No I'm not posting from my Droid (though I probably could), I'm posting about my Droid. This is actually a piece of advice to anyone that owns a Droid or is thinking about getting one.
In my opinion, the very first thing you should do when you get a Droid (after re-learning how to answer the phone and turn the device on and off) is sign up at AppBrain. It's free. (Oh, and I don't get anything for "advertising" it.)
AppBrain is the Droid App Marketplace, only with a user friendly interface. Also, there are some great Droid power users on AppBrain, and you can follow them. Yeah, kind of like Twitter, except there are no tweets. You can just see what apps they're using. I'd recommend following Gina Trapani. I've found a lot of good apps by following her. (She was a founding editor of Lifehacker, so no surprise that she's one of the most followed people on AppBrain.)
Back to AppBrain. You can install apps to your phone directly from the website. You can let people see what apps you have (or keep them private). You can find out what apps are the most popular by country, gender, or age.
Showing posts with label droid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label droid. Show all posts
Friday, October 8, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Burning Droid Question
I know, my Droid is slim, it's shiny, it's great for distracting my son (he loves playing with the animated wallpaper on the phone). But I know what you really want to know. We're writers. What we want to know is, can you write on the Droid?
Simple answer: Yes
Long answer: Yes, but I think you'd have to be mad hatter crazy (or a teenager) to do so. Yes, it has a word processing program. Yes, it has note taking apps. Yes, you can type on on that tiny keyboard. And that's where it breaks down. Unless you're a dab hand at texting, you won't be able type quickly enough for it to be workable.
Now, there are faster typing programs available. (Swype seems to be winning this place right now.) I haven't used Swype yet, so I can't speak to that. There is also voice recognition software out there. I'm using Vlingo. It was free, and does a passable job for things like emails. It "learns", so as it becomes more accurate, it may work for writing. We'll see. But it's probably just easier to leave yourself a voice mail and transcribe it later.
Or, use Google Voice. More about Google Voice later.
(Seriously, I can't help but notice that Google now has all of my information. The day they decide to become evil, I will either have to create an entire new identity or become a loyal minion. Hey, as long as they keep feeding me good tools for my life, I'm picking loyal minion.)
Simple answer: Yes
Long answer: Yes, but I think you'd have to be mad hatter crazy (or a teenager) to do so. Yes, it has a word processing program. Yes, it has note taking apps. Yes, you can type on on that tiny keyboard. And that's where it breaks down. Unless you're a dab hand at texting, you won't be able type quickly enough for it to be workable.
Now, there are faster typing programs available. (Swype seems to be winning this place right now.) I haven't used Swype yet, so I can't speak to that. There is also voice recognition software out there. I'm using Vlingo. It was free, and does a passable job for things like emails. It "learns", so as it becomes more accurate, it may work for writing. We'll see. But it's probably just easier to leave yourself a voice mail and transcribe it later.
Or, use Google Voice. More about Google Voice later.
(Seriously, I can't help but notice that Google now has all of my information. The day they decide to become evil, I will either have to create an entire new identity or become a loyal minion. Hey, as long as they keep feeding me good tools for my life, I'm picking loyal minion.)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Droid
Yup, I did it. I got a Droid. I've had it for four days now, and I love it with a love that can't believe I haven't had one of these since they were first available. Seriously, it couldn't be better if were made out of dark chocolate. (If only because the dark chocolate would get all melty in my pocket, or I would eat my Droid, and then be out of the wonder that is my Droid love.)
I will undoubtedly spontaneously burst into Droid love songs and Droid App reviews over the next unknown time period.
(Likely winner for the best downloaded app is Tasker. More later.)
I will undoubtedly spontaneously burst into Droid love songs and Droid App reviews over the next unknown time period.
(Likely winner for the best downloaded app is Tasker. More later.)
Friday, September 17, 2010
I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad
(My first attempt at a song lyric/post title.)
I have wanted a Droid since before they first came out. We were in the middle of buying a house (in fact, the notary that came over for our signatures had his new release day Droid on him, and I was distracted from house signing for a few minutes by shiny Droid talk). Anyway, in the middle of buying a house didn't seem like the best time.
But now that we've owned the house for ten months? Surely now is a good time to get a Droid ($199 with Verizon's "New Every Two" plan) and an extra $30 a month for the cheapest data plan? Right? Um, no. But I can fit it into my budget, so I'm getting closer to doing it. Which is why I groan and start singing, "I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad".
Updated to add: Doh! I meant to add a couple of LifeHacker links about the Droid to this post. (Since these links were really the whole point of the post, and not my Droid hunger, per se.) The Complete Android Guide and Best Android Apps for Getting Things Done.
I have wanted a Droid since before they first came out. We were in the middle of buying a house (in fact, the notary that came over for our signatures had his new release day Droid on him, and I was distracted from house signing for a few minutes by shiny Droid talk). Anyway, in the middle of buying a house didn't seem like the best time.
But now that we've owned the house for ten months? Surely now is a good time to get a Droid ($199 with Verizon's "New Every Two" plan) and an extra $30 a month for the cheapest data plan? Right? Um, no. But I can fit it into my budget, so I'm getting closer to doing it. Which is why I groan and start singing, "I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad".
Updated to add: Doh! I meant to add a couple of LifeHacker links about the Droid to this post. (Since these links were really the whole point of the post, and not my Droid hunger, per se.) The Complete Android Guide and Best Android Apps for Getting Things Done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)