Use Pocket to Simplify Your Life

Have you seen the little red Pocket icon in the sharing buttons below every post on Square Pennies? That’s Pocket. What is Pocket? Pocket is a simple, entertaining way to save content that anyone can use. It’s so simple even I can do it!

It’s a pretty awesome app that saves you time when browsing the web. It lets you easily create a personalized reading experience. And it’s free!

Here’s how it works. Say you come across an article online that sounds interesting, but you don’t have time to view it now. Just put it in Pocket! A great video? Put it in Pocket! An image you like? Put it in Pocket. Simple and quick.

Pocket is a convenient way to save it for later viewing–like Tivo for web content, but easier.

Put It In Your Pocket!

Love that name! Actually it used to be called Read It Later. What I like about it is that anything you put in your Pocket you can view on all of your devices. So if you put it in Pocket while viewing on your smart phone as you stand in line at the grocery store, you can read it later (there is that phrase again) on your iPad or other device. Pocket automatically syncs all your devices so you can read the article on your iPad, PC, laptop, etc.

It's like getting your own personal library of good reads! I can see cozying up with my iPad Mini in bed with layers of blankets on a cold winter night with some of this customized reading--very luxurious.

Simple Set Up

A big plus is the easy sign up. You only give your email and a password. No social media linking required.

You get a bookmarking applet for your tool bar. It’s easy to click on the applet to save anything you find online. It appears as a gray pocket with a stylized white V on your toolbar. I guess the V is supposed to be the stitching on the pocket of jeans. When you click it the pocket turns red and you get a message on screen:  Saving to Pocket . . .

You can also find a red pocket icon already on some sites–see mine at the bottom of each Square Pennies post along with other sharing icons.

Favorable Reviews

Time magazine included Pocket in it’s 2013 list of 50 Best Android Applications.

From Wikipedia:  “Kent German of CNET said that ‘Read It Later is oh so incredibly useful for saving all the articles and news stories I find while commuting or waiting in line.’^[7]“

Maggie here: I use it for all the great blogging articles I find online. I have them all in one place to read when and where I want.

Features

You can use Pocket to create your own eReader. Saved articles can be read on your device even when you have no internet connection. It’s easy to search for a saved item by title or by topic (via tags). You can choose to have the saved items displayed in a grid along with their pictures. It makes for fun browsing! You can share from Pocket and export items to other apps. Twitter is integrated with Pocket, so you can save tweets and their links to Pocket easily.

The Competition

Instapaper for iOS and Safari’s Reading List provides the main competition. However, the founder of Pocket, Nathan Weiner, says

that just 1% of Pocket’s userbase uses both Instapaper and Safari. So he’s not worried about competing Instapaper. You might want to try Instapaper to see which you like better.

From Wikipedia:”Bill Barol of Forbes said that although Read It Later works less well than Instapaper, he said that ‘it makes my beloved Instapaper look and feel a little stodgy.’^[9]“

Bottom Line

You don’t have to use Pocket. However, it could be a solution for you if your email is getting cluttered with links you send to yourself. Plus it’s a lot quicker. It seems like a smoothly working system and I like that it automatically syncs with my other devices. You might want to give Pocket a try. It’s free & easy to use. It’s also a kind of beautiful experience. It qualifies as an affordable luxury in my book, especially when reading in a comfy bed!

I have no affiliation with Pocket. I hope it’s useful and enjoyable for you. You can even put some Square Pennies posts in that little red (or gray) pocket!

Click here for a link to TechRepublic for more ways to use Pocket.