The key features for Harold were live updating and notifications. He specified that there needed to be a badge or alert when an item was added to the list, pointing out that “if one of us has to manually check in to see if anything has changed, it’s not going to work for us.” Before posting his need on Jig, Harold said that he had looked in the App Store but nothing screamed out “this is the one!”  Thankfully, the Jig community jumped in with a few helpful suggestions:

Julie suggested Our Groceries, a free iPhone app that lets you keep track of your family’s grocery shopping needs, which comes complete with those notifications that Harold had requested.

Our Groceries app, on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry

Robyn suggested Grocery IQ, a grocery app that syncs from Web to iOS to Android. She shared a blog post she had written about taming the grocery list, featuring Grocery IQ in a review on her blog.  She did note that while the developers appear not to update this one on a regular basis, it’s doesn’t really seem to need an update so that may not be a problem.

Grocery IQ app

Finally, Phil suggested Trello, a nice tool for general lists.  Not a grocery app per se, but definitely an all purpose list app that can meet that need, among many others.

Trello app

Harold ended up resolving his need with Grocery IQ and will let us know how it goes after he uses it for a few weeks. We look forward to hearing how the app works out for Harold and his wife’s grocery shopping needs.

Was this solution helpful to you?  If so, consider posting your own need on Jig.

March has been full of diverse needs posted and answered by the Jig community. Here are some of the best Jig posts from the month:

A New Public Radio Podcast

Nick posted a need for a new public radio podcast and received 24 suggestions from the Jig community. Some of the top suggestions included:

• NPR’s Planet Money, - engaging commentary on the rapidly changing global economy, suggested by Chris and Alix
• Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me - The Oddly Informative News Quiz, suggested by Alix
• The Sound of Young America (Bullseye), suggested by Austin

Nick found his solution in The Moth, True Stories Told Live, suggested by Jimmy Ogden. You can see all of the podcasts suggested for this need on Nick’s post on Jig.

Practical and Stylish Shoes for an Active Mom

When Shona shared her need for practical and stylish shoes, she said that the shoes should be able to withstand the test of time and children. Shona received 10 suggestions for shoes that might meet her need, including: 

• Women’s Maori Fern Travel Shoes - these Mary Jane style flats from Naot, recommended by Kathy, have a removable cork/latex memory-foam foot bed that molds to your foot for customized arch support and shock absorption
• Robyn recommended Naturalizer Calva for their versatility. She has them in both brown and black and says they are comfy, durable, and look great with jeans or a sundress
• SAS Shoes - super popular with nurses and waitstaff and legendary for their durability, Nick recommended these as an alternative to Dansko

You can see other suggestions for comfortable and stylish shoes on Shona’s post on Jig.

Things to See in Boston

Chris shared that he would be visiting Boston with his son and father for one day in March. He received 11 suggestions for things to see and do around town: 

• South End Restaurants were suggested by Andrew as a culinary haven
• Jimmy suggested the Duck Boat as a hokey and jokey fun activity for both 12 year olds and 75 year olds to enjoy
• The Freedom Trail was suggested by Rob and Emily as a really fun way to experience the town’s history

For more suggestions on what to see in Boston, visit Chris’ need on Jig.

Sewing is no longer a skill taught as a part of your typical Home Ec curriculum.  That’s not necessarily a surprise, but there are still many people who yearn to sew but don’t know where to start.  A recent need on Jig expressed the desire to learn the age-old skill of sewing.  Here are a few of the excellent suggestions provided by the Jig community.

Torsten Hansson noted that many sewing machines come with great instructions.  Some, depending on the manufacturer and model, even include a DVD that will walk you through sewing certain types of seams.  At the very least, they’ll teach you how to get started with step-by-step explanations on how to thread the needle, refill and change the bobbin and even long-term maintenance.  He also pointed to the How To site, Instructables.com.  Instructables has several great sewing tutorials, including a fantastic explainer that shows you how to sew by hand.

Jabez suggested Youtube as a great place to start to learn to start sewing.  On Youtube you can learn to sew a blind hem stitch or french seam, but it’s also a great place to learn sewing basics like  how to place a sewing pattern and how to thread a sewing machine.

Check out this great video that shows you how to sew a seam.

Jason suggested a book, Simplicity’s Simply the Best Sewing Book, and noted that it could be found for less than $1 if you buy a used copy on Amazon.  Robyn suggested a book as well, though most of her advice was of a practical nature:

I had a fantastic grandmother, no longer with us, that lived far away from us. She was an amazing seamstress but couldn’t teach me herself since we weren’t geographically close.

She bought me a good sewing machine and suggested I buy 1-3 books that would serve as my sewing bibles. Then she told me to go to a fabric store and buy an easy pattern and the fabric and notions I’d need. She then told me to make the outfit.

I did, and it was awful, but I learned a bunch about how to cut out a pattern (iron the pattern and the material first), how to pin (you can never pin too much), and to always use razor sharp scissors (never cut paper with them). I learned not to pull the fabric as I stitched, but to let the machine do it (puckers the seam).

I also learned that the only way I can learn to do anything is to muck it up alot, and learn by doing. Now I can sew clothes, quilt and make complicated window treatments (she wouldn’t allow us to say ‘curtains’ , and while she couldn’t hold my hand while I did it, I feel like I learned more by trial and error than I’ve ever learned in person.

Learning to sew isn’t all that difficult, but it does require patience and discipline.  You’ll likely tear out more seams than you keep on your first project.  As you get more comfortable with the mechanics, you’ll be able to spread your wings a bit, learning complicated seam treatments, designing your own patterns and perhaps venturing from clothing into home furnishings.

Was this solution helpful to you?  If so, consider posting your own need on Jig.

Of course, this feature works better if you follow friends.  To follow friends, click on any user profile picture, and click “Follow”.

Have fun!

Nick

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (32GB)

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime has one 1.66 Ghz processor, NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 Quad-core CPU, a 10.1″ Corning® Gorilla® Glass screen (multitouch support).  It comes with Android 3.2 Honeycomb OS, but is upgradable to 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.  Camera is 8MP (rear) and boasts a F2.4 aperture.  The harddrive is 32 GB with 1 GB SDRAM.  Battery charge is rated 12 hours, and the tablet weighs 1.29 pounds.  Total size is 10.35 inches, 0.33 inches, 7.12 inches.

Price: $499 ($388 for 16 GB model)

Sony Tablet S (32GB)

The Sony Tablet S (32GB) has one 1 Ghz processor and a Dual Core NVIDIA® Tegra® 2 processor.  It comes with Android 3.2 Honeycomb OS.  This tablet comes with two cameras, a .3 MP front facing camera and a 5 MP rear facing one.  The harddrive is 32 GB with 2 GB SDRAM.  Battery charge is rated 8 hours, and the tablet weighs 1 pound.  Total size is 9.5 inches, 6.8 inches, 0.3 inches.

Price: $498

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (16GB)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has one 1 Ghz processor and a Dual Core NVIDIA® Tegra® 2 processor, and a 10.1″ WXGA (1280×800) display.  It comes with Android 3.1 Honeycomb OS.  The harddrive is 16 GB with 1 GB RAM.  Battery charge is rated 14 hours, and the tablet weighs 1.25 pounds.  Total size is 0.34 inches, 6.9 inches, 10.1 inches.

Price: $399

Acer Iconia Tab A100

The Acer Iconia Tab A100 is designed to fit in your pocket.  It has one 1 Ghz processor and comes with the latest build of Honeycomb OS.  It has 2 cameras, a 5MP rear-facing camera and a 2MP front-facing camera.  The harddrive is 8 GB with .512 GB DDR2 SDRAM.  Battery charge is rated 5 hours, and the tablet weighs less than 1 pound at 14.72 ounces.  Total size is 4.6 inches, 7.68 inches, 0.5 inches.

Price: $259.99

These suggestions brought to you by the Jig Fairy.  Get all your questions answered on Jig.

The Jig community answered Teresa’s need about traveling to Vancouver with some great suggestions.  I’ve highlighted a few below.

Grouse Mountain

Nick suggests traveling to Grouse Mountain. Also known as the Peak of Vancouver, this 4,000 ft tall mountain is located 15 minutes from downtown.  It’s a great destination, according to Nick, because “people are skiing on it right now, but after ski season there are lumberjack shows and a hiking trail.”

Granville Island

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Michael Payne is looking for a wireless inkjet printer, since his HP 6980 has recently given up the ghost.  Yesterday The Jig Fairy researched and recommended some great coffee makers, today we’ll make a recommendation to meet Michael’s needs.

Because he’s looking for an inkjet printer and doesn’t need bells and whistles like faxing and copying, we’ve focused on the single function inkjets with wireless capabilities.

Recommendations:

HP Officejet 6000 Wireless

Reviews were mixed about this printer, as setup seemed to be a bit of a pain for some users, but most agreed that this was a good printer that was worth the quirks.

• Fast – 32 pages per minute black and white and 31 pages per minute color
• Network – 802.11G
• Individual Ink Cartridges
• Automatic double-sided printing
• High Res, Laser quality printing
• $80-$120

Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4020 Color Inkjet Wireless Printer

This printer has a larger footprint and seems more geared to professional use.  The reviews were much better, most falling in the range of 4-5 stars.

• 16 pages per minute black and white and 11 pages per minute color
• Network - 802.11 B/G/N
• Individual Ink Cartridges
• Automatic double-sided printing
• High Res, Laser quality printing
• 330 Sheet paper capacity
• Extra large ink cartridges available
• $100-$150

Visit Jig to post your own need today!

Note:  The Jig Fairy’s recommendations are based on objective research and reviews and or personal or collective experience.

For every 3.14th need posted on Jig, our very own Jig Fairy will be providing up to 3.14 answers within 3.14 days or less.

You may ask yourself: who or what is this Jig Fairy? Answer: the Jig Fairy is the pixie-like Jiggybot that will shower delightful suggestions on select needs posted on Jig, starting today!

Don’t be thrown off by its gossamer wings and delicate tutu – the Jig Fairy’s pixelated fairy-wand has the power to answer many permutations of needs.

Find out for yourself: go post some needs today

This request answered by the Jig Fairy!

Jeff MacIntyre wonders what type of coffee maker to buy.  Durability is very important to him, as is taste.

He’s not the only one looking for coffee recommendations on Jig.  Josh is looking for a coffee maker that won’t break the bank.  Larry wants recommendations for a professional coffee maker for his business.  Jeremy is looking for an espresso machine, as is Peter, Daniel and Jimmy.  Ragavan wants a good french press.

And the discussions don’t just stay focused on the machines.  Daniel wonders why you choose to buy fair trade beans and Rick wants suggestions on good, dark coffee.  Clearly coffee is a hot topic on Jig, no pun intended.

Taste is personal.  What matters to each person is personal.  Take our recommendations for what they’re worth, and if you have suggestions or criticisms, please let us know in the comments.

French Press

The french press is also known around the world by its other names, press pot, coffee press, coffee plunger, cafetiere (UK) or сafetière à piston.  According to Wikipedia, it’s been around since 1929 and originated in Italy.

It’s very simple to use and quite fast.  Add coffee grounds to the jar, pour in hot water, and wait about 4 minutes.  It’s often used in coffee shops if you order a plain coffee and nothing is premade.  It makes a delicious cup of coffee and could not be simpler to use.

Recommendation:  Bodum French Press

Traditional Filter Coffee Makers

You may be more familiar with this type of coffee maker.  From the hand made and individually tested Technivorm, at right, to the Presto 2811 that’s easy to use and durable, there are a variety of great ones to choose from.  We have identified four that deserve a look.

Recommendations:

Technivorm (pictured) – Copper heating element maintains temperature throughout the brewing cycle resulting in great tasting coffee.

Keurig Vue - Easy to use, makes great tasting coffee and has great variety

Capresso MT500 - Rated Best Thermal Coffee Maker by Consumer Research

Presto 2811 - Easy to use and durable

Do you have recommendations on coffee makers?  Let us know in the comments.