In My Phone, My Lock and Home Screens, 4.25.18
Cellular phones, an integral part of life as a human in the 21st century. I received my first cellphone the summer of 7th grade going into 8th, I think (don’t quote me). My mom was upgrading and getting my dad a phone at Verizon and they offered an additional free phone. I asked my mom if I could join the family plan, because you know, I’m a part of the family. I didn’t expect her to say yes, but she did. My first cell phone was a flip phone with a camera. Silver with navy blue accents.
After that, an upgrade for was due every two years. My second phone was an LG ENV2. Horizontal flip phone with the physical QWERTY keyboard. It was a design so futuristic it’s timeless in my eyes. Two years later, I moved on to a Droid 1. Same thing, horizontal flip phone with the physical keyboard, but it had an upgraded camera AND it was touchscreen. My Droid messed up on me quite a few times, so many times they ended up sending me a refurbished Droid 2. When my Droid 2 died on me, I made the switch to Apple.
I’ve been team iPhone ever since, but that may soon change.
Due to the lack of innovation by Apple these past few years, my current phone is the iPhone 6S. Again, it’s a timeless beauty. The perfect size at 5.44 x 2.64 x.28 inches. It has solid finger print recognition, a great camera, and a headphone jack. I’ve had it since late October 2015. I dropped it in water once, but thankfully we made it through.
I wanted to share with you my lock screen, my home screen, and a few apps I use quite frequently.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
(Click on the photos to enlarge and right key progress through photos. If photos appear pixelated while enlarged, wait a few seconds for the display to adjust. Thanks!)
SCREENS
Lock Screen: My lock screen is of my favorite football player of all-time, Philip Rivers. He’s the greatest. NFL football is my favorite sport, and I’m more than ecstatic for this upcoming season. Chargers are the Super Bowl LIII champions; you heard it here first.
Home Screen: At least one of my screens has to be of Bagel The God. I took this photo of BTG this past winter in Charlotte. Bagel is afraid of water, but loves the snow. It doesn’t quite make sense, but life doesn’t always either.
I have my apps split into two groups. RATHA is my frequently used apps, and RAATD stores my secondary apps. I keep the Waze app by itself for accessibility when driving. I am a strong advocate against texting and driving, but using your phone as a GPS is okay--still must be careful though. Phone calls and messages are at the bottom separated by the official NHK World TV app.
NHK WORLD JAPAN
NHK is a television station based out of Tokyo, Japan. I get it via tv antenna, and it is Channel 42-2 in Charlotte. It is my favorite station. Its programs focus mostly on Japan, but also on other Asian countries, too. With the NHK app, you can tune in live or watch certain programs on demand. If you didn’t know, Japan is a dreamland to me. I romanticize Japan very much. The culture is extremely interesting, and they are very progressive especially in the technology. realm Food I’m sure is incredible, and it’s a beautiful country from what I’ve seen thru movies and pictures. I would love to visit one day soon.
RATHA
This is where I have my camera, photos, email, bank accounts, etc. I use Instagram the most out of all social media. I love Amazon, that’s definitely an essential. Because I wear the same things for years, lately I’ve been getting most of my ‘new’ items from eBay.
IMDB
IMDB is a great way for me to keep track of the movies and television shows I watch. After I finish a series or a film, I head straight to IMDB to rate it. Not for others sake, but for mine. I like to keep track of the things I like/dislike and how much I do of either. It helps me get to know myself better.
TUMBLR
Although I use Instagram most frequently, my favorite social media is Tumblr. Tumblr gives users an ability to express themselves anonymously. If used right, this can help with insecurity and create more honest expression.
VSCO/WHITAGRAM
VSCO and Whitagram are used for the running diary. With TRD being updated 3 times a week, these apps are essentials to expression.
FITBIT
Rather than an Apple Watch, I prefer Fitbit. It’s simple, it’s efficient, and it’s sleek. The Fitbit app tracks steps and sleep. One may also document things such as weight and water consumption. There are challenges to partake in as well with the intent of being motivational. I’m a firm believer progress inspires more progress, and Fitbit has made it fun to do so.
RAATD
This is where I keep my secondary apps, apps I don’t use often, but apps I use from time. YouTube resides here for self-explanatory reasons. SnipSnap is an app my mother put me on to, where you can search a database of current active coupons for any store. I’m always losing my remote for my television, so I have an app that turns my phone into one in LG TV Plus.
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
I use Google Analytics to keep track of visitors and their engagement on my website. It’s extremely practical with my personal website and the running diary.
SOUNDCLOUD
I don’t use SoundCloud often, but it’s there for me to check out how many listens I have on my songs. Oh and by the way, check out my new song March 2018 here.
PODCAST
I only subscribe to 4 podcasts. StarTalk Radio with my personal astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, StoryCorps, Chargers Weekly, and the best of them all, Legends of Kempsford. StarTalk appeals to the curious kid in me. StoryCorps tells real stories that are relatable, emotional, and beautiful. Charger’s Weekly gives me something to listen to in anticipation of the season and in between games. Legends of Kempsford is a podcast of greatness.
I only subscribe to 3 threads on Reddit, the Rottweiler, the Catahoula, and the UNC Charlotte thread. My next dog will be a German Rottweiler so I like to peruse the thread looking at Rotties but also looking for reputable breeders and different training tips. I subscribed to the Catahoula thread because Bagel is a Catahoula and I love to see pictures of all the different Catahoula’s. Catahoula’s have the broadest range of phenotypes of any dog. They can be solid, spotted, have two different eye colors, etc. They’re all beautiful. Lastly, I subscribed to the UNC Charlotte thread to keep up to date on my school. I like reading about the changes taking place, it makes me want to go back in time and relive my experiences. If not to go back in time, to go back and finish what I started back then.
There you have it, a look inside my phone. What apps do you use often? Are there any apps that should be universally essential? Let me know in the comment section below!