Article by Newsletter Editorial Board
Posted September 2017Here are a few apps which may help you ease out of summer and into the fall season.
Slack is similar to WhatsApp, which allows real time messaging and archiving, but you can also use it on a computer as well as your phone. Its best use is probably in a workplace among peers.
While trying to get the body of your dreams try this app. After each workout, you can input what you did. The app will then give you advice on how to improve your workout.
This is a free dating app that works differently than the other common apps like Tinder. A hinge connects your Facebook to find mutual connections and friends of friends. Now, you can meet someone you might actually want to talk to.
This free app will let you connect to individuals who are also new to whatever town you are in. Instead of reading reviews you can now see the town with others just like you.
Instead of staying in a cheap hotel or in hostels, you can live in a house rented out by the owners. Now you get the all the amenities and the comfort of a home.
The free Shazam app helps you find the songs that you can never find the name for. If you hear a song, you can pull up the app. It will then record the song and find the title and performer.
Here's a new music app for your phone. However, instead of going through a record company, anyone can upload their music — giving you the opportunity to hear new songs.
Before you take a trip to New York this summer, download this app! It will help you navigate the streets and subways of the Big Apple.
World Lens can help you when traveling abroad. If you are in Mexico and can’t read the menu or street signs, you can use this app to translate it in real time.
Fall is coming, and summer is ending. Mint will help you save money for your next vacation. After connecting the app securely to your bank account it will keep you up to date on bills, what you are spending, and create a budget based on your spending habits. There is also a second part that will take your small change and cumulate a total of your savings without you even noticing.
Spotify is the perfect app for your football parties and backyard barbecues. It’s a free music app that allows you to listen to any song. If you don’t pay for premium you will have to suffer through an ad or two, but overall the music to ad ratio is top notch.
The proliferation of the number of accounts needing passwords, all of which should be different, mandates the need for a good password manager. The basic version of Lastpass is free and robust. Lastpass will help manage all your usernames and passwords and it can even help create strong randomized passwords for the sites you frequent.
Email is still a primary mode of communication in the workplace. If someone you know has ever denied getting an email you sent and you feel suspicious of them this app might be for you. Mailtracker will tell you if the individual you sent the email to has opened your email and the date and time of when they read it.
With all the apps your phone can have, it can also be distracting when you need to get work done. The Android app Focuslock will take the apps you choose and lock them for a certain amount of time. Until the timer is up, you won’t be able to open the distracting app.
With everyone’s busy schedules, it can be hard to find friends to workout with. Bvddy (Apple and Android) is trying to change this. This app connects you to other individuals with the same time schedule as you. Not only can you make new friends, but you can also break a sweat while doing it!
Did your electronics survive this summer’s pool parties and beach trips? If not, you’ve learned the hard way that there is always the high risk of water damage to the many electronics that we can’t live without. The new iPhone and Apple Watch Series 2 are now water resistant. Don’t be worried about spilling water or dropping your device. It will still be fine and protected, no matter how you spend your free time.
Outside of helpful apps, we all need to be more cognizant of security. On your personal laptop or PC, you should on a periodic basis run an external virus scan. I recommend ESet and HouseCall by Trendmicro. In addition, you should go to Dan Gibson’s Spin Right website, Shields Up! and study on and run the test shown there.
Questions or comments? Drop me an email: jwh3@mindspring.com