Photo Courtesy of Spotify
It’s amazing the profound influence those tiny, glowing squares have on daily life — the organizational, educational and musical capabilities of IOS and Android apps in our lives. Through an interesting and happy coincidence, I encountered three such apps this month which have markedly improved my life and inspired me share the wealth. All are available on both IOS and Android.
Sunrise (free)
For those who have yet to sell their soul to iCal, Sunrise is a remarkably intuitive, cross-platform calendar app. Found on every OS imaginable, Sunrise is mobile-native, and it shows. The layout and responsiveness on mobile is better than anything I’ve seen for iCal, especially for Android. It is simple, elegant and crafted with students in mind. I’d say it is the best improvement to my organizational life since the advent of the sticky note. Sunrise also syncs with iCal to make the transfer simpler.
Spotify Premium (4.99/month)
Advocating Spotify may be the mobile equivilent of citing water as your drink of choice, but I cannot exaggerate how much having Spotify Premium on my phone has affected my listening habits. In the past month alone, I have explored more albums than the rest of the year combined. Granted, I was able to score Premium for cheap through a marketing deal, so the jury is still out on whether it’s worth the monthly fee. Still, having access to any music at any time in the car is an absurd and beautiful luxury. While I sometimes long to actually own my music collection, the benefits of constant access to all music ever recorded is benefit enough.
NPR News (free)
Okay, so here is where my inner geek shines though: I adore NPR. It is the only FM radio station worth hearing, and its high-quality news and culture shows are nuanced and cool (in the nerdiest possible way). Now, with the NPR News app, you can access any show at any time, which includes live streaming, old podcasts, as well as articles. What makes NPR worth your time is its quality and accessibility via audio for jogging, car rides and walks on the beach. I personally love to listen to Intelligence Squared debates while hiking to the cross on weekends.
Honorable mentions, IP edition: Airbnb, Uber, and Voxer (all free)
For those with a penchant for backpacking and travel, Airbnb, Uber, and Voxer are lifesavers. While they are basically moot in the hills of Malibu, they can make or break an international excursion or a trip to the east coast. Combined, they make for the perfect brew of spontaneity and accountability. Airbnb makes the process of finding a place to crash enjoyable, Uber will send a “taxi” to your feet to cart you across the city, and Voxer provides a viable form of communication without cell reception or reliable WiFi when you get there. Airbnb saved me in Bulgaria, and Voxer kept my mother sane in the meantime. The future is here, and it wants you to see the world. (Note: travel with a friend)
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