My wife just got an iPhone. She’s nice — she lets me play with it.
Here are some of the fun APPs I am using. Most are free. Some are 99 cents.
Google: It’s fun to be able to look up things on Google wherever we are. While walking in the park, and I want to know the name of the duck we just saw. While driving, and we want to know more about the town we just passed.
Star Walk: With this APP you can identify and locate any star, planet, constellation, etc. at night, or even during the daytime.
Flickster: When on the road, we sometimes want to know what movies are playing, and where, and what the “Tomatometer” rating is.
Weather: This APP lets me see what the weather will be this week.
Translator: I like to make up phrases in English, and see and hear the translations in Spanish, French, German, Russian, Polish.
Netflix: I can watch shows in bed — with earphones — holding the iPhone about 12 inches from my eyes.
Yelp and Around Me: I can find whatever I want that is around me, or around some other place I’m visiting.
KRLA 870: I can listen to Dennis Prager while waiting in line or walking to the corner.
Dragon Go: If I am lazy, I can speak my directions into the iPhone and find almost anything.
MapQuest: Turn by turn voice directions while driving or walking.
Skype: Haven’t used it yet, but look forward to Skyping with the grandson while I’m in the park, 3,000 miles away.
Pandora: I can listen free to any music I choose.
Leafsnap: What kind of tree is that? Now I can usually know by scanning in a leaf and seeing the results. Usually, because the pictured leaves are from the Eastern U.S.
Shazam: Let it hear 10 seconds of any music, and it tells you the title and lots of other information.
ShopSavvy: I scan in a barcode, and learn where I can get the product for less. It’s usually at Target or Wal-Mart — and that’s just fine with me.
Fooducate: Either scan in the barcode or enter the product name and a wealth of food information appears. It often tells you that the best “alternative” food is a fruit or veggie.
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at Robertebsen@hotmail.com
