Ditch your Google Reader web app

You all know that as I much as I enjoy writing blogs, I equally enjoy reading blogs, and Google Reader is the perfect way to keep up-to-date with blog reading. But the Google Reader web app is not the greatest, so I was thrilled when Matt introduced me to my new favorite Droid app, NewsRob, and today you can now download the official Google Reader app as well.

I haven't had time to experiment with the new official Google Reader app, but I've been using NewsRob for a couple months, and I've grown partial to this program.

 
Why is the free NewsRob app worth downloading?

With the Google Reader web app, you have to click on every single post. You can't simply scroll through your posts, as you can through the regular Google Reader site. Thankfully, though, the NewsRob app allows you to easily move from one post to the next simply by hitting right and left arrow buttons that show up on either side of the screen. This means way less clicking overall and less back and forth.

Additionally, I always found myself getting frustrated with the small size of the buttons on the Google Reader mobile site. I'd be trying to click on one blog, but I'd inevitably hit the one above it or below it, often several times in a row. The layout of NewsRob is much more user friendly and makes me more likely to hit the right button the first time.

If you decide to use the official Google Reader app, leave me a comment to share how it's working out for you.

And, on a totally different note: in case you forgot, today is December 1, which means it's time to change your air filter! Not on a schedule yet? Change yours today, and I'll alert you on March 1 when it's time to change again.

Tip 66: Stop paying for text messaging

At the end of August I sent out one of those classic emails with this subject line: New number. I hadn't done that since 2003 when I graduated from college, became financially independent, and therefore took myself off my parents' cell phone bill. I thought I would take that 2003 cell number to my grave, but then I discovered a new trick, thanks to Matt, my tech guru. I told my friends I would later explain via blog, so, here goes...

Tip 66: If you have a smartphone, sign up for Google Voice. The primary benefit? You can stop paying for text messaging today.

Matt took the plunge with Google Voice well before me, participating in a little experiment that got us to where we are today. At first I didn't get the point of Google Voice. The way Matt used it, it seemed like nothing more than a way to get transcripts of your voicemails, and these transcripts are comically poor. Then Matt told me there was a way to save money with Google Voice. I was all ears when he suggested we cancel our texting plan.

Google Voice shows up on the Droid as a program with an icon, just like all other applications.

Of course, there is a downside, and in order to use Google Voice to replace text messaging on your phone you have to change your phone number. So, as I did at the end of August, you have to email your contacts, letting them know you have a new number.

To counter this one obvious drawback, though, there are plenty of benefits:

1) Google Voice groups all texts from one conversation together, much like the default texting program on the Droid. This makes your texts read more like an IM chat than a series of separate texts.

2) Recordings of voicemails show up in the Google Voice program as well, and all you have to do is click on the play button beneath the transcript of the voicemail. This cuts out a couple steps normally required to access your voicemails in the Droid.

3) You can also access Google Voice from your computer. You can make calls and send texts through the Google Voice website. It gives you one more way to be in touch if you're away from your phone.

4) Even though the Google Voice voicemail transcripts are notoriously shoddy, you have the option to allow them to show up in your email. So, if you're like me and you often don't have your phone in front of you during the day, you can kill two birds with one stone when you check your email only to discover that you also have a new voicemail waiting for you.

5) You can use your Google Voice account to bring together your various phone numbers and program which ones operate at different locations at different times or based on the person who is calling. Although this is not something I've tried because I really only have one phone number, it might be something worth trying if you're like many of my friends who carry around their personal cell phones and their work Blackberries everywhere they go.

Once I had a few weeks to try out Google Voice and see that I was still receiving my texts and voicemails, Matt and I finally canceled our texting plans. We don't actually text that much, so we had plans that accounted for 200 texts each per month -- the least amount we could get -- and I know I only send about 30 texts a month. Not paying for texts only saves us $10 per month, but when I consider that we're saving $120 per year, it makes that email I sent in August seem like a small price to pay. Plus, this is one more way that I am keeping Verizon in check and continuing my quest to stop getting ripped off.

Tip 16: Droids

Although my husband loves all things technology, we rarely are among the first people to get a new product. But, then 2009 rolled around, and we decided that we would not buy each other presents for special occasions. Because we pool all our money in shared accounts and we make the exact same salary, "buying each other gifts" was really "buying myself a gift." So, we said, let's just agree to get exactly what we want -- smartphones! Until October we were convinced that smartphone would be an iPhone. Then Motorola released the Verizon-powered Droid, and we were smitten. Matt spent much of his 29th birthday dinner at Zytinya playing with our friend Jason's Droid, so then he moved up the purchase date (surprise, surprise). As it turns out, we were up for our new phones sooner than we realized, which is why I suggest...

Tip 16: Upgrade to a Droid, but wait until you are scheduled for a new phone.

For this post I'm not going to get all geeked out on you because, frankly, I can't, so I'll explain why I love this phone for people who, like me, enjoy technology but don't spend much of our lives obsessing over it. I love my Droid, but my philosophy is that I survived for 28 years without it, so I could wait until our plans allowed us to make the purchase. So, get a Droid, but not until you're ready. It's pricey.

Cost: 

• For the phones: We got Matt's Droid first for $157.49. We got mine two days later for $209.99. Matt's was cheaper because we're on a family plan and therefore only he got the additional $50 off the cost of the phone. So, two phones for $367.48, by far the most we've ever spent on phones. Up until this one, all our phones were either free or $50.

• For the plan: We are on the Nationwide Talk FS 700 plan for Verizon. This includes:
• $60 monthly access charge, with 700 monthly allowance minutes (this covers both phones)
• $9.99 per additional line (because it's a family plan...this is charged to my account)
• $29.99 x 2 for email and web for smartphones
• $5 x 2  for 250 text message allowance
• 15% discount for being a state of Virginia employee (if you don't already get a discount on your cell phone service, see if you can get one because, as Matt points out, most big employers provide cell service discounts)
• 12% feature discount...we don't even know what that is, but we will gladly accept it
• Once you do all the crazy math for our two separate cell phone charges that are eventually bundled together as one, and you add taxes, etc., you get a grand total of $136.36 per month for two people. This is, again, the most we've ever spent for cell phone service, but we believe it's worth it. Here's why: 

 Droid features:

• Good coverage -- Maybe this is more Verizon than Droid, but our friends with iPhones have always complained about dropped calls or no service at all under AT&T's coverage, and we've never once had a problem with service with our Droids. Service coverage was the number one reason we opted for the Droid over the iPhone.

• GoogleMaps navigation -- We do not own a GPS, and the fact that the Droid came with not only a GoogleMaps app but also a navigation system just like a GPS is another feature that made the Droid beat out the iPhone. Plug in your destination address, and GoogleMaps will tell you where to go -- either by speaking to you, directing you on the screen, or both. We even bought this Droid holder to increase our driving safety when using our Droids as navigation systems. (It cost $30.)

• Keyboard -- Our model, the Droid, has both a touch-screen keyboard and a flip keyboard, but there's also a Droid Eris model that is ever-so-slightly thinner and only comes with the touchscreen keyboard. I thought I would want both keyboards, but I've never once typed on the flip keyboard. Even though the Droid Eris is a little smaller, the downsize to that model is that the touchscreen is also a little smaller. I love the size of our Droid screen, and I love typing on the touchscreen. Like any new technology, if you force yourself to adapt, you will, and you'll probably be better for it.

 

 

• Alarm clock -- I know this is a small feature, but I love how I can set alarm clocks and then save them so I don't have to reprogram my alarms every week. So, I have that painful 5:10 a.m. alarm clock set for Monday-Friday, but I can usually get away with no alarm clock for the weekends!

• Contacts -- Here's a tip: When you get a Droid, make sure you're already using Google programs or you're ready to make the switch. Contacts in the Droid come out beautifully, provided you've got contact information saved in your Gmail account. Droid also syncs up with your Facebook account, so all my friends show up in my contacts screen with their Facebook profile picture, the phone number I entered into Gmail, the email I have from Gmail, and any additional contact information they've entered into Facebook. When friends update info in Facebook it automatically updates in my contact list. Love it.

• Camera -- Even though we're camera snobs, the built in Droid camera takes some pretty decent photos provided you're not shooting for (pun intended) award-winning photography. You just have to be patient because there is a fairly significant pause between when you press the shutter button and when the camera actually takes the picture. Good for mobile uploads or for capturing that photo when you don't have a camera handy.

• Awesome free apps -- I will never pay for an app. The Droid is new, so the apps are slowly but surely building up. There are only about one-third as many Droid apps as there are iPhone apps (according to some blogs I've read), but I'm amazed by everything my free apps do to make my life easier. Here are my favs:
• OurGroceries -- I already posted about OurGroceries, but it's worth reiterating because it probably wins my most useful app award.
• ActionComplete -- This is the ultimate list maker for organization nerds like me. Not only can I keep a list of Actions (tasks) with due dates arranged by urgency (soonest due date) or alphabetical, but I can also keep a list of Waits, which I use as a list of items I'm waiting on others to complete. For example, I'm waiting for my passport to arrive, so I entered the estimated arrival date; and I'm waiting for a big check in the mail (hooray!), so I again entered the estimated arrival date. It's a good way to keep track of information I often forgot to keep track of before. There's even a tab for Projects where you can divide big assignments into smaller tasks so as not to get overwhelmed by a bulky to-do list.
• UnitConverter -- I failed liquid measurements in third grade, and that failure still haunts my everyday existence. Now, though, I can stand in the grocery store, ready to make a soup, look at the recipe that calls for 5 cups of stock, and figure out just how many ounces that translates to when staring blankly at the stocks and broths aisle. I know I could try hard to learn the rules, but between my UnitConverter app and my measurement conversion magnet on our fridge I am set to never redeem my third grade failure.
• GooglePlaces -- All this app does is take that review information that comes up when you do a Google search for a specific business and place it into one program. But what makes this program awesome is that it's also connected to your GPS, so when you're on the road searching for the nearest gas station or restaurants you have a slew of options on your screen.
• ShopSavvy -- Honestly, I don't think I've used this app yet, but it's mere existence is reason enough to get excited. When out shopping, take a picture of a product's barcode. The program searches for the product on the Internet and returns with results of all the prices it can find. It's like immediate comparison shopping. I think since we bought the Droid I've tried to shop a little less, but once spring rolls around this could be great for some upcoming shopping.
• Gmote -- Control your iTunes library with your phone as a remote control. Matt bought that Apple Airport Express from a lady on Craigslist so he could get this set up. Then he took a set of computer speakers and put them in our living room behind our TV so that we can listen to music from our computer in our office when we're downstairs in our living room. Our solution before was to move our iPod dock from our bedroom to our living room each time we wanted music downstairs, but I like this option a lot better. It's also cheaper than buying another iPod dock, and it saves space.
• Novelty programs -- There are other programs that, for now, are just for fun, like Shazam, which allows you to hold your phone up to the radio and it will tell you the song's title and artist, or GoogleGoggles, which allows you to take pictures of building, art, objects, and it will perform a visual Google search to bring up information about that item. So far these apps have served as fun novelties, the kind where you show your friend at a bar what your awesome new phone can do, but I haven't reaped many benefits here.

What's annoying about Droid:

• This little button at the top of the device. You have to press it ever so lightly when your screen is black to unlock your phone, but as Matt often complains, it's an example of poor product design.

That's it. We really have no other complaints. And the Droid is the perfect item for helping you organize your life, take it from me.

Next up...Delicious bookmark management.

Tip 6: Grocery lists and pantry items

First of all, a follow up on yesterday: the French onion soup was a major success! I am so pleased because we tried a different recipe about a year ago and it totally flopped. So, if you have about an hour to make a soup, this is the way to go. It's not an hour of actual labor. The most difficult task is caramelizing the onions, and that just requires some occasional stirring. Thankfully, the recipe calls for few ingredients, some of which I already had on hand because I've learned to follow...

Tip 6: Keep a pantry stocked with staples from several food genres.

We make a decent amount of Asian food, a decent amount of pasta and homemade pizza, and we sometimes make a dessert. So, I've learned to keep the following items on hand so that when I actually make the grocery list, it usually just involves fruits, vegetables, dairy and proteins.

Basic supplies:

• oils: olive, canola
  
• vinegars: balsamic, white wine, red wine, apple cider, white
• flour
• sugars: regular, brown, confectioner's
• salt: table, kosher
• peppercorns
• spices: allspice, ancho chile, basil, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ground coriander seed, crushed red pepper, cumin, curry powder, dill, garlic powder, garlic salt, ground ginger, nutmeg. oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, turmeric
• vanilla
• yeast
• honey
  
• Texas Pete (a staple in our house, at least)
  

Baking items:

• light corn syrup
• cocoa powder
• espresso powder
• baking powder
• corn starch
• semisweet chocolate chips

Asian-inspired items:

• soy sauce
• rice vinegar
• Sriracha hot chili sauce
• fish sauce
• sesame oil
• Asian noodles

Other dry or canned goods:

• a couple types of pasta
• crushed tomatoes
• rice: brown and jasmine
• beans: black, pinto, kidney

In our freezer you'll often find:

• ginger (this is how you make your ginger last for a long time)
• bread (for turning into bread crumbs)
• shrimp
• chicken
• fruit (for smoothies)

And we try to always have these items in our fridge:

• milk
• eggs
• unsalted butter
• lemons/limes
• dijon mustard
• pizza sauce
• cream cheese
• maple syrup
• red onion
• bell peppers (they last so long!)

 By knowing what we have in our freezer, fridge and pantry, we minimize our grocery list.

Speaking of grocery lists....my shopping experiences have been revolutionized since purchasing a Droid phone. I downloaded the free application called OurGroceries (also available for iPhone and iTouch) and now I can make a list and buy all the items on the list in record time. Here are the great things about this program:

1. You cross off items as you go, and they get sent to the bottom of your screen. There's maybe nothing more satisfying than electronically crossing something off.
   
2. You can change the quantities of each items you need. So, type apples, and then increased the number needed to six, and a little 6 appears next to apples.
   
3. You can share it with another phone. So, Matt and I walk around the grocery store and we can both look at the same list AND check off items simultaneously. I was about to get some apples, but looks like Matt just got them. How do you like them apples?
4. It saves your data, so next week when you need to type up a new list and you type A, it brings up all the items you've bought that start with A (and yes, I am type A).
5. You can have multiple lists going at once. So, I'll make my standard Wegmans grocery list, and I'll have a separate one running for Costco or Target or Bed Bath and Beyond....whatever! I even made a "Wish List" of more expensive items I'd like to eventually purchase, and of course Matt has access to that one...hint, hint.

Now I'm inspired to make next week technology week!

But for now....food week!

Next up....organizing your recipes.