Mobile App Review: Official eBay Android App , Free App (7.7 Samsung Galaxy Tablet, Android)

Normally, I close my Ebay shop when I go on vacation, but now that I own a tablet I decided to keep the shop going. I needed to monitor auctions, respond to question, start new listings (i.e. everything other than generate shipping labels).

Ebay app works well on my Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (my Galaxy 7.7 review) running Android HoneyComb 3.2. I had no technical problems. The app scales to my screen size, but is not aware that my screen is larger and does not make use of the width as well as at could. I have a lot of white space in the middle and the information is bunched up on the sides which makes it harder to read.

I found that the functionality for sellers does not have all the features I need to run my Ebay store while on the road. I was able to monitor active auctions, but found that I can scroll through information faster if I use the non-mobile version of Ebay web site using a browser. To see the same information I see in MyEbay I use the advanced search to display info by seller name (my own) and then customize the columns of the search results to show me the exact information I am interested in (removing some defaults and adding the useful to me info).

Another feature that I used a 'relist' button since I wanted to avoid a lot of typing and start new auctions as fast as possible. Mobile Ebay displays unsold items, however the 'relist' button is not available on that page. Mobile Ebay has a section from which you can relist, but on that page you can see just the items (title and image) without the dates when the items were listed in the past. I use the dates to help me to determine which items to relist. I found that using a non-mobile version of Ebay made my job easier.

My plan was to use Ebay mobile app on this trip, but I found that it was missing enough small features that using the non-mobile Ebay site made my job faster and easier.

You can find eBay on Amazon app by following this link


Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Mobile App Review: Sketch , Free App (7.7 Samsung Galaxy Tablet, Android)

The application looks nice, it has a well designed and nice looking interface.  However, the results of the "sketch" are disappointing.

The application takes your photo, applies a black and white filter, and adds a texture that makes the photo look like it was done with a pencil.  If you have Photoshop or any similar photo-editing software those package have similar filters that manipulate photos in a similar way (but with better results).



The first photo I tried was taken from a gallery  and the face in the photo became unrecognizable. I decided that perhaps the resolution of the photo was too small. Several other attempts of loading a larger photo from gallery caused application to terminate.


My second attempt was using my tablet's front camera and taking my own photo. Taking the photo and manipulating it is well integrated into the app. I was able to take a photo, crop it and apply one of several options for the filter. Results were acceptable, but not great. The effects did not look nearly as nice a demo photos included with the app. The pencil hash-marks that extended beyond my head made me look like a mad scientist, I could recognize myself, not sure if other people would have.

My third attempt was making a sketch of a famous person. The gallery upload for this photo did not work even though I tried several different photos. Finally, I displayed the photo on my PC screen and took a photo of it with my tablet. The original and the sketch are attached to this review. This was the best result of the three attempts. The original was 466 pixels by 576 pixels with high contrast. I think high contrast was the reason for why the result looked better than the first two attempts.

I really liked the application itself - the layout, the navigation, the integration with the camera and cropping, and the general look and feel. I just did not like the results. I hope the developers will keep working on this app to make it better and fixing the problem with gallery upload of photos.

This app works well on my Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (my Galaxy 7.7 review) running Android HoneyComb 3.2. I had no technical problems and the app scales to my screen size very nicely.

This app is from Amazon Android Store and
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

You can find reviews of other mobile apps I use under Blog Label "Galaxy 7.7 Tablet" on the left navigation pane of the blog.

Product review: Pedifix Visco-Gel Little Toe Sleeves

My small toe rubs again the forth toe and gives me painful blisters. These toe sleeves did not work for me. They slipped off the toe, they were not comfortable. After trying it for about a week I threw them out.

However, I found a better solution that works for me. I now use BodyGlide Advanced Technical Formula between my toes. They now glide against it each other rather than rub, and I don't have any blisters.

This saved me a lot of pain, I wish I knew of it earlier. I hope this solution will help someone else with a similar problem.

You can find "Bodyglide" on Amazon by following this link



Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: Griot's Garage 11049 Glass Cleaning Clay

I have been using paint clay on my car for a number of years, but only recently bought glass clay for the first time. It worked very well. I am attaching a collage of 5 photos which I will be referencing in this review.

1) The stock photo is somewhat deceiving as it makes you think the clay fills the nice container it is shipped in. Photo #1 shows the clay in the plastic rap is it arrived, and photo #2 a clay ball after I worked with it. The amount of clay is sufficient to work with, I am not complaining about that, just the photo makes you think you get a lot more. The container itself is very nice for storage. The paint clay I used before is Mother's clay - love the product - but I had to come up with a plastic container of my own. A tip on storage: before storing the clay ball in the container wet the outside of the clay ball with Griot's Speed Shine or any other detailing spray. This makes the clay easier to take out the next time as it sticks less to the container.

2) Photos #4 and #5 show the windshield glass before and after. As you can see the difference is significant, and it was fairly easy to get it that clean. All glass surfaces took no more than 20 minutes and that included taking photos for this review. The clay removed water stains as well as some non-bird droppings (I think dragonfly or some other insect) which are hard to remove with just soap and water.

3) Photo #3 shows the trick that allows me to reach the glass that it too far away for me to reach by hand. I am fairly short so reaching the middle of the sunroof and the middle of my windshield is not possible for me without a stepping stool. I found that it was a lot easier to to put the clay ball under a triangle-shaped Glass Reach and Clean Tool and use it to rub the clay ball on the glass that I could not reach.

The clay worked well to remove debris, but it was fairly sticky and my hands were slightly blue when I finished. I was able to remove the residue from my hands using Griot's Speed Shine followed by a vigorous washing with soap.

You can find "Griot's Garage Glass Cleaning Clay " on Amazon by following this link


You can find "Reach and Clean Tool" tool on Amazon by following this link


Thumbs up overall!

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Amazon Customer Assistance & Customer Service

Some problem resolutions require reaching customer assistance. Sometimes finding how to contact customer service on Amazon.com is not obvious, so I wanted to share this information.

 

 

Chat

On several occasions I found 'chat' feature for a specific item helpful. 

To find it:

1. Select Help link at the bottom of the page
2. "Contact Us" yellow button on the right hand side
3. You will have three tabs "An order I placed", "Kindle", "Something else"
4. Select a product about which you want to talk to the customer service and a topic which relates to the issue.
5. Once you make the selections the following three buttons will become active: e-mail, phone, chat.
6.  If you select chat you will get a chat window.

I used this method and the issue was resolved fairly quickly.  I had to wait for the Amazon associate to start chatting for a short period.

Amazon calls you

Sometimes it is easier to talk to a person rather than type into chat.


To find this option:

1. Select Help link at the bottom of the page
2. "Contact Us" yellow button on the right hand side
3. You will have three tabs "An order I placed", "Kindle", "Something else"
4. Select a product about which you want to talk to the customer service and a topic which relates to the issue.

5. Once you make the selections the following three buttons will become active: e-mail, phone, chat.
6.  If you select phone, you will asked to enter your phone number and Amazon representative will call you (you can select to receive an immediate call or a call in 5 minutes).  This connects you to a representative directly and they will know who you are (you account information is shown to the representative when you call).

I used this method and the issue was resolved the issue I called about.  I did not have to wait to talk to a person.

You call Amazon

Amazon toll-free number for automated assistance, 1-866-216-1072. International customers can reach Amazon at 1-206-266-2992.
Phone toll-free in the US and Canada: (800) 201-7575

Snail mail to Amazon

Amazon.com, Inc.
Customer Service
PO Box 81226
Seattle, WA 98108-1226



Amazon.com Headquarters
1200 12th Ave., Ste. 1200
Seattle, WA 98144
Phone: (206) 266-1000
Fax: (206) 622-2405

Mobile App Review: US Yellow Pages , Free App (7.7 Samsung Galaxy Tablet, Android)

This application is well integrated with Google maps. You can search for business either relative to your current position (which is the default) or by specifying any location you want. When you enter a type of a business you are looking for it displays the stores that match and the distance to get them from your position. It also contains the rating, the street address, and the phone number in the display. If you select the store you are interested in it will give more information about the business and several buttons: maps (which will give you Google street view, navigator, or just verbal Google directions), website (which will take you to the business website), add (which will add it to your list of favorite), or share. A store that does not have a website, does not show a website button.

I am attaching a screen shot under Customer photos which shows my tablet has a nice three pain view: summary of all stores on the left, details about my selection in the middle, and Google maps location in the right pane. The display is nice and legible on my 7.7 Galaxy tablet. The app remembered my previous searches when I restarted it, so to search for the same thing was easy.

Overall the app worked well, I did experience some minor glitches:
(1) It seemed to keep showing me the first street view even when I switched to another search. When I restarted the application it gave the right street view.
(2) When I selected navigation the application invoked a browser. When I wanted to go back to the application I restarted it from the desktop. This caused it to crash, but after the crash it restarted cleanly.

Overall, I find it to be a useful application and it works well on my Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (my Galaxy 7.7 review) running Android HoneyComb 3.2.

This app is free from Amazon Android Store and
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

You can find reviews of other mobile apps I use under Blog Label "Galaxy 7.7 Tablet" on the left navigation pane of the blog.

Product review: Triangular shaped Invisible Glass Reach and Clean Tool

This tool is unique due it its triangular shape and slightly con-caved form to follow the windshield slope. The triangular shape allows the tool to get into low sloping areas where the windshield is near the dashboard. How well it cleans depends on the material used on the tool (microfiber is best for no streak clean). It does require a couple of swipes to get the glass totally clean, but it does not require a lot of effort.

I found this tool so convenient to use that expanded its use from the inside of the windshield to the outside of the windshield and the sunroof. I am fairly shot and cannot reach the sunroof as well as some windshield portion of the outside glass of my SUV without the aid of a step stool. I found using this everywhere really speeds up the cleaning.

The tool comes with two covers: a mesh one (good for removing bugs) and a micro-fiber (no streak cleaning). Because I use it everywhere I added a couple additional microfiber sleeves of my own.
I purchased high quality microfiber towels and using my sewing machine attached strings (I actually used shoe laces cut in half) to all four corners of the micro towel. This allows me to tie the "sleeve" to the head of the tool (see attached photo under customer photos).

This weekend I found yet another use for this tool. I purchased Griot's garage glass clay [[ASIN:B004UQQT0A Griot's Garage 11049 Glass Cleaning Clay]] which removes deposits from the glass. I was able to use this tool to rub clay against the glass where I could not reach the glass by hand. This tool worked well because it is not totally flat but con-caved to follow the slightly sloped glass of the windshield, so it worked very well to hold the clay ball.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Thumbs up for this tool!

Ali Julia review ★★★★★