The onset of the new year means it’s time to get organized! These apps, recommended by our very own mobile marketing strategist, are guaranteed to make your life easier. From dating to photos to transportation, get it all right in your pocket! Take the expert’s advice and let us know your favorite newly discovered apps.
1. Bear (Free – iOS only)
This app has been a great help to me recently. Coming from a startup background, my note taking and writing in general is all over the place. It comes off incoherent to most but to me it makes sense, an organized mess, if you will. But, even then, I still lose things. Bear helps gather your pieces of writing whether plans, poetry, or office work, and organize them in a way that you can find everything later.
2. Blume (Free –iOS & Android)
Another dating app? Yup. So what’s different about this app? Well, for the most part it’s the same as most other “swipe” apps such as Bumble and Tinder. However, you can only upload “freshly taken selfies” for your photos. The goal here is to stop people from uploading photos of them from ages ago and to take away the uncertainty of not knowing if the person on the other side of the phone is who they say they are.
3. Transit (Free – iOS & Android)
If you read TechCrunch, you’ve been following the hype behind this app. So far, from what people have been saying after using this app, it seems like an upcoming staple. It’s a real-time urban travel companion. You can use this app to navigate the public transit system. It provides you with real-time arrival/departure predictions, trip planning assistance, and even notifications if something has changed.
4. Easilydo Email (Free – iOS & Android Beta)
Sick of how messy email is? Tired of how many email accounts you have to juggle? Well, this just might be your solution. Easilydo Mail allows you to experience a cleaner and simpler interface, which includes swipe capability for snoozing on mail or archiving it. There are some pretty cool assistant tools in there as well. Its speed is also very impressive given the array of features and amount of information it has to handle.
5. Boxed (Free – iOS &Android)
It was only a matter of time before Boxed would skyrocket given the success of DoorDash and Instacart. It’s delivery for groceries and other items to your doorstep but in bulk, big-box retailer style. No need to have a Costco membership or be tempted by the questionable pizza at the food court, Boxed will get you your pack of 5,000 rolls of toilet paper straight to your doorstep.
6. Caviar (Free – iOS & Android)
Caviar is very similar to the familiar DoorDash, providing you with delivery from your favorite restaurants that don’t have delivery services of their own. What’s great about Caviar, and sets them apart, is that they actually partner with these restaurants and engage in profit sharing with them for each delivery. This allows smaller businesses to get a bit more into their bottom line from the delivery and you still get a great meal.
7. LastPass (Free – Android only)
There’s nothing more annoying than having to click the “Forgot your password?” option when you’re in a rush, and especially if it’s the third time this week you’ve had to click it. LastPass is here to securely remember all of your passwords so that you don’t have to. Facebook, email, Amazon – you name it, it’ll remember it and do so safely. There is also a Chrome extension available for when you’re using the web on desktop.
8. Google Photos (Free – iOS & Android)
This one’s pretty simple, and it’s also pretty awesome. Google Photos is a home base for all of your photos that can be organized and easily sorted through. There’s an auto upload from all of your devices, and search capability by people, places, and other categories. This is entering a much more intuitive territory than most photo organizers. Google’s web search mantra is being applied here: let people search in a natural way and let the algorithm figure out what it is they mean to look for.
9. Waze (Free – iOS & Android)
Waze is definitively not your average navigation app. They pride themselves on being a community-based traffic and navigation app. Waze drivers drop pins along the way when they see a road block, traffic jam, police officer, etc. This allows you to better plan the route ahead and be aware of what’s in store for your drive. Waze also uses data from drivers’ journeys to calculate faster routes and short cuts to get you there faster.
10. Passport Parking (Free – iOS & Android)
Your ability to use this app will depend on the city that you’re in and whether or not they have partnered with this company. This app allows you to pay for metered parking spots with your mobile phone. You plug in your vehicle details such as the make, color, and plate number as well as the parking spot number (each meter has a number for the app). Connect your card, pay, and the app will even notify you when your parking session is about to expire.
Looking for a go-to travel app to make traveling easier and cheaper? The StudentUniverse Flights mobile app allows you to search and book both discounted flights and hotels for your upcoming trip, all on your phone!