Apps and gadgets to make your life better

Michaela Romulo

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Apps and gadgets to make your life better
From fitness to finances, here's a list of apps and gadgets that enhance your daily life
 

MANILA, Philippines – We live in a digital age where much of what we do offline is often reliant on the many tools we use online.

Even if we aren’t busy browsing the web via favorite websites, blogs, and social media platforms we are still connected in more ways than one (even if it is just to update your Facebook status or Snapchat a picture of a meal you are about to eat).

The Internet has become such a huge part of our lives that functioning without it seems almost unimaginable. From checking movie schedules, recommendations on where to eat, communicating with friends and coworkers, reading up on the latest news, or playing online games – everyday we use apps and gadgets that help make our lives easier and receive information faster.

In light of this, we’ve come up with a list of the best apps and gadgets to complement your Internet usage and lifestyle.

Entertainment: Chromecast

This is a thumb-sized media device that is an ideal complement to your smartphones, laptops and other gadgets for TV use. Simply plug the device into an HDMI portal and it will wirelessly transport your favorite apps and choice of entertainment (TV Shows, movies, music, etc.) from your smart phones, laptops and tablets.

Your phone or gadget of choice becomes your personal remote control. It can also be hooked up to multiple devices, so Chromecast can be enjoyed by the whole family. With a stable Internet connection you can now stream your favorite shows, movies, or music on your home’s biggest screen. Get into your pajamas because this calls for a marathon.

Weight loss: My fitness Pal

Counting calories is not for everyone but this app makes it easy and helps you stay on track with your weight maintenance goals. With a database of over 2 million food entries, you can simply log in your meals to get a quick calorie count.

What’s great about this app is that it will customize your required number of calories based on your weight, age, physical activity, and how much weight you want to lose. You can even track your exercise and input customized recipes for food that is not a part of the database. 

Health and fitness: Jawbone Up3 fitness band

The previously released Jawbone UP Move and UP24 have been a popular fitness tracker for people who want to work on their overall health and fitness. The Jawbone UP3 will be released early this year and is the most advanced fitness tracker to date.

Its sleek and stylish design makes it comfortable to wear all day long from the moment you start your day and even throughout the night. The sensors track your resting heart rate, activity, and sleeping patterns to give you an overall picture of your health. Additional features include a smart coach that tracks all your information to give you better feedback and insights to reach your fitness goals, Bluetooth wireless syncing with your gadgets and the accompanying UP application, calorie and food tracker, and even an idle alert alarm to remind you to stay active.  

Language: Duolingo

Whether you want to learn a new language or are simply brushing up or learning simple conversational phrases for an upcoming trip, Duolingo is a fun and free language app that is easy to use. The app uses a mix of reading, listening, and writing questions to build your vocabulary and improve your grammar, listening, and speaking skills.

Some of the language douses offered include Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Chinese and more.

Music: Spinnr

Spinnr is the first homegrown music streaming app in the Philippines and lets users stream songs from their favorite artists or listen to free radio through their smartphones. Spinnr offers a large library of artists for you to stream online without having to worry about extra data charges or running out of memory on your phone from storing MP3 files. Mobile music streaming has been a popular alternative to downloading music on the Internet. In fact, a study on the music industry by Boston-based tech firm Jana, showed that 18% of respondents from the Philippine prefer to listen to music through streaming apps compared to 14% who listen to radio with Spinnr (32%) being the number one choice streaming app following by Spotify (14%) and Soundcloud (12%).

You can subscribe to Spinnr for the affordable price of P 2.50 a day or just P99 a month.

Shopping: Zalora

With more people having easier access to the Internet with smart phones than desktops or laptop computers, the Zalora shopping app is the a great way to shop for the latest trends with the tap of a finger. The app features the same features of the website and with its user-friendly interface you can fill up your virtual shopping cart with items from up to 500 different brands and 130, 000 products. Now you can browse through the latest trends and make your purchases on the go. 

Finances: Spending Tracker

Spending Tracker is a virtual wallet and is a great way for you to monitor your income and expenses. Set a monthly budget and input all your daily expenses based on a number of preset and custom categories. This way you can easily track where most of your money is going and know when it is time to cut back and save.

Its user-friendly interface also does not require you to sync any of your bank accounts with the application. So if you are the type that doesn’t what to share personal information online then this is the money tracker app for you. Just make sure you are vigilant in logging in your expenses. 

Reading: feedly

If the first thing you do in the morning is navigate through your variety of news sites, blogs, and magazines then feedly will help you save on time and energy. This RSS tracker allows you to stay up-to-date with the latest news and articles from your favorite sites all in one app.

Choose from a variety of categories such as news, design, art, fashion, food, travel and more to discover other publications and blogs on top of including your choice of go-to sites. This way you can curate and customize what gets shown on your feed. 

Dating: Tinder

In the digital age even dating has been simplified to swiping left of right. Tinder is a location-based app that helps you connect with people around you based on your search preferences. All you need is an Internet connection and a Facebook account, but don’t worry it won’t post anything on your Facebook account. It simply shows your common interests and friends to help you connect with people easier.

Once you match with someone you can chat with them through the app and the online flirting ensues. Afraid of creepers or sleaze balls? Don’t worry, there’s always the block option. 

Travel: Skyscanner

For those of you with an acute case of wanderlust, Skyscanner could be your new favorite app. This provides a great way to find the cheapest flights and airline promos for both international and domestic flights.

It’s simple to use and scans over millions of flights as well as helping you find deals on hotel rates and car hires. Simply pick a destination and use the app to start planning out your next big adventure.

This variety of apps and gadgets show how the Internet and technology have become such an integral part of our lives. From fitness to finances or dating and travel, a speedy and reliable Internet connection can help enhance your experiences.

And the best part? Whatever you interest or passions may be, all you need is a reliable Internet connection to keep you going.

Smart Communications is offering free Internet to all their subscribers with #SmartInternetForAll. Now Smart subscribers can enjoy their favorite apps and gadgets at no extra cost with a connection that is fast, fun, safe and free. Watch the TVC below to learn more.

 – Rappler.com

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