Mobile Monday - What is Mobile Good For?

On Friday I presented the Un-Mobile Edition discussing the limitations of mobile now that I have had to use it for work while I sit like a rotting egg on a hot summer pavement for Square Trade to even update me on my warranty (I don't think I am going with them next time I get a computer and will gladly pay a premium for quicker support).


Now that I got that dig in....


What do I use Mobile for?


I read a ton of news and there is some great APPs from many news sources that are free:


Huffington Post, McClatchy, NY Daily News (for my NY Sports coverage), Bloomberg (but that black background and white text can be painful), Washington Post, BBC News, ESPN Score Center (also has great sports news), and New Scientist all are great.


As a dig to all the Social media wonks Bloomberg and BBC do not have social sharing functions which is something I find interesting because these media outlets are not making money on ads for the most part. I mean they serve them but they are never relevant (will discuss next post). You would think they would want you linking stories on their website so that it will drive traffic there where ads are more premium (though still mostly unrelevent!).


I use Soundcloud and Double Twist for music and now this has replaced my IPod. Soundcloud excels for Electronica and quite a few bands allow you to stream their music. If you prefer underground music like I do there is tons of stuff including a lot you can download for free. Even the Foo Fighters jumped on board releasing their last album on the platform.


I don't really shop. When my laptop went down I decided to use Amazon to look for a replacement. Web shopping sucks. It is very time consuming because you have to shop page by agonizing page, vs say going to a store and seeing everything at once. Mobile is even more painful. So while I am totally bullish on Amazon's Price Checker App for when I am in a store, shopping is not going Mobile for me in it's current format.


Research/Resources. Movie Times/Listings. Trivia needs (ever get into a dumb argument over something with a friend?) IMDB and Wikipedia. Finding a restaurant and calling them (Yelp! is pretty good). Sports Scores.


Social Media I use Hootsuite for my @SkyPulseMedia and running a client's Twitter program. And I use the Google Plus App which is pretty slick.


I take a lot of photos and often email them to friends or upload to Twitter or G+ depending on the content. Personal stuff I share via email (and text) more general stuff I will share with my networks. I never used Facebook mobile in fear they will know my cell number and sell it to marketers.


I don't do much web surfing because the screen is too small and I hate zooming in and out. But I have been reading some blogs and even used Livefyre when it is working on them for commenting. I do not watch much video. But find myself doing more of this. Ironically the YouTube App is struggling on my Android. If anything that should never occur considering they are Google Products. But although more and more video is watched on Mobile devices, we all know we prefer big screens to small for this.


Other APPs I use:


Google Goggles for QR Codes, Flash Light (indispensable), Evernote for Tasks and Reminders, the Calendar which is connected with my Gmail account, Gmail, GPS (Google Navigation is awesome), Google Earth/Sky, and Voice Search (Google get's it right 90% of the time), Calculator, and lastly Cardio Trainer which is an awesome program for running, hiking, biking.


Lastly yes I make phone calls and SMS Text. In fact most of my mobile communication is private vs public/social. I am sure the same is for you as well.


As you can see I use my Android Phone for a lot of tasks and uses. This does not mean it is easy for a Brand or Marketer to reach me. But they can and next post will discuss some ways  to do so.


How do you use your Mobile Device?