Tag: apps

Some Tech News For May 2, 2013

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, I’m not sure where today has gone but it is almost gone at least as far as the work day goes!

So here is a relatively short tech blog posting for today!

Here’s a link to a New York Times article, titled Rearranging the Furniture, Minus the Aching Back,  on apps you can use that allow you to see how your room and/or house would look if you moved the furniture and paint the walls – without you actually having to move the furniture and paint the walls!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/technology/personaltech/home-design-apps-let-you-experiment-with-colors-and-decor.html?ref=technology

A second link to a Culture of Mac article, titled Kindle For iOS Will Now Turn Your Favorite Books Into Audiobooks, that discusses the recent (yesterday) upgrade of the Amazon Kindle app for iOS (Apple devices) that makes the app more user friendly for the blind or visually impaired:

http://www.cultofmac.com/225836/kindle-for-ios-will-now-turn-your-favorite-books-into-audiobooks/

A third link to a neat arstechnica article titled Finger-Free Phones, Full Body Gesturing, and our “touchscreen” future” that discusses how the rapidly advancing technology will become even more integrated into our lives in the near future:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/05/looking-ahead-at-touchscreen-technology-where-do-we-go-from-here/

And a fourth and final link that has nothing to do with technology really – except for the fact that if you appreciate all the tech/digital holdings and assistance you can obtain for free from your local library be aware May 7-8 is National Library Legislative Day – I’m not sure why it is two days – but that is okay! We should all proclaim loudly to our local, regional and national legislators that we value libraries and they should support funding for public libraries!

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/nlld

Have a great day!

Linda

References

Bell, Killian. (2013, May 1). Kindle For iOS Will Now Turn Your Favorite Books Into Audiobooks. Cult of Mac. Online.

Eaton, Kit. (2013, May 1). Rearranging the Furniture, Minus the Aching Back. New York Times. Online.

Ion, Florence. (2013, May 1). Finger-free phones, full body gesturing, and our “touchscreen” future. arstechnica. Online.

National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). The American Library Association. Online. Accessed May 2, 2013.

Windows 8 Apps & Apple Expected To Launch Online Radio Service In 2013

Linda Reimer

Windows 8 Apps: Now that Windows 8 is available I thought it might be a good idea to mention some solid Windows 8 apps – available from the Windows App Store – that you might find useful if you upgrade to Windows 8 or buy a new Windows PC, laptop, tablet or hybrid tablet in the near future.

The apps include: Netflix, IM+, TuneIn Radio, StumbleUpon, MovieGuide, Maps, Free Books, Google Chrome, Kindle, MetroTwit (Twitter), Skype, Google (for direct access to the Google search box), HuluPlus, FlipToast, AllRecipes, Evernote, WeatherBug and more.

Here are links to three articles on that very subject of apps for Windows 8 – just in case you buy a new laptop over the weekend!

1. Top 12 Windows Store apps from CNET:

http://goo.gl/RMyUZ

2. 10 Windows 8 apps you should download first by PC World

http://goo.gl/bvHQK

3.  The 10 Best Free Windows 8 Apps For Work And Play by Business Insider

http://goo.gl/le2nM

Apple Radio Service: According to the Apple Insider in 2013 Apple is slated to introduce a new internet radio service to compete with the likes of Pandora and Spotify. And if you’re not familiar with internet radio – it is a popular way to listen to music because you can customize the music to fit your personal taste. So, for example, if I create a Frank Sinatra channel on Pandora* — then that channel will play the music of Frank Sinatra and other persons of that vintage and in that style – so you might here a Frank Sinatra song followed by a Harry Connick Jr. song followed by a Louis Armstrong song etc. Likewise if I create a Beatles channel I’ll hear music by the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and various other classic rock artists.

Some of my personal favorite Pandora channels are: George Winston Radio, Billie Holiday Radio, Beatles Radio and Christmas Radio.

The Apple Insider article, tilted Apple reportedly planning to launch online radio service by early next year, may be accessed via the following link:

http://goo.gl/PdIL7

Have a great weekend!

Linda R.

*Pandora is available and you can access the service via apps or through your web browser at http://www.pandora.com/

Songza: A Great Playlist App

Linda Reimer

Songza: A Great Playlist App: NPR offers a neat review today of the music app Songza. The Songza app, which is available from the Apple and Android app stores and also for the Kindle Fire, is a free app that allows you to select music playlists to listen to instead of having to create those playlists yourself. For example, NPR states that playlists you can access through the app include ones titled “About To Head On Your Commute,” “Home From Work,” “Midday Dance Party,” and “Studying.” And once you select an app category you can chose a variety of music from different eras so if you prefer classic pop from the sixties as compared to current pop hits you’ll be able to pick an app subcategory to fit your musical preferences.

I downloaded the app to my iPad and created a free account this afternoon and in logging in I see six categories: “An Energy Boost,” “Brand New Music,” “Summertime,” “Work or Study (With Lyrics),” “Exploring Obscure Sounds,” and “Office Crowd Pleasers.” Further exploration of that app shows that you can chose playlists in additionally categories including “Activities,” “Moods,” “Decades,” “Culture,” and “Genres.” I selected Decades and saw they have playlists listed for every decade from the nineteen thirties through today. So I’d say if you like Pandora and/or Satellite Radio you ought to check out Songza!

The NPR article, and short accompanying podcast, is titled: For Playlist Junkies an App to Send You Down the Rabbit Hole – here’s the link:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/08/13/158709471/for-playlist-junkies-an-app-to-send-you-down-the-rabbit-hole

Linda R.