Weekly App Review #2
My thoughts on new apps I have used for the past week
Reporter —$3.99 — (9/10) According to their website, Reporter is new application for understanding the things you care about. With a few randomly timed surveys each day, Reporter can illuminate aspects of your life that might be otherwise unmeasurable. I have been looking for an app that does this for quite some time and I finally found it. Although it was a bit confusing after I first downloaded the app, after playing around with it for a few minutes and creating a couple more random questions, I was quickly able to see its potential. The app sends me several pings a day reminding me to report. Some of the default questions include if you are working, what you are doing, your location and who you are with. After using this for just a week, I was able to see the potential of the statistics I was presented based on my answers. (I really need to sleep more). Unlike many apps that send way too many notifications, I found Reporter to be just the right amount where I respond to each one. I highly recommend you check Reporter out if you want to gain more insight into your daily routines and activities.
YPlan —Free — (8/10) — YPlan should be your go-to app if you are feeling in the moment and are looking for an activity. Launching in NYC after starting in London, YPlan is growing and I can see myself and many of my friends using it in the future to find events. Although I have yet to bite on any deal (this past week was hectic), I hope to find a great event soon. The app is very well designed and lets you select your hobbies so that it can give you better recommendations.
Possibly my favorite feature of the app is the maps (see below), which you can see below. It presents a great way to see events in different locations. I will definitely be using this in the future when I am looking for something to do nearby my apartment in the East Village. Additionally, you can favorite events you are interested in, which gives the app more info about you. Although I probably will not use YPlan everyday, it is a great asset to have in my back pocket when I am looking for a cool activity.
Chathouse—Free—(7/10)—Chathouse was just launched this week by a high school student and hopes to be a new form of messaging. The app is in its very early stages and that is noticeable but the potential for this type of “chat-room” app is there. I have only had the chance to use it for a few days but wanted to include it because I believe it is worth downloading as the app is updated. It reminds me of AOL chat rooms back in the day, which was the first type of messaging “app” I was a part of. I am excited to see where this app goes in the future as its adoption grows and a new platform to chat with friends is created. One recommendation I have would be if I can sign up through Facebook or Twitter to see what friends of mine are using it as I currently do not know anyone on the app.
The Rise of the Anonymous App — Anonymous apps such as Wut, Secret, Confide and Popcorn have taken the tech world by storm. In the past week, more and more of my friends have signed up on these platforms. I do not want to dive into any specific one, as they are all worthy of trying out. (My current favorite is Secret) However, I believe that these platforms are in such an early stage and I am unsure how the apps will be used as younger kids join the platform. Will the usage spiral into cyber-bullying now that there is no face behind any message? How will these apps censor what can be said? I have already seen various messages bashing others and I know that if some of these messages were written about me, it would be very hurtful. These are just a few of my concerns with regard to the future of these apps. Making anything anonymous, particularly communities creates a lot of risk and I am interested to see how people along with the companies respond to the growth of these platforms. To read more on these apps, Nick Bilton wrote a great column summarizing them
If you have any new app recommendations, please send them my way on Twitter. Here are my thoughts here on why I began this series.
