That’s right, this piece is all about giving kudos to some of the most practical smartphone apps that are available. These apps are awesome, not in terms of their addictive nature, or the approval you will receive from your peers when you brandish them in the pub (Whip Sound App, I’m talking to you), but are worthy of superlatives because they are exceptionally helpful in their own distinct ways.
Recipe Search
It seems simple, but anyone on a budget will tell you exactly how handy this little app can be. You head to your fridge-freezer at the end of the month, with payday another two days away. Some disparate ingredients greet you half-heartedly when you open the door. This clever app allows you to type in the ingredients you have – however seemingly incongruous – and will devise you a meal recipe using only those ingredients. Ingenious for anyone without a culinary arts degree, without the time to go to the supermarket every day, or lacking the funds to supplement what’s already sat in the fridge. Economically, this app is a winner, but it also helps users to avoid the problem of wasting food. By using it at the start of the week, you can get a good weekly meal plan ready. 70,000 recipes are available with the app, so you’ll more than likely get a few suggestions regardless of how sparse the fridge and cupboards are looking.
Carticipate
Going green can be a hassle, and it can be difficult to know how best to start minimising that carbon footprint. Thanks to Carticipate, however, we can all be Captain Planet. This clever little app allows users to find carpooling options in their area. The app taps into GPS to locate other users, meaning that you can upload your route and match it with others who are headed your way. Carticipate comes with a list of pre-loaded destinations, which you can edit or delete, as well as the option to add your own routes. The app has the potential to reduce the number of cars on our roads and to save you some fuel to boot.
Georgie
This fantastic app, developed by Screenreader’s Roger Wilson-Hinds, effectively makes smartphones more accessible to the blind. Developed by and for the blind, Georgie uses fingers and gestures to let users navigate the software, just like any regular app. However, with Georgie, you hold your finger down, wait for a beep and hear the function you’re touching read aloud. Georgie makes extensive use of voice control software, allowing the blind smartphone user to send texts, make calls, use GPS functions, and utilize any other app they require. Users can purchase and download additional apps that provide more functions within Georgie. The lifestyle app pack, for example, offers newspapers that are read aloud, and an online blog that lets you post using voice control.
Apps for the environmentally-inclined; for the blind; for lazy students and busy graduates raiding the fridge – look hard enough, and you’ll find your smartphone can help you in more ways than you ever imagined. If you have yet to own a smartphone to enjoy apps like these then you can find a good comparison of deals at Best Mobile Contracts if you live in the UK.
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Guest article submitted by Simon Drew.
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