MIDDLEBURGH

Middleburgh Mobilises 1

The last few weekends have been good - No stress... I even had time to play with my smartphone,.do some cooking , some gardening and even get a cake for Mother's Day which Jamie and I both enjoyed !!

So here's the thing... my android phone came stuffed with all standard preloaded APPS you would expect, most of which I will shortly remove on the general principle that unnecessary software represents a potential security risk..

To me a phone is primarily a "phone" which means I value standard phone functions such as the ability to make calls, manage contacts (white lists), block marketeers (blacklists) etc , And although I see merit in receiving and sending emails, texts and instant messages in reality 99% of my inbound emails are work related or spam neither of which I want on my phone (in fact I would rather not have them on my PC in the office ) and the only people who message me are family who send SMS's because they live in different time zones. Having said that I do use the calendar, and task management functions , the camera, radio and voice recorder and the browser to read the news

So the question arose "What else could/should I be doing with my phone that would be would be of value to me??" (Ultimately a lifestyle question !).

• I consulted my colleagues at to what apps etc they use.
  
• I looked at the popularity of Android, Apple and windows Apps (particularly free ones) and
  
• I even peeked over strangers shoulder's on the bus to see what they are doing on their phones.
  

With the exception of the 2 bus drivers who between rides were checking out pictures of naked women selling recreational services most people were simply killing time (as one does when trapped on a bus) by playing games, watching videos/catchup TV, listening to music or messaging friends. I even saw a couple of people reading comics (anime), and a girl scrolling through fashion pictures presumably planning her next retail therapy session .

But the only user that I empathised with was someone at a bus stop apparently checking out when the next bus was due and I concluded that the only apps or webpages that would be of value to me would be ones which could answer questions related to where I was or was going and what I was doing or about to do. With that in mind I have decided to find and build a list such webpages and apps which might of use to me, and possibly other HK residents and visitors. And so a quest begins .... more to follow....

Labels: Gardening, Hong Kong, MIDDLEBURGH, Smartphones

Posted at 6/01/2013 09:04:00 am by David Middleburgh   Permalink

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