Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1062899
By Steve Benoff Is it time to trade in your app? It's human nature to get comfortable using things we've have for a long time. For some items, that may mean giving up something to which we have a strong emotional attachment. Or, it may be costly to make a change. Fortunately, changing an app doesn't involve that. I'm not referring to an app you're unhappy with. I'm talking about an app you use and like. But just because an app is on your phone, you aren't prevented from seeking out a better one. I first came to this realization with Apple Maps. That's the mapping app that comes with your iPhone. When I had an Android phone, I used Google Maps, and I got used to the green/yellow/red traffic identification routine. When I got my iPhone, I decided to stay in the Apple universe and started using Apple Maps. It took me a while to adjust to the missing green traffic lines. Apple uses yellow and red but not green. I'm sure their reasoning is that there's no need to highlight the fact that traffic is going normally. So I've been using Apple Maps for years. But have you noticed that traffic on Highland Springs is getting worse by the month? I started using Apple Maps to plan my route out of town, but found I had to expand the screen to see traffic on Highland Springs. Traffic on Beaumont Ave. was displayed but not Highland Springs in the default mode. So I thought I'd try Google Maps. Lo and behold, Highland Springs traffic was displayed on the default screen. Fortunately, with the latest version of Apple's iPhone software, Apple Carplay will now work with Google Maps. Google Maps will be my go to traffic app. On a more obscure topic, I like to follow the prices for oil and gold. Frankly, there is no reason for doing so since I make no investment decision based on those prices. But I still consult them to get a feel for the market in general. For years I've been using an app called Black Gold. It started giving me problems that required having to go through some extra steps to get the info I wanted. Nevertheless, I persisted in using it because I had it on my phone, and I was used to it. Finally it started giving me notices about problems retrieving prices. It dawned on me that there must be a better app for my purposes. So I searched for commodity prices at the App Store and found Commodity Prices Live. It turned out to be a much better app than the one I'd been using for years. Even when the old app was working properly, I had to push a few buttons to get what I needed. The design of Commodity Prices Live is so much better than my old app. It lets me select from 26 commodities for display on the main page. So now, at a single glance I can see the prices for oil and gold plus corn and oats if I want (which I don't actually). Furthermore, if I select a commodity, I can see its price history on graphs ranging from one day to ten years. Sometimes I just have to live with the apps I have. Take movie reviews for instance. I love movies, but I hate going to movie theaters. I don't care if I have to wait to see a movie until it's available on DVD or streaming. In fact, in 2018, I saw every one of the nine best picture nominees and only went to a movie theater once. I would like to be able to consult an app to tell me about movies I've seen referred to in print and online media. I can't find a single app I like. So I'm stuck with IMDb, Flixster (Rotten Tomatoes), and Netflix. One day perhaps there will be a single comprehensive movie app to my liking. Of course, I'll have to remember to search for it instead of relying on the apps I already have on my phone. Do you use an app you'd like to share with others? Let me know at steve.benoff@verizon.net. 16 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JANUARY 2019 THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT! Maybe It's Time To Find Newer, Better Apps