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Waiting in line

SUNNYVALE, CA, United States – There’s a condition that sometimes strikes when we least expect it. Some call it boredom, others call it idle time, but we have all been there. Sometimes it strikes when we’re waiting for a doctor and other times it comes when we are in line to see a movie or waiting for a train.

If you own a Nokia Lumia 900 or Lumia 710, then you’re in luck – there are many cures to boredom awaiting you on your beloved smartphone, you just have to know where to look!

Here are five boredom fixes selected to make you forget about the idle time you need to fill.

Plot your next movie pick

Flixster

I love going to the movies, but it’s hard for me keep up on what’s always current in theaters or on DVD. Flixster gives me an advantage because I love searching for upcoming movies and watching trailers when I have a few extra minutes.

Flixster works great – even for streaming trailers – over a 3G connection and gives me the skinny on what I should suggest to my friends when movie night approaches. Being able to watch trailers while on the go is a huge asset for me.

One tip, though – use headphones! Sometimes the trailer you enjoy might not be so interesting to the person next to you in the doctor’s waiting room.

Have a certain film you want show your significant other or friends?  Pin it to your home screen for easy reference!

Watch a full length movie or documentary

Netflix is synonymous with watching movies here in the US and having a Lumia device in your pocket means you can watch movies, TV shows and documentaries over Netflix streaming on the beautiful ClearBlack display. If you pair your phone with a set of Purity HD headphones, you’re really in for a treat.

Netflix

A great feature I love with Netflix on my mobile phone is that I can start a show on my mobile, pause and then finish watching it on any other device including my Smart TV at home or on my computer wherever I happen to be. Netflix on Windows Phone enables you to search, browse and find any item in the substantial Netflix catalog. The fast 4G connetion on the Lumia 710 and the LTE connection on the Lumia 900 makes video streaming a silky smooth experience.

Play a game

The games selection using Xbox Live is absolutely stunning. My favorite games happen to be Toy Soldiers and Wordament. Oh, and don’t forget about Civilization Revolution for Windows Phone

The nice thing about gaming on your Lumia phone is that no matter how much time you have, whether it’s five minutes or 50, you can occupy yourself with a game no matter what. And with thousands of games in the Windows Marketplace, you can find titles that stimulate your brain or lets you save the world – whatever your mood calls for.

Catch up on Reddit

Baconit

Reddit is one of the most popular news sites on the web, and the site skews towards those who want the most current, relevant news that is voted upon by other Reddit users. The best interface for Reddit on Windows Phone is the very well designed Baconit app.

Baconit has full support for Mango including live tiles, notifications and fast-app switching.

Reddit users will feel right at home inside Baconit as you can easily browse user-submitted stories, pictures and news where ‘redditors’ have either up-voted or down-voted each story.

The comments are the best part of Reddit so don’t be shy – install Baconit and give Reddit a whirl. 

Learn something new

The last suggestion is for those who want to use idle time to learn a new idea or construct. Khan Academy is an online source for insightful and informative videos that teach you very in-depth subjects in a very approachable style.

Khan Academy

Salman Khan started Khan Academy years ago and now the catalog includes math, finance, biology, astronomy, and many, many others. In the unofficial Khan Academy application, you can browse the full video catalog and watch the videos right on your Lumia.

Available video topics range from introductory to advanced. For example, the Math section starts with simple arithmetic and also includes advanced topics such as quadratics and linear functions.

I like watching Khan videos to re-learn math and science topics I’ve forgotten since high school.

What about you?

What are your favorite ways to fill time, with your Nokia phone?

image credit:  See-ming Lee 李思明 SML