Your top 5 favorite apps

[TheSimpleNomad]

I am curious because I use several apps on my smartphone all the time when I am on the road.  However, I am not a van dweller yet so I wanted to ask the experts here.

What are the top 5 apps you use on your mobile device and why?

For example, mine are are in no particular order

• Waze - Love this sucker, so intuitive and helped me avoid so many traffic jams as well as find awesome back roads.
• mySMS - used for text messaging but allows me to receive text messages on my smartphone and laptop, that way if I am not using my smartphone, I can still stay up to date on my laptop.
• Evernote - can use it online or offline, which comes in handy when I am out of range, can snap a photo and jot down a quick note where I am on the road when I found this spot in case I ever want to return.  (That's just one of the million things I do with Evernote)
• weatherunderground - helps with the weather, far less "advertisement" and clunky than other weather apps.

Okay, throwing the hot potato out your way. 

BTW, I can't tell if I am posting in the right forum, I hope I did.  Is there a way to adjust forums if I did post in the wrong forum?

 

[Marie]

I only use my iphone, no computer - I'm not on the road - but plan to be at the RTR this winter. I love my YouTube app (just for fun), my iBooks app for reading material, Chronicle; a journal app, and Pinterest.

 

[Queen]

I'm looking forward to trying some apps, I've been locked out of itunes for two years so no music and no apps (and yes, I've already called Apple, been to apple stores, and gone through a long process online to correct the situation... they don't know why it won't "take"). My contract is up in December and I'm switching to an android phone, can't wait to try Evernote!

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Evernote is pretty neat, but I find that Google Keep does the job just as well for me. As a staunch Android user, I like sticking with Google's apps when possible. It just makes it easier for me to have one fewer login and password.

My favorite app is Moon+ Reader. I paid $5 for it and it's worth every penny. It is by far the best e-book app on the Google Play Store. The most important feature to me is the ability to lower the brightness below 0%, which is a life saver when you're lying in the dark reading.

 

[offroad]

On the front of my iPhone.

1) ICARMODE
2) RADIO PARADISE (low bandwidth black version)
3) EWALLET - passwords.
4) FAHRENHEIT
5) TAPATALK

 

[GrantRobertson]

I don't know about "favorite," but these are the apps I tend to use the most:

Repligo Reader:
Allows me to read AND ANNOTATE .PDF files. I don't use any of the other eBook formats (except for the free things Cyndi posts). None of the other formats allow one to access annotations outside of the app or reader. With .PDF I can open that file on my PC and copy and paste those quotes and comments directly. With .PDF, I own the file. No one can take it away from me. I read almost everything off line in .PDF format. I even use Acrobat Pro to convert the parts of web sites I want to read into .PDF and read (and annotate) those off line. There are other PC programs that do the same thing, but I already have Acrobat Pro. I even have a scanner made for scanning books and scan all my paper books into .PDF before reading them. I used to have about 80 linear feet of books on shelves. Now I have one external hard drive.

Tapatalk:
What I am writing this on now. It allows me to mark all threads as read, which the CRVL site doesn't do.

Postings for Craigslist:
Let's me "bookmark" searches and check for new postings no matter where I am.

BeyondPod:
Pod catcher. Lists and allows easy access to thousands of podcasts. Again this allows me to download content while on broadband and then listen to it off-line.

PowerAmp:
For my music and audio books.

RealCalc:
The best calculator app I have found. Makes units conversions super easy.

Two Touch Timer:
Super easy to use count-down timer and stopwatch. You can even create widgets with specific durations and alarms set, then have multiple count-down timers going at once. I use this when doing laundry. Great for kitchen use or when waiting for glue to dry on multiple projects as well.

KeePass2Android:
Stores passwords and will feed them to apps and websites either through the clipboard or a special keyboard. Synchronizes with my PC through any cloud storage service. Finally allows me to use truly secure passwords without requiring me to spend ten minutes typing them in each time.

WiFi Analyzer:
Allows me to see what WiFi signals are around, how strong they are, AND what channel they are on. If you have your own WiFi router or booster or access point, you can greatly increase its reliability if you choose a channel that isn't crowded with other signals. So you can use this app to either look for free WiFi or to find the WiFi channel with the least interference for your own gear.


And, of course, Google Maps.

 

[Queen]

Does anyone use the Kindle app on their android phone? I was thinking of starting with that and if I like it maybe buying a kindle reader.

 

[B and C]

The Kindle app is free.  I use it on my tablet (phone screen too small for these old eyes).  Costs nothing but time to try.

 

[GrantRobertson]

I have the Kindle App on my phone and tablet. It works OK. I would only get a real Kindle if I wanted that eInk screen for easy readability. Otherwise, spend your money on a tablet and be able to do a thousand other things besides reading Kindle books.

Do NOT get a Kindle Fire tablet. That has a hacked up version of Android on it and you will have trouble with some apps working right.

 

[eDJ_]

very interesting thread !

Recently I was talking to a friend who went to  a job interview.  He thought he was well prepared for it and the
interviewer threw him a real curve ball. 

He asked him what Applications he was proficient with that would better enable him in this job.

First time I had ever heard of this.  (then I'm here in Appalachia working at home with computers and using SKYPE most of the time) 

If it wouldn't be jacking the thread,  what office and business app's do others use ?

We may build a Swiss Army knife of apps here.  LOL

 

[offroad]

I drag web pages to the desktop from Internet explorer. Effectively book marks to the pages so I can access them quick.

Also using something called FENCES on win7 so that I can keep my desktop looking nice and organized.

 

[GrantRobertson]

If it wouldn't be jacking the thread,  what office and business app's do others use ?

How about we start two additional threads: One for favorite desktop programs in general, and one for programs that help in the CRVL lifestyle. I'll let you do that cause I'm on my phone right now.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I have the Kindle App on my phone and tablet. It works OK. I would only get a real Kindle if I wanted that eInk screen for easy readability. Otherwise, spend your money on a tablet and be able to do a thousand other things besides reading Kindle books.

Do NOT get a Kindle Fire tablet. That has a hacked up version of Android on it and you will have trouble with some apps working right.

I too have been using the kindle app on an android tablet for a couple of years now.  I hate the fact that I can't read outside in sunlight, which is apparently not a problem with the kindle device.

Plus, the app seems a bit crippled.  There are organization things you can do with the device - bookshelves for separate genres or even authors - that the app doesn't seem to support.

I've decided to treat myself to a new paperwhite for Christmas.

Regards
John

 

[TheSimpleNomad]

Great comments here, everyone.

I agree with having two separate threads as not all mobile apps are available for desktops. It's part of my critera when it comes to apps, the ability to use on both desktop and mobile but it's not a perfect world. For example, Waze is great for me when it comes to driving and finding routes, but on a desktop sitting at a coffee shop, not so much.

That's why I do like mySMS because I can do text messaging on both the phone and laptop.

As for Kndle, it is another app I can also synch between my phone and desktop. They used to offer a black background with white fonts, which I found terrific for reading in the day light and night time too but the newest version seems to have done away with that. I haven't used Kindle in about a month or two so I need to investigate it further. That's one downside of having a "reader" that's limited because you are at the mercy of the creator.

As for PDFs apps, I am still checking them all out but Grant, your suggestion caught my attention. I will have to check it out. The part about owning the PDF outright is important.

Keep the comments coming. I'm surprise this topic hasn't been brought up before.

Any RV apps or campground apps anyone use? Does the BLM have a dispersed camping app?

 

[offroad]

Mysms only works with other Mysms users. Not sure how that is helpful as all my relatives and friends use cellphones for sms messaging.

 

[akrvbob]

One of my top 5 apps is

US Public Lands

It gives you a map of all National Forest and BLM lands and it's integrated with your phones GPS and Google Satellite view.

Extremely useful and highly recommended.
Bob

 

[compassrose]

You know, it wasn't all that long ago that question would have resulted in a response like this:

#1. Mozzarella cheese sticks
#2. Garlic knots
#3. Soft pretzels
#4. Shrimp cocktail
#5. Conch fritters

 

[eDJ_]

Worthy of mention ?

Free Campsites Net has an Android App as a free download on Google Play

http://download.cnet.com/Free-Campsites/3000-20426_4-76386903.html

 

[offroad]

Adding YELP because it has the most up to date directory of businesses that have WIFI access. It's better than trying to guess. All other directories are very old.

 

[East]

In no particular order:

HERE Maps - For offline mapping, product by Nokia.
Ultimate Campgrounds - For finding a campground.
Allstays Camp & RV - For finding anything...
GasBuddy - For finding cheap gas.
Google Hangouts - Calling using only data with VoIP.