I used to think apps took up too much of everyone’s time. The fact that one might go out of their way to deliberately search for an app name - Heaven forbid said app wasn’t on the "Top 25 Free” list - absolutely baffled me. In college, I was all about (and only about) the following:

  1. Instagram
  2. Facebook
  3. Mint (for all you responsible college homies trying to get your budget on, you know what I’m talkin’ 'bout)
  4. Twitter (it was fun while it lasted)
  5. Pinterest
  6. Snapchat

3.18.TW

Purchase your Dannijo iPhone case from Shopbop for $98 here

That was then, this is now:

Fast forward a few months and I. have. graduated. Standing wide-eyed and a wee bit nervous on East 3rd St. and 2nd Ave., holding a silly white girl Longchamp bag in one hand (those need to be vetoed) and my iPhone 5 (no ‘s’) in the other, I blinked a few times and came to terms with the fact that my future life would demand a hell of a lot of confidence, a bigger everyday bag to carry all of my belongings, and last but indeed not least, a shit-ton of apps, if I were going to survive NYC. 

Between the consistent influx of tech information from nearest and dearest New York friends trying to make NYC as “livable” as possible and working as a newly hired digital strategist at a great startup, I now know a thing or two about the best free apps.

Best App #1 - Sunrise

My guilty, guilty calendar pleasure. Sunrise is a next-generation calendar free app that changes the way we think about calendars. Take a look at Google Calendar or iOS Calendar; the one thing they both lack is innovation. Both platforms still have titles, locations, dates, attendees, etc. and it takes a solid amount of effort to sync on multiple devices.  Alas, Sunrise is born. 

Bring this bad boy into your life if you’re looking for a de-cluttered take on calendar techniques. It sounds mundane but I promise you, Sunrise is everything you want from an app and then… a little bit more. Sunrise is built on Google Calendar but pulls information from other sources like Facebook, LinkedIn, and EventBrite. The design and User Interface of Sunrise are built around the understanding that this calendar is a consumer experience. Sunrise: making Type-A organization a hell of a good time.  

Best App #2 - Venmo

Venmo is sort of the baddest bitch there ever was.  It’s a money app, sure. But it’s a huge blessing to those who find Paypal inefficient and have searched high and low for a competitor. 

Venmo allows you to connect with people, share money for free, and cash out to any bank overnight. Paying friends (or having friends pay you) can sometimes be awkward, but Venmo makes these situations fun and easy. Not only can you split the lunch bill or pay your friend for half of a cab ride, you can send your roommate a notice that her half of the rent is due, or shoot your closest pal $$$ for her birthday drink.  With easy user interface and effortless design, Venmo might be the best 2014 finance app we’ve been hoping for.  

Best App #3 - Whisper 

Crafted to connect people around content, rather than people around people, Whisper allows you to anonymously post your secret in the form of text superimposed on a picture. Other users can then respond to said post publically or privately. With Whisper, it’s about what you say, not who you are; it grants people the freedom to share without judgment. I say “without judgment” and then I read about Gwyneth’s most recent Whisper uh-ohhere.

I spoke to soon. She wouldn’t actually cheat on Chrissy-Mar-Mar (a true music God, would she)? 

Best App #4 - Couple 

...this one’s for all you matched-up women looking to share all of life’s special moments with your man. Tender moments like your most recent date, an I-miss-you moment, or even a funny new pair of slippers - just scroll to take a walk down memory lane.

Best App # 5 - Pocket

Take a deep dive into Pocket; the beautiful ‘save it for later’ service built to help you read all of the great posts (like this one) you’re interested in reading. Recently rebranded, Pocket is mainly a service that helps you save articles, images, videos, etc. for when you have time to read them. Great for both work life and personal life, Pocket will also aggregate specific content for you – using a specialized tech system that is quite advanced. 

Let me know about your can’t-live-without free apps in the comments section below!

 

Comments (0)

There are no comments posted here yet

Leave your comments

Posting comment as a guest. Sign up or login to your account.
Attachments (0 / 3)
Share Your Location