Ask Granny’s list of must have apps for seniors.
Tired of standing in the rain trying to hail a cab? Or irritated that you can’t remember what all those constellations are? It’s time you started thinking app.
If you own a smartphone or a tablet PC, chances are it already has some free apps on it. Apps are open source applications (hence the “app”, which has only a passing relationship with Apple, the company credited with kick-starting the trend) designed to turn your phone or tablet into a really useful piece of equipment. Or let you play weird games where you get to throw infuriated birds and pigs. Say no more!
Anyway, the app is king of the online castle these days. And there are plenty out there that’ll make your life easier:
1: Hail-O – the black cab app. This is a work of genius no matter how old you are. Turn it on, order a cab: and it tells you the name of your driver, where your cab currently is, and how long it will take to get to where you are. Note you have to set up payment details in this app, to facilitate its two-click brilliance when you’re out and about.
2: Angry Birds – if only because more than 12 million other people are obsessed with it!
3: Starmap – one of the most popular apps, Starmap lets you point your phone at the night sky and receive detailed information on all the constellations you see up there. It’s like having Professor Brian Cox in your pocket.
4: Stockwatcher – the ideal app for the silver haired investment banker. Keep up to date tabs on the behaviour of the markets wherever you are. Pleasingly easy to use, though to be honest there are plenty of rivals out there that work just as well. Check out Bloomberg’s stock app for a comparison.
5: Newsstand – the app that gives you instant access to magazine and newspaper subscriptions from all over the world. As the news media drags itself somewhat reluctantly into the 21st century, the tablet PC turns out to be the natural successor to print. It’s like a Kindle only sexier, and just the right size for a walloping good read wherever you happen to be. Less fun on a phone.
6: Dragon Dictation – the app that lets you control all of your media functions without once touching the screen. Well, that’s not totally true. You have to touch the screen to record all the voice commands you need first. But after that it’s hands free all the way!
7: Harden’s Restaurant App – because you never know when you’ll find yourself wandering around with a rumbling tum, wondering why you can only see MacDonald’s. Looking at the source review for this piece of information, it seems Harden’s strikes more chords than most restaurant guides. Scrummy.
So there you have it. There are of course as many apps as there are lifestyles, with more coming out every day. Some are free, most you pay for. Though with an average price of between two and five pounds, they’re usually worth it.
Here are a couple more ‘last minute’ app add-ons:
For the traveller check Flightstats and Gateguru
For more information on the latest tech for seniors, Ask Granny
