be an option, though.
• New Books for Adults, Teens, Kids: Useful, but I'd rather browse in person.
• BookLook @ ISBN search: If I'm doing selection using Choice or Library Journal, I can grab the barcode and find out whether or not the library has it. Cool!
• Research: Ugh.  This wants me to install more apps.  Can't they just pass me to the EBSCO mobile site with my saved login credentials already in place.  Bummer.

There's more, but not as interesting as these.  

23 Mobile Things # 10 - Sharing Photos

I downloaded Instagram and logged in using Facebook.  I was instantly able to follow several Facebook friends.  I'm pretty sure one of my sons uses Instagram, but I couldn't find him using the search, which is pretty primitive.  This is kind of like Twitter for photos.  I see that most people I know are using it for photos of pretty flowers.  With the ability to edit photos these days, it's pretty easy to take lovely photos of flowers, and while they brighten my day, I'm not sure how many I need to see.

I do like the ease of taking photos with my phone, editing them, and uploading them to other places, like Facebook.  One of the major pains with using the old style camera at work to take shots of the library is getting the photos off the camera, onto the computer, and then uploaded to our blog or Facebook.  This could make it really easy to use my phone to take photos, edit them in Instagram, and post them, at least on the library's Facebook account.  I didn't see an easy way to post to Blogger, but maybe there is one.  I think this app will be useful in the long run.

23 Mobile Things #9 -. Taking & Editing Photos

I downloaded Photo Editor by Aviary on my iPad.  It's great.  We don't use the iPad much as a camera, but this editor might cause us to use it more.  Here's a photo of my mom that was on the iPad that I enhanced. It was an absolutely horrible shot that we used to show off the things the iPad could do the last time we visited my parents.  Photo Editor turned it into something almost usable.

 Here's a photo from a robotics meet of the team mascot. 

I can think of several uses for this app at our library, particularly editing photos for our blog.  We're also considering adding iPads to circulate and this might be an app that we would add to the available apps on those iPads.

23 Mobile Things #8 - Social Media Management Tools

I've been on Facebook and LinkedIn for many years, and I have a Google+ account because you pretty much can't avoid having one.  However, my Google+ profile and account were pretty barebones, and since I often receive requests for friends on that account, I thought I would take this opportunity to set it up. 

I started by uploading a profile photo and adding friends.  I like that Google+ automatically groups people.  I'm not as fond of the magazine type layout, but at least it's not overrun with ads the way Facebook is these days.  and I like the way it handles photos.  Although I had a bunch of friend requests to process, when I added all the people, what I discovered was that not many of them are actually posting to Google+.  In fact, one post read, "Just posting so I can find again."  Most amusing.  I'm glad to have an improved profile, but I don't know how often I will check this.

Our library currently has a Facebook and Twitter account.  Our blog automatically posts to Twitter, but not to Facebook.  I set it all up so long ago that I have no idea offhand how it works or what it uses.  I might take a look at Hootsuite or something else to automatically make our posts go to all our sites, although I most likely will use a PC and not an app to do so.  I can't quite imagine why one would use an app for this purpose, but maybe it will all become clear to me when I get my neural implant.  :-)

23 Mobile Things #7 - Content Saving & Sharing

I chose to take a look at Bitly, which I have used for years to shorten URLS.  This time I downloaded it to my iPhone and created an account using Facebook.  I copied a link, pasted it in, and the app went off into lala land for many minutes, probably because I use wireless and don't have a data plan.  I stopped it, copied a different link, went over to the Bitly app, where it said, "Link Detected - want to save this link you copied?"  I clicked "Save it", and it seemed to work.  But then when I went to "Your Links", nothing I copied was there.  The app must have changed since the 23 Things "Getting Started with Bitly" was created, because there was no "Next" option and the screens looked nothing like the directions on 23 Things.  Guess I should have tried this back in January.

The menu icon gave me options for Your Links, Bundles, Your Friends' Links, and Trending Links.  Your Links brought up the same search screen as the initial screen that again went off into lala land endlessly.  Bundles was empty.  Your Friends' Links, which I thought might load something from Facebook, also searched endlessly.  Trending Links gave me a "Realtime error".

My phone generally works fine without a data plan, but this particular app is pretty useless.  It's too bad, because I was thinking it would be like the old Delicious, which was great for keeping a set of bookmarks in the cloud.  I'm bummed.  I may try it on the iPad, but my phone is where I really could have used it.

23 Mobile Things - #6 - Creating & Editing Docs

I chose to try QuickOffice, although when I saw the two star rating, I almost chose CloudOn instead.  I though QuickOffice would be useful because I use Google Drive.

I downloaded and opened the app, signed into my Google account, and looked through the directions for Powerpoint, which could be useful when presenting at a conference.  I also looked through the Word directions, then turned to my Google Drive, which had my name on it.  I looked at the recent documents and then things got weird. 

Did I mention that I share the iPad with my 16 year old son?  Did I mention that he also uses Google Drive?  IPads want to belong to someone, and despite the fact that I signed into MY Google account, somehow QuickOffice belongs to him.  Finally, I saw an option to add another Google account, which allowed me into my documents.  (When I'm signed in, does that mean he can access my documents?  Since they are mostly work related, it doesn't really matter, but it's weird.)  I opened a spreadsheet, which did not allow me to edit, but offered me the opportunity to buy an app.  I could view it, though.  Then I tried to open a Word document, which also offered me the opportunity to buy an app.  Hmmm. 

Creating a document did work.  I also created a Powerpoint slide and a spreadsheet.  I have to say that it's not nearly as easy as using a PC, but I could see that if the only device I had on hand at a conference or a meeting were an iPad or iPhone, this could come in handy.  Would I remember the gestures if I used this app infrequently?  Hmmm.

I think for notetaking, I will still use Evernote, but I think I will keep this app on the iPad. 

23 Mobile Things - #5 Notetaking

I've been meaning to try a to-do list app for ages, so I was happy to see Remember the Milk on this list.  We still use a Lotus Organizer list that I set up while on maternity leave nearly 20 years ago to track tasks like taking the car in for oil changes and fertilizing the lawn.  It has worked well, but it's not able to be shared and is only located on one of our PCs.  We print a to-do list each month and put it on the refrigerator, but it would be nice to have something we could share that also pushed reminders.

First, I had to use Password Safe to generate a password.  Since the passwords are shared on four devices, I was using Google Drive to sync.  Apparently Apple devices don't like Google Drive.  I spent several hours trying to get the system to work, then switched to Dropbox.  Unhappy me, but happy Apple devices!  Why can't we all play together nicely?

Finally, I was able to log in to Remember the Milk.  It seems great for reminders of things to do this week.  I also figured out how to add events far in the future that will repeat indefinitely.  However, I can't figure out how to view your whole to-do list all at once, and I don't see how you could enter something like "Do this during the month of October".  I could see I might easily enter to-do items multiple times with slightly different terms.  I also don't like the "handwriting". 

I don't think this could replace our Organizer list, but I could see myself using it to add a note at work to remind me to do something when I get home.  Currently, I use email for this purpose, but I suppose I might be able to retrain myself to use my phone notifications. I wonder if I could add a reminder for someone else.  THAT could be really useful. 

For work purposes, I use the Outlook task list to remind me of repeating tasks.  It's crucial.  I don't think an app could replace it. 

For notetaking on the iPad, I find Evernote quite helpful.  I've started taking notes at conferences using Evernote and it's nice to have them all available in one place when I want them.

23 Mobile Things #4 - Keeping Up

This is one time when being late to the table paid off.  I had to choose between Flipboard and Zite.  Having no initial preference based on description, I read a blog post by another person doing the 23 Things who had chosen Zite and disliked it, hence I picked Flipboard.

Based on her analysis of Zite, Flipboard is just as bad.  I really, really dislike the layout.  I currently follow about 30 RSS feeds using Feedly.  I used to use Google Reader, which I liked, but sadly, it met an untimely demise.  Feedly has served my purpose well since I began using it.  I find the interface intuitive and clean.  Flipboard is crowded, nonlinear, and to my mind, nonsensical.  It's just a mishmash.  I'm looking for information, not entertainment.  Ugh. And I really dislike the flipping.  Just ugh.

I appreciate this Thing, though.  At least I know that Feedly is still what I want for my RSS feeds.

23 Mobile Things # 3 - Utilities

I liked this thing.  Apps prescreened by librarians are a good thing.  I already had Wi-Fi Finder on my phone because I don't have a data plan, but it was not useful if I couldn't get online to find free wifi.  I didn't know about the database I could download for off-line access.  I downloaded it, and now this app is so much more useful!

I had QRReader on my phone because as we switch our periodicals to online only, we have put a sheet in a plastic magazine cover on our magazine display racks where the print would normally go with a QR code leading to the online version.  I need to test all the QR codes.  For this thing, I tried RedLaser.  I like it a bit better than QRReader because QRReader just automatically looked for a QR code when you started it.  I like that this one has an icon to start reading, so you could conceivably do something else first. 

We also plan to put QR codes with a link to our mobile catalog out on the ends of our stacks, but we have not yet had time for that.  I like the idea of a QR code library tour, too.  Or put a QR code on our study rooms with a link to an online reservation page.

23 Mobile Things #2 - Mobile Device Tips

I share an iPad with my 16 year old son and last summer, I bought an unlocked iPhone 5c.  I have no data plan, just a prepaid phone plan with wireless. 

I found lots of the tips interesting, but the reality is, I can't remember any of them when I need them.  Luckily for me, the user interface on the iPad and iPhone is fairly self-explanatory, but unless you use a feature frequently, you are unlikely to remember it when you need it.  I think the most exciting tip for me was the ability to delete email by swiping, but on my phone, the trash option isn't there, only the ability to archive.  I think that's because I have it connected to my gmail account. 

23 Mobile Things #1 - Blogging & Registering

I did the previous 23 Things programs and found them very useful.  I have co-owned an iPad with my son for two years now.  We find that sharing ownership works well.  I take it to conferences, he uses it to check Reddit, and we both read the Star Tribune on it when we travel. I recently bought an iPhone and am still getting used to it.

Although we have a number of apps loaded, the sheer number of potential apps is overwhelming.  I'm grateful to try some that have been preselected by librarians as potentially useful to me, both personally and professionally.  Also, our library currently circulates Kindles, Nooks, and laptops, but I can see that mobile devices like iPads may be in our future.  I hope to find apps useful for circulating iPads, as well as apps that could help our staff.