Apps For Beginners ~

 

When it comes to things technical – where phones are concerned at least – I am a relative novice. Instagram what? Check in who? Yeah, that’s me. So, I bet you can imagine why that might not be the best thing for someone who works in publicity for a living, right? I can work my way around a computer – at least I have the basics down pretty well anyway, but I was always that person that was pleased if a phone would save all my numbers, had a decent camera and had a QWERTY board. So, when I decided to up my game a little, I had no idea what I wanted, or what I should want in a phone.

My First Journey Into Smart Phones and Apps

But, my daughter kept telling me all about her friends’ love for their smart phones phones of different varieties. So, around Christmas my cell phone carrier ran a special on Samsung Galaxy S IIs. You could buy one for $99 and get the 2nd one free. Heck yeah! I have to admit that the price of smart phones always turned me off, too. I mean, I could drop it and lose all that money! Anyway, we decided to give it a try but I still had no idea what kind of apps to load on my new phone. So I read through a list of suggested apps online and asked around to some of my friends. A few I have since removed mainly because of personal preference but I definitely have some that I love more than others.

Top 10 Apps For Beginners

Here is a list of the apps that I have found to be must haves. If you are new to smart phones, I feel that these are definitely a good place to start.

Temple Run 2 – This is a game where you are trying to outrun a monster of some variety. You have to swing on ropes, jump over obstacles and evade cliffs, etc. I really like this game for the most part, though I think that sometimes it doesn’t count green gems {life savers} correctly and it doesn’t lack you keep your racked up gold coins for long. So, as long as you aren’t trying to solve it and just play for fun, I have to admit it is a really cool game.

Twitter – Takes you directly to the Twitter Social Network.

Facebook – Takes you directly to Facebook Social Network.

IMDB – The Internet Movie Database app. IMDB is edited by regular people just like Wikipedia, so be careful, but it’s lots of fun when you are watching the TV and you see a person that you just know you know but you can’t figure out the name or where you know them from. Don’t let that nagging feeling bug you all night. Just look it up and move on. 🙂

The Weather Channel and AccuWeather – I like to get my weather from two places. Hey, two opinions are better than one, right?

Voxer – You can chat walky talky style with other people who have this app installed on their phone. I use this mainly now instead of yelling at my daughter when she is in her room and I need her. My vocal chords are thanking me as we speak. 🙂

Flashlight – There are a few so just pick whichever you like. The one I have turns your phone camera into a flashlight. It also has a strobe light and other various light fun to amuse yourself with.

Shazam – Ever hear a song that you have no idea what it is? Well, you can stick your phone up in the air {while the song is playing} and at least 9 times out of 10 {in my experience} it will tell you what that song is.

Shop Savvy – This app lets you scan bar codes in a store and hopefully find cheaper prices elsewhere. I have to admit that I haven’t used it all that much yet, mainly because I forget, but when I have, it’s been pretty helpful.

Paypal – Easily check how much is in your account faster than calling or looking it up online.

You know what the funny thing is? One of the strongest reasons I had for getting a smart phone was to use Instagram. And shortly after I got my smart phone, there was some big drama about how Instagram had rights to your pictures and rights to sell them or something. Anyway, I didn’t follow it too closely and have no idea how it played out, but I haven’t had much interest in Instagram since and have yet to create and account. I might decide to one day. Who knows?

What Are Your Favorite Smart Phone Apps?