A friend of mine who lives in the area just met her match using a little application on her smartphone. She met her fellow, who lives six hours from here, using an app which connects her with thousands of singles throughout the country. Shortly after downloading the program she was connected with potential pen pals who she could then evaluate and contact.
My youngest brother and I renewed our cell phone plans at the beginning of the summer. He purchased a new iPhone and I upgraded to the newest Android based 3D phone. For weeks we were comparing the two: both the pros and cons of ownership and use. We’ve concluded both are pretty equal for normal use.
If you’re a regular reader of my articles, you may remember that I’ve written an article or two about smartphones and how they’re used. Today’s article is about applications and uses for a smartphone that some readers may not know about. There is an almost endless list of applications which can be downloaded and used on smartphones: iPhone or Android.
A neighbor was preparing to paint a room in her house and showed me an application on her phone used for matching paint. A major paint manufacturer created a piece of software which formulated the paint formulae for colors in their spectrum. If I wanted to find a color in their gamut close to denim, I would simply snap a picture of my jeans and push match. In seconds I would have their closest equivalent.
Last month I was trying to figure out a song title playing in a convenience store. Without thinking, the young lady working at the store pulled out her iPhone and used an app called Shazam to identify the song. While the song is playing, the user must push the big icon and wait about 15 seconds. Following the cycle, the song snippet is uploaded and identified. The clerk made a believer out of me, I now use Shazam whenever I hear a new song on the radio.
Like most smartphone users I truly enjoy snapping a picture and uploading it to my favorite social networking site. Photo editors that come with phones are somewhat lacking in features; however, I found Photoshop Mobile. Photoshop Mobile is a free and simplified version of Photoshop for PC that provides feature-rich editing options. The mobile application isn’t as sophisticated as the PC or MAC versions, but then again it’s free.
Whenever I shop for large items I always take my phone with me. Have you ever noticed the square barcodes that stores are placing near items? Those codes are placed so users of smartphones can scan the item to learn more about it. Generally, the codes will direct users to the manufacturer’s website or a video presentation compiled by the retail chain.
Even better than watching product videos is saving money. Everyone loves to save money. My phone has an app called Google Shopper which scans barcodes and searches for stores in the area selling the item. When I was shopping for televisions I used my phone to save me $140.00. Before paying, I scanned the barcode on the TV box and was almost instantly provided a half dozen prices in the area. The store’s own website listed the same model for $140.00 less.
Last year I wrote about smartphones and my prediction they would replace laptops. As my brother and I continue to discuss the merits of smartphone ownership, we find ourselves using laptops less and less. Rarely do I power on my laptop to lookup information. Smartphone use is simply more convenient than waiting two minutes for Windows to fire. My smartphone is always on my side and turns on almost instantly.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him at (978) 413-2840 or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)