23 Mobile Things: Thing 23 (Evaluation)

• Go back to your thoughts/ideas about  mobile devices and apps. Has anything changed as a result of this experience?

I am seriously considering purchasing a tablet device and I will definitely be upgrading my smart phone later this year, but I need to save up the money first. I am also paring down the apps that I do use and the apps that I tried and weren't fond of. I think the best apps are the ones that someone makes use of regularly.

• What were your favorite Things and discoveries?

I really enjoyed the Things that allowed me to think creatively about the library, even if I might not be able to use them myself in my day-to-day job duties. Pinterest boards, Spotify book soundtracks, audio podcast news and reviews -- there are tons of easy, fun Things a library can do to promote itself, its resources, and services, and there are many ways to engage the library's community.

• How did you connect with others doing the 23 Mobile Things?

Because of my demanding work schedule and duties, I confess to only discussing 23 Mobile Things with my workmates. I would like to now take a reflective look at what everyone else learned and see what I might do, both personally and professionally, to hone my skills and knowledge of apps and their applications to my colleagues and library users.

• Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I found that taking into consideration the breadth and depth of the digital divide is going to be a necessary step for libraries, otherwise we'll be offering multi-tiered accessibility to our overall body of knowledge. Mobile devices offer convenience, speed, simplicity and ease of use (in some situations), and an alternative format, and we need to engage users across the board. I think the more ways we can convey information and messages to patrons, the better. However, because we've got all these flashy cool new things we can do, like have live Twitter reader's advisory sessions, we need to remember the patrons who come in on foot for face-to-face interactions, too. It's an interesting balance. 

• What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or content?

I like specific questions, things to think about, thinking about how we as library staff or how our patrons might use things, and thinking pragmatically about both potential opportunities for implementation and potential realistic challenges. 

• If we offered a another 23 Things program like this in the future would you participate?

Absolutely.

• How would you describe your learning experience in one word or in one sentence, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities to others?

Warming up by dipping toes and diving headfirst into the app pool.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 22 (Discovering Apps)

When I'm looking to learn about new apps, paid or free, I like to look for "Best of . . . " lists from sources like CNET or PC Magazine. Those are the places I discovered some of my favorite and most used everyday apps, especially MyFitnessPal, Grocery iQ, and Mint. 

For people who are on a budget and who may not want to purchase an app for their rapidly-becoming-out-of-date iPhone 4, I would highly recommend the 50 Best Free iPhone Apps feature from PC Magazine. There are a lot of really great apps tested out by tech experts and given reviews. One can pick and choose the free apps most relevant to them, try them out, then keep or delete. Some of the apps are pretty obvious choices (Gmail, IMDB, Google Translate, Shazam), but some of them offer otherwise-unknown gems (like GAIN Fitness for people who might need something a little more motivating than MyFitness Pal).

23 Mobile Things: Thing 21 (Free-for-All: Health and Wellness)

MyFitnessPal is my favorite exercise-and-nutrition tracking social media app (and corresponding website). It makes analyzing your activity and your eating patterns simple, convenient, and, truthfully, kind of fun. You customize it so that your nutritional intake shows carbs, fats, protein, fiber, types of fats, cholesterol, sugar, etc., which is especially helpful for individuals trying to keep track of how much they are consuming and monitoring a specific part of their diet for health reasons. Instead of having meals like breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks assigned, I changed mine to read time chunks so I could see when I am consuming the majority of my nutrients. A number of regular cardio exercises -- gym equipment use, standard activities (Zumba, for instance), and things like walking and running with various speeds -- are found under the exercise activity search. For people doing strength training, they can track their workouts and reps. MyFitnessPal also has a social media aspect; you can post your updates to Facebook, you can find (and are encouraged to encourage) your friends, and you can participate in forums. Highly recommended for anyone looking to keep track of their nutrition and activity levels, needing motivation and accountability if using the social aspect with friends, and needing a push to start or to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Today's MyFitnessPal diary entry, so far

23 Mobile Things: Thing 20 (Games)

I am a little (okay, very) ashamed about my games use on my smart phone. My brother got me hooked on Candy Crush Saga (please don't judge me), and I am on level 183, trying to get three stars at each level (again, stop with the judging). I cannot justify recommending this app to anyone as it is a huge time waster, will make you lose respect for yourself and the family and friends who also play it, and offers little to no actual mental stimulation or educational value.

I will, however, recommend the Headspin: Storybook app for children's librarians, parents, and people who genuinely enjoy beautiful, popup book-influenced art. Storybook does offer some spatial relations/recognition skills stimulation, but it's also simply a gorgeous app.

In the game, one is trying to look for asymmetry. It's in the details, so it can be surprisingly challenging. One has to have a good sense of the picture as a whole and of the individual parts composing the picture. It's a fun way to combine the aesthetics of a popup book with touchscreen technology.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 19 (Hobbies)

I am a huge music fan, so I chose Spotify for this thing. Spotify is a music app that allows users to create a playlist from a fairly wide catalog of licensed music or to listen to a radio station based on a particular artist or song. This is a great app for getting to know sound-alikes. For example, by plugging in one of my favorite artists, C.C. Adcock, I got to hear a radio station that played similar sounding artists like the Legendary Shack Shakers, Dr. John, and the Urban Voodoo Machine. One can also search for songs based on title keywords, which makes this a fantastic app for coming up with playlists on a theme. Libraries and their patrons could create library-themed playlists (going beyond The Music Man) or book soundtracks. Spotify might be a great app for contemporary music selection librarians, especially those wanting to expand or diversify the collection with things that already circulate well and those wanting to introduce patrons/listeners to new artists.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 18 (Education)

For this app, I tried out a free astronomy (well, Western star knowledge -- I didn't see any other cultural constellation configurations represented) app, similar to Star Walk, called Star Chart. This is the kind of app that can interest anyone from the very young to the very old and the very novice to the experts.  You frame a space with your device, and it shows you the stars and constellations. You can point it at the sky, the horizon, the ground, and you'll get to see the stars, even if you physically cannot see them because of daylight or distance.

 

Constellations of Hercules and Neptune

This would be a fun app to have on a nighttime walk or a camping trip to identify heavenly bodies. It would also be great to use in a classroom or an amateur astronomy class to get people to start considering our place in the universe. It's fun, and one can learn about constellations she never dreamed had existed. 

There's a ship in the sky!

One of the constellations and corresponding images gave me pause.

Indian? Really?

There are tons of mythological creatures and individuals, and we get a generic, stereotypical Indian in there, too, somehow? I wish this app contained this history behind the finding and naming of these constellations when possible. 

Other fun things I "discovered" -- a big Zelda: 

And my favorite, the unicorn: 

Kindergarten-Melissa would have died of happiness from this.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 17 (Connecting to Community)

Community-specific apps are a great way to convey relevant (and, hopefully, timely) information with people in a particular shared locale or with a particular shared interest. A philosophical question could be raised about whether these apps are helping us reach out to new people or making us more insulated and isolated. For example, I am a Minnesota Public Radio [MPR] listener, supporter, and sustaining member, and, yes, I have the Minnesota Public Radio app on my quickly-becoming-outdated iPhone 4. The MPR app offers timely news stories, focusing especially on the Twin Cities area and the entire Minnesota geographic region. However, an app like this might only appeal to regular MPR listeners. There is a stereotype about public radio listeners, and I will go so far as to say that I am a stereotypical Minnesota Public Radio listener, supporter, and sustaining member in that I am college-educated*, solidly middle-class-to-wealthy**, philanthropic***, politically left-of-center****, and lacking cultural/ethnic/racial diversity*****. The MPR app doesn't allow for direct connections (like commenting on articles or participating in a wider civic conversation, which we can pretend happens in the comments section of news articles), so this app cannot help me connect more with fellow community members who are interested in news and current events and an eclectic array of music or to have conversations with fellow community members. The MPR app also allows one to pick and choose stories to listen to and save; I have mixed feelings about this ability to cherry-pick the stories we hear and pay attention to. Do we miss out by having this option, and can we claim to be participating beyond this specific community in general society if we only pay attention to the stories we want to?

*Which means nothing to a lot of smart, hardworking people who aren't, including members of my own family who thought me going back to college to get my master's degree was some kind of remedial thing.
**Yes, my renting situation is bleak and my cat's grocery budget is larger than my own, but, all things considered, I am privileged and live very comfortably.
***Member drives and educational causes.
****President Obama is not a socialist; I should know, because I am a democratic socialist.
*****And love Tell Me More -- you know, NPR, I was told I can quit my membership at any time.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 16 (Audio)

There are a lot of really neat apps out there for libraries able and willing to create audio content. Some examples of what libraries can do are regular podcasts highlighting library programs and resources and informing patrons about things they might otherwise miss. Libraries can create interactive book discussion and review features, showcase resources on a particular theme, demonstrate community members' and community leaders' support for the library in testimonials, and maybe even provide spaces -- real and or virtual -- for library users to share creative endeavors (poems, short works, reader review, etc.) with each other. Audio is a great feature because it can help to engage users who may be pre-literate or individuals who are visually impaired, and it can be a great stepping stone for people who are aural learners or prefer aural methods for conveying and receiving information to consider traditional and unconventional library services, resources, and programs in a new light.

Because I am a bit of a music hound, I am already very familiar with SoundCloud in my everyday life. It tends to be the spot I find really cool music. Also, the Poetry Foundation encouraged people to "Record-a-Poem" on SoundCloud as part of National Poetry Month 2014, and it resulted in the most romantic thing I have ever heard. Libraries can maybe help get the word out about things like Poetry Foundation's Record-a-Poem movement and engage and encourage patrons to participate.

Confession: I played with this, but I can't do it. I have a face for radio and a voice for silent movies. I tried recording myself, heard my own voice, and couldn't bear to share it.














But I will happily share my all-time favorite reading of my all-time favorite poem as recorded by my all-time favorite man. (Forgive me, love of my life.)

23 Mobile Things: Thing 15 (Infographics)

Infographics: The Fast Food of the Information Buffet

From 11 Infographics about Infographics (Yeah! Meta!)

Let's talk about some accessibility factors here. Infographics Hub and i Visual info Touch Lite (Who names these?) are iPad, but not iPhone/iPod Touch, compatible. I was not able to find Viz/Visualize Free.

This brings us to info.Graphics, an app that has no rating because it has had so little feedback. This is an app in which you (don't) get what you (don't) pay for. This app allows one to browse a smaller selection of already-created infographics on a broad range of subjects. Some of the information is dated (an infographic on chocolate talked about projected sales in 2011), some of the information is interesting if a little superficial, but I saw nothing particularly revolutionary or inspiring or motivating. This app might be of limited-to-moderate interest for individuals who enjoy trivia, possibly-outdated statistics, and or USA Today. Generally speaking, infographics are not meant to be read on one's small iPhone screen. If we as library professionals are using infographics to convey cool information, if we truly do care about accessibility of information for all, we need to be prepared to have that cool information available in formats that will work on a variety of platforms and devices.

I couldn't find any hip, free apps for infographics creation, but I did find a site that looks intriguing for those willing to make the fast food of the information world: http://infogr.am/ (I am not disparaging fast food or infographics too badly; they do big business.)

Also, for cynics and doubters and curmudgeons, there is this:

I was led here by the fantastic Future Tense blog on Slate. 

Infographics can be misleading (or "lies, damned lies, and statistics"). While infographics might be great persuasive pieces, it helps to find where the information presented in the graphic is coming from. One of the infographics I found on info.Graphics noted the sources of its information at the bottom of the screen, but the sources were not directly connected to the actual numbers and facts used.

This infographic would flunk English 101. Cite your sources when and where you use them.

At first, I was pretty disappointed with this thing. I was hoping for better free create-an-infographic apps, but, then again, that would result in a proliferation of bad infographics out there, wouldn't it? Maybe the lack of something is actually not a bad thing? Fast food for thought . . .

23 Mobile Things: Thing 14 (Videos)

I guess Zelda is now an action movie star.

I chose to try out Vine, because I know it's a very popular social video app/site/what-have-you. The videos are short, great for people who can convey something visually and succinctly and great for people with short attention spans. I can see using this for memorable bits and pieces of a library program, and, if one has good timing, one can probably catch some of those memorable moments. I do like the editing features in Vine, and that's great for doing a short clip to convey the spirit of something like a program. I wonder if a library could do a book summary or "guess the plot" Vine; six seconds is not a lot of time to convey a message. If a library does Vine well, I can see it being a successful viral marketing gimmick, but, otherwise, it might just be something people scroll past. Like subpar cat videos.

It's hard to film and hold a laser pointer at the same time.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 13 (Presentations)

I was really excited to try out Haiku Deck, even on my modest little iPhone 4, until I saw this in the introductory materials . . .

Coming soon? Well, this surely is disappointing for a non-iPad-owner. Why does an app for this exist for my iPhone to purchase if it's not fully-functional yet? Can someone in software development explain this one to me? Please?

Now, let's hit the Deck . . .

I used Deck to create a presentation. Considering I did this all on my almost-outdated iPhone 4, I thought it turned out pretty well -- I was able to type my points, add pictures, add charts, and I thought it looked pretty good and that I could proudly show it off here on my blog. Until I tried uploading it to SlideShare. After one failed attempt, I tried again five more times, using both the PowerPoint and PDF formats, and was unsuccessful in getting the presentation uploaded. Also, each time I went into my presentation after shutting down Deck, the photos I had selected for certain points were deleted, so I had to reinsert them each time. Super frustrating.

This is probably a great idea and a great app when it works, especially for busy professionals on the go who need to make and give and update presentations, but I found it to be especially frustrating in its non-working mode.

Seeing this allegedly-uploading-to-SlideShare screen was getting really old, really fast.

Sigh. On to the next thing . . . 

23 Mobile Things: Thing 12 (Books, Books, & More Books)

For Thing 12, I tried Wattpad (Who names these apps?), which offers access to free books. The app itself was simple and straightforward to use. On the iPhone, it uses a finger swipe or tap to turn pages, it is customize-able, and it offers some of the considered-literary-classics that are not bound by copyright, along with some free titles. However, there are some features I don't quite understand; for example, I think the star icon indicates one can vote on the popularity of a book's section -- why? There are lots of opportunities for social networking features while reading a book, and that might be really desirable for some people who like reaching out and making reading a book into a more communal experience; however, I am a very private reader. I don't always like to share my thoughts on a work until I'm done, and sometimes not even then, so a feature like private notes might be nice in a reading app. Also, this app seems almost overly-customize-able, if that's a thing. For example, if you want to read the words of James Joyce's Dubliners as if they were written on a Packers fan's chest:

That somehow seems very wrong to my eyes. However, the customize-able aspect gives the reader the option to personalize, if not optimize, his or her reading experience.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 11 (Library & Reference)

Dakota County Library's Boopsie mobile app (DCL Mobile) is a pretty standard-feature, standard-functioning public library app. I was able to log into my account with my library card number and PIN, I was able to renew one of my items, I was able to get into our library calendar and link to the event and registration details on our EVANCED calendar, and I saw what was featured for our "Cool Stuff" (Mango Languages, Medline, Novelist Plus, and Zino -- all very cool). The app did not run as quickly as I would have liked, but, then again, I may have mentioned that I have a nearly-out-of-date iPhone 4. I have talked to patrons who have and who use the DCL Mobile app, which is great, as it's another way to make the library experience more convenient for and connected to our library users, but I wonder how many people realize the cost attached to these apps. Also, I would like to see what a really innovative, customize-able, homegrown library app might look like, just to compare to the cookie-cutout library apps.

At the 2012 Minnesota Library Association annual conference, I attended a really great, really interesting session on the Electronic Library for Minnesota mobile website design. Minitex librarians Jennifer Hootman and Matt Lee discussed how the ELM site was streamlined and specifically designed for mobile and tablet use and the rationale behind creating a mobile-friendly website (like, oh, how mobile web traffic from smartphones and tablet devices is exponentially increasing over traditional larger screens of desktop and laptop computers).

ELM: smartphone view versus computer view

23 Mobile Things: Thing 10 (Sharing Photos)

Today, we learn . . . 

Instagram - I have a sometimes-used Instagram account, because I tend to share most (okay, all) of my pictures unfiltered through Facebook. (Seriously, have you seen my cat? She doesn't need to be filtered.) I find that Instagram, like some of the previously-explored apps like Flipboard, are for people who are strongly visual people, people who are visual learners, people who are visually literate, people who are visually artistic, and that's great. I tend not to be so strong in my visual skills, and I get easily overwhelmed with the onslaught of imagery on Instagram. However, that being said, I do like the effect some of the filters have on my pictures, and I like being able to share "artsy" shots back and forth with friends. This is my long-standing favorite of my personal Instagram photos:

I've heard of the new trend of "shelfies," and I have to say I'm rather fond of the idea for marketing library materials, especially read-/view-/listen-alikes.

Snapchat - Snapchat seems to be visual ephemera shared among friends. I use it to keep in touch with two friends of mine, Marie and Ryan. It feels a little like the e-photo equivalent of passing notes in school. I'm not the biggest fan of Snapchat, but I am a fan of both Marie and Ryan, so I'll keep using it. I have a feeling this is an app that drives people who are curators to their core absolutely bonkers.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 9 (Taking & Editing Photos)

Picture of superstar feline extraordinaire, Miss Zelda Miervaldis, taken by me but newly created with Aviary
("Dean" effect, "Grit" frame, two stars, and some text)

And, now, we've come to it. Thing 9 has provided use with more tools (and more excuses) to add to the vast collection of Internet cat pictures. (You're welcome, rest of humanity.)

Aviary - Fairly easy and straightforward to use. Unfortunately, no undo button as I could find. I am familiar with the filters through using Pic Stitch, which has the same filters with the same names. (I'll extol the virtues of Pic Stitch in a bit.) Here is another example of a photo creation using Aviary:

It's like micro-scrapbooking for techy (or lazy) people! 

LINE Camera - I had trouble creating and finding my first photo edit. This:

By this point, I was getting overwhelmed with possibilities for photo editing and manipulation, so I wanted to do something simple and create a collage:

LINE Camera is also straightforward and easy-to-use. There are plenty of opportunities to delete and reselect photos in the respective collage spots without having to scrap the whole collage, unlike Pic Stitch.

Pic Stitch - My friend Susan introduced me to this app, and it's maybe my favorite one because it combines filters and collages. I made a couple of mini-collages, complete with assorted filtered photos, from my library school BFF Gillian's and my vacation last year to Virginia Beach:

Did I mention photo editing apps might be great micro-scrapbooking for the tech-savvy or lazy? Definitely. 

23 Mobile Things: Thing 8 (Social Media Management Tools)

I am very familiar with the Book of Face, and I am no stranger to linking in or twittering. I use the Facebook app (and its chat app counterpart) a lot to keep in touch with library school friends, to record travels, to share unsolicited (mostly political) opinions, to flirt and chat and converse with my sweet and handsome beau when I can't see him, and to post pictures of Zelda the cat (because, let's face it, the Internet is primarily for sharing cat pictures).

Social networking is an important part of many people's day-to-day lives, and, for some of our patrons (and maybe even some of our colleagues), it might be their go-to place, or only place, for news and information (and maybe even entertainment). Because the apps for Facebook and Twitter are so popular and so geared toward the mobile platforms, the formerly regularly-visited-in-browsers websites reflect that look.

One of the new (or, rather, new-to-me) social apps recently recommended to me by a fellow librarian friend is Saga, a "lifelogging" app. Saga tracks where you go and what you do and assigns you traits based upon your activities. (Think a friendly Big Brother that brags on you, or tattles on you (depending upon your perspective), to your friends.)

23 Mobile Things: Thing 7 (Content Saving & Sharing)

Confession: I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. My favorite active blogger in the whole universe, Jenny "The Bloggess" Lawson, was the person who introduced me to the twisted, hilarious side of Pinterest. I started a personal Pinterest account after being goaded by friends who got caught up in aspirational home and kitchen lifehack ideas, inspirational (or, often, gag-inducing) quotations, and arts 'n' crafts for people with way too much time and energy on their hands.

What happened? I went crazy: pinning all the things I wanted in my fabulous dream home that I will never, ever, ever be able to afford or maintain; pinning all the gourmet vegetarian things I wanted to eat but had zero intention of buying the expensive ingredients for and making; pinning all the places I want to go but am limited by my limited budget and my moderate social anxiety and my weird flying issues; etc. Then, I started seeing what other people were pinning -- trite and saccharine "inspirational" words written in "fancy" fonts imposed over stock photos of nature and ridiculously sculpted human bodies, tired jokes and cartoons, food crafts for kids, and all sorts of stuff that makes me cringe and hate the interwebs.

I lost interest in Pinterest.

So, I am trying again. I made a new bulletin board for Zelda, the adorable black-and-white demon-cat that lives with me, and I intend to pin all the things that remind me of her or that I would like for her. I have pinned exactly three things so far -- a treat-dispensing activity ball and two cute-looking collars that she would probably try to eat or destroy.

I have seen cool ideas from libraries' Pinterest sites -- book lists and read-alikes, fun bookish quotations, programming idea sharing. This is where I see that sustained spark in Pinterest and actually see practical applications for my daily (read "work") life. Another cool thing is being able to follow publishers and authors on Pinterest to get a better understanding of publishing trends and to have a lot more information to do better reader advisory.

Maybe I need to lose two hours creating library-related bulletin boards to help me in some of my job duties? Pin all the library/book/reading things!

23 Mobile Things: Thing 6 (Creating & Editing Docs)

What's up, "docs"?

My actual question is more Seinfeldian, though.

What is up with these "docs" on mobile devices?

For this Thing, I tried out CloudOn, which, in theory, is a really great, really useful tool for creating, accessing, and editing some of the most commonly used types of "docs" -- word processing documents, spreadsheets, and slide presentations. I say "in theory" because if one has a large enough mobile device (hello, tablet users), this app is not going to be difficult to use and may even be a preferred way to work with "docs" (yes, the scare quotes will stay on needlessly shortened and abbreviated words like docs and my new pet peeve -- "convo"), but if one is working on, oh, say, the screen of an iPhone 4, this isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be. For example, I still cannot tell if my file is saving at the time (slow connection and loading time), which makes me reluctant to do serious *work* work on this program. Also, it is a pain to type on a tiny iPhone keyboard with AutoCorrect trying to be helpful. I do like that the app is compatible with both Dropbox and Google Drive, both of which I use regularly.

I think part of the 23 Mobile Things experience is to get me to think beyond what I am used to. For example, when I did have a first-generation iPad, I also had the apps Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, which I used, along with Dropbox, to create and edit documents for work. Admittedly, that system is not as efficient as something like CloudOn.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 5 (Notetaking)

Evaluating notetaking apps feels like the grownup version of these notes.

Dragon Dictation - I was surprised how smoothly this worked. I was expecting it to be DYAC (BTW, colleagues, NSFW: "tasteless") for voice, but, when I spoke clearly, a bit more slowly than usual, and articulately, the app worked like a charm. Inserting proper punctuation can be a bit painful, especially if one does not know punctuation commands exist.

Remember the Milk - This seems like a good app for someone who needs extreme accountability for things like work projects and assignments. Contrary to its name, I didn't find this app to be as helpful as something like Grocery IQ for remembering to pick up milk.

Springpad - I like the idea of being able to make note of and compile an ongoing list of books, movies, etc., which helps me in my job capacity of reader/watcher advisory duties, but I found that if one already has a place that s/he has started collecting a gigantic list of have-read/-watched or to-read/-watch, the app functions more like "just another place" that a title on the tip of one's tongue might be. I like the functionality of a site and corresponding app like GoodReads for notetaking on books. (I haven't found its equivalent for movies, televisions shows, or music. My kingdom for that, by the way. Also, please note: I do not actually have a kingdom.) One of the features I like about Springpad is the ability to make a sort of all-purpose notebook that can be filled in with various things. For example, I can make a notebook of lists of potential gift ideas for special people in my life, but the format and functionality of Springpad seems much more limiting than something like Evernote.

*The suggested app Bamboo Paper was unavailable for my mobile device.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 4 (Keeping Up)

Or keeping up the appearance of keeping up with news and goings-on and such, using news-aggregating apps.

Flipboard - This is an interesting concept, but I feel it's like it's a somewhat limiting format. It's fun to flip through headlines and content, but, at least on my iPhone, I have no desire to actually open and thoughtfully pore over the "long reads" and in-depth analysis from some of my personal favorite content providers like the Atlantic, Bitch Media, Jezebel, Mother Jones, the Representation Project, Wonkette, xoJane, and many others that provide commentary, journalism, and or satire that I prefer to read (and respond to) on my laptop, so Flipboard seems to me to be a superficial way of keeping up. Perhaps I would feel differently about this if I had been using a larger tablet device.

Zite - From what I have seen and experienced, I like this app. However, my little iPhone 4 doesn't seem to process the app so well. It doesn't exactly freeze up so much as go into a perpetual waiting state each time I add an interest. The front page looks a little bit like a blog or a traditional newspaper, and I appreciate the non-gimmicky format for scrolling through titles. (Interesting bit of cynical librarian humor, the first headline on my personal feed as of Thursday, February 13, 2014, 8:40 a.m. CST, is Four More Reasons to Be Skeptical of Open-Access Publishing, copyright 2014 Elsevier -- hahahaha (Also, please note that my views do not reflect the views of my employer, my colleagues, or my profession as a whole.)). I'm still not prone to check out long reads on my iPhone. I'd rather make a note of the headline and bring it up on my laptop or desktop and read it on a larger screen. Still, I am finding some really great inspiring library stuff and other amusement.

The "keeping up" apps are probably great for people with tablets or people comfortable reading on phone and tablet screens, but I feel it's a superficial way of getting the news for me. Flipping through article headlines to get news is sort of like reading the scrolling headlines at the bottom of the screen on those 24/7/365 news/"news" channels.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 3 (Utilities)

When I think of utilities, I think this:

 (Thank you, Uncle Pennybags.)

Utility apps maximize the usability and usefulness of one's mobile device. Prior to starting 23 Mobile Things, I made use of my iPhone's calculator, calendar, and clock regularly as my utility app staples.

Something Old -- Calendar:
I set up my iPhone's Calendar app to show also my Google Calendars. Since the iOS 7 upgrade, I've noticed that the Calendar app seems to have increased functionality options (which may have been something I didn't notice before with iOS 6 when I did not have the complex scheduling issues I have now) but also has become "buggier" on my iPhone 4 -- freezing up and becoming unresponsive. I had been looking for more ways to mesh and merge my Google Calendars (all color-coordinated and separating out my complicated job and life scheduling) with my readily-available Calendar app on my iPhone, and I like that I can add events to my Google Calendars readily and quickly from my iPhone's Calendar app, making it easier for me to add desk shifts for my respective libraries in each of my library work calendars and Zelda the kitten's vet appointments in my personal calendar. My one big complaint, other than the bugginess: my carefully-created-and-coordinated color scheme for my Google calendars does not transfer to my iPhone's Calendar app -- boo. (Seeing my work schedules in Calendar app's light gray and dark gray, as opposed to Google Calendar's bright pink and bright green, is not just depressing but it also fails to clearly, easily, and readily differentiate my calendars.) Maybe this cannot be done through immobile means.

Something New -- Wi-Fi Finder:
First of all, this could have been named much more cleverly and less clunkily (Hello, Wi-Finder! Which is what I took to calling this app anyway.). Second, this might appeal more to someone with a mobile provider's limited data plan or with a wi-fi only device (Hello, first-generation iPad users!), except that it requires a connection initially to use it (Is it irony to use one's 3G data plan to search for free wi-fi?), but there is an offline database option available. Third, I found that one of the locations shown near me was an out-of-date listing, so not all information may be accurate, but there is an option to report a closed hotspot.

23 Mobile Things: Thing 2 (Tips)

 

I have an Apple iPhone 4 running iOS 7. Many of the iOS 7 tips are lost on me and my phone, because we are a step behind Siri (That #$%&!) and two steps behind the significantly-upgraded camera. This presents an interesting situation that I am seeing with some of our library users who possess older or off-brand tablet technologies. The "Haves and Have-Nots" situation in regard to access to technology (and, thus, library e-resources) isn't even as simple as some people have devices and others do not; some people have the devices that they can afford or that they inherited or that they cannot afford to replace quite yet with the latest and greatest model. There's a disparity in access to resources based on the model and age of device one has access to.

There are some things I have been learning as I go along with iOS and exploring features and functions in the settings. However, I have to realize that my device is the oldest device iOS 7 works on, and, therefore, I am going to be missing out on some of the cool features available. I am also going to be encountering more issues with my older, slower phone. Luckily, in as much as one can have it with an iPhone 4 running iOS 7, there are tips and techniques to deal with those issues: http://readwrite.com/2013/10/15/ios-7-fixes-iphone-4-4s#awesm=~otdHhSl4GAdrAV

You are missed, iOS 6.

 

23 Mobile Things: Thing 1

I am hoping to learn more about mobile apps that will be helpful to my library patrons, colleagues, and myself. I want to try things I would not have tried or known about otherwise, to use apps that might be out of my comfort zone, and to learn to manage my apprehension, mistakes, and frustrations with learning new apps so I am better able to empathize and understand and develop techniques for helping others facing the same thing. 23 Mobile Apps seems like a great opportunity for me to do some exploration and learning both for my own professional and personal development.