Thing 3 Utilities

After exploring several of the utilities for iphones, I installed three and will experiment with all of them to see how useful they turn out to be.

RedLaser works easily.  Using barcode samples currently on my desktop, I scanned and quickly connected with Metronet's 23 Mobile Things site and Hallmark.com.  Shopping is not a major interest, but I will try using this app on a few shopping trips over the next couple weeks.

Wi-Fi Finder indeed is straightforward and easy to use.  It identified 6 free hotspots near my South Carolina location though not the one I use most often at a nearby café.  In anticipation of future travels, I checked a few international sites, found hotspots in three cities and none at all on the Aran Islands which truly remain a wild and remote place.

GoogleSearch has so many options and features, too many to fully grasp in a brief overview session.  I read several online reviews, including one on C-NET which said the voice search feature alone made this a "must have" app.  I'll spend more time exploring this one.

Thing 2 Mobile Device Tips

I am fairly new to the world of smart phones, having purchased an iphone last summer to replace a very old, very tired and very basic Samsung mobile phone which had become so quaint that I used it only surreptitiously in dark corners for the last few months of its existence.

Before exploring Thing 2, I thought I had learned the iphone features of most use to me from friends who provided tips and from exploring an intuitive interface.  Now I realize I had barely scratched the surface level of knowledge.  I spent hours on this Thing, experimenting with almost all of the tips--and sharing favorites with friends.  Because I recently upgraded to iOS 7, it was an especially good time to learn about the many features available.  My favorite: turning text to Bold enlivened the appearance of the gray-ish text native to iOS 7 and made reading easier.  The various swipes for searching, easy deletions, editing and more truly are enhancements which I now use regularly.

All in all...time well spent.  However, I need to pick up the pace with Things 3-23 or the generous timeline for finishing 23 Mobile Things will elapse before I explore them all.