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Reviews, Recommendations and News
Monday, October 3, 2016
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Discogs: Catalog your CD and Vinyl collections from your Device
Do you want to organize your CD and Vinyl music collections? Are you interested in finding new places to purchase that album you have always wanted. If that is the case, Discogs is the app for you. Discogs mission is "to build the biggest and most comprehensive music database and marketplace"
In this app you can keep an inventory of your music collection. You can either search by title or by the UPC barcode. If your album isn't there, you can add a title to their ever growing database.
If there are albums on your wish list, Discogs lets you keep track of those titles as well. They will also send you notices when they find a place where that item is being sold.
There is also a Marketplace on the app for people to buy and sell their collections.
So if you have a sizable music collection, you might want to give Discogs a try
In this app you can keep an inventory of your music collection. You can either search by title or by the UPC barcode. If your album isn't there, you can add a title to their ever growing database.
If there are albums on your wish list, Discogs lets you keep track of those titles as well. They will also send you notices when they find a place where that item is being sold.
There is also a Marketplace on the app for people to buy and sell their collections.
So if you have a sizable music collection, you might want to give Discogs a try
- Name of App: Discogs
- Audience: Adult and Teen
- Platform: IOS and Android
- What the App does and why we recommend it: The app allows you organize titles in your music collection, keep track of titles you wish to purchase and allows users to buy and sell cds and vinyl.
- What Platform we used to recommend the app: Android
- Cost (at time of review): Free
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Tunity: Listen to a Muted TV from Your Smart Phone
Have you ever been in a restaurant with a TV playing and something you really want to hear comes on, but you either can't hear the TV from where you are sitting, or it is muted? Well, we've got just the app for you! Tunity will allow you to hear any live TV playing around you through the speakers on your phone or through headphones. Now you don't have to miss whatever the local news station is covering--just tune in on your phone. The app will request access to your camera on your phone to locate the channel, and this only works on live TV not recordings. Still now you don't have to miss out on the news you want to hear.
- Name of App: Tunity
- Audience: Adult and Teen
- Platform: iOS, Android
- What the App Does and why we recommend it: The app will allow you to listen to a muted TV near you.
- What platform we used to recommend the app: iOS
- Cost (at time of review): Free
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Marco Polo Video Walkie Talkie
If you’re always playing phone tag or being Face Timed at
the worst time, the Marco Polo app is just for you! Marco Polo is a video
walkie talkie that works on your time. You can start chatting with your friends
now and they can respond right away or later when it’s more convenient. All the
video chats are saved so there is never a rush to view.
The app is so easy to use even your children can
participate. You simply tap a button and start recording. You can set up groups
or chat with individuals. This app is a great way for families and friends to
stay in touch no matter where they live. You can talk as long as you want and
customize your video chats with a wide assortment of filters such as “movie
star” or “nighttime”. Marco Polo helps staying in touch fun and personal.
Name of App: Marco Polo Video Walkie Talkie
Audience: Everyone
What the app does and why we recommend it: Allows you to stay in touch with family and friends in a fun and personal way
What platform we used to recommend it: iOS
Cost (at time of review): Free
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Rio 2016 Mobile App -- Keep up with the Olympics
The Olympics is in full swing. If you are like me, you don't have time to keep up with all the different events going on. Well the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has just the app to help. The Rio 2016 app lets the user keep track of how their favorite country or athlete is doing. The user can search by sport, athletes or country. They also have a nice section of photos and videos. So if you have the desire to find out the badminton results, give the Rio 2016 app a try
Name of App: Rio 2016 Olympics App
Audience: Everyone
Platform: iOS and Android
What the app does and why we recommend it: The app gives the user results of the Rio 2016 Summer games
What platform we used to recommend it: Android
Cost (at time of review): Free
Monday, August 1, 2016
Searching for a Way to Block Unwanted Spam and Robo Calls: TrueCaller
If you have a phone, you are no stranger to robo and spam calls. Towards the end of June things were getting so bad that I was having up to three calls a day. It was frustrating because I couldn't always tell the difference between valid, important calls, and the spam because some of them came from my own area code. Day by day it was getting worse. Finally, after three long weeks of this, I began to research my options.
First and foremost, if you are receiving a large number of spam and robo calls I recommend making sure that you are on the Do Not Call registry. There are actually two of these, state and national, I recommend covering your bases and registering for both. To register, or check your registration simply go online to these websites:
Keep in mind that these will not stop all calls. Many of the calls we get these days are from scammers, and since they are already breaking the law, the Do Not Call registries will not stop them. In the past I have tried blocking the scammers using the blocking options on my phone, but since they use so many different numbers it was impossible to block them all. So that's when I started looking for a technical solution--an app. I researched a number of websites and the one the experts seemed to like best was TrueCaller, so I thought I would give it a try.
TrueCaller is supposed to identify spam when you get an incoming call and uses your contact list to filter out your friends and contacts. In a perfect world this would have been a perfect solution, but unfortunately it wasn't. My first call TrueCaller identified as spam was actually from my doctor's office, and trying to get TrueCaller to accept it as a legitimate contact after someone else has said it was spam was next to impossible. I actually had a couple of Spam calls come through that weren't identified, so I marked them as spam with TrueCaller. Overall, it has faults, and I wish it were easier to switch calls from Spam to legit, especially in the case of my doctor. I am no expert on how the program works, but it seems to take input from all the users--if one user identifies a call as spam, it is that for all users. Still, with very little options out there for stopping those calls, this is definitely worth a try. Just remember, you may want to accept some of those Spam calls--especially if they have a local area code because they might be a call you are waiting for.
First and foremost, if you are receiving a large number of spam and robo calls I recommend making sure that you are on the Do Not Call registry. There are actually two of these, state and national, I recommend covering your bases and registering for both. To register, or check your registration simply go online to these websites:
- National Do Not Call Registry: This website will give you more details about the Do Not Call Registry, what is included, what the exceptions are, and what to do if you receive unwanted calls.
- Indiana Do Not Call Registry: This website will allow you to register for Indiana's Do Not Call Registry.
Keep in mind that these will not stop all calls. Many of the calls we get these days are from scammers, and since they are already breaking the law, the Do Not Call registries will not stop them. In the past I have tried blocking the scammers using the blocking options on my phone, but since they use so many different numbers it was impossible to block them all. So that's when I started looking for a technical solution--an app. I researched a number of websites and the one the experts seemed to like best was TrueCaller, so I thought I would give it a try.
TrueCaller is supposed to identify spam when you get an incoming call and uses your contact list to filter out your friends and contacts. In a perfect world this would have been a perfect solution, but unfortunately it wasn't. My first call TrueCaller identified as spam was actually from my doctor's office, and trying to get TrueCaller to accept it as a legitimate contact after someone else has said it was spam was next to impossible. I actually had a couple of Spam calls come through that weren't identified, so I marked them as spam with TrueCaller. Overall, it has faults, and I wish it were easier to switch calls from Spam to legit, especially in the case of my doctor. I am no expert on how the program works, but it seems to take input from all the users--if one user identifies a call as spam, it is that for all users. Still, with very little options out there for stopping those calls, this is definitely worth a try. Just remember, you may want to accept some of those Spam calls--especially if they have a local area code because they might be a call you are waiting for.
 |
| TrueCaller |
- Name of App: TrueCaller
- Audience: Adult and Teen
- Platform: iOS, Android
- What the App Does and why we recommend it: The app will allow you attempt to identify spam calls, but keep in mind it is not perfect.
- What platform we used to recommend the app: iOS
- Cost (at time of review): Free
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
BRAINSCAPE
While out
shopping for school supplies this year, don’t forget to look into getting the
best apps to make this school year the best one yet. Brainscape is a must have
app for every student. With Brainscape you can find, create and share thousands
of smart flashcards covering almost any topic.
Brainscape uses three sources for creating its flashcards—Educational experts,
students and you! Top experts in the field lend their expertise to ready-made
flash cards in fields such as Foreign Languages, SAT prep, and AP exams. You
can also browse for flashcards from over a million subjects created by other
students and teachers. Finally you can create and customize your own set of
flashcards for any subject you want. You can also share your creations with other
students!
Brainscape works by personalizing the timing between different cards. You rate how well you know a subject and the app creates a unique pace that is ideal for each individual user. Brainscape boasts that they offer "flashcards on steroids." With data from over 800 academic studies backing them up, Brainscape is a must have for all students. Click hereto read for yourself.
Brainscape works by personalizing the timing between different cards. You rate how well you know a subject and the app creates a unique pace that is ideal for each individual user. Brainscape boasts that they offer "flashcards on steroids." With data from over 800 academic studies backing them up, Brainscape is a must have for all students. Click hereto read for yourself.
- Name of App: BRAINSCAPE
- Audience: All ages
- Platform: iOS
- What the App Does and why we recommend it: This app gives students access to over a million ready-made flash cards and the ability to create their own in order to learn quicker and more efficiently.
- What platform we used to recommend the app: iOS
- Cost (at time of review): Free
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