Category: Apps
Five Favorite Apps Friday!
Happy Friday everybody! Let’s kick off the weekend right with ABCey Events’ five favorite apps of the week, apps that help our lives healthier, happier, and more organized (which comes in handy in the bustling world of events)!
1. Mint
There’s no time like the present for you to get your finances in order! Our favorite budgeting app of the moment is the Mint (free on iOS, Android, Amazon, and Windows). Mint helps its users stay organized by collecting all of their financial activity including savings, investments, and spending. You are able to input your financial goals and receive advice specifically tailored to your financial needs (did we mention all of this info comes in a beautiful pie chart?)! Plus a little budgeting can come a long way when getting ready for the holiday season. It’s apps like Mint that ABCey Events can’t wait to try out for our next event!
2. Fooducate
With the holidays coming up, particularly holiday food, what better way to stay in shape than keeping track of your diet. Our favorite healthy-living app of the week is Fooducate! The way Fooducate (free on iOS and Android) works is that its users can easily scan barcodes and get loads of information on just what exactly they are eating, highlighting things many manufacturers overlook like transfat, excessive sugar, and MSG. Fooducate not only helps users keep track of their diet but also educates them in the process!
3. Yahoo! Weather
When planning an event, particularly an outdoor one, weather can be a tricky element to plan around. With Yahoo! Weather (free on iOS and Andriod), users are able to not only check the weather report (including wind pressure and precipitation, etc), but also are able to do so while enjoying the beautiful backdrop of the corresponding city. And who doesn’t love an app that’s both informative as well as visually striking?
4. Afterlight
For all the Instagram fans out there, Afterlight takes mobile photography one step further by allowing its users to control an image’s brightness, contrast, and saturation, along with a wide array of fun filters and frames. Afterlight ($0.99 on iOS and Android) also includes one of the best crop tools as well as other basic photo editing features. We definitely can’t wait to try this app out when capturing our upcoming events!
5. Lovely
Let’s face it, San Francisco is an expensive city, especially when it comes to finding a place to live. Lovely (free on iOS) provides renters access to great apartment deals while helping users find a place quick and easy with its real-time listings. Lovely keeps users in the know by providing notifications when new listings are available. Trying to move out of your apartment or looking to relocate to a new city? Lovely is your app!
What are your favorite apps of the moment? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
RSA Conference: Find out what the Mobile App can do!
Today marks the first day of the RSA Conference! This yearly event began in 1991 and has become as a forum for cryptographers to gather and share the latest knowledge and advancements in the area of Internet security. The conference is taking place at the Moscone Center and the week will be filled with live keynote sessions, seminars, tutorials, networking and more! Here at ABCey, we are so excited to be producing FireEye’s Guardians of the Galaxy themed event this Wednesday in conjunction with RSA.
With so many opportunities to take advantage of this week, how will you build your schedule? The RSA Conference Mobile App is a great solution! This mobile app allows you to:
- View agenda items and explore sessions
- Build your personal schedule and manage meetings with fellow attendees
- Access speaker profiles, sponsor information, and find networking opportunities
- View interactive maps of the Moscone Center and of the expo floor
- Participate in the conversation on Twitter through the #RSAC stream
- Update – a quick way to share photos, comments, where you are, and which session you’re attending
- Activity – see what other people are doing, view photos of the event, find trending sessions and topics, and “like” and comment on other attendee check-ins
- Agenda – view the full agenda and related information (session time, room number, etc.)
- Attendees – see who is at the event and connect with them through the app
- Sponsors – find sponsors, check-in to leave comments and feedback
- Profile – you have an official app profile which highlights your name, profile photo, title, and company
Thumbtack To The Rescue!
How many hours have you spent online, researching a local service? What if, instead of finding a few possible places, looking up their numbers, calling and leaving a few messages and hopefully hearing back from them in a few days, you could get up to 5 quotes from interested, qualified professionals within 24 hours?! Cue Thumbtack.
Thumbtack is a San Francisco based company (yay!) that offers a free program that allows you to find professionals in your area – and quickly! Thumbtack verifies all of it’s professionals to ensure you are getting the quality of service you deserve AND they receive no advertising money from service professionals, so there is no room for bias. Each provider is qualified through a rigorous checkpoint system, guaranteeing your selection of a safe and qualified professional. All you have to do is send out a request with your needs and within 24 hours you will have interested experts ready to review and choose from!
This website is great for personal use as well as for businesses! Event planning is all about bringing together so many different services and putting on a seamless event that incorporates them all. This group is great, because they do the background work for you and you are guaranteed experienced professionals that will get the job done – well! It takes the guesswork out of hiring someone which can make the difference between a good event and a great event!
How cool is that?! At ABCey, we love almost anything that saves us time! We’d love to hear some of your experiences with Thumbtack or similar groups! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter & Facebook!
The 10 Dating Apps You Definitely Don’t Want
We’re told that online dating leads to 1 in every 5 relationships. If these were the only dating apps out there, that probably wouldn’t be the case! ABCey brings you the funniest, creepiest, and downright bizarre dating apps out there for some Friday fun!
1. LuLu | Also known as the most terrifying app to men, LuLu lets you describe men you’ve seen with a series of hashtags. Some of the ones you’ll want to avoid are #CheaperThanABigMac, #WanderingEye, and #OwnsCrocs. Ouch!
2. On the Rebound | This app links to Facebook and notifies you if anyone becomes single. Because the only thing better than being “Facebook Official” is being Facebook Unofficial.
3. Flavor Connect | What’s your dating flavor: strawberry fling, lemon fancy, or vanilla fidelity? Something tells us that vanilla isn’t very popular!
4. Hot or Not | This app promises to answer the age-old question, “How do I tell someone if I like them?” Rating them on a scale of 1-10 is sure to get you a first date!
5. Cloud Girlfriend | In this dating realm, nobody expects you to be yourself! Dubbed as virtual fake dating, this site lets you create an avatar that flirts with other anonymous users’ avatars.
6. InstaDo | This exactly is what it sounds like. Through this app, you can invite someone to coffee, dinner, or to “do it.” Somehow, we don’t think you’ll even get the coffee!
7. Haloo | You will immediately be dubbed “stalker” when you walk up to someone with this opener: “Hey, I saw through my phone’s GPS that you were near me and read that you like red wine and country music. Are you free later?”
8. SpeedDate | This app gives you coins every time you chat with someone that helps you unlock “special flirting powers.” Who said dating isn’t a game?
9. KimYe | Pretend you’re the proud parents of baby North in this game to woo Kim’s heart. Avoid Reggie Bush, Ray J, and her other exes while you battle to beat the 72-day clock- or else you’re “Humphried!” We’re thinking Kim will want to sit this one out.
10. GothicMatch | Dubbed the “best underground community site for Gothic and Vampire people.” I’m in if Edward’s in!
What do you think of these dating apps? Which is the best, worst, or funniest? Let us know in a comment, on Twitter, or on Facebook!
It’s Summertime And The Livin’ Is Easy…With The Right Apps!
While all year long we often find ourselves on a daily fast-track, summer tends to make us even busier. Summer means vacations, weddings, Bootcamps, the end of the second quarter…the list goes on. Download these apps to keep things easy breezy!
1. Brewster│Brewster lends a helping hand to those of us trying to pack everything in this summer. After connecting with your contacts, Facebook, LinkedIn, and/or Twitter, the app evaluates the level of interaction you have with each person. From there your contacts can be sorted into groups such as Favorites, Soccer Team, Kids’ Friends’ Parents, etc. Next time you need to let your bookclub know you’re running late or remind your siblings that it’s almost Father’s Day, Brewster can make it quick and easy!
2. Om Finder│Sometimes those hectic and unpredictable summer schedules can knock you off your routine. Missed your yoga class? Never fear, Om finder is here. Lululemon has produced an app that allows you to search for yoga, spinning, pilates, meditation, and every class in between. You can search by the type of activity, the studio, or teacher.
3. GAIN Fitness│Yoga and pilates not your thing? There’s another way to get yourself summer beach-body ready. The creators of the GAIN Fitness app know that you can’t always make it to the gym or your favorite running trail every day. Select your workout time, location, and, if you choose, what part of your body you want to target, and you can log each one as you go.
4. U.S. Beach Finder│One of the best parts of summer? Beach time. Whether it’s an ocean, lake, river, or otherwise, the U.S. Beach Finder app has you covered. The app will show you beaches near you or anywhere else in the country. Once you select a beach you can see the current and future weather forecast, temperature, UV index, current beach condition, and sunrise and sunset times.
5. Happy Houred│On a hot, busy summer day few things are as satisfying as a cold drink at a cheap price. Happy Houred will find you a happy hour based on your drink of choice, time, food, or a specific location. So if you’re in a hurry, don’t want to walk very far, or really want some hot n’ spicy wings, Happy Houred will find it for you.
Would you use any of these summertime apps? Tell us about it in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!
How To: Navigate the Bay like a Pro
In San Francisco, let’s face it: you’re always moving. Whether you’re meeting friends for drinks in the Mission or running after food trucks, this city forces a close relationship with your transportation of choice. No matter how you go, you need to go. ABCey’s favorite apps put you in control and in the know!
1. Corral Rides: Are you a fan of cab alternatives? Us too. Corral Rides is a new iPhone app that lets you see all of your transportation options in one easy list. Just input your location and destination and Corral Rides pulls up nearby options from Uber, SideCar, Lyft and even the bus schedule. You make your choice based on availability, pricing, and wait times. We love this app because it makes finding the cheapest and fastest way there almost effortless.
2. Park.it: Having a car in SF is great until you’ve spent thirty minutes scouring your block for a place to park. If parking in the city is the bane of your existence, Park.it can ease the pain. Park.it is an SF-only service that helps you find the nearest legal parking space before you even get to your destination. It’s even color-coded: green spots are free, yellow means metered (and shows the rate), and reds are no-go’s. Tapping on the spot you want shows the street cleaning time, any restrictions, and even the direction to curb your wheels. Say “goodbye” to tickets and tows!
3. Bikesy: Biking around the bay is a great way to get from A to B while getting in some exercise. If you feel the sometimes-impossible San Francisco hills (hint: Filbert St.) are better left avoided, check out Bikesy. Bikesy is a bay area bike mapper service that lets you input your bike route preferences, such as “Hill Reluctance” and bike lane availability. Happy riding!
4. Getaround: Are you planning the perfect weekend getaway but lacking the perfect weekend car? Using Getaround is like borrowing your buddy’s car for the weekend… if your buddies are all willing bay area car owners. Simply enter in how long you’ll need the car, select which car you want, and arrange the pick-up location with the owner. No need to worry about losing their keys while you’re off having- you can lock, unlock, and drive all with your iPhone.
5. Transporter: Transporter, dare we say, might be the first accurate bay area bus app. You can select your favorite lines or bus stops and Transporter will remember them for you every time you open the app. With the swipe of a screen, you can see when the next bus is (really) coming and track your route progress as you go. When you’ve been exploring the city and don’t quite know how to get home, Transporter’s ‘near-me’ tab will find the stops and lines closest to you. You’ll never have to click your heels three times again.
Do these apps or any others help you survive in San Francisco? Tell us at ABCey in the comments below! Or, share your favorite bay area insider tips on Facebook and Twitter.
Top 5 Springtime Apps
When you think about the word “spring”, your first thoughts are probably about flowers, picnics, baseball season, and the Easter Bunny! We can now add Top 5 Springtime Apps (app developers think of everything!) At ABCey, we’ve put together a short list of apps that’ll make your spring more enjoyable, fun, and…efficient.
1. Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder: Take advantage of the great outdoors while it’s still sunny (and before it become unbearably hot)! This app goes above and beyond usual search engines, such as Yelp and Google, in providing important information that can enhance your park experience like nearby attractions, seasonality, phone numbers, and even lodging and concession information if you want to make it an overnight trip!
2. Strava Cycling: We love San Francisco because there are plenty of beautiful trails to bike, like the famous Golden Gate Bridge. While there are hundreds of other fitness apps around, Strava Cycling was made specially for cyclists so you can be confident this app is a worthwhile investment. Strava Cycling provides users with not only more cool places to bike but it also tracks your fitness stats as you explore parts of your city or as work on your own health.
3. Eat St. by Food Network: Here in the city, there are a lot of great places to eat but sometimes, they’re difficult to find because they’re always moving around! Eat St. is a neat app that keeps you updated with the locations of mobile food trucks in North America so you won’t have chase that delicious Korean-Mexican fusion taco again.
4. CraigsPro+: Time to roll up your sleeves, because blooming flowers and bluer skies also mean springtime cleaning is near. CraigsPro+ is an amplified, sleeker version of the virtual ad board, Craigslist. You can use this app to find quick cleaning services (if cleaning really isn’t your thing), sell your old winter coats or promote your garage sale after you’re done.
5. Grill-It!: Pretty self-explanatory, but pretty helpful too! Our mouths all water at the thought of perfectly-grilled steak with the juicy, slightly burnt corn-on-the-cob on the side but let’s be honest, grilling is sometimes harder than it looks. Download this app to get tips and tricks, recipes, and detailed instructions to play host to your next barbecue.
We hope these apps will inspire you to try some fun, new things this spring! What are some of your favorite springtime activities? Would you ever use any of these apps? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!
Top 5 Mobile Dating Apps
What’s the newest trend that is rapidly gaining acceptance? Online dating apps! You heard right- apps, not sites. Research says that more singles are taking their search for love wherever they go, with mobile apps on phones or other devices. The proliferation of dating apps is now taking love to a whole new level, remaking an industry that’s expected to reach $1.2 billion this year. ABCey has compiled a list of mobile apps that make finding a potential love interest simpler and easier than ever!
1. Blendr: Essentially a broader replica of the famed Grindr (which, of course, is also an option and owned by the same company), Blendr is designed to get you and the object of your desire together as quickly as possible. The app displays your potential partners based a little on a short interest survey and a whole lot on who’s currently nearby and willing. You can set how precise your displayed location is, meaning you can get as creepy or aloof as you want.
2. Tinder: Tinder’s user interface is simple and relatively clean compared to the other free dating apps floating around, and there’s a definite emphasis on anonymity, which turns out to be great for both privacy and pride’s sake. You anonymously pick who intrigues you nearby based on their picture, and if the object of your desire reciprocates, you’ll both be alerted. If they decline, you remain blissfully ignorant
3. OKCupid: For the traditionalists among you, OkCupid’s comprehensive app might make you the most comfortable. You’ll get all the perks of the traditional, web-based OkCupid matchups, with the added option of broadcasting your general location and your willingness to… uh… make a new friend. All you have to do is switch on the “Locals” option, and you can send messages to anyone else in the area who has done the same. The best part is that you get to feel less creepy by pretending its not just an app for finding nearby sex buddies but with all of the perks.
4. Let’s Date: This app has unveiled a new feature designed to help match users with others in the hope of finding something compatible. Calling it the Wingman feature, this Science-backed company allows men and women, who are not actively looking to date, the ability to scour through the service’s dating pool and share the dater cards of interesting people with their single friends. This feature is available on its iOS app today.
5. Badoo: Top rated and the world’s largest social network that you probably haven’t yet heard of, Badoo is brilliantly effective at providing one simple and universally compelling service: hooking up members according to their profile pictures and location. “Chat, flirt, socialise and have fun!,” implores the home page, alongside photos of prospective friends.
How do you feel about online dating apps? Are there any we missed? And of course, if you need help planning that big date- you know who to ask! Let us know which ones you’ve tried in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!