Thing 3 - Utilities (23 Mobile Things program)

I really like Google Goggles.  I loaded it to my Galaxy S4 and did quite a number of tests on a variety of products in my office and for the most part it was able to search the text on the item and find me the product or information online.  A travel bottle of lotion from a hotel took me to the site where I could order more if I wanted.  An art print poster in my office of Buffalo Bill allowed me to find it online and order another copy if I wanted it.  Finally, I had a framed picture that didn't have a single word on it but using Goggles, I could find out what it was (though I was unable to find it to purchase again!)

The RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner was the other utility that I utilized from the list.  Again, it seems to be geared towards smartphones so I while I could load have loaded it to my iPad, it would have been the iPhone version so I decided to load it to my Galaxy S4.  The app was easy to install and not too bad to navigate.  It isn't immediately apparent that you can scan QR codes but when I did scan them, most of the time they worked.  When I scanned a QR code, it would bring up a very basic screen that showed the web address and asked if I wanted to go to it.  Every code I scanned went to the correct website.

I tried RedLaser with an ISBN from a book on my shelf, Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li.  It showed me costs for this item from a number of online sites, found it at a Barnes & Noble (and local libraries), and gave me reviews, etc.  I'm going to try this out with more products, etc. as I can see the value in it.

Decided to skip the StandApp as the reviews made it seem a bit glitchy and even though I could see the value, it felt like something that would get a bit out of control and I would probably end up ignoring or deleting.

Thing 2 - Mobile Device Tips (23 Mobile Things program)

I will be the first to admit I haven't utilize each and every device option available to me.  However, I do keep investigating and find new things.  I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone and utilizing some of the tips list, I found a few that to my liking.

I don't know why I did see this before, but you can enable voice commands for your camera on the Samsung Galaxy S4.  By turning these on, I can now say "Cheese" and it will take a picture.  You can also utilize "Record Video" to start the video going.

I'm also a big fan of the Air Gesture options.  On the S4, when you receive a call, you get this odd set of circles on the screen that you have to "swipe" either to the left or right (more of a "up & to the left" or "up & to the right") to answer a call.  Sometimes this isn't so good.  Another option is to enable the air gestures which allow you to wave your hand either to the left to reject a phone call or right to answer a phone call.

I do have an iPad and will take a look at the tips there.  We also have a Galaxy Note tablet at home so more to explore there.