Top 5 Apps for New Year's
As both the year, and the festive period, draw to a close chances are you’ve spent the last two weeks stagnating in front of the TV and hovering up food like an industrial vacuum cleaner. January is traditionally the time we try to peel ourselves off the sofa, and embark on that noble quest for personal betterment… and usually fail to make it past January.
Never fear, however, as our New Year rundown gathers up five of the most common New Year’s Resolutions, and offers you the perfect apps to ensure you reach your goals.
Resolution #5 – Expand Your Mind
App – Words With Friends
We’re all trying to broaden our intellectual horizons, and the New Year is as good a time as any to take on the challenge. You could go back to school and get an extra qualification. You could immerse yourself in literature and the arts. You could even travel to Tibet and learn the art of Zen by meditating with Buddhist monks. Alternatively, you could download Words With Friends, and pump some neurons by playing online word games with a 73 year old dairy farmer from Texas. This addictive word game is brainy fun, but all the more enjoyable as you can connect through Facebook and challenge your friends, or take on a random opponent from anywhere in the world. And then beat them by earning 20 points for the word Gazebo.
Resolution #4 – Be More Organised
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**App – Jorte Calendar
Five million downloads can’t be wrong, and this is one of the most popular organisers on the market for good reason. It’s easy to use, clear, and effective. Never again will you be ostracised from the family for forgetting Aunty Doris’ birthday, or chastised by your better half for failing to buy toilet roll before the supermarket shuts at 4pm on a Sunday. Set tasks, compose lists, and write memos, then let this little app take all the hard work out of this particular New Year’s Resolution.
Resolution #3 – Stop Smoking
App – QuitNow!
Fact: Smoking kills around 100,000 people each year in the UK alone. Fact: Only 50% of smokers make it to the age of 70. Fact: Smoking makes you smell like a hobo’s carrier bag, and leaves your lungs looking like two hairy badgers. Yes, we’ve all heard the facts, but statistics and scare tactics are hardly the most practical solution to beating an addiction. QuitNow! Is a great app for showing your progress in real terms. It keeps count of the days you’ve gone without a cigarette, the money you’ve saved, and the hours you’ve added on to your life expectancy. If you are a stat lover, it will also monitor your toxin levels, the regeneration of your senses and respiratory functions, and your risk of life-threatening illness. You can read posts by others to keep your willpower going, and share your achievements on Facebook, to put your stinking wheezy friends to shame.
Resolution #2 – Take a Photo a Day
App – Retro Camera
Most New Year’s resolutions are as old as the hills, but we’re living in a digital age which has seen the rise in popularity of New Year’s resolutions like this one. Taking a photo a day is a top resolution because, by the end of the year, you’ll have a great record of everything you’ve done over the past twelve months; the places you’ve been, the people you’ve met, and the sights you’ve seen. Secondly, when you know you need a different picture each day, you may find yourself walking a different route to work in the morning, or perhaps visiting somewhere you wouldn’t have normally, all in the name of a new shot. It’s a great way of breaking up routine and habit, and keeping your eyes open to the world in a way you might not normally. This app offers 5 different cameras that provide a range of cool effects to give your 21st century resolution a funky retro sheen.
Resolution # 1 Get in Shape
App – FIT Radio
If you can stop inhaling calories long enough to get yourself down to the gym this year, the next hurdle you face will be to keep your motivation up. Whether you’re trudging away on the treadmill or bumbling along on the bike, staring at the same wall for an hour is hardly the most uplifting thought. The Fit Radio app can help keep both your spirits and your rhythm up by offering a selection of pre-mixed DJ sets perfect for your workout. Choose by genre, station, DJ, and even your own favourites, to ensure that your New Year workouts go off with as much of a bang as your parties.
Good luck with all your New Year’s Resolutions, and a very happy 2012 from e2save.