Tag Archives: YouTube

Nov 5 2012

Roaming on the go: Tips on how to make the best of it

Worried about going over your carrier’s roaming limit? As someone who has had to roam a lot when I visit family that live in the country, where there are is no Sprint signal, I can offer a few tips to help prevent this from happening. This is especially helpful when you are planning to go away for a few days on vacation to an area where you cannot use your carrier’s network and must roam on another network.

1. Keep Facebook activity to a minimum.  Checking my Facebook twice a day and posting a few pictures did not hurt my roaming limit. Just be careful not to post a lot of pictures when you’re on roaming. This also tends to really drain your phone’s battery.

2. Stay off Netflix and YouTube. I heard that using either can really add a lot to your data, especially since YouTube videos are such big in regards to data size. I made sure not to watch videos while I was visiting my family.

3. Watch calling time. At least with Sprint, there is a cap that is for roaming data, but it also states data maximum or calling minutes maximum, or the majority of either in a given month. With Sprint, the cap is 300MB or 800 minutes for phone calls.

4. Erase phone usage in settings before entering roaming area. This will help you keep track better of how much data you have used while roaming.

5. Know exactly how much roaming you are allowed on your network carrier’s plan by reviewing your contract or plan specifications on their Web site. 1 GB equals 1,024 kb. So on Sprint’s unlimited everything data 450 minutes plan, 307, 200 kb equals 300 MB.

6. Download Onavo Extend or a similar data saving app. Do this only if you are really worried that you will use a lot of data while on vacation. I downloaded it, and said I was saving some data, but it came with a downside. Apparently I missed voice mail while the app was installed, which is a downside to its data saving.

7. Turn off data roaming. If you aren’t planning to text, use Facebook, or other apps that pull from the Internet, just turn off data roaming while you are not using these services.

Sep 30 2012

The best entertainment apps: Keeping you entertained on the go

Entertainment apps are one of the gems of having a smartphone. Being able to watch video clips and movies no matter where you are is very convenient and enjoyable. So is checking out movie reviews and showtimes, checking out movie facts, looking up TV listings and the latest TV celebrity gossip, stumbling upon interesting web sites that are new to you, checking out funny memes, and reading stories about humorous moments in other people’s lives. All of this is thanks to what I consider my favorite entertainment apps: YouTube, Netflix, TV Guide, IMDb, Flixster, StumbleUpon, iFunny, and FML.

Everyone knows about YouTube and Netflix. They are must-have apps for any smartphone owner. I love being able to check out music videos on my phone, even if my laptop is in the same room . Hey, I get a little lazy sometimes, and sometimes my iPhone just seems a lot more convenient. If you are a Netflix subscriber, you should get the Netflix app for those times when your computer is being used by someone else or you want to watch a TV show episode while waiting around.

TV Guide is just a super handy app because it gives you TV listings and allows you to set alerts so you don’t miss the season premiere of your favorite TV show. In my case, “The Vampire Diaries.” Is it October 11 yet? No? Darn it. I’ve gone too long without my favorite TV vampire, Mr. Damon Salvatore (lol).

IMDb is one of the apps I visit most. I am a movie buff and I always have to know what other movies an actor or actress played in. IMDb is great at solving that frequent question, “I saw him in another movie, what movie was that?” Just IMDb the movie, find the actor, and slap yourself for not recognizing him in another movie you saw (just kidding!).

Flixster is a great app because it not only gives you showtimes of movies playing in nearby theaters, but it also gives you reviews of those movies. Thanks to Rotten Tomatoes critics ratings and user reviews, you can better determine if movies like “The House at the End of the Street” are worth seeing or not. FYI, it was worth seeing, even though my boyfriend didn’t enjoy it as much since it lacked full-on gore and ghosts or zombies. However, I enjoy thrillers with psychological twists, even though it wasn’t an award-winning horror flick.

StumbleUpon is just a nice little app for when you are bored and want to “stumble” upon a new interesting site. Just tell StumbleUpon your interests and hit the stumble upon button. You will instantly discover a new cool picture or a funny or interesting Web site you never knew about. In my case, an adorable kitten picture and a Web site full of funny puns.

I know iFunny is an iPhone only app, so I apologize to the Android users reading this. However, I’m sure there are similar funny memes apps on Android. I enjoy checking out the app once in a while and laughing at some of the funny memes on there. Plus, it’s always fun to create your own memes to send to your boyfriend for inside jokes.

FML is an app that I don’t check out that much, but felt it was worth mentioning. Ever have a bad day? Or just a really long day? Go to the FML app and read some of the stories by other people about their bad days. You will feel better instantly, and get a few laughs out of it.

Do you have particular apps that you go to often for your own source of entertainment or entertainment information? Feel free to share them here!

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