Thing #16: Audio

IPadio is a slick little app for recording short audio snippets. It is intuitive and straightforward. I tried only the tablet recording option rather than the phone, but it worked quite well. My sample is a favorite poem by e.e. cummings.

Obit for an App

Springpad will be no more as of June 25, 2014.  They thoughtfully provided a migration plan for Evernote users, so I am already converted. I liked this app the most of those I've learned about through the 23 Things, so I am sorry to see it go. I wasn't as attached to it as I was to Google Reader, but it is still sad to see good apps go away when there are so many lousy ones in the marketplace.

Thing #15: Infographics

While I love the images that Infographics Hub collects and categorizes, the app itself is disappointing. I was not able to set up a personal login for saving items I found, and attempts at both searching and sharing via email crashed it. Luckily the sources are usually on the images, so this app can still function as a locator. But then so can Google Images. I liked this one on What Can Humans Learn from Animals.

Thing #14: Video

I am not much into sharing pictures and video. I have Facebook friends who capture so much of their lives that one feels like they've moved in with them. I'm sure their children will cherish those movies and pix someday but right now I'm a bit of a Luddite in that regard. Super 8 reels probably elicited the same reaction a generation back.

My first try at video was created with Magisto, an Editor's Pick on Google Play Store. The star is Duncan Cat, whose tuxedo lent an air of elegance to the film despite his low-key portrayal. I couldn't get an easy connection to my still photos or my own music so this first try is not quite what I wanted.  It felt like the app had all the control of the finished product and I wasn't really directing it. Maybe that's all one needs for a quick post on a social media destination. I liked it enough to pay $.99 to download it from the free app.

Thing #13: Presentation

Deck is an interesting application for quick and simple slideshows rather than a sophisticated presentation. I could especially see its creative and streamlined aspects applied to PechaKucha, the compact presentation style that limits one to six slides and six and a half minutes. The template themes are pretty wacky, and only a few are free, but the effects are nice. I'll have to think awhile to see applications to our special library setting.

Thing #12: Books, Books, & More Books

I had never heard of Free Books until this Thing. Of course, Project Gutenberg is well know to most librarians if one is looking for the classics. I've also found a fair number of such works free on Kindle. But this was a quick way to get access to the words of top authors and beloved stories.

I am not impressed by the formatting of the books themselves; in the test books I downloaded there are paragraph breaks and not much else. These are the TXT file versions of Western lit, not prettified or enhanced. They have skimmed the universe of out-of-copyright titles for the best known, even if most are of the dead white men vintage. Even the Gutenberg HTML version of The Velveteen Rabbit includes the original artwork, while Free Books does not.

As with all my other info apps, I am doubled or tripled up when it comes to book apps. I have Kindle, Nook, and Google Play Books on my tablet, along with the Overdrive reader. I prefer not to read books on my phone.

Thing #11: Library & Reference

While I am familiar with and thankful for the resources provided through ELM, I have not used it much through the elm4you.org web site. My usual point of access is Hennepin County Library's web site, where the full range of databases is available. Now I will remember that a lot of things are easily available to me on the go through their mobile page. I've created a shortcut to it on my tablet, reinforcing a learning from Thing #2.

I have use the HCL app on my phone and tablet as long as I have had the devices. Being able to see the status of my account (requests, books checked out) is great. I've loaded and looked at Overdrive too, but there are so many books and so little time...