23 Mobile Things #3: Utilities

Since I use the iPad and the iPhone differently, I decided to write about different apps for each of them. For two devices that have so much in common, there are many apps that are far more useful on the one than the other.

Something Old

I've had Google Search for probably almost the entire life of my iPad, and I use it, but it's never been the most successful app in the collection. For one thing, this is one of the slowest apps to boot. Tap the icon and it pops up instantly, but then leaves you staring at its splash screen for a noticeable length of time while it (presumably) gets everything ready for you. On top of that, its primary function is superfluous. You can easily search Google just by typing your search terms into the address bar in either Safari or Chrome, so why keep a separate app around just for searching?

The people at Google not being known for idiocy, they've no doubt figured all this out themselves, which is why this app is trying to become my personal assistant. (I have an iPad 2, so there'll be no competition from Siri.) I just switched on the Google Now feature two days ago to try it out. The problem is, my life is too boring for it. It has been eager for me to tell it to remind me to do something, like leave on time for an appointment—but I have nothing scheduled for the next six days. I don't follow sports, so it can't tell me my favorite teams' latest scores. I have no plans to fly anywhere in the foreseeable future, so upcoming flight departure times won't do me any good. Yes, it's telling me what the weather is like, but I have…oh, let's not count how many weather apps I have on the iPad. Suffice it to say I don't need Google to tell me that. The poor thing has been reduced to telling me that something I ordered has been shipped (it's been reading my email), and is hinting that I would get better suggestions if only I would turn on my Search History. I'm sure I would, but now we're into privacy concerns, and I don't know as I want my Search History on. I have this irrational need to apologize to this app for not letting it really show me how wonderful it could be.

Something New

My choice for the iPhone was RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner. Even with my old phone, I'd been meaning to get a barcode/QR scanner, although I kept never getting around to it. Some utilities are more crucial than others, and a barcode scanner seems pretty high on the crucial list. I remember visiting the History Center a couple of years ago when they were having their "1968" exhibit, and you could get more information about the various displays by scanning their QR codes—except that I couldn't. :(

So anyway, new phone, new app. Sitting at my desk, I wanted to test the app. The first barcode at hand was on a ball of yarn.

I wasn't sure what I would get if I scanned it, since I wasn't asking the app to do anything. Would it even recognize the barcode as such?

Indeed it did. It figured out the yarn was from Berroco and what the UPC was, although that seems to be the extent of it. I'll spare you photos of the book I scanned next, but this was more successful: a photo of the cover art and a list of comparative prices around the Web. (Amazon.com noticeably absent from said list.) I am now resisting the urge to scan every barcode in the apartment. I don't need to know how much I overpaid for the box of cereal I'm currently enjoying.