11 iPhone Apps To Get Healthy, Wealthy, And Productive
These iPhone apps will take the hassle out of everyday tasks, and give you time for those New Year's Resolutions you made.
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While a little early to start spring cleaning, now is a great time to purge your iPhone of long-forgotten apps and make room for a few new ones.
Apple has already joined the project to revamp iPhones for the new year. On Jan. 21 the mobile giant pushed out iOS 9.2.1, its latest public update to iOS, with fine-tuned code to run more efficiently on the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5.
If you're excited about the chance to give your older iPhone a performance boost, you're not alone. Research shows more people are opting to keep their basic smartphones instead of splurging for upgrades.
[Read on: 7 things we're hearing about the iPhone 7.]
It's a trend Apple seems to have noticed. Reports have surfaced indicating the company is planning to release a smaller, cheaper iPhone 5e ("e" for "enhanced") months before the predicted debut of its forthcoming iPhone 7.
Whether you're holding out for one of this year's new iPhone models, or you're swearing to keep your 5s for good, you're probably hoping to stock up on a few handy apps to make your iPhone a toolbox of productivity for the year ahead.
The Apple App Store is an endless sea of apps for everything from cooking to personal finance, but it can be tough to know which are worth your money -- and, more importantly, your storage space.
Here, we've compiled a list of 11 iPhone apps to help you have a healthier, more organized, more productive, and less stressful 2016. Are there any you would add to the list? We'd like to hear your suggestions.
Shyp aims to take the hassle out of sending packages by doing all the legwork for you.
When you need to send something in the mail, take its picture on Shyp. An employee will come by, pick up the item, and take everything to a facility where it is packaged and sent.
Shyp promises to charge the lowest possible shipping rate, which it finds by comparing prices from FedEx, UPS, and USPS. A $5 fee covers pickup and packaging for up to 20 shipments per order, but that charge is waived if you're an eBay seller.
Users have the option to reserve a username, route incoming packages to a preferred location, and send items to their contacts without entering their current address. The service is currently limited to New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with more cities promised soon, Shyp says.
The Shyp app is free to download.
Is there a group of people you regularly text? Are you frequently adding new events to your calendar? Skip all the app navigation with Launch Center Pro, which acts like a speed dial for frequent tasks.
You can use Launch Center Pro to create personalized icons for quick access to your usual apps. For example, you can use it to set icons for emailing your boss, launching the Instagram camera, or telling Google Maps to take you home.
Launch Center Pro is available for $5.
A new take on the financial management app, Acorns offers an easy way of investing spare change in low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This makes it easy for consumers to build a diversified portfolio.
Every time you make a purchase using your debit card, the app rounds up to the nearest dollar and invests the spare change in an ETF you choose. For example, if your daily Starbucks run costs $5.17, Acorns will take and invest $0.83. Acorns will track how much you've invested over the past 30 days, and in total. All that change can add up. Users can save as much as $200 per month without realizing it.
If you don't frequently use your debit card, Acorns gives you an option to set recurring monthly deposits. The service charges $1 a month for accounts under $5K and 0.25% per year for accounts over $5K. No fees are incurred for deposits or withdrawals, or for having an account with zero balance.
BrightNest aims to simplify maintenance and DIY projects for those who shy away from home improvement. The app provides a schedule, reminders, and easy-to-follow instructions for everything from cleaning hacks to home decor suggestions.
You can, for example, use BrightNest to learn how to make your own homemade disinfectant spray, unclog a showerhead, clean your microwave with a lemon, or change air filters.
As part of the free account, the app helps you set up a "house profile" where you can store your goals (like getting rid of clutter) and the unique characteristics of your home. Based on this information, BrightNest will recommend tips to help reach those goals. You can create tasks and put them on a recurring schedule so you don't forget about them.
BrightNest is free to download and use.
This app could make life easier or harder, depending on your normal diet and exercise habits. Movesum takes step-tracking to a new level by telling you how many steps are needed to burn off different kinds of food.
A simple interface displays the number of steps you've taken (tracked via iPhone's Health app), what you've burned off, and nutritional information like carbs, protein, and fat. You can also opt to receive notifications for when you've reached a daily step goal.
Think step counters are lame? This could be the tool to change your mind. Movesum is free to download and use.
Wickr is a messaging app with next-level security intended for people who prefer to keep their conversations private.
Through Wickr you can send and receive encrypted texts, images, and video and audio clips up to 30 seconds long. You have the option to set an expiration time for all content you send, which gives you control over when a message will self-destruct on a recipient's phone.
For added security, the app removes all geotags and identifying info. Your user name is also anonymous to the app and all users outside your network. Wickr's Shredder feature will irreversibly wipe all deleted messages, pictures, and video from your device.
Wickr is free to download and use.
Hunting for a good read? It'll be easy to find one on Scribd, a Netflix-meets-bookstore subscription-based app.
How it works: For a $9 monthly fee you have access to Scribd's collection of more than one million books, comic books, audiobooks, and sheet music. The app also includes personalized recommendations and lists of selected favorite titles from editors.
You can store books offline and sync your selections across your smartphone, tablet, and browser. The subscription renews monthly until you decide to cancel. For less than the price of a paperback, it's a pretty good deal.
Scribd also offers a free trial to test before you buy.
Quip aims to help you and your team work faster by putting core productivity functions in one place. The app combines chat, documents, to-do lists, and spreadsheets.
You can use Quip to jot down notes, work on documents with colleagues, message people in real-time, and edit spreadsheets. The idea is that, with all of these functions in one app, your group won't be jumping from email to instant messenger, to smartphone, in order to work together.
Quip lets you import documents from services you're already using (such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and Box) and your address book from Outlook, Gmail, or iCloud. You can export documents to PDF or Microsoft Office formats and export spreadsheets to Microsoft Excel.
All chats and documents are accessible across devices, including desktop. Quip works on both Macs and PCs.
Quip is available for free.
If you're looking for more variety in your workout program, try Touchfit: GSP. The app provides workout from MMA World Champion Georges St-Pierre, who demonstrates a series of exercises intended to give you a full-body workout. Over 500 exercises are available to help with strength, explosive power, endurance, and flexibility.
The routines, which combine gymnastics, body weight exercises, and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) exercises, can be performed with little-to-no equipment. The app also contains videos from nutrition coach Dr. John Berardi and background info on the exercise program from Olympic gymnastics trainer Patrick Beauchamp.
Touchfit: GSP is available for $5.
While Touchfit GSP is an intensive workout app and worth a try, those looking for a free exercise companion can try Sworkit. The iOS workout tool gives you the option to choose strength, cardio, stretching, or yoga routines for five minutes to an hour each. No equipment is necessary, so it's great for mobile fitness.
Photo-editing app Snapseed makes it easier to edit and fine-tune photos.
The app offers a broad range of features and tools for detailed image editing. You don't have to be a photography whiz to use it, though, because its extremely user-friendly interface doesn't take long to master. If you're not interested in fine-tuning, Snapseed also comes with filters you can slap on photos for a new look.
Once you've created your masterpiece, you may choose to share your work or open the photo in other apps like Facebook, Dropbox, OneDrive, Twitter, or Flickr.
The app is free.
Duolingo is making it as simple as possible to pick up another language. It provides comprehensive lessons in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Italian, Danish, Irish, Russian, Polish, and English.
Beginners can start at the Basic level, while advanced speakers can opt to take a short test before being placed in a lesson. Duolingo breaks down the different components of a language (phrases, possession, questions, time, verbs, etc.) into short, fun, and easily digestible lessons. You can opt to receive notifications to remind you to take daily lessons so you don't fall behind.
It's easy to learn through Duolingo, and worth a try because the app is free.
Duolingo is making it as simple as possible to pick up another language. It provides comprehensive lessons in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Italian, Danish, Irish, Russian, Polish, and English.
Beginners can start at the Basic level, while advanced speakers can opt to take a short test before being placed in a lesson. Duolingo breaks down the different components of a language (phrases, possession, questions, time, verbs, etc.) into short, fun, and easily digestible lessons. You can opt to receive notifications to remind you to take daily lessons so you don't fall behind.
It's easy to learn through Duolingo, and worth a try because the app is free.
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