Every day I wake up and, without thinking, reach over and grab my phone to see if I’ve missed anything important. I also glance quickly to my phone’s clock to see what time it is, despite the fact that my clock that has numbers big enough for somebody who lives next door to see is right next to me. But those are just general things almost anyone can use their phone for. Throughout the rest of my day I’m constantly using my phone for things that 5 years ago I never would have thought I would be able to do with my phone.
Awesome feature number 1: Netflix. I love to watch Netflix, and I know I get my money’s worth out of it because I use it just about every day. So much so that it's become it's own verb for me.
"Hey Anna, whatcha doin'?"
"Netflixin'."
"Niiiiiice." I do miss the days when there seemed to be more mainstream movies instead of TV shows, but regardless it’s much cheaper than a lot of the cable packages offered in my area. I love that I can just whip out my phone and press play and watch it, even if I’m not in a WiFi area. It seems to show picture a little less clearly while working off of 3G, but until I have a phone that can operate with a 4G network 3G is going to have to do. A few years ago you were lucky if your phone could play YouTube videos.
Awesome feature number 2: Video chat! It’s crazy to think that somebody invented this great device that lets us call people from around the world, and somebody else took that idea and molded it so that we can talk to each other face-to-face from around the world. I don’t use this function that often, but I know a lot of people who do. Especially for families who have somebody that travels a lot, or who are in the military, this is truly something that helps us to connect on a much more personal level.
Awesome feature number 3: Child entertainment. There’s a huge market out there for children’s apps. Why? Because it helps us get things done and if you download the right app, the apps can actually be pretty educational. My son now knows what a police car, a bus, and a fire truck is thanks to one of the apps I downloaded for him. Little games like that, which we can download on our phones with a push of a button, are life savers in boring places we have to take our kids like the waiting room or the grocery store.
Awesome feature number 4: E-readers. I don’t read as much on my iPhone (due to the smaller screen) but when I was carrying one of my larger-screened Androids, it wouldn’t be an uncommon sight to see me reading on it. About once every two days I would be able to download and read a new book before going to bed. All they need to do to improve e-books is to invent a scent emitter on my phone so it smelled like a book. As weird as it is, I do miss the smell of books, but I prefer the simplicity of being able to read any book I want to on the go.
Awesome feature number 5: Okay, last but not least (I have to mention this because I use it a lot more than I like to admit) I really love auto tune apps. From “I Am T-Pain” to “AutoRap”, I can finally live out my dream of being the female version of Eminem through my phone. I’ve gotten pretty good at it too. I may not be the best singer, but I can hold a tune, and these apps just make me sound fantastic.
More and more people are cashing in on the app market inventions because so many people use them. New ideas and hot apps pop up every day. Just look at Angry Birds. Who would have thought that catapulting an angry overweight robin at a sickly looking swine would become so popular – on your phone? I never did.
So readers, what are some things that you use on your phone that you probably would have never thought of using otherwise? Let me know!
Image via DigitalTrends
