#12 - Yes Man, Top 5 Apps
Motto: Say “Yes” More
Recently, I have pulled together the messages from different movies, stories, books, and cliches into a new self-manifesto. I am vowing to be more adventurous… carpe Diem, that sort of thing. There is really a lot more I could go into about that, but I think I will refrain. Let’s just say that under and behind and inside everything I took for granted, something terrible has been growing. I have trapped myself in my neat little zen world and shut myself off to possibilities, and that sense of entrapment has gave rise to a sense of urgency and anxiety.
No more.
In that spirit. I am going to workout pretty soon. So this will have to be short. There are other things to get to.
I have done a little more experimenting with Android lately, and found/re-found some really good things. See: My Top 5
I love waterbottles. My insulated Camelbak and my new 1 liter Nalgene bottle alone get me drinking nearly a gallon of water a day.
I will leave this post with a video I took on my phone. Josh had more white shirts than he wanted and decided to get rid of one.
[editor’s note from the future: this video was lost to time]
Related note: I am going to make videos with my phone soon.
Top 5: New Android Apps I’ve Discovered and Why They Rock
- Google Earth - I’ve had Google Earth installed on my phone since the day I bought it, but it’s only recently that I realized how undeniably impressive it is. With the updated Google Places application, the 3D buildings, and (mostly) the integration with Google’s “Panoramio” service, you can look at thousands of pictures of any given monument. It’s extremely impressive in person.
- TripIt - This is an internet service and Android application. Basically it searches through your email inbox and pulls out any travel information you have in there, storing it in a much more convenient fashion. I’m travelling to Indiana soon, and I have a widget with my itinerary on it. This includes confirmation numbers, flight numbers, times, and all sorts of other useful information.
- Evernote - I’ve had Evernote before, but back then I was evaluating the service as a whole. I wasn’t really sold on it. Now, I’ve committed pretty hard into Evernote and I have to say I love it. The Android app has been updated since I installed it way back when. It’s MUCH better now. It’s fast and it looks nice. They covered both the obvious issues they had when I last installed it.
- Jeanie - Pretty much a carbon copy of Apple’s “Siri”, Jeanie does some astonishing things. It can distinguish between “find the nearest gas station” and “what gas stations are around here”. I told it to show me a picture of Abraham Lincoln. It didn’t Google “Abraham Lincoln”, it just showed me a picture of his face. I’m still testing what all can be done, but seriously I’m impressed.
- SwiftKey Beta 3 - This is another app I’ve technically had before. I bought SwiftKey X back when it was on sale for 10 or 25 cents during one of the app sales… and I was unimpressed. The “prediction” feature didn’t seem to be enough to justify the hassle of a new keyboard. I gave it another shot with the new Beta, and I must say, I love it. Not so much the prediction feature (although it also rocks) but the fact that I can blaze away at the keyboard and it autocorrects things with astonishing accuracy. Much better even than the stock ICS keyboard.
Quote:
“This is your life, and it’s ending one moment at a time.” - Chuck Palahniuk