My first Ipod touch is on its way-App advice needed!

Parent Cafe
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<p>Hi, all. I’ve never even owned an Ipod, let alone an Ipod touch, but the new Ipod touch with front and back cameras, opportunity to chat with my kids using FaceTime, retina display–it’s too much for me to pass up. I ordered it as soon as the press conference on Sept 1st was over, and I’m tracking its delivery obsessively (it just left China this morning). My kids, of course, are laughing at me.</p>

<p>Of course I’ll use it to play music, and probably to store and display pictures–but I’ll admit to being a complete novice when it comes to Apps. We belong to USAA and I know I want to download their app that allows you to take a picture of your check to deposit it-I’m hoping I can do that with the new Ipod touch, since it has a camera.
Other than that, there are so many apps available, I’m not even sure where to start. </p>

<p>So-I’m asking my fellow parent-cafe members: What apps have you, as middle-aged folks, found to be useful or just fun? Or kids-what do you apps do you think your parents would enjoy?</p>

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<p>MomOf3: Following this thread with great interest - we are leaving for Europe soon and I am planning to use mine to Skype. Beyond that, I am not quite sure!</p>

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<p>I was in the Apple store this week-just admiring things.</p>

<p>While both our kids have much that is Mac, I’m quite uneducated. My question is for ksm: I didn’t know you COULD use the iTouch to skype. Really?</p>

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<p>Curiouser: We do not have the new I pod touch yet, but it will be out Friday. Like you, I am also quite uneducated! Depending on H for the details! However, I do understand that there is a free Skype download on the Apple store and also, we may need the earphones with microphone. Also, You Tube has a wealth of informative videos on how to do anything with electronics - the kids taught me this.</p>

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<p>Some of my favorite apps:</p>

<p>Facebook
The Weather Channel
Pandora
Lose It! (weight/nutrition)

Groupon
ESPN
Barnes and Noble
Scanner (Barcode)</p>

<p>Plus I’m addicted to the Angry Birds game app. :slight_smile: Fun times!</p>

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<p>I have local newspapers and TV stations, and during hurricane season I can get alerts. I have<br>
State Farm app (like USAA)
Pandora
I heart radio
Shazam
Crop for free
FSU Mobile
Trapster
Flight Tracking
Dragon Dictation (voice texts)
Mapquest (altho the iphone Maps app is excellent)
WeatherBug
iHurricaine
ESPN Sport Center
Dictionary
Flashlight
iHandy level (THE BEST)
Zippo lighter (I grew up in the 70’s and it was nostalgic to remember using it at concerts)
Starbucks
Ebay
Ebay Half.com
Amazon
Walmart
Target (I like doing price comparisons)
Mercury (sometimes Safari freezes)
Medcalc
epocrates
Free Wifi Locator and Free Wifi
I deleted Lose It. I didn’t lose anything just having it on my phone :(</p>

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<p>

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<p>Same here. I’ve got a free one on the way as an Apple promotion when I ordered an iMac this weekend. And believe me, you’re years ahead of me. I hadn’t even thought of using it for anything other than listening to music. I have no idea what any of the apps listed above do. Do these apps simply take you to the sponsor’s website? Or do they push certain info to you? For instance, what does the Barnes and Noble app do? Or the Weather Channel’s app? And how do you Skype with the iPod Touch? I really need a tutorial on the basics. Thanks, all.</p>

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<p>Love my iPhone. I have the following that haven’t been mentioned:
New York Times
E Entertainment (guilty pleasure)
Wegmans
Kindle
Staples
Fox News (I know…conservative, but they have good pieces in health & sci/tech)
Comcast
Netflix (If you have an account already you can watch movies or TV shows just like you do at home!)
There are metro/subway Apps for most major cities
Keyring (Enter your reward cards for grocery stores, etc. It creates a barcode that can be scanned. You always have them with you!)
Chipolte
There are numerous free apps for card games.</p>

<p>Watch the fine print. Some people get frustrated when an app doesn’t work on the itouch because it was designed for the iphone or vise versa.</p>

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<p>worrywart: Different apps do different things. The Weather Channel app gives you weather info - you can check the weather (current temp, hourly temp, next 10 days, plus look at radar map) for your own city, or for any other location you want. </p>

<p>Many apps are websites designed to work well and be legible on the iTouch or iPhone. Amazon, for example – you can log on with your password and user name and see your cart, search for products, and buy them. Many news organizations have apps that let you read articles – New York Times, Time, NPR, Huffington Post, MSNBC, etc. </p>

<p>There are apps good for traveling – that let you search for restaurants and get reviews, for example (Urbanspoon, Yelp, Local Eats, Open Table). Kayak has an app that lets you check airfares and get updates on your flights (arrival and departing gates, delays). AAA has an app that tells you nearby businesses that have AAA discounts. </p>

<p>There are recipe apps, like Epicurious. There’s a ruler app that lets you measure things (about 2 inches worth, but I’ve used it). Sale Price lets you input a price and the percent discount and the tax rate, so you can figure out the final cost. Wikipedia lets you look up info – same as what you’d find on the website, just designed specifically for the device.</p>

<p>If you use Firefox as a browser, get Firefox Home. You have to download it on your computer, too, and register, and then you can sync all your bookmarks on your home computer onto your device. </p>

<p>When you are in iTunes, you can search for apps and read reviews, which are helpful. Some apps sound good, then you read the reviews and learn that they crash all the time, for example.</p>

<p>I adore my iPhone. And love learning about new apps.</p>

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<p>Thanks very much, fireandrain. So my next stupid question is: are you saying that my iPod will have internet access? If so, is there a monthly fee for that? And if so, through whom? My home internet provider? Apple?</p>

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<p>worrywart, you don’t have to pay anything extra for it. it connects to wireless internet. Do you have wireless internet at your house? otherwise, most local places have free wireless internet access. I was on a bus trip the other day and even the bus had free wireless internet. I was amazed by that. I also flew on a plane not too long ago that had free wi-fi as well as the airport that it operated out of. Starbucks as free wi-fi also.</p>

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<p>If you can access WiFi, you have internet access.</p>

<p>Some apps work better, I think, if you have 3G cell. Not 100% sure on this, but I don’t know if the compass works with just WiFi, and whether the apps that depend on figuring out your location using GPS work with just WiFi. I’d like to know this, as I debate whether to get the iPad with just WiFi or with 3G.</p>

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<p>Yes, wherever there is wireless internet, you will have access. It takes a little getting used to. Be sure you learn to touch the screen to stretch out or compress things – you sort of pinch your fingers together, then spread them out to stretch, opposite to compress. I didn’t realize I could do that at first… and if you tip it sideways, most apps change from portrait to landscape. But I send and receive e-mails, check the weather, and read the New York Times online with my iTouch when I have internet access. It is not quite seamless, you usually have to go to the Settings to see what wireless networks are available and pick the one you want. But it is pretty cool.</p>

<p>Apps I use on my iTouch that haven’t been talked about too much yet. You don’t need wireless access to use these except when downloading books for B&N…</p>

<p>Barnes & Noble (mentioned, but just to clarify what you can do, I have downloaded some ebooks from B&N, just the free ones – am about halfway through Dracula at the moment)</p>

<p>Library List - you can keep track of books you want to read, have read, own, etc.</p>

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<p>Has anyone mentioned the Public Radio Player app? You can look for particular public radio stations, archived programs that you missed and search nation-wide for programs that are on the radio at that moment. Once in a while it freezes but I assume that it is because I have an older iPhone and the app is designed for the newest version. [Public</a> Radio Player](<a href=“http://www.publicradioplayer.org/]Public”>http://www.publicradioplayer.org/)</p>

<p>Also, KUSC is one of the better classical music stations out there and has a user friendly app where concerts can be downloaded as well as being able to listen to their live radio stream. [Classical</a> KUSC Radio for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store](<a href=“http://itunes.apple.com/app/classical-kusc-radio/id370421030?mt=8]Classical”>http://itunes.apple.com/app/classical-kusc-radio/id370421030?mt=8)</p>

<p>My daughter was in Africa this summer and it would blow my mind that I could be driving in the car in the US and speaking to her in Africa over Skype through my iPhone. I love technology. :-)</p>

<p>I am going to download a number of apps that people have mentioned above. Good stuff.</p>

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<p>Overdrive app allows library downloads (I download audio books to exercise by). Now I’m able to download mp3 audiobooks directly to the Ipod from my local library.</p>

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<p>I think I have the 2nd ipod touch- 16mb, but plenty of room for movies & music.
What I currently use most besides itunes.
wifi trak- automatically finds and connects.
istat- checks battery
icarpenter- just cool.
kindle- read lots of books
ibooks- from apple ^
How to cook everything- Mark Bittman
local bus app
local crime app
ikea catalog
Botany buddy ( keeps track of new plantings)
Take a Note app
plants vs zombies- game
doodle hockey- game
flick fishing- game
Set- game
local television apps
KING/KOMO/Q13
ifitness
Pearl Jam ( access to tenclub site)
Facebook
Twitter
Soma FM ( music)
Ambiance ( white noise app- with lots of choices)
Creative Whack Pack ( like magic 8 ball, but with actual relevance)
Treehugger- ( green up your life)
Yelp
Also just downloaded free Netflix app
set</p>

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<p>Well, it’s here --two days to arrive to my door from China! And it’s soooo sweet. I can’t wait to try all the apps you recommended–esp the one that allows you to download audiobooks from the library – apparently our local library subscribes–and the audiobooks “return themselves”! I will have a steep learning curve to use this thing, though–right now I can’t even figure out how to connect to our wireless.</p>

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<p>^^^When you do figure it out, please PM me! I’ll be right behind you on that learning curve. Mine should arrive tomorrow (yes, Saturday delivery!)</p>