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New Droid App - Text by Voice

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Text-by-VoiceNot too long ago, I got my eyes dilated for a glaucoma exam.

I tried to send a text by voice, but when I looked at the result, it was a string of gibberish. I thought that maybe my phone had messed up, and so I tried again. Again, there were no word breaks, and no words that I could distinguish at all.  That's when I realized that it was my eyes, dummy! My texts had been sent just fine. And when I got the reply, I COULD NOT READ IT! And my Droid would not speak the received text message, either!  I was reduced to using a phone call.

Now that works better when you can see to look up the numbers, since sometimes it just doesn't find the number you need... that's another story.

But I figured that there had to be a great app out there that would read your texts to you... and I found one.

Sonalight's Text by Voice will read your incoming messages out loud when they arrive. You can even set it to turn on when you put the phone in a car dock. Many times I've received a text while driving, and really wanted to know what it was, but could not take my eyes off the road or hands off the wheel. How nic Save e to be able to hear it!

Text by Voice has great promise, because it is completely hands-free, which is perfect if you're driving and want to tell someone you will be late or where you are, without touching the phone. Or when your eyes are just not working, since it will read your message to you before you send it, as well as read your incoming messages to you. I think I will like having it available!

(Note: you may need to search for Sonalight to be able to find the right app. There are others with similar names.  Here is the link.)

Last Updated on Monday, 11 June 2012 18:06

HootSuite

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After trying out a variety of tools, my finger seems to gravitate to HootSuite on my Droid. Its interface is just simple and clean. I can flip between my home feed, lists, etc., and easily use it to post, retweet, and so on. It works well as a web app on the desktop, too!

That said, I've not explored the Pro version or spent any money. For what I do, the free version seems to be sufficient.

 

Last Updated on Saturday, 17 March 2012 23:11

Google Translate

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Another app I love is Google Translate.  While I've used Google Translate from time to time on the web, it's even more useful on the phone since you probably already have it with you when you need it.

It's nicely integrated with speech and with texting. While it's not perfect, it's a great resource beyond pointing and gesturing. Just make sure it gets the speech to text right:  e.g., :"robotics trip" vs. "robotic strip". Common words and simple phrases come through OK if spoken carefully.

The selection of languages is also pretty amazing, and it works in both directions in a conversational mode. When I was at Goodwill South Florida, I showed them it could not only handle Spanish but also Hatian Creole.

So this is one more tool just to have for those times when you just can't find the word in Spanish or don't have a clue how to say it in Korean. And the price is right.

Seeking a good Task Manager or To Do List App

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I am still seeking a great app to manage all my action items in all the different domains I am dealing with, syncing up with my office computer and laptop and being accessible wherever I am.

What is this? I'm not impressed with the apps I've tried. Syncing with Outlook tasks doesn't seem to be too great, and I have not really gotten into Gmail tasks either.  My calendar and e-mail sync just fine and it's great to be able to keep up that way. At present, the best way to get reminded is to stick important actions onto my calendar. But I'd rather have the flexibility of a great hierarchical "to do list" manager, so that I could organize and prioritize by domain as well as by time, roll forward those items not completed so they don't get forgotten, add notes or annotations, and so on. Repeating items would be great but maybe I can get away without that.

I've tried a few things but ended up uninstalling them for various reasons, such as the app wanting to know my GPS location. That is not necessary for this sort of app! (We're losing so much privacy anyway, I really need to draw the line when acess just isn't needed.)

Let me know if you've found something that delights you in this category.  I'll be sure to post what it is when I find it.

ES File Explorer

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ES_File_ExplorerMy latest delightful app find is ES File Explorer.

This app improves on the file explorer provided with the Droid by letting you browse or search for folders and files not just on the device itself, but also on the local network, via FTP, and on the Net. It even works as a Dropbox client. Wow. And it's simple to select multiple files, copy and paste, among all of these sources. It can browse or launch viewers of all sorts.

It's additional capabilities are pretty amazing. It can also unzip and zip files, manage apps, and more. I've not yet explored all it can do but what I've tried so far works very well.

This seems to be the best file explorer out there, and It's free, too!

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop&hl=en

 

 

Last Updated on Friday, 16 December 2011 10:09

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