From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch
This month I’m going to do a different type of review. By different, I mean a review is for a paid application. Before you say a bad word and click away from the web page or throw your newsletter in the trash, the paid part is only for a compilation of applications. The individual programs can be downloaded separately from Smart Tools co. in the Google Play Store. I’ve included a link for the free individual version of each tool.
Smart Tools® is a complete package of six individual apps (sets). There are a total of fifteen tools. There is a Pro version for each set that combines each application in the group. I’ve included the current prices for the Pro version of each group. The breakdown of each set is as follows:
Set 1: Length, Angle, Level, Thread; Smart Ruler Pro $1.50
Set 2: Distance, Height, Width, Area; Smart Measure Pro $1.50
Set 3: Compass, Metal Detector, GPS; Smart Compass Pro $1.99
Set 4: Sound Level Meter, Vibrometer; Sound Meter Pro $1.50
Set 5: Flashlight, Magnifier, Mirror; Smart Light Pro $1.50
Set 6: Unit Converter; Unit Converter Pro $1.99
For reasons of article length, I’m not going to do an in depth review of each app. They all seem to be fairly accurate. All of the apps are easy to use and have FAQs. Many of them have an on‑line tutorial. Most have high Play Store user rating.
The app that I personally use the most is the Magnifier. My eyes are getting old and I find that I have to use it quite often. It uses your phones camera to focus which might sometimes take a few seconds. One of the nice features is that you can take a screen shot of what you have magnified.
I also often open the Sound Level Meter. Usually it is when I am talking with someone and they mention that it is noisy. It is kind of fun to be able to tell them how many decibels the sound level actually is. Then I can tell them it is as loud as a subway train, busy street, rock music and more. You can also record the sound. I guess this might be useful if you’re calling the police to complain about your neighbors loud party.
Smart Tools ($2.99) can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. Each individual app can be downloaded for free with the provided links. I promise no more reviews of this type. Just putting so many links in the newsletter is a PITA.
Thanks for reading.