For those of us with smartphones, we’re aware of the power they have in our lives. I personally try to limit my phone usage as much as I can, although that’s much easier said than done for many people – so you might as well be using apps that will improve your life, right? Smartphones are capable of making our day-to-day lives a lot more manageable. Whether you’ve forgotten a computer remote for your presentation or don’t know when the next bus will arrive, there’s an app for that. Here are 10 (mostly free) apps that will improve your life.
These apps will improve your life if you often make presentations for school or work. Remote Mouse works for both Mac and PC while Mobile Mouse Server is only compatible with Apple products. Sync your phone or Apple Watch to your computer and from there you can manage the many facets of your computer’s controls, such as volume, play/pause, forward/backward, and brightness. Remote Mouse can be found in the iTunes/Android stores and Mobile Mouse Server can be found in the iTunes store.
When it comes to public transit apps you have a few options, but this one I’ve found to be the most reliable. Moovit gives you live directions to your destination, suggested routes with arrival times, as well as train and bus times with delay updates.
Most of us are aware of LinkedIn’s website and the great services that come with it, but there’s also an app for professionals on the go. How frequently you use LinkedIn on your computer will probably tell you how often you’ll use the service on your phone, however I recommend anyone who has an updated LinkedIn profile and logs in semi-regularly to give the app a try.
Letgo is rapidly becoming the Craigslist of the mobile world. In an instant, you can snap a picture of those boots you never wear, post it on Letgo, and wait for someone in your area to stumble upon it. This is a great app for making some extra cash on whatever you have that you don’t use. It’s basically your own personal yard sale in the palm of your hands.
This app is designed for beginner-level runners who are just starting an exercise routine. It moves fairly slowly, from walking to jogging to sprinting, and gradually increases the difficulty of its instructions and length of the exercise. The hope is to reach the 5k (~3.1m) goal. C25K guides your workouts and saves the progress for the next time out. It also comes with a built-in music player so you can listen to your tunes on the go. It’s just $2.99 for the pro version and worth every penny.
MyScript Calculator is a handwriting calculator that lets you enter whatever mathematical equation you’re working on, converts the numbers and symbols to digital text that the app can read, and voila, your answer will appear. It’ll surprise you the complexity of problems the app can translate and solve. It also saves a history of your input in case you want to refer back to a previous entry.
Headspace is great to use when you have some downtime during a stressful day. This app uses meditation techniques to train your mind in a variety of areas, from focus and relationships to creativity and happiness, Headspace uses exercises, ranging two minutes to an hour, to harmonize the mind and create a sense of calm and balance. Unfortunately, the app will push you toward paying for a subscription after its initial goody bag of exercises, so proceed with caution.
Moment and App Usage track and record the time you spend on each of your apps. You can turn off its monitoring, but when it’s on, both will list the applications on your phone and tell you how much time you’ve spent on each. There are other features as well, such as usage reminders for specific apps once you reach your set limit. These are apps that will improve your life in guiding you to focus on more important tasks. Moment is available in the iTunes store and you can find App Usage for Android.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m stressed or my mind is racing, it’s hard for me to fall asleep. That’s why this app can come in handy when you’re tossing and turning and can’t seem to get any shuteye. Rain Rain Sleep Sounds has a few different settings, ranging from forest rain and ocean waves to thunderstorm and crackling fire. These relaxing sounds will rarely fail in making your eyelids heavy.
If you’ve ever worked on a group project, you’re probably familiar with Google Docs. Google Docs lets you upload a Word document and invite others to edit or add notes for other users to see. The app is useful in collaborating with classmates when working on a group paper, for example. There’s also a list of templates, fonts, images, links, etc. to customize your document with. You can then save your work and print it on the spot. This is one of those apps that will improve your life college-wise, especially when you’re on the go.
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