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8 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2016 By Steve Benoff We're going to spend another column on app fundamentals. Again, my apologies to those who know this stuff. Last month we discussed the fact that a smartphone is really a small computer with apps that are accessed on the screen by pressing icons. For the purposes of this column, there are two types of smartphones – Android and iPhone. Android phones use a mobile operating system developed by Google; iPhones use Apple's mobile operating system. An Android app can't be used on an iPhone and vice versa. Fortunately, most apps are available for both systems. There are two broad categories of apps. Those that come with your smartphone when you buy it and those you have to get yourself. This column will focus on apps that don't come with your smartphone. So how do you get these apps? It's easier than you might think. While it's possible to download an app to your computer and then transfer it to your phone, by far the easiest way is to use your phone to search for and download apps. On your iPhone you'll see an icon labeled App Store (see above). Press it. Now you see a screen filled with apps. At the bottom you can select featured apps, the most popular app downloads, explore categories, or search for an app by name or key word. There is also a button for updates. This is actually a very important feature. For many reasons, especially security, it's important to keep your apps up to date. (In fact, you should keep all your computer-like devices up to date.) Android phones have an icon that may say Play Store or Google Play (see above). Press it and you'll enter the world of Android apps. Many apps are free and some you have to buy. If you're new to smartphone apps, you should probably stick to the free ones. Once you've found the app you want to try, you should see a button labeled "Install." If you press it, you may be prompted to enter your Apple or Google password. This keeps others from downloading apps to your phone. Once downloaded, the new app will appear on your phone's screen as an icon. The more apps you have on your phone, the more pages of apps you will have. So if the new app isn't at the bottom of the page with the App Store icon, look at other pages. Press the icon to start the app. If you don't like where the icon appears on your phone, you can it move to a different location on the screen or to another screen. If after using the app you discover you don't want it, you can remove it from your phone. If you know the specific app you want, that's easy. Go to the app store, select search and enter the name. If you don't know the exact name, a key word will likely bring up a list of exactly what you want, but the list may contain similar apps that meet your needs even better. It's like going to a library for a specific book only to be beguiled by others you find. There are a few cases, however, where you will need the exact name. For instance, there's an excellent app that duplicates the website for our Four Seasons at Beaumont gate entry system. If you enter "four seasons," "beaumont," or "gate entry" you won't find it. You need to enter "dwellinglive." I encourage you to start exploring the wonderful world of apps. Go to the app store and look around. You'll see featured apps, top selling apps, and apps by category. At the Apple App Store, there are 25 categories, and within each category, there are subcategories. You won't believe how many there are. They run the gamut from silly to serious. Incidentally, just about everything we cover in this smartphone app column applies to tablets as well. Next month, we'll start to get more specific about individual apps for your smartphone. There's An App For That

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