Best iPhone Apps (or Android)

[Tyler]

I've found that I use fewer and fewer smartphone apps over time.  So many are complete wastes of time and a net negative to me. But here's the list I actually use often enough.

Google Maps
The Weather Channel
Shazam (awesome app that instantly identifies any song through the mic)
Pandora
Light (simple flashlight app, but I use it more than any other)
Fitbit
Mint
Yahoo finance
IHeartRadio (for listening to favorite stations in other cities)

Apps that I rarely use anymore but like having around are communication tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. Skype was my favorite as a business traveler, as it allowed me to call my wife from any wifi hotspot for free while overseas.

I still have Angry Birds and few other games, but don't touch them anymore. If I want to play a good game, I sit down at the computer. Stuff designed for 60-second bursts while waiting in line tends to not have a lot of longevity.

[hoost]

Here Maps and Viago - maps apps with offline maps

What the diff between Viago and Navigon?

For offline maps, I would suggest giving OSMAND a try.  I have also heard good things about HERE for general navigation, but it doesn't have as many advanced features currently.  Both are free.  Upgrading to OSMAND+ gets you unlimited map downloads, but if you don't want to chip in the $5-10 for it, you can download the same maps through mapsforge.  Same goes for another program called Locus.

I think if you just want a general car navigation point A to point B app, give HERE a try.

If you want to preplan routes, record tracks, add in other maps, etc., I prefer OSMAND, but some like Locus also.

[WiseOne]

IMHO the best non-telephone/email/message use for a smartphone is as a scanner replacement.  You can deposit checks, send signed documents back to people who still believe in paper, etc etc.

I probably should be more worried about personal data protection, but: 1) I'm pretty comfortable with the iphone due to the combo of "find my iphone" and remote wipe, and 2) I've gotten several letters already from various universities & companies that my personal data has been stolen, so the cat's out of the bag and I figure my best protection is monitoring.  I check in regularly with Mint, and Credit Karma sends me alerts with every large deposit, payment and change in credit history.  I thought about adding Billguard but I think those other two sites have me pretty well covered.

Tyler - check out Wazhack!

[MachineGhost]

What I would really like for my phone (Android) is a RSS reader that syncs with the RSS feeds in Thunderbird on the desktop.  I don't like web login readers.  Any suggestions?

[Jan Van]

Financial:
Billguard - check credit card charges
Level - budgetting
Acorns & Betterment - investing

You and some others seem pretty comfortable having all your financial account accessibility data available on a relatively insecure phone.  Why?

I have an encrypted Nexus 6 :-)
I use two factor authentication wherever possible.
I have frozen my credit at all three agencies.

So I hope I'm fine...

[MachineGhost]

I have an encrypted Nexus 6 :-)
I use two factor authentication wherever possible.
I have frozen my credit at all three agencies.

What are you using to encrypt your Nexus 6 and is it like Bitlocker?

Can I just uninstall the Google Authenticator and use the Authenty2 or do I need to do something to make sure Authenty2 recognizes my tokens or whatever?

I have my credit frozen too as well as with the IRS in requriing a PIN to file.  Ironically, when I applied for the Amazon Store Card for a rebate, I forgot about it, didn't call them fast enough, got denied and got a hard inquiry.  At least it works!

[Jan Van]

What are you using to encrypt your Nexus 6 and is it like Bitlocker?

Can I just uninstall the Google Authenticator and use the Authenty2 or do I need to do something to make sure Authenty2 recognizes my tokens or whatever?

I have my credit frozen too as well as with the IRS in requriing a PIN to file.  Ironically, when I applied for the Amazon Store Card for a rebate, I forgot about it, didn't call them fast enough, got denied and got a hard inquiry.  At least it works!

The Nexus 6 is encrypted by default, like the new iphones. Seems to have pissed off law enforcement and such a bit.

I use Authy now for the two factor authentication. Don't need the Google Authenticator app then, and it has been working fine. Just need to go through the normal setup for two factor auth and it should be working.

I have tried to apply for credit cards a couple of times, and get denied every time, so yes, the freeze does work!

[Reub]

"US Sheriffs Expand Concerns about Waze Mobile Traffic App

"Most users tend to drive more carefully when they believe law enforcement is nearby," Waze spokeswoman Julie Mossler said."

What a great reply!

http://www.newsmax.com/US/sheriffs-waze ... id/621376/

[Pointedstick]

"Most users tend to drive more carefully when they believe law enforcement is nearby," Waze spokeswoman Julie Mossler said."

[dualstow]

Is that real? Holy George O!

[MachineGhost]

Is that real? Holy George O!

That is creepy.  I'm thinking aliens.

Speaking of aliens, the sequel to Independence Day comes out next July.   Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!

[WiseOne]

And you never wondered what EZPass was REALLY for???

Hopefully all this will be moot when driverless cars become the norm.

[Reub]

Yes. And when AI starts to think for us.

[dualstow]

Now that this is 3 pages long, I don't want to review it again, but has anyone used this?
https://www.pushbullet.com/

[MachineGhost]

Now that this is 3 pages long, I don't want to review it again, but has anyone used this?
https://www.pushbullet.com/

It just lets you see what is on your phone on your PC, etc..  Easier way than file transfer I suppose.  You need a Google or Facebook account.

[dualstow]

~, but has anyone used this?
https://www.pushbullet.com/

It just lets you see what is on your phone on your PC, etc..  Easier way than file transfer I suppose.  You need a Google or Facebook account.

I've been using it (today) to text from my computer. Much easier for me to use a full desktop keyboard. I've used other means in the past, but they either give some random number instead of my number as the displayed sender# (gmail chat, google voice), or they only work if the other person is using the same system (Apple iMessage).

I used to use AirDroid for file transfer but this is also a simple solution for that.

[MachineGhost]

This has potential to be a game changer.

[quote=http://www.springwise.com/app-matches-c ... ld-values/]Faced with so much choice, consumers are increasingly looking to associate themselves with brands that maintain ethical practices. We have already seen platforms such as Slavery Footprint and aVOID, which help consumers stay away from products associated with forced or child labour. Now, the new Glia app is taking into account a consumer’s full range of social, political and economic values — enabling them to differentiate between the businesses that support those beliefs and those which work against them. [/quote]

[Jan Van]

This has potential to be a game changer.

Hmmm... But how would this site rank, for me?

[dualstow]

Checking out Telegram (both major platforms).

[Mountaineer]

Contacts Sync - I used to transfer all my iPhone contacts (about 800) to Google in under a minute.  Reason, I use Evernote and wanted access to my iPhone contact list for sharing notes.  Supposedly, there is a way to do that within Evernote but after spending about an hour trying to determine how and a few back and forth emails with the Evernote team I bit the bullet and bought Contacts Sync (free with in app purchases - $3.98 for unlimited syncs and auto backup).  It works great and automatically backs up new contacts to Gmail/Google contacts, and access from Evernote is smooth and easy.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/contact ... 90333?mt=8

... Mountaineer

[dualstow]

Checking out Telegram (both major platforms).

Are you considering this due to increased security vs regular SMS?

Yeah, the security is the attractive part. I just stumbled upon it while looking up what VKontakte was, and I'm always curious about chat apps. I tend to try them and forget them because most of the people I chat w/ beyond SMS use the WeChat app. (Just the Chinese gov't listening in there, so no problem). Even though I delete apps that I don't use, I suppose I've given peeking permissions to a lot of apps out there.

Yes, this undermines the purpose of seeking secure apps, but eventually I'll find something and stick with it. Oh, and unlike Silent Circle, which MG mentioned a few years ago, this is free.

[hoost]

Have you looked at RedPhone/TextSecure (Android) and Signal (ios)?  I haven't used them but they supposedly are quite good.  The apple messaging that routes online is supposed to be pretty secure too, although that one is not cross platform.

[dualstow]

Adding them to the list, thanks! 
I love iMessage from my Mac desktop.

[MilfordTony]

Amazon Instant

[Bean]

Attempt to list some that I don't think have been listed yet and that I use regularly

iOS:
Weatherunderground, blows other weather apps away
Alienblue, for reddit
Google voice, for my other phone number
Great clips, silly, but the app check in saves a huge amount of time
Sky guide, location and position aware guide to the stars
Opentable, if you need a dinner reservation this is fantastic
Google drive and assorted apps
Speed test
Uber
Dropbox
Fandango

I have a ton more, as I am an app junkie