Category Archives: Android Phones

Tech News Overload….

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It’s almost impossible to keep up with all the great and useful things to know that are happening on the technology front.  That’s why in upcoming Posts the format for tech4boomers will change to short burst of information with links to the web pages, or apps, or guidelines  etc., which will give you quick access to the things that interest you most. You will also want to visit DIGITWIRL, which has great suggestions and tips for organizing your technology world. A link to the website (Great Technology Tips) is available under BLOGS I LIKE.

The topics covered in this Post are : Health Apps, Healthful Computing, and How to Buy a Router.

HEALTH APPS

appear to be everywhere, and there seems to be one for everything.  I don’t know why I was surprised to read about these weight loss apps in a Nutrition Newsletter that I received in the ‘snail mail‘, but there they were prominently placed on a page all by themselves as the latest way to keep track of what you are eating by using an app on your smartphone, or computer.  Below are some of the APPS that were suggested, along with the links to them. I’ve read that free apps are just as good as any of the ones which charge a fee in this category.  Why don’t you check them out for yourself using the links below which goes with your device.

Name of APP – MyFitnessPal – FREE

  • ANDROID USERS – Lose weight with MyFitnessPal, the fastest and easiest to use calorie counter for Android. With the largest food database of any Android calorie counter (over 1,700,000 foods), and amazingly fast food and exercise entry, we’ll help you take those extra pounds off! There is no better diet app – period.via Calorie Counter – MyFitnessPal – Android Apps on Google Play.

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Name of APP – Lose It! – FREE

  • iPhone Users: Succeed at weight loss with Lose It! Set goals and establish a daily calorie budget that enables you to meet them. Stay on track each day by recording your food and exercise and staying within your budget. The average active Lose It! user has lost more than 12lbs and more than 85% of our active users have lost weight. Lose It! is completely free via App Store – Lose It!.
  • ANDROID USERS – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitnow.loseit

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HEALTHFUL COMPUTING!

tech4boomers  has often written about the importance of being careful to protect your eyes when you are at the computer. Check out the tips at this site:
http://office-ergo.com/eyestrain-neck-pain/

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DO YOU NEED AN EQUIPMENT UPDATE?

When was the last time you updated your computer equipment?  I know many of us are trying to save those dollars, but it could be possible that by not evaluating whether your current computer equipment is serving your best interests both economically and aesthetically, and you could be paying more than you need to.  Take a look at the article, which appeared in PC World Magazine recently about Routers.  It will help you to check what steps you should take in deciding what is best for your technology purposes.

How to Buy a Router, By Armando Rodriguez, PCWorld May 3, 2012

Buying a router may not be at the top of everyone’s to-do list, but a new model can mean the difference between enjoying Netflix in HD and seeing a grainy mess of substandard video.

  •  Are you still using the router that your Internet service provider gave you? If so, you might not be getting the best results possible. Routers that ISPs provide tend to be older models running custom firmware, and the download and upload speeds from these routers may not match the speeds you pay for.via How to Buy a Router | PCWorld.

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See you at the next Post.  I hope this is helpful 🙂

APPS Celebrate Black History

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Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history. via Black History Month — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts.

Both Android and Apple are celebrating Black History Month with interesting APPS.  There is an exciting selection to choose from.  Take a look and see what meets your personal interest.

ANDROID APPS:  Description – Are you searching for facts and information about the lives of famous and important black people in history? Discover all the facts about the inspirational lives and achievements of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and other famous and noteworthy black history people.Maybe you’re a teacher looking for ideas for Black History Month activities…a student researching a project… or a concerned parent who wants to make sure that their kids are fully aware of the many famous African Americans who can inspire them to follow their dreams. Nearly 100 profiles are included.via Black History People – Android Apps and Tests – AndroidPIT.

ANDROID App Screenshots

iPhone APPS for History and Inspiration

The Black History Month iPhone app offers pre-selected images that are relative to the time of celebration. A short description is available for each image, which can be used for your phone’s wallpaper or incorporated into the Gallery. For 99 cents, the iPhone app also includes a soundtrack for a full slideshow effect.

For an iPhone app that offers some perspective on Black History Month, there’s Then and Now Series: Black History. A relevant resource, this $1.99 iPhone app is also great to share with the kids. Learn of those that have made an impact in recent and distant history, with an easy-to-use interface offering information about 100 influential people.

For a more basic perspective, the 99-cent African American History iPhone app offers the run down on important African-Americans and their achievements. With a “This Day in History” option, you can also receive daily information made relevant throughout the entire month of February.

Aside from basic history quotes, African-Americans have had an impact on the country’s film culture as well. Check out the TCM iPhone app to see what related films will be included in February’s lineup. The free iPhone app also gives information about each film, its cast and crew, and its influence on America and cinematography.via iPhone and Android apps to celebrate Black History Month – iPhone app recommendations – Kristen Nicole | Appolicious ™ iPhone and iPad App Directory.

I hope you enjoy these APPS. 🙂

Using HotSpots … Guidelines…

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At the last post we offered some suggestions for using HotSpot software.  Boingo WiFi and Wi-Finder appear to be very popular Mobile Apps. Both iPad and Android  have this App available for their mobile devices.  Boingo received  great reviews, both for ease of use and customer service.

Mobile applications, also called mobile apps, are software applications, usually designed to run on smartphones and tablet computers. They are available through application distribution platforms, which are typically operated by the owner of the mobile operating system, such as the Apple App Store, Android Market, and BlackBerry App World. Some apps are free, and others have a price.via Mobile apps – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Here are some of the details that caught our attention.  We suggest you use the links provided at the end of this post to get a complete review and guidance for each App.

♦ When traveling to a new place check out the Wi-Fi access before you go.  This may help you decide on a hotel site, or a particular hotel (see below).

♦ The Blue pins on the map show free hotspots; Red pins indicate Boingo hotspots.

To check where the hotspots are at the site you are traveling to, do the following on your mobile device:

1) Click the Boingo App Logo  2) Click Find Hotspots Near Me  3)  Type the  address, or city and state of the place you’re traveling to  4) When the Blue & Red pins show up, click the View button  5) click the List button  6) click Done, a list of locations will appear on your mobile device screen (see samples below). You can also click on a place to see more details (e.g., whether the hotspot is free).  Note:  Click the images below with your mouse to see a clearer picture.

              

Check out these great websites below by clicking the links for additional information:

 ♦ Boingo Wi-Finder for iPhone Review: Finding Hotspots Everywhere via Boingo Wi-Finder for iPhone Review: Finding Hotspots Everywhere

 ♦ Musings by Annelie Näs  Digital, and more digital – ideas, thoughts and reflections via Boingo Wireless Follow-Up: Special treatment for Blogging customers?.

I hope this is helpful 🙂 !



Twitter for Android Phone Users

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As I searched for the best Mobile Twitter App for Android, what I discovered is the best app to use is the one endorsed by Twitter itself.  This app is free of charge, and can be found at the Android Market. Just click the link below.

  Twitter – Android Market


After you install the Twitter app, I suggest that you use the guidelines I found written by Dan Gookin, which explain how the program works for the Android phone.  These guidelines will be least confusing, and give illustrations, which explain the various parts of the screens (please don’t take the name of the article personally).  I have found articles by Dan Gookin, and by other authors in the ‘Dummies” book series, very helpful. Click the line after the word via.

How to Use Twitter on Your Droid X

By Dan Gookin

You can use Twitter through your Droid X to share your existence with others or simply to follow what others are up to or thinking. You can create a Twitter account by using your Droid, but it’s a lot more work that just using a computer. After you create a Twitter account, use the Twitter app on your phone to view Twitter updates or to tweet.

A good Twitter app was developed by the Twitter people themselves. The Twitter app is free and available at the Android Market.

The Twitter application provides an excellent interface to many Twitter tasks. The two most basic tasks, however, are reading and writing tweets.

via How to Use Twitter on Your Droid X – For Dummies.

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For those of you who want to do a bit more research, check out the article below by TechShout, posted August 2011.

8 Best Twitter apps for Android phones to download – TechShout.

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This post completes the sessions for using Twitter on your cell phones.  I hope this is helpful 🙂

Great APPS for ANDROID FANS

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For ANDROID Boomers

Can you imagine?  Not all of my Boomer friends & family are iphone owners/users-fans!  (Go figure).

Anyway, in the interest of being ‘balanced‘,  i wanted to suggest you take a look at  some of the apps available for the Android phone.

Below are three sites that gave their opinions.  You can go to each website to see the full list of available apps. In this post, i highlight some apps that caught my interest. These are all free 🙂 !

http://gizmodo.com/5739420/the-best-android-apps

Entertainment

The Best Android AppsSoundHound: Shazam gets all the pub but SoundHound is just as good at identifying music and better for Android because there’s no limit on how many songs you tag per month. Soundhound also throws in lyrics and links to videos too. Free ( i have this app on my iphone, and it’s great!)


The Best Android AppsWords with Friends: Finally available on Android, Words with Friends lets you dominate your Android and iPhone-wielding friends (cross-platform gaming!) with your vocabulary skills and astute tile placement. Free

Productivity

The Best Android AppsAstrid Task/To Do List: No other app gives as much detail to to do lists as Astrid. Its “advanced” options lets you set priority levels, integrate with Google Calendar, sync with Google tasks, and set up tags, alerts and periodic reminders. Astrid keeps it easy, for the most part, but also offers deeper settings if you’re the obsessive, customize-everything exactly-how-you-want-it type. Free.

Another site i checked out is→
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-android-apps/

These are some of the apps i liked.

Utilities

gas-buddy-iconGas Buddy (Free)

With gas prices still consistently rising, the quest for the cheapest nearby gas can be a frustrating and pointless task, especially if you are driving around wasting precious fuel to find a better price just for the heck of saying you did. Gas Buddy uses your location to quickly locate nearby gas stations and immediately give you the best price around. The app gives you a list and a helpful map of all of your options. Never again will you fill up only to drive by a less expensive station five blocks later.

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iTriage Mobile HealthiTriage Mobile Health (Free)

Created by doctors, this app is designed to give users quick and easy access to medical info as well as nearby treatment facilities. With just a few clicks, users can find the nearest medical facility based on need (emergency, urgent care, pharmacy, etc.) and quickly use built-in Google Maps to navigate to the destination. The app also features a symptom-checker, doctor directory, and information about diseases and procedures.

Lifestyle

The Best Android AppsFlash Player 10.2: I really don’t care if Flash is good for the web or not, I just want to see as much web content as I can on my Android phone. Downloading Flash Player 10.2 gets me one step closer to that. Free.

FINALLY, Take the Tour at
http://gist.com/corp/why-gist/view-all-your-contacts
Below is their description of GIST

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Add Contacts Automatically

Your contacts are everywhere. They are in email, social networks, on your mobile phone and many other sources. Gist brings your contacts into one place to give you a full view of your network making it easy to find anyone, anytime.

That’s all for now about Android 🙂