5 Best Apps of the Week: The #1 Reading App for Busy People + More
It’s the same when it comes to life, love, heck, even lunch — why settle for meh, when you can have YEAH? Why go for good when GREAT is right around the corner — in some cases, just a download away? In this week’s app roundup, I’m continuing on my mission to provide you with upgrades and new app releases that can make even a sliver of your life better, more fun, or at least easier to share on social media. The weather outside may be frightful (but, of course, there’s a brand-new, high-tech app for that), you may be eternally a bridesmaid < bride (psh, but you still got that #weddingselfie game going strong, girl). Take a look at some of the best iPhone and Android apps of the week to take the Meh to Yeah Journey © (yes, I’m copyrighting that).
1. Do Camera: This DIY second release from IFTTT, one of our favorite apps from 2014, takes the streamlining powers of the original and focuses on all the actions that could possibly stem from your paparazzi skills. Instead of using your phone’s camera for pure selfie time, you can set up IFTTT recipes that connect it to other apps and actions. Take a shot of a Post-It and save it automatically to Evernote, snap a receipt and send it to Expensify, log a profile of that calorie-busting brunch to your Jawbone Up… then Instagram it to test out if fat content has anything to do with Like counts. The possibilities are endless and might make this the first camera companion app you download and actually use.
DL It: Free on Android and iOS
2. Storm by Weather Underground: Hey, weather nerds. Yeah, you guys. This app won’t exactly catapult you to Bill Paxton-and-Helen-Hunt-in-Twister levels of storm chasing, but it’s the next best thing, really. With high def radar, real-time weather alerts and advanced storm tracking, you can compare notes with the Al Rokers and Sam Champions of the world so you know when to stock up on Snowmageddon supplies, what the appropriate footwear is on any given day in February or at least when your friend’s picnic is going to get rained out (once we’re allowed to leave the house once again).
DL It: Free on iOS
3. Wedding Party: The latest upgrade from the popular party planning helper brings two new essentials to the wedding app experience. The first might be a lifesaver for you, your wedding party and group texting etiquette around the world, with the new option to set up chat rooms through the app to corral mobile, real-time wedding-related messaging in one emoji-friendly place. Set up a spot for you and your bridesmaids, groomsmen, out of towners or the whole guest list to dish during the Big Day.
The second big addition brings the most fun part of a wedding (besides the open bar, tbh), the photo booth, to your and your guests’ smartphone screens. With special wedding filters and cute photostrip options, the app will encourage guests to turn their phones into mobile photo booths, capturing stills, GIFs and videos that you’ll keep long after their hangovers wear off. Bonus: it could even save you some serious dough coupled with a DIY backdrop.
DL It: Free on iOS
4. Flipp: Comparison shopping just got a whole lot easier. And don’t even get us started on all the time you’ll save cutting coupons, let alone the space (precious magazine real estate, folks) in your eco-friendly tote without those store flyers. Flipp delivers circulars and coupons straight to your digital shopping list to make you a price matching BOSS. Somewhere in Syracuse, NY, my mother may be finally considering upgrading from her flip phone to something with a touchscreen.
DL It: Free on Android (new version coming soon) and iOS
5. Short: The best reading app for busy people basically means… for all people, right? Short lets you filter through articles on your reading list based on how much time they’ll take (and you have) to read ‘em. The app even pulls in what you’re saving on those *other* smartphone readers like Pocket and tracks your progress at the top so you can calculate how much commute you still get to savor. Right now the new release is being dogged by complaints about freezing, so it might need a new upgrade to get you to ditch Pocket et al entirely, but we like where this one is headed.
DL It: Free on iOS
What was your favorite download of the week? What’s the best thing you’ve got going on on your phone right now? Share with us below!