Google Photos–a New, Amazing App

Google Photos sounds like something that has been around for a long time, but what I’m talking about is actually a brand new App for both Android and Apple mobile devices.

The Google Photos App and website (photos.google.com) were just announced on May 28. Using Google Photos you can:

1. View all your photos, both on your device and in your Google Account online. This app replaces your Gallery or native Photos app.
2. Automatically upload all of the pictures taken with your device to your Google Account. No more worrying about lost or destroyed phones. If you choose the “High Resolution” option rather than “Original” – you get unlimited storage space for free. Be aware that any uploading of photos consumes a lot of data. If you are using a metered connection like a cellular data plan, it could cost you! Check the setting for upload over Wi-Fi only, and if that Wi-Fi is provided via a cellular data plan, turn the auto-backup Off.
3. Search your complete photo library (a combination of online backups and pictures on your device) for any person, place, thing, or date. This you GOTTA see!  It’s artificial intelligence and FAST. No tagging or any pre-identifying required.
4. Edit your photos right on your phone with tools that are as good or better than computer-based photo-editing software.
5. Create stories, movies, and other creations automatically from your photos. These are like gifts from Google that are made from your own photos and you get notifications when one is available. It’s FUN.

We – Geeks on Tour – will be giving seminars on Google Photos at RV rallies all over the country. We’ve already done one of our live web hangouts on the topic of Google Photos. For this article, let me just give you one example of the power of search.

We are currently on vacation in England and we visited the beautiful Bodiam Castle the other day. I took a picture of Jim in the stairwell:

When looking at this picture I was reminded of a similar picture taken at Blarney Castle in Ireland on our trip there in 2000. I really wanted to see that picture from 2000 and compare them. How could I possibly find that picture from 15 years ago?!

Since the storage space is free, I have backed up ALL my pictures to my Google account. I’ve actually been doing this for a few years – ever since Google Plus Photos (the predecessor for Google Photos) offered free unlimited space. So, I have 30,000+ photos stored online in my Google Account. And, now, with Google Photos I can search the entire library easily.

• I opened the Google Photos App on my Samsung Galaxy S5 phone.
• I tap the magnifying glass icon for Search.
• I type in Ireland and tap Next. Immediately I see all my photos that Google has identified as related to Ireland. Some might be recognized landmarks, some might be originally from a folder of mine labeled Ireland, some might be recognized by a geotag, some are a mystery as to how Google identifies them as related to Ireland.
• But, however it does it, I see lots of photos from our trip to Ireland and I can look thru them and find the one of Jim in the stairwell at Blarney castle. How cool is that?

While Google Photos is far from perfect, if you use your smartphone for taking most of your pictures, you owe it to yourself to take a look at this app.

• What: Google Photos App by Google Inc.
• Where: https://photos.google.com/apps
• Platforms: Android, Apple iOS, Web
• Cost: Free
• More Info: https://www.google.com/photos/about/
  Geeks on Tour’s Live Hangout on Youtube introducing Google Photos

In Case of Emergency (ICE) on Smartphone’s Lock Screen

by Chris Guld, www.GeeksOnTour,com

Do you have a phone number in your contact list identified as ICE for In Case of Emergency?

You should. But, that’s not all. If you are in an accident and emergency personnel look at your smartphone, they probably can’t see your contact list because they need to know your password to get beyond the “Lock” screen. There are a couple of techniques for adding the emergency contact number to your Lock screen

Android:

It’s very easy to add a contact number to your Lock Screen:

• System Settings
• Lock Screen
• Owner Information: Whatever you type here will appear at the top of your Lock Screen. e.g. In Case of Emergency, call my husband Jim at 555-555-5555

There are also several Apps:

• ICE In Case of Emergency by Clusor for Free. In addition to contact info, medical conditions and medications, this App includes an Alarm feature where you can send a text message to all your emergency contacts and include your current location.
•  ICE: In Case of Emergency by Appventive for $3.99 This app allows you to put emergency contacts on your lock screen and their numbers can be dialed right from that screen. It also provides places to enter insurance info and medications and conditions.

iPhone:

If you have an iPhone and you have iOS 8 installed, then you have an App called Health. If you open that and tap the Medical ID option, you can enter your name, an emergency contact, and any medical conditions that may be important. Turn on the option to Show When Locked, then this information will be displayed when someone taps the Emergency link on your Lock screen.

 

There are also some Apps to check out:

• ICE (In Case of Emergency) By Minute Apps LLC Free 
• ICE Standard with Smart911™ - The Official In Case of Emergency Standard Card App for iPhone
  By About The Kids Foundation
  

Do It Yourself!

Here’s a little trick … you can take a picture of an existing ICE card, or simply write the information on a card and take a picture of it. Then use that picture as the wallpaper on your lock screen!

To set Lock screen wallpaper on Android:

• Settings –> Walpaper –> Lock screen –> From Gallery –>Tap the picture of your ICE card –> Set as Wallpaper

To set Lock screen wallpaper on iPhone

• Settings –>Wallpaper –>Choose a New Wallpaper –> Tap on Photos –> Tap the photo of your ICE card –>Set Lock Screen
• 

 

There you have it! Several different choices for adding your Emergency information to the lock screen of your smartphone. Just pick one and do it. It could save your life!

Renew your Verizon Unlimited Data Plan Now

Last year, I wrote an article, “Get your Verizon Droid or iPhone before July 7 (2011)” to urge new Verizon customers to act quickly.  Now, they’re at it again!  Last year, on July 7, Verizon ended the unlimited data plan for new customers.  This year (we don’t know exactly when) they will end it for existing customers.  Meaning, if you have an unlimited data plan now, when you upgrade your phone and sign a new 2 year contract, you will lose that unlimited data – there will be no ‘grandfather’ rights.  They will be implementing tiered and family sharing plans instead.  For more details, see this PCWorld Article.

So, if you are eligible for an upgrade, do it NOW.  I just upgraded my Droid1 for a new Droid Razr Maxx 4G (a great device!) yesterday, and they continued my unlimited data plan with no questions asked.  I now have unlimited Internet access for two more years. 

If you’re wondering why an unlimited plan is such a good thing, read my article from last year where I go into much more detail.  But, check out the current plan costs.  For $30/mo now you only get 2GB of data per month.  Although that’s enough for basic email and web-browsing on your phone, it’s not nearly enough if you like watching videos on your phone, or if you like to share your phone’s Internet connection with other devices – like many of us RV travelers do.

Current Verizon Pricing

Although I believe that an unlimited data plan is worth fighting for, it’s not as important as it used to be.  It used to be that overages were charged at .25/megabyte.  That added up QUICK!  If you went over your allotment by just 1GB, your overage charge would have been $250!  Now, the overage fee is a flat $10/GB.  So, if you have the $30 for 2GB plan and you use 10GB in one month, your bill will be $110.  That’s bad, but not heart-stopping like the per megabyte charge.

This tip by Geeks on Tour: a membership website with hundreds of Tutorial Videos on topics of interest to travelers, such as how to use Android smartphones, managing digital photos with Picasa, Route-Planning with Streets and Trips, and sharing your travels with a website using Blogger or with friends on Facebook. You can subscribe to our free e-newsletters, or become a paid member and be able to view all of the videos in the Learning Library.

Change your Time Zone

Most computers do not have GPS built in, so, although they physically travel with us, their clock is still set to the previous time zone.  It’s very easy to change!

I haven’t worn a watch in years.  I really like using my cell phone to tell me the time because it automatically adjusts to new time zones.  Since it is connected to a local cell tower, it knows the correct time – coming from that cell tower.
I also depend on my computer’s clock.  I’m almost always sitting at my computer.  Any time I want to know what time of day it is, I simply glance at the lower right corner.  So, I want it to be correct.

Windows Time and Date Settings

Just click right on the time in the very lower right corner of your screen and choose ‘Change Date and Time Settings.’  Then click on ‘Change Time Zone.’ 

Once you’ve chosen the correct time zone and clicked OK, your clock will be correct. 

Why not Just Change the Time Yourself?

Many people choose the ‘Change date and time …’ and just set the clock themselves.  I think they just don’t realize how much easier it is to set the time zone and let the computer set the time.  You can even use the Internet Time feature (see the 3d tab on the date and time dialog box)  which will synchronize your computer’s clock with an Internet clock that is guaranteed to be accurate.  However, it will only be accurate for you if your time zone is set correctly. 
Some other reasons why setting your time zone is better than setting the time yourself:

• You may get it wrong.  For example, You may have traveled into Arizona and not know their unique rules with daylight savings.
• When daylight savings comes or goes in your current time zone, the computer may not change correctly since it doesn’t know your correct time zone.

by Chris Guld of Geeks on Tour.
Geeks on Tour is a membership website with hundreds of Tutorial Videos on topics of interest to travelers, such as managing digital photos with Picasa, Route-Planning with Streets and Trips, and sharing your travels with a website using Blogger. Members can view all of the videos in the Learning Library.
See our Vista/Windows 7 tutorial videos to see how to create multiple clocks for different time zones.

California Drivin'? Don't Text, Tommy!

In what should be a real, "Duh!" situation, California has joined five other US states that prohibit drivers from driving and texting at the same time. Electronic billboards on the Interstate 5 corridor remind drivers to keep their texting for break times.

In a story appearing in the San Franciso Chronicle, "Texting while driving is so obviously unsafe that it's hard to imagine that anyone would attempt it," said Sen. Joe Simitian, the Palo Alto Democrat who was the author of the cell phone and text-messaging bills. "But everyday observation as well as statistical information from around the state and nation suggest otherwise."

Statistical information? Two different surveys revealed some scary ones. An insurance company poll revealed that some 19% respondents confessed to texting while driving; another poll showed over three-fourths of their respondents had sometime texted while driving. How can you text and drive? Use your knees to maintain the steering wheel, and hope nothing happens while your face is pointed at the display.

The results are carnage on a grand scale. Five teenage girls were killed in 2007 when the driver of their car smashed into a truck while texting. And need we mention the California metro train accident that took 25 lives whilst the train's engineer was keying text messages?

The California law's teeth aren't large: Senator Simitian figures first-time offenders will be out around $100. Other states where you can get a ticket for texting include Washington, Alaska, Louisiana, Minnesota and New Jersey.

photo: tommy and georgie on flickr.com