Kawasaki Concours Forum
Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: VirginiaJim on August 22, 2014, 05:14:09 AM
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Ok, as some of you already know, I've made the switch to a smart phone (Galaxy S5). The main reason was the usefulness of all the apps (applications) that can run on these phones. I want this thread to be a sounding board for the various apps that make your phone useful. I'm a utilitarian kind of person rather than social so my preference is for apps that make my life and work easier. Also like some games.
Here are the apps that I've installed so far: Flashlight, Neflix, Angry Birds, and Clinometer, Blippar (not sure I'll keep that one, though). The phone (Verizon) came with a boatload. Not sure if I'll keep them or get rid of them until I get more familiar with the phone.
Added:
Instant Radar
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apps = applications? ???
Here I thought that apps = appetizers!
No wonder I was having so many issues with my phone. :-[
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Google Sky Map (Conrad would like this!)
Instant Radar
TV listings
Simple Battery
Urbanspoon
Hungry Shark 2 Free
Scanner Radio
Flixter
PaperKarma
SwissArmyKnife
4 Pics 1 Word
GasBuddy
CRADAR
DigiHUD
Word Search
Lightning Bug
Spearfishing
Labyrinth Lite
I find it nice to have a few mindless games on my phone (italics). As my relatives have gotten older I find myself a the hospital for extended periods of time just waiting around. It's nice to have something to do if there is not a WiFi connection. Got tired of AB. I had a dirt bike jumping one that was kind of fun.
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Google Sky Map (Conrad would like this!)
Instant Radar
TV listings
Simple Battery
Urbanspoon
Hungry Shark 2 Free
Scanner Radio
Flixter
PaperKarma
SwissArmyKnife
4 Pics 1 Word
GasBuddy
CRADAR
DigiHUD
Word Search
Lightning Bug
Spearfishing
Labyrinth Lite
I find it nice to have a few mindless games on my phone (italics). As my relatives have gotten older I find myself a the hospital for extended periods of time just waiting around. It's nice to have something to do if there is not a WiFi connection. Got tired of AB. I had a dirt bike jumping one that was kind of fun.
+1 I have a Mead 16" Light Bridge Dobson telescope. Massive light gathering bucket but totally simple with no computer or drive. Google Sky is the perfect solution to finding stuff and to figure out what I'm looking at.
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Youtube
Its free and even if your not into watching vids for entertainment, very handy for working on stuff. Lots of times I've been working on a car or something and was having trouble and right there in the garage, whip out the phone and find a video of how to do it. Last time I remember doing that was reassembling my Dyson vacuum.
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I use accuweather the most.
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Flipboard... news junkie.
Slacker... music junkie.
Podcasts... music junkie.
Amazon Music Player... see above.
White Noise... background (white) noise maker for traveling.
Leafly... keep track of my herb reviews.
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Evernote
Fandango
Barcode Scanner
Amazon
And the only app I have ever paid for is Calendar Snooze. It allows customization of your calendar events when they pop up, you can snooze them for preset, or custom amounts of time. There is a free version, but the paid version allows more customization.
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if you like music then get Shazam...it can listen to a portion of a song and tell you the name of the song and the artist
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I have used FuelLog to track my fill ups and MPG for the last three years with no issues.
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It seems there's an app to let a person know when Israel has intercepted an incoming rocket. Somewhat like those that let you know when a goal or a touchdown is scored. Might be of more interest to some than others.
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I appreciate all the recommendations on the apps. I've started to try some of them out already. I don't think I need an app for rockets fired, but I guess it's good to know about.
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My son is all over Spotify but I like Slacker. My youngest has been into Quadrophenia so I set up stations for the bands the Mods worshipped. The Who, The Kinks and Small Faces. He has been all over those at age 14 and I can live with his music choices. Calling to cancel my Sirius as the phone is doing everything I get out of my Dodge truck radio.
I use Driver Diary but I looked up the app above and may switch after running concurrently for a while
Picasa keeps all the pics I take with no limit to numbers.
Waze is my new nav and as an added bonus lets me see LEO's and hazards thanks to the interactive social functions. That along with Radar Now steered me around a nasty storm front that left us with 8 inches of rain the other night.
Of course Gas Buddy is a mainstay and Google Plus lets me share stuff easily with only the folks I want to share.
I use Google Drive and it;s associated apps extensively to keep docs close at hand and make new ones.
Amazon is something I use frequently with my prime membership. May use it ever more now that HBO has partnered with Prime Instant Video.
QR Droid (private) is a bar scan program that lets me scan products and find lower prices close by along with pulling up mfrs websites for more info.
Those are the ones I find most useful along with Quick Office.
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Waze is my new nav and as an added bonus lets me see LEO's and hazards thanks to the interactive social functions
Waze is one of my favorites too.Weather Tap is another.
I have been playing with Zello and have spoken to a few COG members.
I like it so now I have friends and family on it. Try it! The Concours Owners Group has a password = kawasaki
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How accurate is the LEO info? What I mean is, this is just stuff posted by others who happen to see an LEO and reported to the app, right? So about how many are you warned about before you get to them.... 1/2? Less? Also, will the app. warn you or do you have to actually read the screen to 'look ahead'?
I had not heard of these apps before and it is a very interesting idea.
Brian
Waze is my new nav and as an added bonus lets me see LEO's and hazards thanks to the interactive social functions. That along with Radar Now steered me around a nasty storm front that left us with 8 inches of rain the other night.
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Sorry if these are repeats.
MyRadar - shows the weather radar near your current position. Comes in faster than The Weather Channel.
AroundMe - shows points of interest near your current position. Restaurants, gas, bank, hotel, etc. by category and distance from your location.
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Waze works pretty well around population centers and is as good as the Wazers (as the users are called) who report the LEO's. I've found them pretty good. False reports occur when a LEO is there, then moves, and no one updates. You can update it just before you pass the spot but if you wait too long, it fades out and someone behind has to do it. It's user driven.
It's also especially good around Atlanta for giving really up to the minute traffic and slowdowns. It reminds me of Facebook crossed with CB radio. You can even message a Wazer ahead of you on the road for a real time update if they respond. The GPS function works well in areas with good phone coverage but seems to run off cell towers. I've found places in rural areas where the Waze app fails for navigation and I have to switch to GPS based systems.
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You're VERY welcome silly cagers..... keep the ham-muh down we got the WAZE app! (http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/avatars/lol8.gif)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2015-05-11-00-20-39.png)
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Google glympse is a neat app lets you track a persons progress in real time. My step daughter just came down and she sent me a glympse which let me see here route on the map.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glympse.android.glympse&hl=en
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Google glympse is a neat app lets you track a persons progress in real time. My step daughter just came down and she sent me a glympse which let me see here route on the map.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glympse.android.glympse&hl=en
+1. Handy to use when going to pick up the kids. I send them one when I leave, and they don't call me asking "When are you getting here?"
We're going to try using it on a large group motorcycle ride. Occasionally, the group gets separated, and if several of us have Glympse running, hopefully it will help us find each other. 30+ riders with guys that forget to make sure that the rest of the group is behind them when we make turns. :nuts:
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waze has that feature too, but then again google owns waze and its google maps on steroids (http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/bigthumb.gif)
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I think on Waze, if you 'friend' someone it will show you when they are close. That is if they are logged on and not set to invisible. 8)
What I like about waze, is when I use it with bluetooth,(Sena SMH10), it will over lay audible warnings and directions over my music.
Keeps me from having to look at the phone while riding.
Turn on the tunes, set waze and head off and not have to take my eyes off the crazy cages. ;D
I think it will even do basic voice commands but if I need more info or changes I wait for a place to pull off.
Waze like google maps is dependent on cell data.
So for more rustic locations I us my garmin or (OSMAnd+) app. It lets you download maps by state and the 1st few are free. It only uses GPS no cell towers needed.
My phone- Galaxy S5 active (Water Resistant) full bluetooth cabablities.
My Garmin - old out of date hands free only bluetooth. not Water Resistant.
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Wonder how Glympse compares with Bubbler?
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Glympse
- wife sends me one so I know when to have dinner warmed up by the time she gets through traffic
WeekCal
- displays shared calendar entries so she knows what weekends I have a ride planned or not.
Local TV weather website vs Weather Channel
- checks and balances to make sure the forecasts follow each other's predictions
IMDB
- because I watch older (80's, 90's) movies and love to know trivia about them
Pandora, iHeart Radio, SimpleRadio, Tunein Radio
- free music only, radio stations from around the world. Love hearing Aussie forecasts of 13C in February!
Dice Roller
- don't carry a Quarter to flip anymore
U-Verse
- record pgms when away. Sneakily change upstairs channel while wife is watching. Childish, but funny.
BigFish Casino
- free Roulette which I like to play waiting in line, sitting in the dentist's office
Cribbage, Angry Birds, Word with Friends, Tug of Words
- fun stuff
QuizUp
- great, great games played with people around the world.
-- I am relearning the French I studied long ago. Now playing against Louisianans, Sri Lankans, Iraquis, and others. Way cool!
AC-130
- just to shoot 'em up
Yelp
- great app for exploring different towns you ride to
SWconnect
- used with Spotwalla.com to report my trip progress so wife doesn't worry as much where I am
Navigon (owned by Garmin but is not a native Garmin product)
- used for trip routes with converted GPX files
-- kind of a pain to have to convert Garmin routes to waypoints but the app does work well when followed
ShopSavvy
- scan a barcode and get pricing from other sources
QR Scanner
- read codes to take you to websites
ShotTimer
- practice drills
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Radio Reference http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Live_Audio (http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Live_Audio)
Good for those who wish to listen on on public safety (LE) radios.
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Any apps for severe weather warnings that travel with you?
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Any apps for severe weather warnings that travel with you?
I use Radar Express. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appdlab.radarexpress
Free and easy to check when I am out on the bike and when planning trips.
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Just downloaded and created an account with Uber. Anybody use this? I need a ride to the airport in Austin on Thursday and plan to use it. Do they come when they say they will?
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I think on Waze, if you 'friend' someone it will show you when they are close. That is if they are logged on and not set to invisible. 8)
What I like about waze, is when I use it with bluetooth,(Sena SMH10), it will over lay audible warnings and directions over my music.
Keeps me from having to look at the phone while riding.
Turn on the tunes, set waze and head off and not have to take my eyes off the crazy cages. ;D
I think it will even do basic voice commands but if I need more info or changes I wait for a place to pull off.
Waze like google maps is dependent on cell data.
So for more rustic locations I us my garmin or (OSMAnd+) app. It lets you download maps by state and the 1st few are free. It only uses GPS no cell towers needed.
My phone- Galaxy S5 active (Water Resistant) full bluetooth cabablities.
My Garmin - old out of date hands free only bluetooth. not Water Resistant.
waze will only show you're location to another individual if you have purposely shared that.
Going "invisible" will only make you appear to be offline (whether you are or not). Otherwise you're friends see you're logged on and can beep you and such (http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/icon10.gif)
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Any apps for severe weather warnings that travel with you?
the Weather Channel app will show textual warnings from the National Weather Service for the area you are checking on. You should be stopped while checking this, of course.
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Just downloaded and created an account with Uber. Anybody use this? I need a ride to the airport in Austin on Thursday and plan to use it. Do they come when they say they will?
Never used it, and here in SA the idiot dems in charge basically banned UBER for consumer safety. Everybody in and around SA still uses it. You cannot be picked up in SA but they can drop you off.
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Never used it, and here in SA the idiot dems in charge basically banned UBER for consumer safety UNION saftey. Everybody in and around SA still uses it. You cannot be picked up in SA but they can drop you off.
fify
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LOL, yeah, there is that too.
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snip...
Google Sky Map (Conrad would like this!)
I finally got myself a smartphone!
I got this app after my son's recommendation.
Sky Guide $2.99
http://www.cnet.com/products/sky-guide-ios/ (http://www.cnet.com/products/sky-guide-ios/)
All I've got to say WOW. That app is SO cool! I've been playing with this a bunch and it makes me smile big time. My wife says that I'm like a lil kid. :)
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snip...
I finally got myself a smartphone!
I got this app after my son's recommendation.
Sky Guide $2.99
http://www.cnet.com/products/sky-guide-ios/ (http://www.cnet.com/products/sky-guide-ios/)
All I've got to say WOW. That app is SO cool! I've been playing with this a bunch and it makes me smile big time. My wife says that I'm like a lil kid. :)
If you have a simple Dobson mount telescope (no guidance or computer), that app is your best friend.
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If you have a simple Dobson mount telescope (no guidance or computer), that app is your best friend.
:thumbs:
That app pretty much renders my other astronomy software obsolete.
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I have a Mead Lightbridge and I can find stuff using Google Sky in a fraction of the time it took me using my computer guided Celestron Schmidt-Casagrain. It would take at least 1/2 hour just to setup and align the Celestron. Now I just (or used to when I lived in CO, left it with my son), wheel the Mead out and be observing in about 1 minute, spend about 1/2 hour observing and be back inside by the fire in the time it used to take just to align the stoopid computer on the other one.
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Fotoswipe... Plus the video has a nice beat and you can dance to it.
fotoswipe.com
http://youtu.be/uvTNSUUN4r0 (http://youtu.be/uvTNSUUN4r0)
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I have a truck tent, and went camping in Florida last weekend. Needed to make sure my head wasn't going to be downhill so I installed a bubble level app. Worked well in my time of need.
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iphones have a built in semi-hidden bubble level. Go to "utilities"..."compass"...then switch the dot at the bottom of the screen.
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The only App I really love is WAZE. It is like cheating. You can really tell that a lot of drivers are using it, because you all seem to slow down for the same warnings. Always hoping that the police don't start using the same App backwards to see you and how fast you are driving. That would really suck for some of us.
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The only App I really love is WAZE. It is like cheating. You can really tell that a lot of drivers are using it, because you all seem to slow down for the same warnings. Always hoping that the police don't start using the same App backwards to see you and how fast you are driving. That would really suck for some of us.
I use waze constantly on the road, great app centered as much around safety as it is avoiding tickets.
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WAZE, thats ones old news but still the bestest app ever invented ;D
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I like the Google app. It cuts the steps to go to the internet from my phone by about three steps. I would use it anyway.
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Some interesting info. Thanks all.
I'll ad OBD Fusion. It monitors a whole bunch of info on your car/van/etc. It also reads trouble codes. It uses a bluetooth transmitter plugged into the OBD port.
I use it mostly in the Roadtrek to monitor transmission temperature. I'll be using it especially when pulling a trailer in the mountains.
I also have All Stays. Lots of good info when traveling for camping(including free spots), motels, repair shops, propane and more. Geared for an RV traveler. Quite handy when traveling with the Roadtrek.
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Anyone take pause on all the access certain apps ask for and why?
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I just put BlueDriver on my phone. Another OBD2 phone scanner that attaches via Bluetooth.
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Anyone take pause on all the access certain apps ask for and why?
Are we feeling a little paranoid?
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I think we all should think about that and if we thought long and hard (easy boys), we may want to get rid of anything that supplies any information to Big Brother. Unfortunately, to get these nifty apps, you gots to agree with the Man. The only app that I have that doesn't ask for much in the way of prying is Privacy Flashlight. Maybe there's an App that screws with the info you have to provide?
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Are we feeling a little paranoid?
Maybe, but apps wanting access to your contacts, sms, call history, camera, microphone etc......a little intrusive don't you think. ..
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BlueDriver and OBD Fusion look VERY cool! I may have to have me one of these.
Can these display real time graphs and/or gauges?
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You'd have to go to the Bluedriver site and make sure. I haven't used it to monitor anything yet. I think it does do graphs, though. I just connected it to my Rav to see if it worked.
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Do they have one to detect bogus emissions software?
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Oh no you din't! :rotflmao:
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Do they have one to detect bogus emissions software?
They're out of stock just now. The EPA bought em all.
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They're out of stock just now. The EPA bought em all.
And I thought those university students that did the testing got them all first. ::) :-\
But, yes, it's very irritating and disturbing that apps want/get access to everything even if it has nothing to do with their features/functions. Tracking software and associated malware is about what it amounts to.
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Agreed!
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BlueDriver and OBD Fusion look VERY cool! I may have to have me one of these.
Can these display real time graphs and/or gauges?
Fusion does. You can display two screens of gauges, six per page. You can pick from about 30-40 depending on vehicle.
There is also an app called Torque that is similar.
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Fusion does. You can display two screens of gauges, six per page. You can pick from about 30-40 depending on vehicle.
There is also an app called Torque that is similar.
Too bad this one is for use with a Android phone or tablet only.
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Nothing bad about that...
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Too bad this one is for use with a Android phone or tablet only.
I really like my ScanGauges. I have a couple of them and monitor 4 data points per screen. Lots of useful information plus great trip computer features.
One in the TDI all the time, the other sometimes transfers between other vehicles.
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I really like my ScanGauges. I have a couple of them and monitor 4 data points per screen. Lots of useful information plus great trip computer features.
One in the TDI all the time, the other sometimes transfers between other vehicles.
I just did a lil looking at the ScanGauge. Looks like this may be a bit outdated. It seems to do the same thing as the BT devices but with a cable and costing more.
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Cable? What's a cable?
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I like Waze because it works and gives the co pilot something to do on journeys, Swiftkey is a great keyboard, I also use Lookout security as I have had my old phone stolen..... Podcasts I like pocket casts.