Indispensable apps

HEChicken

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No, my app is called Sunrise and Fall. The first time I used it I had to tell it my zip code and now all I have to do is press on the app icon and it loads and tells me the sunrise/sunset times for the day, plus the number of hours/mins of daylight. It also has a calendar, so you can swivel it forward or back to see what the data was for about any other day too.
 

journey11

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My DH has an iPhone (from work), but I just have the oldest, plainest cellphone they will still allow me to have. I'm sure if it breaks, I will be forced to get a smartphone. :p

@NwMtGardener -- That GoSkyWatch app sounds really cool. I will have him look for it. The Topo maps would be super useful too! I am just curious...will it allow you to pin your start location at the head of the trail? That would be a great way to ensure you never got lost. Also, can you use it in areas where there are no marked trails? If so, that would be one I would like to have too.
 

NwMtGardener

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You can pin anything you want on the Topo maps - I mark cool campsites we've found, with notes about what time of year we were there (to know if/when they're free of snow) as well as campsites we DON'T fit in with the Yukon and 12' camper. We can go a lot of places but not EVERYWHERE, and we've had some really sketchy times trying to turn the whole rig around...

Sometimes we run into forest service roads that I think are open but they're actually gated...a pin goes on the map for that too.

The maps work EVERYWHERE, and I think I would find them invaluable if I was bushwacking across country, but I don't usually do that. If I remember right, the app didn't cost very much at all. The one downside is that downloading the maps uses a lot of memory, and my ipad doesn't have very much available, so that becomes an issue sometimes. That's why my next device will have more memory :)
 

journey11

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You can pin anything you want on the Topo maps - I mark cool campsites we've found, with notes about what time of year we were there (to know if/when they're free of snow) as well as campsites we DON'T fit in with the Yukon and 12' camper. We can go a lot of places but not EVERYWHERE, and we've had some really sketchy times trying to turn the whole rig around...

Sometimes we run into forest service roads that I think are open but they're actually gated...a pin goes on the map for that too.

The maps work EVERYWHERE, and I think I would find them invaluable if I was bushwacking across country, but I don't usually do that. If I remember right, the app didn't cost very much at all. The one downside is that downloading the maps uses a lot of memory, and my ipad doesn't have very much available, so that becomes an issue sometimes. That's why my next device will have more memory :)

Ooh, I can use that to mark my mushroom patches! :celebrate Sometimes I waste a lot of time trying to remember where I found spots from year to year.
 

Carol Dee

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O.K. now I just feel OLD. I still have a VERY simple flip phone and NO Aps!!!! (But I kind of like it that way.) No one Ever accused my of being cutting edge or hip anyway.
 

thistlebloom

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Me too Carol Dee. I'm not getting a Smartphone until they force me to. I'm already practically giving blood every month paying for our two dumb phones with nationwide coverage (for relatives) and unlimited texting ( our kids preferred method of communicating with us old fogeys) and then to have to cough up an extra $40 or so on top of that is just craziness. I only have two kidneys....
 

digitS'

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I guess, the "large" smartphone is thought by some to be the wave of the future (link). That's a 180 from the smaller, smaller, smaller idea, uh, idea.

I was curious if some folks use a smartphone or tablet for a telephone but without bothering with the service. I don't use the phone in a standard way so I asked my daughter. What she said surprised me a little.

She said she knows a banker, of all people, young guy, he does that! He has internet service at home, at work, and most everywhere he goes. He doesn't need to use the phone while driving so, he has a voicemail system and makes all of his calls over the internet.

Steve
 

HEChicken

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Me too Carol Dee. I'm not getting a Smartphone until they force me to. I'm already practically giving blood every month paying for our two dumb phones with nationwide coverage (for relatives) and unlimited texting ( our kids preferred method of communicating with us old fogeys) and then to have to cough up an extra $40 or so on top of that is just craziness. I only have two kidneys....
What would the extra $40 be for? I bought my iPhone on eBay. It was a refurbished model and about half the price of buying one new. I don't have data so it didn't cost any extra on my plan than my old phone. At home we have wi-fi so I can still use all the features that a data user can use at home, like Siri (voice recognition) and web browsing. But once I leave the house its just a plain old phone - calls and messages only. This suits me fine - I really don't feel like I need to have internet access everywhere I go.
 

Lavender2

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@digitS' ...
Google voice is free. We were just discussing that with my son. You just get internet service and your phone is through the internet.

@Carol Dee ... same here, antique phones, no apps, cheap plan. I guess we are rough'n it... :D
 

thistlebloom

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What would the extra $40 be for? I bought my iPhone on eBay. It was a refurbished model and about half the price of buying one new. I don't have data so it didn't cost any extra on my plan than my old phone. At home we have wi-fi so I can still use all the features that a data user can use at home, like Siri (voice recognition) and web browsing. But once I leave the house its just a plain old phone - calls and messages only. This suits me fine - I really don't feel like I need to have internet access everywhere I go.

Hmmm...I guess I should look into it more closely, and get my facts lined up. When I've had to shop for a new phone on our providers website, the smart phones were an additional $39/month with the data plan. It appeared that you couldn't get a phone without also paying for the data plan....

All I need is a way to communicate, I rarely use anything extra on the simple phone I have. Although one day in the dentist waiting room out of sheer boredom I started goofing around with my phone and got online to look at TEG, (natch!). It wasn't easy to see on that tiny screen, so I didn't spend more than 5 minutes with it.

So what I have now works fine, and when it stops working I'll investigate my options more thoroughly.
If I could get an upgraded phone for the same amount I pay now, well, that would be a good thing.:)
 

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