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APPS_1309_Cover 6/17/13 3:58 AM Page US_C1 Beckett’s Guide to Phone Apps www.beckett.comU.S. $9.99 September 2013 • Display until 9/24/13 Beckett Entertainment APPS_1309_C2 6/14/13 4:59 AM Page C2 APPS_1309-EDITORNOTE 6/17/13 12:35 AM Page 3 POWER TO THE 46 September 2013 App Buyer’s Guide As the fall season ramps up, so do our schedules. We get ready for the new school year, leaf watching, Halloween, and all the other cool-weather fun SPECIAL POWER ISSUE! the autumn seasonPeople brings. And through it all, our smartphones are at our side—the ever trusty sidekick. 33 Don’t Let that Battery Die 36 Eco-Friendly Accessories As always, we have loads of apps for you this issue. And these apps are 40 Charge! Batteries for Everyone guaranteed to take you into autumn and make it much more enjoyable and productive. If you have kids going to school (or you’re going yourself) you’ll appreciate the bargain finders we uncovered. Everything from the AWESOME AUTUMN APPS latest sales on back-to-school clothes to great deals at the nearest college 6 Fall App Round Up hot spot. 10 8 Apps for School Supply Savings If you’re “suffering” from empty-nest syndrome, take a trip with us on a 14 41 Grade-A College Student Apps train ride to a friendly bed and breakfast. You’ll find out where the best fall 18 10 Spooky Halloween Apps foliage is and where you can locate the nearest flea market for those hid- den treasures. TECH GUIDE On the more serious side, September is National Preparedness Month, and 21 Wireless Emergency Alert FAQs we have apps to keep you prepared and safe, no matter what disaster heads your way—natural or man-made. Get alerts, make a plan, and get 23 Social Media in Emergencies ready to go at a moment’s notice. 44 Review: SuperTooth HD 78 5 Senior-Savvy Smartphones But wait, all of these apps keep your trusty sidekick—your smartphone— running and sucking up power. Luckily we’ve reviewed plenty of battery 86 SwiftKey—Best Android Keyboard packs and rechargers to give your phones and tablets an extra boost when they’re running low. Plus, we have some great power-saving tips and APPS FOR EVERYONE power-friendly accessories to help cut down on that power consumption in the first place. 24 Free Lifesaving Apps 28 $hopping Apps that Pay! Enjoy the season, and stay powered up, 30 TV + Smartphone = Fun 82 War Against Texting and Driving 89 Lights! Camera! Apps! Margaret Kavanagh 92 Take Control of Your Social Media Editor 96 Top 5 Real Estate Apps 98 App Laughs Beckett’s Guide to Phone Apps 3 APPS_1309-TOC 6/17/13 12:45 AM Page 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS 46 September 2013 App Buyer’s Guide 499 Can’t-miss apps to make your smartphone smile SPECIAL POWER ISSUE! 33 Don’t Let that Battery Die How to squeeze extra juice out of your phone’s battery 36 Eco-Friendly Accessories Great gadgets for environmentally concerned users 40 Charge! Batteries for Everyone The latest on-the-go battery packs reviewed AWESOME AUTUMN APPS 6 Fall App Round Up Leaf peeping, romantic B&Bs, flea markets and harvest moons 10 Stock Up on School Supplies with These 8 Apps Apps to save on everything you need 14 41 Grade-A Apps for the College Student Free and cheap resources to make your life easier 18 10 Spooky Halloween Apps Get your fright on with intriguing apps! TABLE OF CONTENTS • TABLE OF CONTENTS • TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Beckett’s Guide to Phone Apps APPS_1309-TOC 6/19/13 1:51 PM Page 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS • TABLE OF CONTENTS • TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE • OF CONTENTS TABLE • OF CONTENTS TABLE September 2013 • Issue 15 EDITORIAL Erin Lang Masercola - Editorial Director Margaret Kavanagh - Editor William Bonin, Andy Broome, Sean Cooper, Simon Hill, Sean Kavanagh, Torrey Kim, Carolyn Koh, Suzanne Leder, Jan Milliman - Contributing Writers Alicia Natale - Art Director Gabby Oh - Cover Design ADVERTISING Gabe Frimmel - Advertising Director [email protected] (714) 200-1930 Bob Hulsy - Account Executive (714) 200-1940 Eric Gomez - Ad Traffic Coordinator John Cabral - Creative Graphic Designer OPERATIONS Gus Alonzo - Newsstand Sales Manager Amit Sharma - Newsstand & Production Analyst Mohit Patel - Newsstand & Production Analyst Celia Merriday - Newsstand Analyst TECH GUIDE Alberto Chavez - Senior Logistics & Facilities Manager 21 Wireless Emergency Alert FAQs EDITORIAL, PRODUCTION & SALES OFFICE 22840 Savi Ranch Parkway # 200 When it comes to safety warnings, your phone delivers Yorba Linda, CA 92887 Ph: (800) 332-3330 23 Social Media in Emergency Situations Beckett Guide to Phone Apps (ISSN 2158-608X) is Keeping you connected in today’s world published quarterly, 4 times a year by Beckett Media, LLC, 22840 Savi Ranch Parkway, #200, Yorba Linda, CA 92887. Postmaster, send address changes to Beckett Media, 5430 44 Review: SuperTooth HD Bluetooth LBJ Freeway, Ste 1200, Dallas, TX 75240. © 2013 by Beckett Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of Speakerphone any material from this issue in whole or in part is strictly Look, Ma! No hands! prohibited. SUBSCRIPTION RATES $14.95/1 year, $21.95/2 years; foreign $24.95/1 year, 78 Senior Tech Series: 5 Senior-Savvy $41.95/2 years payable in US funds. Single copy price is $9.99. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for new subscriptions Smartphones to begin. Clever device designs for the mature mobile user CUSTOMER SERVICE Beckett Media, LLC 86 SwiftKey—the Best Keyboard You’ll Ever Use 4635 McEwen Road Dallas, TX 75244 You may switch to Android just to use it Ph: (800) 764-6278 Subscriptions, Address Changes, Renewals, Missing or Damaged Copies - 800 764-6278 239 653-0225 Foreign Inquires [email protected] APPS FOR EVERYONE [email protected] 24 Free Apps that Will Save Your Life Back Issues Get prepared, then let these apps stay vigilant for you www.engagedmediamags.com Books, Merchandise, Reprints 28 $hopping Apps that Pay—Really! 239 280-2380 Get rewarded with points, gifts and even cash Dealer Sales 239 280-2380 30 TV + Smartphone = Twice the Fun [email protected] Letters to the Editor, New Products or to Make your smartphone interact with your favorite TV shows Contribute a Story or Photo: 82 Wage War Against Texting While Driving [email protected] We need YOU and you need these apps 89 Lights! Camera! Apps! Create bite-sized video masterpieces Beckett Media, LLC Nick Singh, Executive Director 92 Take Control of Your Social Media Erin Masercola, Business Unit Editorial Director Apps to organize status updates, tweets, pins, posts and more This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the understanding that information presented is from various sources from which there can 96 Top 5 Real Estate Apps be no warranty or responsibility by Beckett Media, LLC as to the legality, completeness or technical accuracy. Get smart about buying a home All characters and artwork shown in Beckett’s Guide to Phone Apps are trademark and copyright of their respective owners. This publication is not sponsored, endorsed by or otherwise 98 App Laughs affiliated with any of the featured companies. High-tech giggles from Andy Broome Cover images courtesy of Apple, Android and Thinkstock Beckett’s Guide to Phone Apps 5 APPS_1309-AUTUMN 6/17/13 12:51 AM Page 6 FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP FALL APP Round up - Leaf Peeping, Romantic B&Bs, Flea Markets and Harvest Moons By Carolyn Koh The days are turning cooler and as the crisp days of autumn bring a nip to the air, our minds turn to the weekend getaway to watch the incredible landscape as it changes around us. In our parents’ time, it was word of mouth and checking tourist bureaus for best fall foliage routes. These days, we turn to the internet and apps on our smartphones for peak viewing days and all the other activities around them. Here are a few of our favorite apps. FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP 6 Beckett’s Guide to Phone Apps APPS_1309-AUTUMN 6/20/13 1:40 AM Page 7 FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP • FALL APP ROUND-UP If you’re planning a trip or a hike in an area of fantastic Foliage Leaf Peepr foliage, then a park and/or trail finder will help. Free, Yankee Publishing, Inc. HHHHH Where can you find the best fall leaf color when it’s at its peak? Foliage Leaf Peepr allows you to make foliage reports by posting comments and uploading photos of the locations you visit. You can also check for the best reported foliage in previous years to help plan your trip. Oh Ranger! Park Finder Free, American Park Oh Ranger! Park Finder is an app with search filters to help you Network find parks that suit your needs. If you prefer, have a slow drive for HHHHH your leaf watching instead of hiking—just select that category, plug in your preferred zip code or use your location to pull up the nearby parks. Many tourism boards and state parks also have their own apps for activities, so don’t ignore those—they might give you more in-depth information for your local area. Windows Phone users try: National Parks by National Geographic, free. All Trails provides guides to hiking and biking trails with maps, photographs and reviews.