Using Bluetooth Technology During Commute

I was not a big fan of Bluetooth technology until two things came together in my life - (1) I bought 2012 Toyota Rav4 that includes Bluetooth as a standard accessory (2) I got iPhone through work very recently.

As of last week, there was an incompatibility issue with Toyota Rav4 Bluetooth and my iPhone. But, the latest iOS 6.0.1 seems to have fixed the issue. Now, Bluetooth works flawlessly in my car.

If you are new to Bluetooth, this technology lets two devices communicate with each other wirelessly. It is more commonly seen in hands-free earphones for cellphones.

But, car manufacturers have now integrated this technology into car stereos allowing you to hear phone calls over the car's speakers, see incoming call information on your radio display, make or receive phone calls without touching the phone, AND stream music or any audio from your Bluetooth capable phone or MP3 player over to your car stereo. This last point is where I get the best value of my phone.

If you have been a regular reader of my blog, you probably know that I love learning new things. There is tons of free knowledge out there. The challenge is to find time and use it productively.

In the past, I used to listen to radio during my 45 minute commute to work. I also tried audio books from the public library. But, I got tired of making rounds to the library. So, right now, I am utilizing iPhone and Bluetooth technology to listen to audio books, lectures, videos, podcasts, music, and just about anything iPhone offers you.

Here a few of the apps and how I use them.

Overdrive

My public library offers ebooks and audiobooks through a service/app called Overdrive. This is a handy little app that lets fill small gaps of time with ebooks. I also download audiobooks and listen to them during my commute. Read detailed review of Overdrive here.

iTunes U

This is an Apple app that came pre-installed with my iPhone. It allows you to search and browse through a large catalog of courses and seminars offered by hundred of universities. You can find foundational courses that benefit a large audience. But, there is a wide selection of universities. I have currently downloaded several courses on my iPhones.

Playtube (Youtube-like App)

There is tons of content on Youtube if you get past 'Charlie bit finger' or 'My cat is dancing videos'. However, the drawback of Youtube is that it needs a very good 4G LTE connection in order to stream videos during the commute. So, I found a solution to this problem. There is an app called Playtube. It lets you browse and search through Youtube videos. However, unlike Youtube, it lets you cache/download those videos and make a playlist of downloaded videos for local playback. So, during my commute, I open this app and begin playlist. This way, I avoid the data traffic and videos work in playlist so that I don't constantly need to take my eyes off the road.

App4 G.Music (Google Music)

For whatever reason, there is not a Google Music app in the App store. Apple has probably not approved this app because it competes directly with iTunes. BUT, there is a solution to this as well. There is third-party app called App4 G.Music that connects with Google Music and streams it over. Unlike the previous app, it doesn't cache music files. So, it is going consume your data bandwidth. But, I am free from having to carry CDs around in my car.

Spotify

I downloaded this app for listening to music. But, I have made a great use of it because my commute is full of productive time from the above app I mentioned. But, I know, I won't be learning all the times. There will be times when I will use Spotify.