App-y New Year

Mobile exploded in 2012. US consumers now spend 1.8 more times in mobiles apps than on the Web, according to Flurry, a mobile analytics company. Flurry said that between December 2011 and December 2012, “the average time spent inside mobile apps by a US consumer grew 35 percent, from 94 minutes to 127 minutes.”

Closer to home, the Philippines recorded a 326 percent increase in smartphone sales, the fastest growth in the Southeast Asian region, according to research company GfK. The Philippines is also the country “with the highest jump in smartphone market share within a year, from 9 to 24 percent,” GfK said in a press statement last September.

To mark the end of this year of mobile, let me riff on a Pinoy New Year’s Eve tradition by offering you my favorite apps in 12 task categories, in no particular order:

News apps Zite, Prismatic and News.me

NEWS APPS. (From left) Zite, Prismatic and News.me harness social networking connections to match news stories to users’ interests.

1) Zite. This is my favorite news app. Zite, from the word “zeitgeist” or the spirit of our times, learns from how you interact with content and then serves you with news stories that match your interests.

My other favorite news apps are Flipboard, Pulse, Currents and Prismatic. AP Mobile, meanwhile, not only has extensive news coverage but also gives breaking news alerts. I also love News.me and Curate.me, which keep track of how people in your social networks share content and use this as signal to determine which news stories to send you via e-mail. Recently released RockMelt also looks promising.

2) Evernote. For managing notes and jotting ideas, nothing beats Evernote, a web service with apps for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows.

3) Stitcher Radio. This app simplifies the downloading or streaming and listening to podcasts.

4) Viber. I personally prefer Kik, which is faster especially on lower-end phones, but people are on Viber. The app allows you to call or send a text message to another Viber user for free. Other messaging apps that I use with certain groups of people include WhatsApp and GroupMe. Facebook’s Messenger app is also very useful, especially if you need to contact people who are always on that social network.

5) Smartr. This contacts service and app populates your contacts with data grabbed from LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. It then shows you complete data on a specific contact–photo, job title, company details–and your email history.

6) Pocket. The service used to be known as Read It Later and allows you to save articles, without the ads and other distracting elements, for reading later.

7) Checkmark. I got this app, which normally costs $4.99, for free during its “end of the world sale” last Dec. 21. Checkmark is a location-based reminder app that’s so easy to use. Any.DO has started to implement this but it’s nowhere near the ease of use and polish of Checkmark.

8) Imo messenger. This app allows you to log into all your instant messaging accounts on your phone. Among the IM apps that I’ve used, imo.im provides the best experience.

9) Podio. I work on several projects with different sets of collaborators and rely on Podio to keep track of tasks. It is a robust project management Web service with good apps for Android and iOS.

EVERNOTE. The Evernote applications for iOS and Android allow you to manage your notes on the go.

EVERNOTE. The Evernote applications for iOS and Android allow you to manage your notes on the go.

10) Runkeeper. The app keeps track of your walking or running mileage through your phone’s GPS.

11) Google+. Sure, people are saying it’s a ghost town but the Google+ app offers a better social networking experience for me. Among its great features are the automatic photo uploading, Hangout, Messenger and Communities. Path is another good mobile social networking app.

12) Project Noah. Whether keeping track of a typhoon or deciding to do the laundry, weather information is crucial, especially at this time of climate change. Noah stands for Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards and is a DOST project that has apps for Android (created by a Davao-based developer) and iOS (developed by ABS-CBN).

I also asked a few people on their favorite mobile apps and these were what they shared:

Entrepreneur Jay Aldeguer: SoundHound. “I like listening to music and often times I don’t know the artists behind them; SoundHound gives me all the info I need just by “listening” to what’s playing.”

Sports writer John Pages: Flipboard. “All articles come with photos. You can customize the topics you want to read. It is frequently updated. Sources are divers. It’s free. And as its name implies, easy flipping between articles.”

Meralco vice president and chief information officer Marthyn Cuan: MMDA app and Meralco MOVE. “I love the MMDA app as this allows me to navigate through traffic. Meralco’s MOVE app keeps me informed on power maintenance schedules and appliance consumption.”

Port Restaurant chief operations officer Evangeline Hayco: Jango. “You can type in an artist or genre and it will play all kinds of songs similar to it. I never have to full up my iTunes library ever again. It’s free and play only one advertisement a day.”

Photographer James Go: Hipstamatic and Snapseed. “I use Hipstamatic for food shots, specifically the foodie pack expansion. It just works, food looks way better with just one press of a button. For everything else, there’s Snapseed. I have full control of my image editing, even sophisticated adjustments.”

Bankers Association of the Philippines president Abet Villarosa: IBreviary. “It contains the breviary prayers for morning, daytime, evening and night prayers. It also contains the mass and its readings. I have in my small iPhone 5 all that I need, which otherwise I would have to bring two large prayer books for.”

Smart public affairs manager for online services Nick Wilwayco: Project Noah Mobile for Android. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to be prepared plus it was made by a DOST scholar who gave back to the country.”

Photographer and blogger Estan Cabigas: Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare “for updates on the go.”

Megaworld director for strategic marketing Harold Geronimo: Metro Traffic. “It makes driving around Metro Manila easier because I know which roads to take during peak hours. It’s so updated and accurate.”

Blogger Nancy Cudis: Instagram. “It’s easy to use and I can readily post and share my photos on my Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. I also enjoy seeing fun photos of my friends.

Lawyer Cecille Soria: TweakDeck on Android. “I live in Twitter. It’s useful for marking life updates, catching up with friends, discussing news and whatnot and as links dump stuff to read. Tweakdeck is robust and can handle multiple accounts. This is useful since I also help manage @PHNetDems Twitter account for the Magna Carta for Philippine Internet Freedom.”

Smart senior manager Menchie Quiñal: Maps. “I travel a lot these days. When I do my travel plan, I check the map first and mark the must-visit places and food strips before I book my hotel. From there I can best manage budget and time.”

Sun.Star Cebu editor-in-chief Isolde Amante: Kindle app. “It allows me to spend less for books that are delivered in under two minutes rather than three to four weeks.”

Cardiologist Alex Junia: MyFitnessPal “so I can record my food intake and exercise.”

Golfer Bayani Garcia: Viber and WhatsApp. “It’s a great way to communicate with people. It’s much more fun with the group chats with my friends. Also, it’s such a convenient way to send photos and videos.”

MyNimo.com president Wesley Chiongbian: Waze. “It’s a GPS app that gives you real time traffic updates from other ‘Wazers’.”

Programmer and start-up founder Mark Buenconsejo: Tweetbot and Pocket. “Tweetbot is one of the best developed app for iOS. Everytime I use it, I can feel the passion of the developers, who made sure I have the best mobile experience. It also integrates nicely with Pocket, Camera+ and Cloud app. I like to use Pocket because it integrates nicles with Tweetbot, Twitter and BufferApp. My workflow starts with Twitter and if I find something interesting to read, I add it to Pocket. Pocket works and does not get in the way. It’s free but I’d be glad to pay for it so they can continue to make the best Web reader out there.”

The post App-y New Year appeared first on Leon Kilat : The Tech Experiments.

Did you get a smartphone, tablet as gift? Some tips on how to set it up

HAVE you been particularly nice or especially naughty this year and got a smartphone or tablet as Christmas gift? Lucky you; you’re in for hours of fun setting up your device tonight.

Here are some tips on setting up your smartphone or tablet.

The first thing you should do after unboxing your device is to keep track of all components and accessories and figure out which goes where. Copy serial numbers and other important device information and set aside such things as the warranty card and the card that comes with your SIM (which contains the PIN unblocking code.)

You should also take time to read the manual. (A confession: I don’t. I only consult the manual when I inevitably bump into problems.)

 

TOPPING WISH LISTS. According to a survey by Nielsen, 48 percent of American children aged 6 to 12 want an iPad for Christmas. (Apple press center photo)

TOPPING WISH LISTS. According to a survey by Nielsen, 48 percent of American children aged 6 to 12 want an iPad for Christmas. (Apple press center photo)

Data access

The next thing you should do is learn how to turn off mobile Internet access. There are enough horror stories to fill five manuals about people having to pay thousands of pesos because they unwittingly left on their mobile Internet connectivity.

In iPhones, it’s at Settings > General > Cellular then choose “OFF” in Cellular Data. In Android devices you can find it in Settings then Mobile Network. In many Android devices you can just swipe down the home screen to get access to settings that include turning off mobile Internet access. You could also install widgets that will allow you to turn off such things as mobile Internet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Sound on the home screen.

If you’re setting up an iPhone or iPad, you should immediately sign up for an iTunes account so that you can add apps to your device. Connect your email account to your device so that you can start using it for your messages. You should also enable iMessage to take advantage of Apple’s messaging system.

If you’re setting up an Android device, you need to have a Gmail account to take full advantage of its capabilities. Beyond e-mail, the account handles your contacts database (via Google Contacts) and calendar items.

Security

Another important setting that you should take time to set up is security. You should enable lock screen security so that people can’t access your device. In iPhones, you can require a numeric password in Settings > General > Password Lock.

Android users have the option of setting up a numeric password or a pattern lock by going to Settings > Security.

Another important thing you should set up is to enable tracking of your device in case it gets stolen. Users of Apple devices can set up Find My iPhone to track lost iPhones, iPads and even Macs. An acquaintance was able to trace her iPad to a house in Barangay Camputhaw when it was stolen earlier this year. Police, however, were still not able to recover it despite the information.

For Android users, a great security app to use is Lookout Mobile Security. The app protects your Android device from viruses and malware and helps you keep track of it in case it gets lost or stolen. The system also has a feature that will report its last known location when it detects that the unit is about to run out of battery.

Unlike iPhone, Android users have the added capability of replacing several phone components like SMS messaging and even customizing its launcher. Users of Android phones with adequate resources (those with dual core devices) can replace their launcher with Go Launcher EX, which looks good and offers added functionality but requires resources. It is part of a suite of great Android apps by the highly-regard Go development team that includes Go SMS, which you should install to replace your stock messaging app. Those with slower processors can use Zeam, a light weight Android launcher that’s really responsive even on entry-level devices.

Great apps

A smartphone is a great productivity tool. It is the Swiss Army knife of modern living. A smartphone isn’t just a device for calling, it’s a portable office, communications system, GPS device, camera, voice recorder, social networking tool, mobile reporting tool, health monitoring system, among a myriad other things.

If there’s a task to be done, there usually is an app for that.

Some of the great apps that I and people I know use include: Any.DO for task management; Flipboard, Pulse, Zite, Prismatic and Google Currents for news reading; Pocket (formerly Read It Later); Smartr Contacts to populate your contacts with social networking data; Evernote for managing notes; Google Chrome to replace your stock browser and share browsing data across different devices; Dropbox and Google Drive for online storage; and Stitcher Radio to listen to podcasts.

The post Did you get a smartphone, tablet as gift? Some tips on how to set it up appeared first on Leon Kilat : The Cybercafe Experiments.

Did you get a smartphone, tablet as gift? Some tips on how to set it up

HAVE you been particularly nice or especially naughty this year and got a smartphone or tablet as Christmas gift? Lucky you; you’re in for hours of fun setting up your device tonight.

Here are some tips on setting up your smartphone or tablet.

The first thing you should do after unboxing your device is to keep track of all components and accessories and figure out which goes where. Copy serial numbers and other important device information and set aside such things as the warranty card and the card that comes with your SIM (which contains the PIN unblocking code.)

You should also take time to read the manual. (A confession: I don’t. I only consult the manual when I inevitably bump into problems.)

 

TOPPING WISH LISTS. According to a survey by Nielsen, 48 percent of American children aged 6 to 12 want an iPad for Christmas. (Apple press center photo)

TOPPING WISH LISTS. According to a survey by Nielsen, 48 percent of American children aged 6 to 12 want an iPad for Christmas. (Apple press center photo)

Data access

The next thing you should do is learn how to turn off mobile Internet access. There are enough horror stories to fill five manuals about people having to pay thousands of pesos because they unwittingly left on their mobile Internet connectivity.

In iPhones, it’s at Settings > General > Cellular then choose “OFF” in Cellular Data. In Android devices you can find it in Settings then Mobile Network. In many Android devices you can just swipe down the home screen to get access to settings that include turning off mobile Internet access. You could also install widgets that will allow you to turn off such things as mobile Internet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Sound on the home screen.

If you’re setting up an iPhone or iPad, you should immediately sign up for an iTunes account so that you can add apps to your device. Connect your email account to your device so that you can start using it for your messages. You should also enable iMessage to take advantage of Apple’s messaging system.

If you’re setting up an Android device, you need to have a Gmail account to take full advantage of its capabilities. Beyond e-mail, the account handles your contacts database (via Google Contacts) and calendar items.

Security

Another important setting that you should take time to set up is security. You should enable lock screen security so that people can’t access your device. In iPhones, you can require a numeric password in Settings > General > Password Lock.

Android users have the option of setting up a numeric password or a pattern lock by going to Settings > Security.

Another important thing you should set up is to enable tracking of your device in case it gets stolen. Users of Apple devices can set up Find My iPhone to track lost iPhones, iPads and even Macs. An acquaintance was able to trace her iPad to a house in Barangay Camputhaw when it was stolen earlier this year. Police, however, were still not able to recover it despite the information.

For Android users, a great security app to use is Lookout Mobile Security. The app protects your Android device from viruses and malware and helps you keep track of it in case it gets lost or stolen. The system also has a feature that will report its last known location when it detects that the unit is about to run out of battery.

Unlike iPhone, Android users have the added capability of replacing several phone components like SMS messaging and even customizing its launcher. Users of Android phones with adequate resources (those with dual core devices) can replace their launcher with Go Launcher EX, which looks good and offers added functionality but requires resources. It is part of a suite of great Android apps by the highly-regard Go development team that includes Go SMS, which you should install to replace your stock messaging app. Those with slower processors can use Zeam, a light weight Android launcher that’s really responsive even on entry-level devices.

Great apps

A smartphone is a great productivity tool. It is the Swiss Army knife of modern living. A smartphone isn’t just a device for calling, it’s a portable office, communications system, GPS device, camera, voice recorder, social networking tool, mobile reporting tool, health monitoring system, among a myriad other things.

If there’s a task to be done, there usually is an app for that.

Some of the great apps that I and people I know use include: Any.DO for task management; Flipboard, Pulse, Zite, Prismatic and Google Currents for news reading; Pocket (formerly Read It Later); Smartr Contacts to populate your contacts with social networking data; Evernote for managing notes; Google Chrome to replace your stock browser and share browsing data across different devices; Dropbox and Google Drive for online storage; and Stitcher Radio to listen to podcasts.

The post Did you get a smartphone, tablet as gift? Some tips on how to set it up appeared first on Leon Kilat : The Tech Experiments.