Our phones have become an extension of ourselves as of late. There is absolutely no way that any single one of us would go sit through a 2 hour lecture without our phone to check out Facebook, make weekend plans and play Angry Birds. But our smart phones can be used for other things too, some pretty good ones, some pretty freaking awesome ones. All we need to do is choose the right apps first.
1. My Fitness
It’s February, meaning our New Year’s Resolution resolve is slowly beginning to fade away. But don’t let that effect you. Now that you’re back in Binghamton there are plenty of excuses you can make “I don’t have a car to get to Planet Fitness” “I don’t have a gym membership” “It’s snowing, I can’t go for a walk in that”. But this will keep you honest! Log it all in your My Fitness ap — from how long it took you to walk to class (face it, we all speed walk for a good 8 minutes to get across campus in that 10 minute break between classes), to how much you ate. And the best part, it has Sodexo’s calories already programed. No need to guess how many calories you ate with that pizza, it’ll tell you. Keeping your resolution should be number one on your to do list.
2. My Homework
Ew, homework. Don’t let your homework get you down anymore. With the My Homework ap, it’s easy to prioritize what homework really needs to get done. You just put your entire syllabus in and it prioritizes it by due date, importance and class. Then it warns you when something’s close to being due by changing the homework’s color. So you can remember what reading you really did do this semester and when you finish, you get the satisfaction of drawing a line through it. And the best part of it all, you don’t have to panic when, with 3 weeks left to the semeseter, you can’t find your syllabus. Because it’s right there in the thing you always keep by your side.
3. Mint.com
MONEY! It’s one of those things that can get so hard to manage sometimes. The more accounts, the more credit cards, and you start to wonder where exactly all the money’s been hiding. And then, add onto the fact that a few swipes, a coffe at Jazzman’s, a bagel at Brueggers, a few groceries at Walmart, and it seems to be all gone. Here’s what you do, you get Mint.com and then you add all of your cards and start budgetting. It warns you when you start to spend more money on DVDs at Redbox than you wanted, or when you’ve still got gas money to burn for the month. It helps you realize just how much you’re actually spend and how to prioritize the things you need, want and can’t live without.
4. Chrome to Phone (Android)
Sorry to the vast majority of you who are iPhone users. I’m an Android fan through and through, so, as far as I know and my research can tell, you all don’t have a similar app (correct me if I’m wrong in the comments). But for those of you who decided to forgo what’s ‘cool’, you’ll be rewarded with Chrome to Phone. It’s a lifesaver when I’m searching the internet and want to text something to a friend, or getting a new haircut, it’s the quickest way to get the pictures of haircuts on my phone. You search things on your Google Chrome browser and click the simple “Google Chrome to Phone” extension which sends a direct link straight to your phone. Then all you do is click the link and you’re in business. It has to be one of my most favorite things and I’m sorry that I don’t know the equivalent for iOS users.
5. Foursquare
We all know it. We all love it. So use it! It’s pretty much the easiest way to procrastinate just a bit longer by checking in to every place you go so your friends know where you’re at. You may think it’s silly but I’m addicted to trying to get more badges. And when it comes to finding friends in the area, there’s nothing easier. There’s nothing more satisfying than going to to Library, checking in and seeing that Katie is in the library. A quick text and you’ve caught up with a friend and found a place to sit and study as well. This has to be the best thing to use to catch up with friends you haven’t seen in almost two months now. We’re back at school so start ‘accidentally’ running into friends.
Tell us what your favorite apps are. And while you’re poking around on your phone, follow us on Twitter @HerCampusBing and like us at http://www.facebook.com/HerCam…