23 Mobile Things #23: Evaluate 23 Mobile Things

(pant, pant, pant)  Okay, I've done it!  I managed to complete all 23 Mobile Things.  It was a marathon, and I sincerely wish I would have been able to start it sooner, but am very, very glad I was able to make it through all.

I am very grateful that the Minnesota Multitype Library Systems decided to do 23 Mobile Things.  I very much loved the 23 Things On A Stick because I learned so much from that experience and when I found I did not have enough time to learn how to effectively use my new iPad, the arrival of 23 Mobile Things was a god-send.

I learned about so many productively tools that will help enhance my use of the iPad and make me as "mobile" as the iPad itself (one of the reasons for getting an iPad).  There are apps I learned about that will be extremely useful in conference setting and also at meetings as well.

My most favorite discoveries were how to take screen shots, the Bamboo paper, the interactive whiteboards, Puffin browser (really like it alot), having a Microsoft Office suite on my iPad -- okay I could keep going on and on about what I really liked.  There were some apps that were fun to try out, but that I will probably delete later -- I will still be testing out some of the apps I downloaded to see which ones have the features I like the most.

It was a bonus that I had also just recently got a smartphone, so that I could try things out in tandem and see which worked better for my phone and which worked better for my iPad.

There were no unexpected surprises to this program -- I expected to have fun, to learn alot and come away with increased knowledge about my iPad, my smartphone and how apps worked on mobile devices -- and 23 Mobile Things certainly delivered.

I certainly hope that you will provide a future 23 Things -- maybe when everything goes to holograms.  I very much enjoy doing 23 Mobile Things, and look forward to future 23 Things.

One word description:  AWESOME!

23 Mobile Things #22: Discovering Apps

I have downloaded the Apps Gone Free.  I can see where this will be a very useful way to find free apps, and also a way to find the most ridiculous and fun apps.  Just now, after downloading the app and seeing what was available for free today, there is an app just for wind chimes.  All it is (of course I downloaded the app -- I love wind chimes) is a a wind chime, gently swaying in the breeze -- until you swipe at it (I found it out when trying to see if there was anything else to this app) and the chime stricker will swing all sorts of directions, depending on how you swipe at it.  And then it settles down to a gentle chime -- and unlike a real chime, the sound tubes don't get tangled up.

Another value of the day, is SmartScan -- you can scan, crop, edit, save and e-mail receipts, bills, etc. and it finds the edges of the object -- and you have some flexibility in determining that, control contrast and light and color.  It is pretty easy to use and has a function where you can take multiple scans of an object without having to actually "take" multiple takes.

I do like Quixey -- it is difficult to find free apps at the Apple store, even when you use the search box.  Quixey is easy to use, provides much better and relevant results and includes pricing information.  This will be the place I will go when I am looking for a new app.  

23 Mobile Things #21: Free-For-All

For this Thing, I decided to look for apps that continued the "hobbies" Thing.  I like to go hiking -- not extreme, but a decent walk in woods, along rivers, lakes, and so forth, where I can enjoy nature, or landscapes or even architecture.  The walks/hikes themselves can be anywhere from a mile long to several miles, depending on the terrain (knees are getting too old for too much up and down).  So here are the following free apps that I have found:

Field Trip:  this an app that was developed by Google and provides you with a list of all sorts of places to go based on your interests.  You can select architecture, historic places & events, lifestyle, foods,drinks & fun, cool & unique and art & museum.  It uses your location to find places near you, provides a map, information about the place and if any ratings exist.

All Trails:  this app, using your location, searches out all sorts of hiking and walking trails.  It tells you how long the walk/hike is, provides directions to the hike from your current location, where there are other nearby trails, ratings for the trails.  You can also filter by type of activity, such as if you are looking for birding trails, horseback riding trails, etc.  You can also filter by features of the trails -- can you bring a dog, is there a lake, waterfalls, wildlife viewing, etc.  And if you want easy, moderate or hard hikes.  You can record your various tracks, and individually record each hike -- how many miles, how long it took you, pictures you took along the way, etc.

and the last app is MapMyHike, which is similar to All Trails, but concentrates on the workout aspect of hiking.  You turn it on when you start at your walking/hiking location (or run, road cycling, cross country, dog walking, and so on), can have "coaching" turned on or off, add music, live tracking.  You select your route -- there is a route wizard that uses your location to map out a route  and gives you the number of miles, how far away it is, a map of the hike, elevation information for the different parts of the hike.  There is even a nutritional aspect, where you can record foods, how much water was consumed and calories used.  

Both of the above apps can be very useful with regards to a "healthy workplace."  My institution promotes a healthy lifestyle and one of the things they will provide are step meters.  The use of the above two apps would be going a few "steps" farther in keeping healthy in the workplace.

23 Mobile Things #18: Education

Similar to games or hobbies, the apps listed in the Thing can be addictive.  It was rather hard to stop trying out a score of apps --- and continue my education in a variety of ways.  There are a couple of these apps that I think I will keep around, while a few are good for a short period of time.

I tried out the Eat This Not That app -- and was finished with it in no time.  Not that I got everything right, but the free version is very limited and I quickly went through it.  Since it is a timed "game", I mostly just took stabs in the dark, based on my somewhat sketchy knowledge of what foods you should be avoiding.  Probably would have done better if I had more time to think about and study each food set presented.  

The 3D Brain is pretty cool, with the ability to rotate and get deeper into the various parts of the brain itself.  I can see where this one could be very helpful for people studying the brain or have questions about how the brain works.

artCircles has a really interesting presentation, and depending on how you spin the circles, the types of art you can view changes.  This app has the power of several hours of entertainment and education.  I could learn a good deal about the different art genres, while just enjoying the art itself.  I do like to go to art museums, so this becomes a "pocket" art museum.

Google Earth is just plain fascinating, especially when you start looking up your own location.  The app version doesn't get down to street level, but with enough detail that you can recognize your own dwelling.  I just discovered the settings, when I could add panoramic photos option.  That puts little squares that you can tap on to the map for photos of that area.  That is helpful when you can't get down to street level.

Science 360 is another one of those apps that will take time to enjoy, browse and learn much from.  Swiping around the 360 view can make one dizzy, but tapping into each picture and the info that goes with each picture is a delight.  Won't get bored waiting for an flight with this app available.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Duolingo app.  I couldn't test out of my second language German, (okay it has been several years since I used it).  With this app I can dust off my rusty language skills (mixed metaphor there) -- I do like that it is both a visual and audio learning app.  I realized I could have done better in the testing out if my language spelling skills were better (I did better in translating written into English than English in German).  What I didn't check for is if it also includes learning to speak the language -- I would not be surprised if it does.

23 Mobile Things #12: books, Books & More Books

I sort of left this Thing towards the end, as I haven't yet jumped on the fiction ebook bandwagon -- don't own a Kindle or Nook.  When I read for pleasure, I prefer the look and feel of a physical book.  It fits in with the way I read, works better for me physically and right now I know that any physical book I acquire will be around (barring water and fire and pure-absentmindedness) for the next couple of years, with no software or hardware upgrades needed except for maybe a new pair of glasses.

I do use e-versions of non-fiction materials almost constantly in my work and home-life.  The ease of using the internet to find and retrieve information does make life easier and saves scores of time.  That said, however, having an app (Free Books) that gives me access to thousands of older fiction, in the public domain, is certainly worth exploring.  There are many books listed that I have heard about, one way or another, but never had to chance to read or get my hands on.  With an ebook, it is much more easy to abandon a book, if it turns out not to be to your liking (especially if it is free, of course), you feel less obligated to finish it.  I do like that you can upload the titles to Dropbox, so as to store and read on a multitude of devices.  I do not expect to physically acquire these books -- unless by reading the eversion I feel I need the physical copy as well, which is something I think many people are doing, reading the ebook and then occasionally buying a copy of the physical version as well.

I also have yet to get into audio books.  I tried a few years ago, but never finished the one book I had bought.  Since the Audiobooks app is free only for streaming, that does limit its usefulness for such things as long trips.  A paid version, when you can download the audio book for later, unconnected listening, would be useful on long car trips or plane trips.  

23 Mobile Things #20: Games

I am not much of a gamer -- never did own an XBox or a Wii or anything similar.  Being close to OTD, I use to play the DOS version of Doom (didn't care for all of the shooting, but loved the exploring and finding all the hidden treasure).  I also use to play Myst and Tomb Raider -- without joysticks (just the up/down left/right arrows and space bar).  With the internet, I usually do card games (solitare) and got addicted for a while for a word game called "letter garden."  I have also played versions of candy crush -- Jewel Quest is the most common.  I like games with some brain challenge, so of the games listed in this thing, the ones I enjoyed trying out the most were WordCollapse and WordWarp (Word Warp is very similar to Letter Garden).  Temple Run, in a word, is exhausting.  I think I killed myself at least 10 - 15 times before I finally figured out the finger sweep that kept me on the causeway.  I also found it made a good deal of difference once I turned the tutorial function on -- killed myself left frequently and got farther into the game.

I do play games as a way to relax from what I am currently doing, and I play crossword puzzles first thing in the morning to get my brain in gear for the day.  For me games that involve some thinking (not too much or it would be work instead of a game), are more fun.  For instance, Temple Run as a game would be more appealing to me if it involved trying to find hidden treasure, rather than just running and jumping and sliding and smashing into coins to gather them.  That doesn't mean that I won't end up playing it more just to see if I can master the whole running, jumping, sliding and whatever else is in store the farther you get into the game.

There are limits to the free versions of some of the games, where you can play them to a certain point and then need to pay for the upgrade in order to continue on.  This is going to be the issue with WordCollapse.  I have been sweeping through the categories quickly and will soon use up my free sections.  Also, for some of the free apps, it is annoying to have pop-ups all the time asking you to download yet another free game -- but, I guess , if you go free, that is what you "pay" for.

23 Mobile Things #19: Hobbies

None of the apps listed really appealed to me, so I found one that did -- craftgawker lite.  When I have the time (which unfortunately is seldom lately), I love to do crafty things.  Craftgawker lite (the free version) is a lovely way for looking for craft ideas.  You can scroll through the pictures, either looking at the latest posts, what have been popular, or you can search by keyword for those crafts that most interest you, or have aspects that you are interested in -- for example, I have been interest lately in anything that has to do with "tea."  On Craftgawker lite, I found body scrubs made with tea, soaps, bird feeders made out of teacups and saucers, knitted tea cozys, tea towel printing using lemons as stampers, tea potpourri and so much, much more.  Once you create an account and log-in, by tapping on the picture, you get to the directions or recipes for the crafts well as save your favorite photos by tapping on a heart icon.

There is also a category section, so if you don't want to search, you can look at things via categories, such as bath & body, candles, knitting, clay & pottery and so on.  There is a Craftgawker website, and the mobile app links to the website.  New pictures are posted weekly.

23 Mobile Things #17: Connecting to Community

I wasn't sure what to expect for this Mobile Thing -- and because of it I discovered a whole slew of useful apps that didn't occur to me existed.

I like to travel and sight-see, but really don't get out much to do so.  When I can, I do drive to local and national conferences, and plan to visit various sites along the way.  I also commute from Wisconsin to Minnesota and so road conditions can be very important to me -- a matter sometimes of a difference of 90 minutes commutes vs 3 hour + commutes.

Most of the apps that I found are most useful on my smartphone, since they involve traveling.  having Minnesota 511 and its companion Wisconsin version, can be a life-saver, especially during the winter months.  The Wisconsin road condition app will also be very helpful when when setting out on long road trips, as usually most road trips that I take seem to involve traveling through large stretches of Wisconsin.  I have also found and downloaded the Travel Wisconsin app  which looks to be a treasure-trove of Wisconsin parks, natural wonders, local events/festivals as well as the Wisconsin DNR app, which also lists wildlife viewing areas, GPS maps and more.

On the Minnesota end of things, I added the UpNorthExplorer, which covers both the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of "Up North".  And of course, who doesn't go to the annual Great Minnesota Get-Together.  I go with my sister every year and this year, I will have the Minnesota State Fair app, which will help me locate all those new foods, where the bathrooms are and provide an interactive map so I won't get turned around as often.

23 Mobile Things #16: Audio

Audio is not usually something I like to do -- I have a hard enough time leaving voice mail messages!  That said, there is certain value in recording short instructions that could be linked onto a web-page, or as is suggested in the 23 Mobile Things section for audio, interviews or book reviews or audio essays.

Audioboo and ipadio both were easy to use.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that instead of the limit of 3 minutes, the version of Audioboo that I downloaded allows up to 10 minutes of recording.
  Audioboo also has a audio loudness meter that you can watch as you record, and are able to adjust the recording volume accordingly.  It also has an extremely simple audio snipping tool -- as far as I can tell you can snip off the ends, but not pieces in the middle.  You may or may not be able to do more precise editing on the website itself.  Ipadio was more simpler to use -- just a big "target" button, no audio loudness meter, no audio snipping tool, etc.  You can add multiple images to the recording, a title, summary and location -- same for Audioboo as well.

Both Audioboo and ipadio rely on their website for additional functionality -- minor editing and broadcast settings.  You also have to go to the website(s) in order to delete any recordings you made as well, which is a bit of a bummer/hassle.

For the ability to do quick, simple recordings that can up uploaded or embedded into websites they both look very useful -- Audioboo for short recordings, ipadio for longer.

23 Mobile Things #14: Videos

I can where Vine can be addictive is just scrolling through the feeds that come up -- and then especially if you go into the categories that interest you (rather like trying to stop eating potato chips or Herseys' kisses).  Six seconds is a perfect length of time to take a quick video of something that happens in an instant, but for library use, you would have to plan out what you are going to shoot very carefully in order for every bit of the six seconds to count.  I don't know if I would ever use it for library use, but I can already think of several video shorts I have taken that were not worth the trouble to upload to YouTube, but would work really well in Vine.

I tried out both Socialcam and Magisto for creating videos.  Sociialcam was pretty easy to use, recorded voice easily and had a nice variety of types of title effects.  Using the filters can take a while to figure what works best -- I ended up with a slightly muddy looking product, but that could have been because of what I was filming and the lighting available.   Filming with a iPad can be slightly cumbersome, especially if you are holding it with one hand, while trying to focus or enlarge with the other (shaky results ensue).  It will take a bit more playing around to fully appreciate its capabilities.

The first thing I liked about Magisto is that you can make a video out of still photographs -- rather like putting together a slideshow with music and transitions.  You can shoot a video, and just use that video or add photographs as well.  There are a variety of themes you can choose from, but you are left guessing as to how they will work in your movie until you get the "draft" and play it through.  The music options change with the themes, but you always have the option of adding your own music -- and I believe you can set how loud or soft the music plays in the video.  Aside from the title, you cannot add any other text to the video unless it was created as a graphic image.  It will take a bit more playing with to discover if you have any control over the order of the pictures/videos in the movie.  The draft stays available for about 30 days and then gets discarded.  Until you "keep it" you can "tweak it" and change every aspect, from what photos/videos are in the movie, to the themes and music.  And it does take a bit to find, you can delete (same for Socialcam -- I had to go to "help" in order to figure out how to delete my test video).  Magisto's movies are not immediately available -- it does take a few minutes to "cook".

I can see both of these apps useful for creating relatively on the fly types of videos on a mobile device.  On desk-tops/laptops similar there are things like Jing, which has been used by reference staff to explain how to use a reference source.

23 Mobile Things #15: Infographics

Rather disappointed in both Infographics Hub and info.Graphics.  I am having considerable trouble just getting Infographics Hub to respond -- I don't know what the issue is.  After I downloaded the app, I did not get the the views shown in the help getting started -- all I got was a big blank screen and when I tapped on the menu bar and tried to access one of the categories, I was asked to register (yes, a frequent request of most of the apps featured).  However, though I filled out the registration screen, the app is now locked -- with the "register button" unresponsive.  I did try to shut my iPad off, then on again (reboot so to speak) and tried again with the same results.

I had better luck with info.Graphics, though I found the displayed infographics limited and it has no search function, so I can't look for infographics on a specific topic, but only in broad categories and hope to find one I am interested in.  

I also tried both of the apps for creating infographics.  Visualize looked to be the one that has the most versatility, however, whenever I added an image, graphic, etc., to the workspace, tapped to bring up the effects menu, no matter what function I tapped on the effects menu, I would get bounced out of the app.  So, if I wanted to use this app to create an infographic, I would be limited as to what I could do with any images or text that I would use to create the infographic -- as well as risk getting bounced out of the app at a moments notice.  This problem may not be an issue with the full version, or I may be having just some funky issues with the free version.  

I liked i Visual Info Touch.  It is more limited in scope than Visualize, but I did like the library of shapes that came with the free version and it was fairly simple to use.  I do have trouble re-sizing text.  It seems to take about 10 tries before the textbox responds to my attempts to re-size, while I don't have the same problem with re-sizing the graphics.  I did have fun creating a simple infographic and I can see where this could come in handy if you needed to create an infographic on the fly.  Saving the completed infographic to the camera roll didn't seem to be a big deal, as that means it could be easily uploaded to Dropbox, or emailed

23 Mobile Things #13: Presentations

I took a look at all four of the suggested apps -- two for simple presentations, and two for whiteboards.  There were pros and cons for each, though to be honest, some of the cons for the presentations are deliberate choices by the creators.

I do like to have the ability to create very simple presentations on the fly -- both Deck Slideshow and Haiku Deck, by limiting what you can do, force the concept of "simple" -- which can be a good thing for those of us who have a tendency to over do PowerPoint presentations.  What I liked about Deck are the different themes that are freely available -- they are fun and add a little "kick" to the presentation without having to figure out how to do transitions.  I also like that there is a set of readily available formats that can be customized, to a certain extend -- these include bullet pointed text, charts & graphs, tables, inforgraphic style diagrams and the ability to insert images.  You are limited to one font type, but having to choose between too many font types can slow down putting together a presentation.  I am not as fond of Haiku Deck.  It took longer to figure out how to create the presentation, and I do find it interesting that you cannot re-arrange your slides once you have created them -- I had to copy and paste the slide I wanted to move and then delete from its original position.  It also has a few less functions than Deck, such as tables and diagrams.

As for the whiteboards -- I really liked Lensoo Create.  It was pretty easy to use and figure out how to use the various functions.  I found Educreation more limited.  Lensoo, beside being able to just write on the whiteboard, type or add images, also had a suite of figures (squares, triangles, graphics) and a few font options.  Educreation was limited to whiteboard writing, typing (fixed font) and image insertion -- with Lensoo, images were easier to manipulate, with touch screen moving around, enlarging, shrinking and rotating, which are a bit more cumbersome in Educreation.
I did find it annoying that you had to add voice recording before being allowed to save your whiteboard creation -- and in Educreation, after saving the "lesson", when you bring it up again, it automatically plays, with then an annoying pop-up that asks if you want to repeat (you have to then click "done" to get rid of it.).  Lensoo, on the other hand, waits for you to start the "lesson."

I can see where the whiteboard apps can come in handy when you are in a meeting or conference and you want to either record what is happening, or decisions being made -- just like any whiteboard in any conference room.

23 Mobile Things # 11: Library & Reference

Our institution does not have a library app -- at various times creating an app had been discussed, but instead it was decided that it was better to render the library websites themselves into responsive design, so that they could be used on any device -- making them device neutral.

I live in Wisconsin and commute into Minnesota for work.  So, I decided to see if the Wisconsin complement to ELM -- BadgerLink -- had either apps or was done in responsive design.  I found that BadgerLink (http://www.badgerlink.net) to be very similar to ELM.  While the layouts may not be exactly the same, both of them are done in responsive design.  On my iPad BadgerLink looked very similar to what it looks like on my desktop -- the webpage was simple in its organization and structure and easy to use.  On my smartphone, the page looks very similar to that of ELM, where the tabs for dominate, but again, very easy to navigate to where I would want to go.  It was also easy to bookmark as well.

It was also interesting to compare the two in what either of the two websites feature -- BadgerLink has links to a "songbook database" and a whole page for genealogists, while ELM has the Research Project Calculator and a page for Minnesota History.

One of the things that I have noticed over the years, as the use of mobile devices become more common, is how webpage design thinking has changed.  It use to be that everything had to be "above the fold" and scrolling was to be avoided.  With designing for mobile devices, the scrolling is what keeps the displays from becoming too crowded or hard to navigate.

23 Mobile Things #10: Sharing Photos

I had mentioned in the previous post, that I do participate in a photo sharing community that is called "Capture Wisconsin" and "Capture Minnesota."  I believe there are numerous iterations of this "Capture", even down to cites ("Capture Chicago").  Like most other social media sharing sites, you post pictures, add titles, captions and tagged with categories.  People can "dig it", "love it" , follow photographers and add comments that you can reply to.  The sites have moderators/editors, who select Pictures Of the Day and post daily picks as well.  The site controls for location (you have to include where the photo was taken and if it is outside the defined boundaries, it doesn't get in), there is a request to not upload photos that are heavily photo-shopped or include extras, such as text, stamps, etc.  

I know of Instagram, but hadn't been interested enough to check it out.  Our institution does have an Instagram account (just now discovered), where events -- such as National Library Week -- are captured and shared.  In my particular library, I don't think we have utilized this account -- something to bring up at our next communications meeting.

23 Mobile Things #9: Taking & Editing Photos

Oooohhhh, now this "thing" is much closer to my heart -- I love photography, especially nature photography and I can see a lot of potential here.  I also take pictures of our library's events and this is going to make it easier to take and edit them.  I have taken pictures with my iPad for work, but until now, had to transfer them to my laptop in order to do any editing of them.  Now, I can take pixs with the iPad and edit and share them without needing to transfer.

I have downloaded LINE Camera,  Photo Editor by Aviary and Color Splurge.   Each of these apps has its highpoints (and low points).  With LINE Camera, I liked how easy it was to use the special effects -- though the names of special effects was puzzling, and sometimes I couldn't see what the actual difference was -- but some were pretty cool, such as the charcoal and paper effect.  I also like the the brush (stamps) function -- really fun and funky, as well as the ability to add text in various fonts and colors.

Photo Editor by Aviary also has some cool special effects (again with puzzling names), but also includes a cool set of "stickers", like hats, sunglasses, though bubbles that can be added to jazz up a photo.  It also includes the general photo editing aspects, such as focus, cropping, light adjusting, etc., which LINE also has, but to a lesser extent.

Color Splurge allows one to add color to a picture that has been rendered black & white -- the options allow for either the original color to be added back in, or you can chose to change to a different color scheme.  This will be fun to play with to see if some really interesting effects can be made with the contrast of black & white to splashes of color.

I am very happy to have be introduced to these free photo editing apps.  They will help enhance both my personal and work photography.

23 Mobile Things #8: Social Media Management Tools

I created a Facebook account back in 2008, as part of the 23 Things On A Stick exercise.  And I have to confess, I haven't accessed/posted to it for the last five years or so -- I used it mostly for posting photos of my growing family of cats.  I realized that the types of social media that Facebook and Twitter represent -- with the constant posting, updating and sharing, wasn't me.  I found I just did not have the time that was needed to keep up with all of the activity.  On the other hand, I will say that Facebook is a great way to keep up with friends and family who are distance (my husband keeps up with nieces that way).

If I ever created a Twitter account, it has long been forgotten.  I do know that the Twitterverse is very active, can be influential in creating social movements and providing a finger on the pulse of popular opinion.  My institution does use Twitter for events and other announcements and finds it very successful in getting the word out.

So, I did sign up for HootSuite -- so I do have that in place, linked to my Facebook account, in case I ever get back into the whole social media arena again.

23 Mobile Things #7: Content & Sharing

I had heard of Pinterest and bitly, and had seen other people's uses of them, but had never gotten around to really exploring them my self.  At first, when I went to join Pinterest, I got very confused by all of the boards presented to me, and for the life of me, could find the bottom navigation bar -- just miles of scrolling through boards -- didn't realize that there is a big difference between looking at Pinterest on its website and (finally) realizing that I hadn't actually downloaded the app.  The confirming email took some time to show up in the my inbox, so that was a bit frustrating as well.

However, here we are the next day, I have rectified the web version vs app version -- and now the world is rosy.  A little exploring showed me how to limit which boards I wanted to see, how to create my own boards and how to "pin" items from existing boards, or pull in my own pictures to share with others.  That part will be interesting.  I already share my photography on a site called "Capture Wisconsin" and "Capture Minnesota", but both of those sites are limited to pictures taken with those state borders.  So, it looks like with Pinterest, I can share my photography outside of Wisconsin and Minnesota -- will be interesting to see where that leads!

One of the pictures I posted to Pinterest

We don't use Pinterest here at my library, but my institution does have a Pinterest account -- so far all photo sharing of our events is through Facebook, but it may be worth the discussion to see if there is any interest.

I did sign up for bitly as well, but haven't had a chance to use its functions -- but I have added it to my Puffin set of bookmarks.  I can see where this will come in handy, especially in informational webpages, where you would want to list the url, but it is very long and cumbersome to do so.

23 Mobile Things #6: Creating & Editing Docs

I knew there were apps out there for iPads that allowed you to use Microsoft Office -- Word, Excel and Powerpoint -- so thank you, thank you, thank you for pointing it out to me.  I chose CloudOn for that purpose, with the complimentary app Dropbox.  I was familiar with Dropbox.  I have colleagues who use it and for a project my husband set up an account for himself that worked very well.  I am very excited about the ability to create Word documents on my iPad.  

(Aside note:  just now found out some other awesome features with Puffin.  With Safari, using Google docs was cumbersome -- with Puffin, it's like being on my laptop -- whoohoo!!).

My institution uses the Google suite.  However, there are limitations to Google docs (compared to what you can do with MS Word), and if I can use MS Word, Excel or Powerpoint instead of the Google version, YES!, and be able to then upload to Dropbox so that I can pull them into my laptop, wow.  Of course, I now have no excuse not to be able to do work while out a conference.

23 Mobile Things #5: Notetaking

WOW -- Bamboo Paper is awesome.  Words cannot describe what I felt after I downloaded this app and then tried it out.  The uses are endless.  I think I will find this app the most useful for conference attendance.  When I attend a conference, I mostly take written notes of ideas and concepts when listening to speakers.  Typing on the small keyboard for iPad usually produces too many typos and I have a very non-linear way of taking notes anyway (lots of arrows, stars and diagrams).  I can see where using Bamboo paper may allow me to take "written" notes on my iPad, with all the arrows and stars and circling and underling and be able to send it to Dropbox later as a pdf.  

I also like the fact that pictures can be inserted, sized and moved around, and then notes made about the subject of the pictures -- such as taking a snapshot with the iPad of a library interior, inserting it into a Bamboo paper "book" and then make notes and suggestions about changes since you can "write" on top of the photos -- which will come in handily as we contemplate physical space changes in our library.

I also downloaded Dragon Diction -- the idea of being able to talk into your iPad, have it converted to editable text -- has possibilities.  The only problem that I noted, and it may have been that I wasn't speaking load enough (something I will have to test away from my office), it that unless I held the iPad very close to my mouth, the microphone didn't pick up very well.  On the other hand, when I did speak directly into the mike, all of the words came through correctly.  I can see where this capability will come in handy on those times, such as walk-throughs, where you can't stop to write something down.

23 Mobile Things #4: Keeping Up

Back when I participated in 23 Things On A Stick, I learned about RSS feeds and had set up several for myself as part of the exercises -- and for a while there actually visited them and read the postings.  After a while, certain feeds either died, grew sparse or I just became to "busy" to bother visiting my feed.

Since RSS feeds were first introduced, the way information is presented and made accessible has changed considerably.  The idea of a personal "magazine" that is more than just a list of links with a couple of words to peak your interest, is fantastic.  I downloaded Flipboard and I just love the way things are presented, how you can chose or customize the types of feeds you get, and it includes video feeds as well.  The "flip page" technology is a big boon to this type of feed, where you really feel like you are flipping through a magazine, rather than visiting a series of webpages.  I also like that you are not stuck with your choices and can change things around when your interests change.

This app is going to be very useful for traveling and when away from my usual sources of news information -- 

23 Mobile Things #3: Utilities

I was really interested in two of the listed utilities -- RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner and finding a browser that would allow me to use/view Flash on my iPad -- I love doing crossword puzzles, and found it frustrating to have my iPad along on a conference, only not to be able to play my favorite crosswords (arrrgghh!).    And of course, Flash is used in more useful things, such as tutorials.

It is also always nice to have an alternate browser available, just in case something doesn't display right or, as in the case of Flash, not available on a particular browser, or if I want to sign in using a different username and password for the same app.  That is the reason why I decided to go with the free version of Puffin.  It downloaded fairly easily, and a test of one of my favorite crosswords showed that it was working in Puffin --   It will be fun exploring how this browser handles bookmarks and page history.

With the growth of QR codes, the ability to scan a QR code is increasingly useful.  While I will probably not use RedLaser to scan with regards to shopping, it will certainly come in useful at such places as conferences, where QR codes are used to link up with additional information.  And now that I have the ability to scan QR codes, I will keep an eye out for other applications.