Five Mobile Apps I Couldn’t Live Without

Mobile apps have made my life better, I have no doubt about that! Even though I’m a true geek and huge technology enthusiast, I will admit I was relatively late to the mobile apps party. I was never interested in iPhones when I demoed them, so I never really owned a smart phone up until the trusty HTC Desire hit the Australian shores.

However, after two or three consecutive sleepless nights tinkering with the Android operating system, I was hooked. I knew then and there mobile apps would become a part of my life for the foreseeable future.

I was like: Feeling lost? Google map it. Enjoy stargazing? Google Sky Map it! Not sure what song is playing at the coffee shop? Shazam it. I would go on, and on…

Years later I believe I must have installed over 200 different apps (fine, 350 if you want to include games) and spent well over $200 on the Google Play store (let’s not count the hundreds I spent on in-app purchases playing The Simpsons Tapped Out).

So, after all this time and money spent on apps, I have decided to list the five apps I use on a daily basis. These are the five apps that are well and truly a part of my daily routine.

The Five Mobile Apps I Couldn’t Live Without

1. Stitcher Radio (iPhone, Android)

If you love podcasts and radio then you’ll love Stitcher. Stitcher is essentially an index of thousands (tens of thousands?) of podcasts neatly categorised and ready for you to stream. They have podcasts on pretty much any topic: News, technology, health, relationships, general banter, music (they even index my podcast), everything really. The best part? You can listen to them all for absolutely nothing. It’s free to use, and if you’re a podcaster it’s also free to publish on. Get Stitcher.

2. eCoffeeCard (iPhone, Android)

If you love coffee then this one’s for you. eCoffeeCard is essentially a one-stop-shop of coffee shop loyalty cards. Walk in, order your coffee, scan a QR code and you’re done. The best part? Free coffee of course, and people staring at you and wondering why they aren’t using it too. Get eCoffee Card.

3. K-9 Mail  (Android)

Perhaps the least exciting if you’re not all that geeky. However, if you have multiple email accounts, run your own mail servers or are interested in encrypted email communication then K-9 is essentially all you’ll ever need. It has combined inbox functionality, locally stored encryption keys, support for multiple sender IDs, IMAP and POP3 notifications. The lot! Get K-9 mail.

4. SoundCloud (iPhone, Android)

I use Stitcher for podcasts, mostly talk shows (if you haven’t listened to Stuff You Should Know then you’re missing out), but it really isn’t very good for music because it streams in mono… So, I use SoundCloud instead for my music streaming needs. I realise most people would be recommending Pandora or Spotify for music streaming. However, I’m all about independent music and on SoundCloud you get music straight from the source! Get SoundCloud.

5. goCatch (iPhone, Android)

Have you ever been in the middle of nowhere needing a cab? I certainly have! Enter goCatch. This app will let you find the nearest cab even if you don’t know where you’re standing. You essentially open the app and you’re immediately able to see the cabs in the area. One more tap sends a notification out to the nearest taxis. I often get a ride in 3 minutes or less. One of the other reasons I love this app is how awesome the guys behind the company are. There are many other taxi apps out there, but goCatch takes the cake in usability and customer service. Most cabbies that use it love it too, so it seems to me these guys are really doing it right. Get goCatch.

So there you have it! Five of the best mobile apps, and I can’t live without them. Do you have any favourite mobile apps to add? Have you used any of these? Would love to know your recommendations!

Camilo Cano is a podcaster, social media instigator, transhumanist, optimist, music lover & internet adventurer. Find him on Twitter. 

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• License: Creative Commons image source