HYPEWhip your phones out and let HYPE show you what apps are worth your internal storage space.
By Audrey Leong
It’s been reported that 80% of an average person’s time is spent on digital devices. It might make sense to use some of that time to be productive or do something that benefits you beyond simple entertainment.
However, the wide array of mobile apps available could be quite daunting. Fear not, because here’s a starter’s guide to apps that will help you in everyday life.
Productivity
Trello – free on App Store and Google Play Store.
Rated 4.4 stars on App Store and Google Play Store
This app organizes all your assignments and puts them in “cards” and “stacks” that will drop down to reveal the details of your tasks for the day. It’s available in 16 languages and you can access your information on trello.com, as well as across numerous electronic devices.
Cleavan Whitnell, 22, a graduate from Lasalle School of the Arts, said: “Trello has inspired me to tackle more complex goals, such as starting blogs and coding my phone.” She added that the app has a blog that she gets directed to when searching for questions, making learning from the Trello blog “very intuitive”.
Forest – S$2.98 on App Store, free on Google Play Store.
Rated 4.5 stars on App Store, 4.2 stars on Google Play Store.
According to Ms Carol Deeb from Demand Media, multitasking can cause several negative effects, including lack of focus, memory impairment and increased stress levels.
For every half hour that you don’t touch your phone, Forest will let you grow a tree; but open any other applications and your cute little sapling will wither away. The goal is to plant even more seeds, showing the fruits of your phone forbearance in the form of your own virtual forest.
“The whole design of the application is great, it’s easy to use and has a great concept, but I would really like the next update [to have] more interactive elements,” said Thaddeus Loh, 19, a student.
Exercise
Walkr – free on App Store and Google Play Store.
Rated 4.5 stars on App Store, 4.6 stars on Google Play Store.
“It makes you forget that you’re actually walking to get fit,” Thaddeus said, commending Walkr’s effort to turn walking into a game that makes staying healthy fun.
The app is a pedometer that uses the rhythm of the device and location services to track the number of steps taken, converting them into “energy” within the game. The generated energy would allow you to run your own galaxy of creatively designed planets and build space fleets with your friends. Taking small steps is the first way to fitness.
SWORKiT – free on App Store and Google Play Store, S$3.99 for SWORKiT premium.
Rated 5 stars on App Store, 4.6 stars on Google Play Store.
SWORKiT allows users to put together personalized workouts complete with video demonstrations, allowing you to keep fit even if it’s just for 5 minutes a day. Remember that beach body you wanted? Anna Magee, from healthista.com, said SWORKiT is great if you want to be able to change things every day.
During the sessions, the application rarely gives you 2 similar workouts in a row, making it less tiring on the body and making sure you have the stamina to complete it. Your dream body might not stay a dream for much longer!
Lifestyle
Rocket Alarm – free on App Store and Google Play Store.
Rated 3.5 stars on App Store, 4.4 Stars on Google Play store.
Wake up to the sound of music, feedback-filled walkie-talkie commands and beeping noises that simulate a spaceship at touchdown. The only way to switch it off is by solving logic puzzles of varying levels of difficulty, like the “align-the-dots” challenge where two points have to be aligned.
The only downside is that the app doesn’t work on silent mode. While we wait for them to solve the glitch, fall in love with the design of the application and sci-fi themed alarm settings, blasting your morning off to a great start.
DuoLingo – free on App Store and Google Play Store.
Rated 4.5 stars on App Store, 4.7 stars on Google Play Store
Learning another language has never been quicker. “The repetition of the words and phrases really helped me to grasp Spanish better,” said Lydia Leong, 19, who is currently pursuing a diploma in Accountancy at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. “DuoLingo teaches you conversational phrases right off the bat, something that makes the language more interesting to learn, especially for me.”
Like SWORKiT, the minimum amount of time you need to spend on the app is 5 minutes a day, so it can be done on the bus ride to work or school, and you’ll be saying muy bien [Spanish for “very good”] in no time.