Best Tech and Apps of 2013

It's time for our favorite/best tech/apps/sites/stuff of 2013!

This year I made it a point to steer away from games on my devices. Nowadays I only keep one game on my iPhone. This is because I get addicted to games really easy. The one game? Ridiculous Fishing. It is fun and cute and frustrating and addicting. It's also the Game of the Year in the App Store for 2013.

Other apps I love are:

Duolingo - See Patrick's section.
Lumosity - Games that are proven to increase your memory and focus.
Audible - Part of the reason I was able to read more books this year is that I listen to them on my commute. I think that this has made me a happier and more well-rounded person.
Spotify - I don't use this app too much in my car anymore since I listen to books 90% of the time, but I do listen to it using the app on my laptop at work. Music is a huge part of my life and this gives me access to almost anything I can think of to listen to as well as helping me find new bands/artists to enjoy.

The best piece of tech I got this year was the Bose Solo sound system. We had been getting by with our TV's native volume controls which, when you watch a movie on DVD or BluRay, meant turning up the TV to its max. For some reason that is 63. Now, we have great sound for our movies and we don't have to have the closed captioning on anymore. And the sound quality is just perfect.

Chris:

Well, I don't know much about technology or science books or the french I took, but I know that I love the apps on my phone. Here are my favorites!

Akinator: It's an amazing genie that can guess any person you can think of! My kids love it, and I secretly play it when I'm bored.

Buzzfeed: 2013 was the year I stopped reading my facebook news feed. So many things irritated me about it. But now what was I supposed to read to kill time? Thank you, Buzzfeed. You saved me. I love humanity again.

Fandango: I buy movie tickets and do everything by my phone! It's space age! You guys have probably been doing this for years.

Flixster: Speaking of movies, I'm a snob. I won't go see anything with bad reviews. And I actually trust rotten tomatoes. So it's all here: movie descriptions, reviews, upcoming and show times.

Life Reminders: It literally runs my life. It's a boring little app, but man - it's changed me.

Runpee: So I know when the boring parts in movies happen and I can take a leak.

UDOT Traffic: It's all the 411 on I15. I know about accidents and stuff before I get on the freeway. And can thus plan accordingly.

Patrick:

Right now I'm real into Duolingo:

So I love to play word games on my phone on my break on my job. This app is a bunch of games, but it's teaching me French. So I have to translate what my phone is saying or I have to type it out in French. It feels like I'm playing a memory game or a spelling game but in the end I'll be buying and selling stocks on the champs de elysees!

I'm playing Letterpress but not with you.

In 2014 I am going to get super skinny, so I am on the look out for a great weight loss app...but not one that tracks how bad I'm doing, rather I would like an app where I stick my phone to my "Trouble Areas" and it sucks the fat strait into my phone...it would be nice if it then sent my fat to my enemies as a voice mail.

Ken:

I'm pretty confident in saying that I am the least technologically savvy person in the group. For most things technology, I text Josh with all my questions. (I DO know how to text. And I don't do it while I'm driving, so save the hate for somebody else.)

2013 was the year of the podcast for me. The year I started listening to stories or conversations on my commute. I generally listen to NPR's This American Life and Pop Culture Happy Hour. ALSO, for movies, I listen to my entertaining friend Eric D. Snider and his Movie B.S. podcast (with his friend Jeff Bayer). (Get it? B=Bayer and S=Snider. That's the kind of genius you come to expect with Movie B.S.)

Apps: I am still a bit of a novice with phone apps. But I do love the Flixster. It provides the Rotten Tomatoes %s and tells me movie times and even has previews! Sometimes, for funsies, I like to look up my favorite movies from my youth and see what the Rotten Tomatoes %s are. (Really, Splash? 92%?! Impressive, Tom Hanks. Apparently even more impressive than your Forrest Gump's Academy Award winning 71%. But not as good as Toy Story's 100%.)

And the thing that makes me feel like I AM tech-savvy? My Apple TV. I've had it for several years now, but I still love it. I can stream Netflix through it as well as digitizing all my movies and putting my DVDs in storage so it's at least more difficult for my kids to scratch and destroy them.

What were your favorite apps or pieces of tech this year?

Giveaway: Airbudz by SafeSound Products

You guys. I am super excited about this giveaway. Not only because I love giveaways (who doesn't?!) but because this is a product that I use and love.

Today we are giving away three (3!!) packs of Airbudz by SafeSound Products. I am a runner. And because running on the tiny track at the rec center with the senior citizens and their walkers makes me crazy, I am much happier and much more motivated when I can run outside. And when I run, I have to have my music (I have a lovely little play list called "Run, Tall Boy, Run!") But when you are outside with regular rubber tipped headphones, they block out TOO much sound. You want to be able to hear - cars passing, other runners coming up behind you, etc. 

Enter Airbudz. These little rubber tips replace the noise-blocking tips that come with your headphones. They have specially designed air channels that allow ambient noise to come in so you can still hear your music, but you can also hear that semi barrelling towards you. Or the zombie horde that is approaching from behind. When your run is done, the Airbudz easily pop off and you can put your regular noise cancelling tips back on. 

But they aren't just for runners. Let's say you like to listen to the Slate Culture Gabfest while you are folding the laundry. And even though you don't WANT to hear your kids, you feel like as a responsible parent, you should be able to keep an ear on them. Airbudz! You can still be culturally uplifted and distracted as you work, but if world war 3 breaks out upstairs (and you know it will) you won't totally be oblivious to it.  

They have been featured in CNET, USA Today, Wired and everyone loves them. I really do own and use the Airbudz and I love them, too. And so will you. And we, and the generous folks at SafeSound Product, are giving away 3 sets!

Here is what you get:

1. A pack of Airbudz in THE COLOR OF YOUR CHOICE. Go here to see the color options - I got the neon (because of course I did.)
2. Each pack contains 9 pairs of Airbudz. A pair of small, medium and large in each of the three colors. So you can pick the size that fits your ears the best and switch up the colors when the mood strikes you. Or I guess you could share them with your running partner if you are a nice person. (But don't get any bright ideas, Brian. I'm keeping all of mine.)
3. You also get the handy little carrying case pictured above. It's great to keep your extra Airbudz in and keep your noise cancelling tips when you are using you Airbudz. 

And here's how you can win:

1. Leave a comment on this post (not on the FB page. It has to be on this post.) Tell us how you plan on using your Airbudz if you win!
2. For a bonus entry: go to Facebook and like the Part Time Authors page. Leave a SEPARATE comment telling us you did that. (And if you already like the PTA page, just tell us that.)
3. And for another bonus entry: go to Facebook and like the SafeSound Products page. Your going to want to do that anyway to see what exciting products these guys come up with next. When you've done that, leave another SEPARATE comment on this post telling us that you liked the SafeSound page. 
4. You have until next Saturday (February 16th) to leave a comment. Winner's will be announced on Monday February 18th. 

It's important that each of your entries is a separate comment. When we pick a winner, we basically (literally) draw a comment out of a hat. So if you tell us in one comment that you did all three things, it will only count as one entry.

And be sure to share this post! Tell your friends! Get the word out about this great product. You will love it. I can't wait to pick the winners!

Disclosure: While SafeSound Products is providing the prizes for this giveway, the opinions expressed are all my own. I really do love this product. 

Best of 2012: Tech/Apps

At PTA, not only do we watch a lot of movies and TV, listen to a lot a music, and read a lot of books, but we also like finding new ways of getting that into our faces faster. That's where tech/apps come in. It's the most broad category. Some of us listed gadgets, some listed apps, some listed software. That's the fun of the category. Almost anything goes.

And as Josh said yesterday and Chris the day before, we love and welcome your comments. We want to know what you like and what you don't. That's important (so we can judge you). This will be the last call for comments, I promise, unless Ken and Patrick do it.

Brett's Picks

Best: iPad Mini. I am a borderline Apple fanboy. This is going to sound lame but the 7" screen is perfect, the weight of it is feather-like, and it does everything I need it to do to a point that I almost feel like I won't buy a regular iPad again (as long as I also have a laptop).

Guilty Pleasure: Wii U. We've had a Wii and we've never really played it much together, as a family. Since we've had the U, we've had so much fun playing little silly games and laughing our heads off together. We still love board games, I should add, but a Wii U is better than Monopoly ... we've never been able to get through that game without me getting cranky.

Runners Up - Best App: Evernote. I have it on my phone, my tablets, and my laptop, and, no matter where I go I can take notes, pictures, etc., and sync them across all devices. Guilty Pleasure App: Bloons TD 5. Bloons is a game that will consume you, create hate, and deliver joy in the space of a few hours. Do not get it.


Ken's Picks

Best: Dropbox. I am not super App-savvy. I will freely admit it. But I enjoy the luxury of moving large files around and having them on-hand – and doing it for free.

Guilty Pleasure: Shazam. I love using this whenever I hear songs in restaurants, in movies or TV shows, etc. and – boom – I suddenly know who sings it so I can download it later. (I used to be so musically knowledgeable. And now I’m not. And that is what I feel guilty about!)


Josh's Picks

Best: Instagram. If there is an app I use every day, it’s Instagram. And if you think it is merely a way to apply old-timey filters to photos, then your missing the point. Sure, the filters are fun and occasionally turn a good photo into something that seems artistic. But the funnest part about Instagram is to follow other people and see the photos they are taking. I follow a lot of friends and family and a lot of people that I don’t even know. And there is something fun and satisfying about getting glimpses into what’s going on in their life through these snapshots. Yes, it can be ridiculous (did you the see the awesome Instagram parody video? Warning: adult language!!) but I’m kind of obsessed. Follow me! I’m Jooshanoosh

Guilty Pleasure: HeroAcademy. I wish this game was at least intellectual or something. But it’s not. It is a little cartoony turn based battle game (you do your 5 moves and then send your turn to your opponent. You get a notification when they have done their turn.) I have wasted countless hours with my youngest son going back and forth. It’s not rocket science, but its kind of delightful.


Patrick's Picks

Best: Garage Band. Really, I know it's comes free with your mac, but honestly I have this little writing group and the three of us all ended up with Garage Band and we have so far written three brilliant and turbulent show stopping shows using this program. I'm sure there fancier programs but for my needs, I love it every time.

Guilty Pleasure: Hulu. But I have to take a moment to write my guilty pleasure a note:  Dear Hulu, if you are just going to show me the same set of commercials that whole episode of Nashville, then just get them all over with at the beginning, Oh, how I love Louis Vuitton who just gives me one 2 minute sexy video before New Girl starts and then, like a classy commercial should, picks up the tab for the rest of my advertising.  And every time the show I'm watching skips a set of commercials because Louis has them taken care of, I think, "I should buy myself a $600 purse."

And so the system works.  Thanks Hulu though for all you do. Love, Patrick. P.S. Josh wants you to stop showing commercials on Hulu Plus, because he's paying you already and that should be enough for you. Stay Cool!

Chris' Picks

Best: Samsung Galaxy 3. It's not an iPhone, I know. But I'm locked into my plan! What can I do? It's a Droid and I won't apologize for it. It's beautiful and it's smooth. And I love it and carry it around in my pocket and cry when we're apart. But I never call anyone on it! I've made about six phone calls. Isn't that weird? I use my phone all day long and it's never for calling people. We live in the future, and it's eerily silent. I'm OK with that.

Runners Up:
Instagram. For making your life look awesome and hipster HEFE
Life Reminders. To remind you to do things all day long
Amazon Kindle. Reading on the run!
Flixster. Movie reviews, locations, dates, and showtimes in a jiffy
Netflix. getting better all the time
UDOT Traffic and KSL Weather. two local faves, one that tells me where the snow is and another that tells me why the traffic's not moving.

Guilty Pleasure: LDS Tools. it tells you how old everyone in your ward is

There it is. What do tech or apps do you love? What did we miss?

Is Audiobook Listening Considered Reader Cheating?

I'm listening to audiobooks now. In the past, I avoided them for two reasons: I didn't have a long enough commute and I thought that if I didn't actually pick up the book and read it, then it didn't count.

Of course, technically, listening isn't reading. But, in theory, the activity of listening vs reading is only different in the method of input. When you read, you see the words and your brain creates images and creates a world for you to live in. When you listen, your brain still does those same things. You still have to imagine it all. Perhaps the biggest difference is that you can't go at your own pace or stop to take notes when you're listening.

So, today I believe that when I listen to books, I've legitimately consumed that book. However, I still think there are certain books that can't simply be heard and must be read. I plan to practice some basic rules to determine if I go book vs audiobook:

1. Books for improving my job need to be audiobooks because they normally take me months to read. Good info, not very fun.
2. Humor books read by the author are great audiobooks, e.g., Tina Fey's Bossypants.
3. I'm torn on "classics" because some you just HAVE to read and others are Moby Dick.
4. Sci-fi, Fantasy and Horror make great audiobooks and can really freak your ___ while you're driving home from work and it's dark.
5. Any audiobooks read by Kirby Heyborne because he's a friend and doesn't suck at it.
6. Read books by authors who love and play with language because that is a visual experience and can't be duplicated by listening. Authors such as Hemmingway, Beckett, Chabon, Cather, Poe, Pynchon, Shakespeare, and Faulkner, for example.
7. Read books that your book club is reading if at all possible just because. I don't belong to a book club but I feel like I would prefer to have read the book myself. Maybe it depends on the book. Thoughts, book-clubbers?

But enough about me, let's hear (ok, read) what some other people have to say about the question.

"Is listening to a book as good as reading it? I contend that it is not ... I choose audiobooks that are heavy on plot, but relatively light on character development and lyrical descriptions." – Mary McCauley of the Baltimore Sun blog

"Audio books are not cheating. In fact, I think that in some cases hearing a story spoken aloud can bring a new depth to the experience. I no longer stumble over the phrase “I’ve read that book” if, in fact, I have listened to it instead of reading the print version. The end result – hearing the tale – is the same whether you’re reading or, in essence, being read to." – @suddenlyjamie of the New Hampshire Writer's Network blog

I listen to audiobooks with the Audible app for the iPhone. Now, on my way to work, I listen to books all the time. I look forward to every moment I have in my car now, even with work-related books. I once again feel like a "reader" because I'm finishing books.

Are audiobooks cheating?

iPhone 5 Release: What did you think?

I had a really great post idea for this week and then I didn't do it. ("What else is new, Brett?" you ask.) So for this week I found a leaked video predicting the iPhone 5 features. Now that it's become a reality, what do you think? Does the video hit the mark? Do you wish their predictions had made it into the phone?



Happy Friday.

Friday Link Roundup: The Art of Book Covers

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Friday Link Round Up. I have "scoured" the Internet this "week" for the "best" links from around "the" web. Today we have videos of world-class drummer and comedian Fred Armisen, a lovely site showcasing the art of book covers, and an article about the myths of multi-tasking.

As always, I have tried to find something to help everyone. Yay!

A Video Guide to Fred Armisen's Pre-'SNL' Years
Some of these videos are harmless and some are highly offensive. I don't know your personal taste so I can't tell you more than that except really don't watch the home movie versions of the Self-Defense character.

The Book Cover Archive
Love this.

How to Customize Your Computer's Batter Warnings and Avoid Surprise Laptop Death
It's happened to all of us.

What Multi-tasking Does to Our Brains
Hint: It's not "makes you more productive."

Six Word Stories
Clever site. However, not all of the words are always appropriate.

What did you find on the web this week?