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What's your favourite/most useful app?

(67 Posts)
JanePGransnet (GNHQ) Wed 30-Apr-14 16:19:40

We all spend so much time on our tablets/smartphones etc, that we at GNHQ have decided to start rounding up our pick of the most useful/entertaining or even downright silly apps.

This will be a regular thing, and to get things started, we'd like to hear from you about which ones have benefited you in some way.

So, which apps make your life easier? Which ones make you laugh? Which ones do you find helpful? Which is your overall favourite? Serious or silly, we'd like to hear about it. Thanks all cupcake

janthea Thu 01-May-14 11:02:24

Amazon,UK Train times, Currency converter, World Clock, Sky+, Shazam, MyNetDiary, Pizza Express (to book tables!) Barclaycard, HSBC, PayPal, British Gas for submitting meter readings, Hive for my remote heating, British Gas Safe & Secure alarm system and of course, Facebook, Twitter, Mumsnet and a link to Gransnet. So many! Sigh!

ARe we going to have a Gransnet app? grin

JanePGransnet (GNHQ) Thu 01-May-14 11:04:15

I love Angry Birds!

Some great suggestions here so far. Ta!

Nelliemoser Thu 01-May-14 11:42:29

I want a Gransnet App for my tablet. PLEASE GNHQ!!!!!

newist Thu 01-May-14 12:02:44

I have a Weight Watchers App, I have just realised this morning it has a scanner, to scan barcodes, so I have just taken every thing I can find in the cupboards with barcodes on to scan them to see how many points there is. I have also been through the fridge checking stuff.
I now have a vision of lots of people going round the supermarkets wafting their smartphones about to see if they should buy things. Oh how shopping has changed since standing at a counter asking the shop assistant for every item

rockgran Thu 01-May-14 13:30:22

Scrabble, candy crush and coin dozer if i'm looking for some way to pass the time. Useful things are Evernote and Dropbox for keeping notes and documents synced across devices. I also love any notepad or drawing type apps and Google Earth is fun.

Versavisa Thu 01-May-14 13:32:47

I also use Sleepcycle on my phone to monitor my sleep pattern. Yes, it does work, strange as it seems.

Appsgonefree is useful for finding apps that are temporarily free. Sometimes they are new but not always.

MrPotatoHead keeps the younger grandchildren and DH amused for hours.

NationalTrust is useful for up to date information.

MichelinNavigation is excellent for route planning and satnaving.

DropBox is my preferred choice for moving documents around my devices or sharing with others. You can choose whether others can just view the files or actually amend them.

Apologies, in my previous post I referred to YNAB for budgeting but I have since remembered that it's not a standalone app. You need to run the program on a desktop or laptop first and then you can use the app on your phone or ipad to link to it. Then you can update your budget before you leave the shop. Can't recommend enough though.

Thanks for the link to the OS Map Finder yogagran. Now on my phone and ipad and will be very useful.

Versavisa Thu 01-May-14 13:37:16

Love your WW app newist. Does anyone know of an app for keeping stock of what food you have in the kitchen?

I've tried a couple of inventory apps where you scan bar codes and it keeps a list, but as they were American a lot of my stuff wasn't on the database. You could enter it manually - but I decided life was too short!

It would be really good to know whether or not I had some tahini when I was in the supermarket.

Brendawymms Thu 01-May-14 13:57:48

My favourite app is "The Vault". It's securely stores all my passwords and account details and Pins.

Ariadne Thu 01-May-14 17:40:40

photo transfer - Install on all devices and you can send photos from, say, iPhone to laptop. (Don't all have to be apple)

facetime

Chambers dictionary /thesaurus / etymological dictionary etc.

DropBox

Oh yes - every Angry Birds available.....

newist Thu 01-May-14 18:02:05

This is a great thread because there are so many Apps to choose from, I hope it stays active for a long time

Versavisa Thu 01-May-14 19:43:52

Agree. The best apps are ones that were recommended to me

Mamie Fri 02-May-14 06:01:54

Candy Crush, except I have got to the end and am waiting for 560 onwards. Flightradar24 and Marine Traffic to see where all the planes and boats are. Michelin map of France (downloaded) and Larousse French-English dictionary (though I use this more on my iphone). Twitter, Facebook, Facetime, Skype, YouTube, RightMove, Radio Times, Google Earth and Maps, Loto, XE currency.

Purpledaffodil Fri 02-May-14 07:29:37

Just remembered Viber Free mobile to mobile calls abroad, can also send messages and photos. Both need to have it installed, but so useful.

Pittcity Fri 02-May-14 08:00:04

purpledaffodil just checked out Viber and it is only free if used over WiFi otherwise it is chargeable as data.

Purpledaffodil Fri 02-May-14 09:13:22

Thanks Pittcity. I have never had a problem with that because of unlimited data package on phone. Also mainly use it for calls to son in Singapore where they even have free wifi on buses! Just shows how apps can be personal things. A friend recommended Tango which does something similar and I hated it because I had a constant stream of adverts from them.

annodomini Fri 02-May-14 09:47:39

Mamie - I can't imagine how you managed that. It will take me to the end of the century to get that far on CC at the rate I'm going!

scarfaceace Fri 02-May-14 11:38:08

I find Weather Wear really useful because it shows what to wear for the day and if you need to bring a brolly or sun-cream. It also has the weather forecast for the next week.

I love my book reader too (Ibooks and Kindle) and read a book while I'm waiting for appointments or on the bus.

And for fun, try Tickle Time - this makes everyone, young and old, smile. You just can't help yourself. grin

And, of course, the BBC News is essential for keeping up with what's going on in the world.

Mamie Fri 02-May-14 12:49:57

Anno, it probably says more about the attractions available in deepest Normandy in winter!

Icyalittle Fri 02-May-14 22:55:47

Lots of new ones to try here - thank you. The ones I really find useful are My Recipe Book (hardly use a real recipe book now, so easy to add recipes and create shopping lists), TouchNote for postcards, BBC News, Duolingo, ColorSplash and iPhoto for photo editing, UK Maps because you can download very detailed Ordnance Survey maps to overlay onto a normal road map for driving / walking, Poems by Heart - you can add your choices. I love Ski Tracks because I can monitor how far, how fast, how many lifts etc per day and then see them plotted on a satellite view, and Snow Forecast. ViaMichelin for travelling in France.
Migraine Diary is useful for me. So is British Red Cross First Aid. BT Wifi for getting online when I'm out.
Sorry there are so many but I use them all, all the time!

rosequartz Sat 03-May-14 21:12:25

I am so impressed. Must start investigating apps.

Grannyknot Sun 04-May-14 14:55:48

I've been having loads of fun today with an app called Mini Piano. I just tap the screen and lo and behold I can play a tune in perfect Dolby sound. It's DIY or you select songs from a menu. Magical!

ameliaanne Mon 05-May-14 10:44:37

I love online jigsaws on my tablet! I have used a few apps but the best one I have found is Jigsaw Puzzle Plus which has hundreds of jigsaws for downloading, the majority of which are free! You can then do the jigsaws without wifi. I found it in the app store. Beware, very addictive.

Grannyfran Fri 09-May-14 16:33:30

I've sworn off escape games - the ones where you have to solve puzzles to get out of a locked room - but if anyone else wants to try a good one, they could try Diamond Penthouse Escape. It's free, but it will gobble your time! My Chinese students told me about Doodoo, a lovely drawing and animation app, which little children love too.

mrsmopp Sat 10-May-14 21:25:44

I've enjoyed doing Codewords in the paper for years, but as an app it's so much more fun. Easier to correct a mistake, and there is an unlimited supply on the app. Keeps me occupied anyway.

Lona Sun 11-May-14 10:30:24

Grannyfran I've just got Doodoo, my dgd will like it. Thanks smile