What apps or features can you not live without on your phone? | Phone/Device Issues and Features | Consumer forum

Please consider registering
guest

sp_LogInOut Log In sp_Registration Register

Register | Lost password?
sp_Feed Topic RSS sp_TopicIcon
What apps or features can you not live without on your phone?
December 30, 2012
10:08 pm
fefrie
Member
Members
Forum Posts: 224
Member Since:
August 13, 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I have an Nokia N8, so I'm always going through cell phone envy, but in the long and short of it. It does exactly what I need it to do, albiet with a slight pause and without the 'crispiness' of newer phones. But saying that, what I need it to do, it does very well, or well enough. The killer of me not upgrading is the 12mp camera and the FM transmitter so I can listen to my videos through the car stereo wirelessly as I watch the video on the phone.

Every once in awhile though, I hear of a nifty app out for android or iphone, and I get jealous with the novelty of it, but ultimately decided that it's just another thing I don't want to clutter up my phone.

Take texting for example. I don't know how whatsapp works, but the hassle of turning an app on to send a text message really isn't worth the 10c saved ( I don't text like a teen), and I don't know if it eats battery life while it is on via wifi or data.

I use my phone heavily as a video entertainment center, but I download all via the desktop and upload it onto the phone seperately.

Offline maps is great, so I don't really require google maps, and the only extra app that doesn't come built in is Opera mini/mobile.

Are there any innovative features/apps that you use on your phone that's really important to you?

January 14, 2013
9:47 pm
SND253
Toronto
Member
Members
Forum Posts: 36
Member Since:
September 19, 2012
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Not really.

I use my mobile phone mostly as...a mobile phone. The most common secondary uses are Alarm Clock, portable Calendar & Notepad, and convenience camera.

May or may not have a quick look at e-mails two or three times a week, or for a weather or sports headline. Could live without that but since both of my second-hand phones have WiFi and only cost me $60 & $80 respectively ...heck why not!

Haven't even downloaded Opera yet. For how little time I spend (sessions between 8 & 20 minutes) I'm not sure I want too risk taking up any memory.

Can't say I really want to get anything else on the phone. Pretty much the only thing I wish I had was the big fonts throughout the UI like the newer Windows Phone. I also wish I had the expertise to get rid of the Fido custom FW from my C6-00 to make it run exactly like the factory unlocked 5530 +keyboard …and getting rid of the smart-dial in favour of a bigger virtual keypad.

But it is more often the case that I miss the louder earpices, forward mounted loudspeaker from my old basic phones than any of the toys on higher end smartphones.

February 17, 2013
7:41 am
PercyFox
Toronto
Member
Members
Forum Posts: 13
Member Since:
September 18, 2011
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I have an iphone. I use Rocket Radar twice daily to tell me when the next streetcar is going to arrive near where I am at the moment. It uses the TTCs own GPS to tell me when the next car, and the 5 after that will arrive.

Did I mention Twitter?

February 22, 2013
3:01 am
SND253
Toronto
Member
Members
Forum Posts: 36
Member Since:
September 19, 2012
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

PercyFox said:

I have an iphone. I use Rocket Radar twice daily to tell me when the next streetcar is going to arrive near where I am at the moment. It uses the TTCs own GPS to tell me when the next car, and the 5 after that will arrive.


That would be very useful to someone depending on the streetcars, even though it can't help the next ride arrive any faster ... but i suppose if it gives you the actual location of the streetcars in real time (rather than just the TTC's estimate of when it arrives) it could help a person in a hurry decide wether or not to try flagging a cab.

I wonder does it also tell you wether that car you're waiting for is taking on passengers or is full to capacity. In the winter of 2004-2005 I had to use the King W route and on a few days a couple of streetcars passed by Spadina too full to take on passengers ... had i known that I would have flagged a cab despite being able to see the streetcar 3 stops away.