23 Mobile Things - Thing 21 - Free-For-All

Too many apps!  Too hard to choose!  For Thing 21, we are encouraged to blog about apps we know and love that may not have been mentioned during 23 Mobile Things.

First, I decided to check out what apps other participants had chosen for Thing 21.  Here are a couple that I found interesting:

Instant Heart Rate

23 Things on the Bookmobile from the Arrowhead Library System (ALS) recommended the Instant Heart Rate app.  To use this app, you simply put your finger over the camera lens and in 10 seconds, your heart rate has been recorded.  I'm not sure this is good for your camera lens, but the reading did seem accurate when I tried it.  The app then asks you what type of activity you had been doing or how you are feeling and it records that along with the time, date and heart rate.  Pretty neat!

ESV Bible

Infinite Joy from Metronet enjoys the ESV Bible app.  I found the app easy to use and have already highlighted some of my favorite Bible verses.

One of my favorite Bible Verses - Philippians 4:13

Another Metronet participant, Stick To It!, mentioned the YoWindow app. This is a quirky app that is a visual weather forecast.  As you slide your finger across the screen you get hourly forecasts, but they are pictures of what the weather will be.  I liked the app until I got to next Wednesday and the screen showed snow falling.

YoWindow

Essy's Musings from Northern Lights Library Network (NLLN) highlighted TripAdvisor and Kayak apps.  I use both and also recommend these apps for traveling.

4 Pics 1 Word

Jen's Mobile Device Adventure, also from NLLN, recommended several apps that I found interesting.  I already use the Betty Crocker Cookbook app and play Sudoku, but I had never heard of the 4 Pics 1 Word app. I can see where this game could become addicting.  The app gives you four photos and some letters.  You have to determine a word that describes all four photos using some or all of the letters given.  It is fun!


Like Judygp, NLLN, I have been a Weight Watcher (WW) in the past.  I love the program and it does work.  I also used the WW app and loved it!  However, I do not want to continue to pay for WW so am always looking for something similar to use.  Judygp recommended the My Fitness Pal and Sparkpeople apps.  I plan on trying them both.

Shuffling Sheep

NLLN's The Loony Librarian mentioned a great app under Thing 20-Games, that I thought would be appropriate under this "thing," too.  A Sartell High School graduate, David Hanson, and his wife have created a game app called Shuffling Sheep.  The St. Cloud Times ran an article about David and his app, Sartell Resident Turns Passion for Gaming Into Business Plan.  I love this because of the local, Minnesota connection, and also that this could be inspiration for other high school students to try creating mobile apps.  Plus, a bonus, the game is quite fun (even if Farmer Joe beat me at my first game)!

I also agree with SSC Library, from Southwest Area Multicounty Multitype Interlibrary Exchange (SAMMIE) that Skype and FaceTime should be mentioned.  When our daughter studied abroad in Italy several years ago, Skype helped this homesick mom see her daughter, not just talk to her.  FaceTime came in handy last Christmas when we could not celebrate with our families.  It was fun to FaceTime with them even if we couldn't be there in person.

Now, here are some of my favorite apps:

Hobbies

ClueTracker

ClueTracker - My husband and I enjoy letterboxing, which is a scavenger hunt-type game.  You can get clues from AtlasQuest or Letterboxing North America (LbNA) and then you go out searching for the letterbox.  ClueTracker is an app that will search clues from both websites.

StarWalk - Great app if you like to star gaze.

Trailhead - App that helps you find great hiking trails and biking routes whereever you are.

Bejeweled Blitz

Games
Bejeweled Blitz - I'm addicted.
Mahjong DF
Sudoku
CloseUps - Gives you a close up photo of something and you guess what it is.

Photography

WiFi Photo

Fuzel - Make cool collages.

A Beautiful Mess (ABM) - A new favorite of mine...collage, add text, edit, FUN!

Flipagram - Make videos of still photos and share to Instagram.  Can add music.

Flickr - I learned about Flickr during 23 Things on a Stick and still use it!

WiFi Photo - This is probably my #1 recommendation.  This app allows you to upload photos from your mobile device to a computer, without the need to use your device's cable.  I use this almost every day.

Lose It!

Health and Fitness
Lose It! - I have been using this app in place of Weight Watchers.  It has almost the same features, and it is free!  The app syncs to their website. This app is awesome!

Map My Ride - I am participating in the 30 Days of Biking challenge and will be using this app.

Ease into 5k - When I am feeling really ambitious, I go back to this app.  It is a training app that trains you to run a 5k.  I like the app because it uses your own iTunes music and just gives audio prompts (i.e.  walk, run, etc.)


Books

Audible

Audible - Along with Facebook and Pinterest, Audible is one of my "must have" apps.  One of our favorite pasttimes is going on road trips.  The first thing we do before heading out on a road trip is to download books from Audible to listen to as we travel.  We love Audible!

Waze

Travel
AAA apps

State Farm app
Weather BugGoogle Maps
Waze

Tools
Light - To help find your keys, to find your way to an outhouse when camping, etc.
Flashlight - Same use as the Light app

Bump - Makes it easy to share photos, contacts, files, etc. with family and friends, and it's fun to do!


Shopping

eBay

CaringBridge

eBay
QVC








Other
CaringBridge - Good way to keep informed if you know someone who has a Caring Bridge site.