Top Ten #4 - Apps on my phone

Day 4 27th March

Top Ten #4 - Apps On My Phone

[This post was meant to be posted on Friday 27th March - it helps not to save as a draft !]

There are a lot of apps that have resided - or still do - on my phone over the years. As I change phones, most of the apps travel to the new device - unlike my phone number, which I think hails back to 1997.

There are generic apps that of course come with my Android - all the Google suite for example. If I counted them all - I'd seriously dent my Top Ten. I regularly use:

1. Maps
2. Books
3. Photos
4. Gmail
5. Drive
6. YouTube

There are also the 'almost made list' - that's another whole story.

These are the apps that I wouldn't be without now.

• aWallet Cloud  http://www.awallet.org/  This great app is run off my fingerprint and allows me to forget my passwords. It has a 'master' password (or fingerprint if you want) and then displays categories of passwords. At one stage for work there were a total of 35 passwords that were used infrequently - which made this app critical to my memory.

• Gaspy can be found at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.hwem.gaspy Is a very useful app when travelling around our island nation. Petrol prices vary so much and with this clever app you can check on the prices in your location ...and the next location as well. A little bit of app reading can save a lot of money. For example, In Picton often the NPD self serve pumps are cheaper than the rest of the toen - and Blenheim, which is close by. 

• Pixlr at https://pixlr.com/  and https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pixlr.express&hl=en is a very versitile tool for making collages as well as editing a photo on your phone. Add text, stamps... straight after you have taken the photo.

• Back Country Navigator https://www.backcountrynavigator.com/ it's an app that requires a little pre-planning. Before I head into an area, I use the app within wifi and go over the are I am likely to be in. This downloads the relevant topo maps for the trip. It will record where you are, your route as well as give lots of useful data around your trip - not the least of which - how far you have walked ! It has sat on 4 phones now and has performed very well on each.

• Netflix - almost goes without saying. I love the chance to view programmes on the phone or casting them to the TV.

• ManageMyHealth is a must at https://www.managemyhealth.co.nz/m/. It's an app that links in with my doctor's surgery and the DHB. I can make appointments, order repeat scripts, look over test results, review Drs notes. It's really useful. As someone who could never remember what the last cholesteral results were - they are at my finger tips.
• Spotify
  
  has become a top rater for me. I do remember a few years ago not being able to work it out - at all ! But now it is my goto for my music and podcast collection, as well as some ongoing collections that I am building for future use. It was Renee how showed me how easy it was to build a shared playlist, and now I have all sorts of weird and wonderful playlists.  
• TripleOne https://apkcombo.com/emergency-call-new-zealand-111/com.familytrak.newZealand/ 
  is an app that I thankfully haven't used very often - but it is an essential one. When you open the app - it tells you exactly where you are - by road or street AND by GPS Co-ordinates. This tells a 111 operator exactly where you are, which can be a real bonus. For example there are at least 10 Anderson Roads in NZ. TripleOne will let you tell the operater exactly where you are. It also has your own emergency contacts on the home page. press their button and it rings them straight away. A cool app to have on your homescreen. Please note that doesn't come from the app store.
• Stocard - I use this a lot. It has all my regular cards stored on it - Library, Fly Buys,AA, Kathmandu etc... saves a lot of room in my wallet
  
  .
• MyTracks is my number one favourite old school distance tracker and mapper. I used it back in 2013 walking the Camino to Santiago in Spain and still love looking at the day sections and totals. Yes I know there are newer ones that link into your friends, but I still love the simplicity of My Tracks.