Best Android Apps of 2017

Hi All,

So the year is almost ended and all the 'best of' articles are starting to come out in print and on the web.  One of the better ones - written in March 2017 no less - is this article titled '100 Best Android Apps of 2017', written by PC Mag.

The article subtitle states that these are 'The essential Android apps you need, whether you're outfitting the latest Pixel phone or plugging along with a much older device.'

The article has lots of subheadings....including the following Browsers, Health/Fitness, Personal Productivity, Reading/News, Shopping, Travel, Video, Food, Music/Podcasts, Photos, Security, Social Media/Communication, Utilities and Workplace Productivity.

Apps are that 'make the PCMag 'cut' are generally less thank $5 - with the majority of the apps on the list being free to download via Google Play. 

About 5 or so of the 'best' apps are listed in each category with a paragraph length description of the apps features and why it is included in the list of the 100 Best Android Apps of 2017.

Links to each app are on the site as is a rating - 5 solid red dots indicates the 'best' app. 

In the article PCMag suggests using the link for '10 Must Have Android Apps For 2017' if the 100 apps in the prior article are too many to go through.

So...what criteria did PCMag look for when reviewing apps for the article?  They looked for uniqueness, elegance, timeliness, design, price, security and popularity in an app for the list!

Enjoy the apps and the links and your phones' new found capabilities!

Regards,
Stu

ConsumerWorld.org

 Hi All,

Today's blog entry is about the consumer.  As in a website called ConsumerWorld.org.

ConsumerWorld.org is a website that enables the consumer - which means you! - to compare prices at dozens of online stores instantly, find shopping bargains, link quickly to product reviews from Consumer Search, Consumer Review, Epinions, find best prices and sales prices at online stores and stores in your neighborhood.

Users can check store reputation via BizRate and the Better Business Bureau as well. The site has links to Consumer Agencies, Companies, Travel, Scam Alerts, Recalls and a place to sign up for the ConsumerWorld Newsletter as well. This link is for customers that want to send a complaint to a company online - the list is very, very comprehensive and useful! There are links to newly added consumer sites as well.

Links to Low Rate Credit Cards, Air Deals, Product Reviews,  Used Car Histories, Consumer Booklets and Consumer Rights.

Enjoy the site and go forth and shop and research and browse and look and review and save, save, save money!!!

Regards,
Stu

 

Flight Tracker - from USA Today

Hi All,

Two simple sites are up for discussion today. USA Today Flight Tracker and Flightview.com.

Users can get information about airline flights by searching for flights, by route and by airport from USA Today's Flight Tracker.   Users can search by arrivals and departures as well.

Results are displayed in a very easily read table with headings like Flight , Carrier, Departure, Arrival and Status.  Estimated times of arrival and departure are listed as well in the table when users click on the Flight name.  Click on this link - or any of the links above - to visit the travel site for flight.

Alternatively users can click on this link to visit Flightview.com.


Users can find flights and track flights on Flightview.com as well.  Specifically the Flight Tracker option is very, very useful.  Users can track flights by flight or route.  Flight information is displayed in a table with airline, flight number, departure time, arrival time and time remaining (if any).  Departure time and arrival time columns are sortable.  And there is a Flightview app available.

Enjoy the sites.

Regards,
Stu

Elevation Finder

Hi All,

Just found an interesting website called FreeMapTools. With a tagline of 'Maps you can make use of...' how can you not like the site? 

Popular Map Tools that users might be interested in include:
How Far Is It Between...?
Measure Distance on a Map
How Far Can I Travel?
Elevation Finder 

Specifically, the Elevation Finder tool an be used to find an estimate for the elevation of a particular point on the earth.  So, for instance you can find the elevation of your house in Farmingdale or a store in Massapequa or a park in East Meadow (think Eisenhower Park)....

Users can enter a location or use a map to zoom in to a particular location. The site also has a blog.
There are also user guides to help you use the various tools on the site. 

Enjoy the site!
Regards,
Stu

Saving Money Is Where It's At!

Hi All,

Back in December 2014, Yahoo Finance! published an article with the title '11 Websites That Will Make You Smarter About Money'. 11 websites were mentioned, but I want to discuss the first one - heck, I might even revisit the article in the future and discuss other sites mentioned in the article - or not...I'll see.

Anyway the site in question is Wise Bread. It bills itself as 'personal finance and frugal living forums'. It also bills itself as 'Living Large on a Small Budget' on the masthead of the website. So if you want to learn how to save money from everyday people, this is the place to go.  Wise Bread writers share both their own experiences and tips...so the site is really, really good for advice on the everyday challenges of spending less and saving more.

Wise Bread has sections on Credit Cards, Personal Finance, Frugal Living, Career, Life Hacks, Best Deals, Top PF Blogs and more.  Note also that the site has a search box at the top right side of the screen.  Discussing each of these sections in detail would result in far more than a simple blog post. It has the makings of a chapter of book.  So I'll discuss just one section of the Wise Bread website: Frugal Living.  Readers can click this link to go to the main Wise Bread page and peruse the rest of the site on his or her own...besides, isn't that half the fun of the web?

The Frugal Living section of Wise Bread is broken up into sub-channels: Budgeting, DIY, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Green Living, Health and Beauty, Home, Lifestyle, Shopping, Style and Travel.

Under the various sub-channels are popular articles and the latest articles in budgeting.  As of 10/14/15 the top 3 articles on budgeting were:
1. How Much Engagement Ring Can You Actually Afford?
2. These 5 Apps Will Help You Finally Organized Your Money?
3. Best Money tips: Common Mistakes in Your Family Budget

And the list has at least a dozen other articles that readers might do well to read.  Readers can make comments on the various articles, share them via Facebook, Tweet them via Twitter and Pin them via Pinterest.

Finally, readers can subscribe to the site by clicking on this link.  Content is powered by Feedburner and users can subscribe using a variety of web-based news readers. 

So if you are interested in saving money, or learning about personal finance or getting career information or getting the inside scoop on credit cards, you might want to visit Wise Bread!

Regards,
Stu

USA.gov - Travel, Transportation and Recreation

Hi All,

One of the great things that our federal government does is publish extensively on a wide variety of topics.  For purposes of this blog entry, I'm going to discuss the 'Travel, Transportation, and Recreation' section of the USA.gov website.

Simply put, USA.gov is a central repository for all research, studies, white papers, articles, comments, editorials, summaries, annotations, pamphlets,  and more that the federal government publishes and generates. In and of itself, the website is an extraordinarily large storehouse of government generated information.   You don't want to miss it if you like research on a topics as varied as Consumer Protection, Government Sales and Auctions, Blood Donations, Historic Places and Preservation and much more.

The Travel, Transportation and Recreation section has lots of different sections - the most interesting of which (to my way of thinking at least) - is the  'Road and Train Travel' section -which can be found by clicking on this link.

The links in this category will help you find resources on local gas prices, road closures, traffic information and more.  Click on this link - to fueleconomy.gov - to find gas prices on Long Island.

Click on this link for a whole host of gas mileage tips from the folks at fueleconomy.gov.  Finally, users might want to click on this link from Natural Resources Canada entitled 'Fuel-efficient Driving Techniques'.  Finally, this last set of links discuss Distracted Driving and is brought to you buy the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Finally, click on this link for National Traffic and Road Closure Information in New York State - brought to you by the Federal Highway Administration.
 
Enjoy the links - I hope they help you save money, time and keep you busy during the long, summer driving season ahead!

Regards,
Stu

FREE US Government Publications

Hi All,

Just found this very educational and informational site about US Government Publications. I know what you are thinking: 'Is he serious?  How can he make this interesting enough for me to want to visit this website?'

Fair enough.  Give me a minute and I bet I'll be able to whet your appetite so you end up looking at the website.  Here goes...

Publications/USA Gov has sections on 'Animals', 'Cars', 'Employment', 'Family', 'Health', 'Money', and 'Travel'.  When a user clicks on the 'Family' link (for example), you'll find topics like 'Adoption', 'Disaster and Emergency Planning', 'Family Records' and 'Family Safety'.

And if you click on the 'Family Safety' link you'll find other resources like 'Know Your Rights: A Guide For Victims and Witnesses of Crime', 'Read the Label First, Protect Your Household', 'Super Sitter' and more.

Other interesting publications include: 'Taking Charge: What to Do If Your Identity is Stolen?'. 'Holiday Decoration Tips', 'Ask Questions: Questions You Should Ask About Your Investments'  There are many, many more publications with similarly helpful topics on the site!!! 

Interesting and educational stuff that's for sure.Enjoy.

Stu