How My Smartphone has Changed My Life

“You should absolutely get one of these – it’s literally changed my life” is usually my standard line when people ask me how I like my new phone.

Now that’s a pretty bold statement. Most people look at me and say, “Change your life… Really?” But it’s honestly true! I guess I picked up my htc Google phone from a Rogers Wireless store about 6 months or so ago. That’s when the Google Phones were officially launched by Rogers here in Canada.

For me, it was about the open-source, it was about it linking in with all of Google’s applications and to be honest the iPhone really got me interested in changing the mindset of a phone as a simple phone to call, text and play simple games while I was bored. It’s changed the way I do business by keeping me more organized and allowing me to respond to e-mails much quicker and more efficiently. It’s changed the way I interact online and communicate with social networks and has fundamentally changed the way I think about this online space.

Anyway, here are 5 ways my Android has changed my life.

1. Astrid Task Organizer is my saviour!

What can I possibly say about this little application? As soon as you get your new Android or smart phone you should instantly find something that keeps track of all of the things you’ve got on the go. I don’t know about you but I find it challenging to keep track and manage all that I have on the go.  I rely on Astrid to keep track of everything and there are a few features that I love.

With my cell phone always on me I’m always able to capture things to do but the real kicker for me is having Astrid periodically remind me to get them done. Astrid has options to set an Absolute Deadline, Goal Deadline and it also allows me to set Periodic Reminders.

The reminders come in as if they were text messages with little notes like, “Do you have a quick minute?” and it also asks you: “Are you ever going to get this done?” Another option I love is the fact that it comes with a Widget for the home page – basically it sits on my phone’s desktop and shows me the 5 upcoming items and allows me to quickly add a new task.

Overall – it’s an awesome little app. It sync’s up with Remember the Milk (which can also Sync with gMail) and I would literally be lost without it.

2. Social Media Addiction

I’ve always been a pretty quiet internet user. Sure, I’d build web sites and create blogs but when it came to interacting or commenting in social media spaces I was often pretty shy.  It’s something that I’m getting more comfortable with and I think having a smart phone really makes this make a lot more sense and makes it really easy.

While I still haven’t embraced commenting on sites or news articles I have however become more comfortable with micro blogging. Platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr allow me to post my thoughts or comments to be shared with people I connect with. Having a smart phone that has the ability to take pictures and stream live video to the internet makes this extremely exciting.

Twidroid, Qik, Tumblr and Posterous are just a few of the ways I communicate from my Android. Twidroid is by far the best Twitter client I’ve used for the Android. It’s simple, clean and really easy to use. It allows me to interact with Twitter just as I do from my home computer using TweetDeck. If you’re not using a twitter client at home then we really do need to talk. Having one on your phone just really changes the way you can interact with it.

Qik is live-streaming from my camera’s video camera. I just launch the application and within a few seconds I’m live on the internet and I can share the link with all of my contacts. I also have a setting turned on that allows me to automatically share the link to my twitter followers and can also post to my tumblr if I feel so inclined. Mainly I use this when I’m doing something of interest such as playing in the park with my dog or chilling at a concert. I’ve got a few contacts stored so as I’m streaming I can just tap their contact and it starts sharing with them. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me…

Tumblr and Posterous I’ll group together because to me they’re very similar. Essentially both a blog platform that allows me to quickly post images, text, video etc. I can do this on the go by using either applications or just e-mailing my content to either one of these services. I’m going to be using these platforms more in the future just to have a space to share more personal content that I don’t necessarily want to share on my danegan.com domain.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins and SportsTap

This app is a lot of fun and I think it’s available for iPhone as well as Andoid. SportsTap allows you to set your favourite teams and be notified of game starts, score updates etc.

I just have the Pens added to my favourite teams and it’ll just let me know the score as they play. I don’t have TV so I often can’t flip on the tube and watch them so this is a great way just to stay informed of who they’re playing and how they’re making it through the season. I think my girlfriend Amy can attest to the fact that I’m obsessed with this app.

One drawback of this app though is it’s a bit of a battery sucker as it has to always be on in the background keeping track of where Gino and Sid the Kid are. To me, small price to pay for the service.

4. Having Fun Every Once in a While

I’ll admit, I don’t play a whole lot of games but it’s always nice to whip out your phone while waiting for an oil change and play a quick game or be entertained in someway. A few come to mind such as Jewels, FML or textsfromlastnight, Mother TED, Robo Defense, or Teeter.

5. Bettering my Business with Google Applications

Google does some fantastic things. They make some fantastic software out there that I’ve pretty much embraced since they’ve started. With the advent of Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, GTalk, and the acquisition of YouTube you’ve got a ton of applications that are ready to use right from unpacking your Android.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with many of these sites but having the power of these applications in the palm of your hand is unreal. I can quickly respond to client e-mails and requests on the fly. Since the beginning my favourite part of using Gmail was it’s ability to search through all my mail like Google knows how to do best. It’s awesome having this feature on my phone – I can easily search for e-mails and get specific results.

I can schedule appointments in my Calendar with clients while I’m on the phone with them and can find my way to those appointments with GPS and Google Maps. Some of my clients use Google Talk so we’re able to chat on the fly about details etc.

It’s just allowed me to stay more organized and stay in constant contact with my clients. A quick e-mail to let them know I’m working on their request or to share an idea is incredibly powerful.

Bottom Line

Get a smart phone already. Whether it’s to stay more involved with your social network, with your family, friends or clients: it will literally change your life to have it at your finger tips at all times. If you run any sort of business online it’s imperative to stay in contact and respond to your audience. Incorporate this throughout your daily life and really feel contacted to everyone you know. Unchain yourself from doing all of your ‘work’ at your computer!

Hope you liked this long-winded post. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.