5 Awesome Applications for Your Phone

I am not a very technologically savvy individual, especially when pitted against the majority of my generation.  Yet, I do enjoy the convenience of my Android smartphone and I love finding new apps that allow me to further explore the things I love.  I've blogged previously about my favorite apps, but in our rapidly advancing society: There's always something new.  Granted, some of these apps are not new at all, but they're new to me.  Best news: They're all FREE.  Check out some of my top new apps:


1. Noom Walk
I love exploring, hiking, walking, running-- you name it.  Naturally, I was intrigued when I found Noom Walk.  I started using the application and put the nifty little pedometer widget on my phone background.  I enjoy seeing how much I walk on certain days. The app records the steps I've taken and allows me to see this history over time.  Maybe I'm nerdy, but I think it's cool to see how many steps it takes me to walk to class or down to the athletic training room.  Sorry iPhone friends, this one's only available for Android.  However, Noom does have another application called Noom Weight that has a more comprehensive diet and exercise focus, but also includes a pedometer function.

Playstore: Noom Walk



2. FieldTrip
This app is pretty cool because it's the perfect companion for an adventurous explorer like myself.  Once you allow the app to access your location, it shows you cool things nearby and groups them into categories.  Users can read about the history or significance of a specific item of interest.  The app also has a map view that gives users an idea of where everything is in relation to them.  I downloaded FieldTrip with the idea that I will explore Eugene, Oregon this May with expertise and ease.  The true test will come in a few months, but I'm excited to have FieldTrip in my repertoire for my next out-of-town adventure.
PlayStore: FieldTrip
Itunes: FieldTrip




3. Pocket
I love reading the news.  I enjoy reading about the latest trends in health, fitness, lifestyle and travel. However, I also have a notoriously short attention span and constantly find myself wanting to save an article so I can read it later.  Pocket is a great tool that allows me to do just that, across numerous mediums.  I have it on my Mac and my phone.  I can be reading an article online or in another news app, like Pulse, and then "pocket" it for later reading.  My favorite part is that the articles are saved and accessible without internet access, so I can easily catch up on things I've pocketed no matter where I am.  It also gives me peace of mind that I've stored the article somewhere and won't simply forget I wanted to read it later!
PlayStore: Pocket
Itunes: Pocket

4. Cartwheel
Cartwheel is another great time saving application.  Since coming to college, Target has been my go-to grocery store and Cartwheel is the Target mobile application for coupons.  Basically, you can have up to 12 coupons in your cart out of the variety that Target has.  I've been impressed with the numerous coupons available for products I typically buy-- cottage cheese, cereal, greek yogurt, ect.-- and have saved a lot of money with very little effort.  Cartwheel is also accessible online from Target's website, which makes for it even more convenient.  After I have saved the coupons I want in my virtual cart, I just let the store cashier scan the barcode from my Cartwheel app.  For very little effort, I've saved a good deal of money and that makes for a happy college student (RELATED: Buying Textbooks for Cheap)!
PlayStore: Cartwheel
Itunes: Carthwheel

6. Menthal
Health is very important to me and I enjoy eating healthy foods (click HERE for some of my favorites), but it is so easy to neglect emotional health in the process of eating well and exercising.  That is one reason I love Menthal.  When I was really homesick and struggling during the first semester, I found this application and have been using it ever sense.  Initially, I set up a time that the app. will alert me twice a day (8:30 for me).  So at 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., a little icon shows up from Menthal asking me to gauge my emotions by sliding a little mouth up or down, to form a smiley face or frowny face.  It then tracks all my emotions and I can look back and see how I was feeling overall for a day or week.  It is also helpful because I can see how my emotional health was for the entire month.  The biggest benefit for me is that Menthal forces me to stop and take a check of how I'm feeling, which is so easy to ignore.  But when I notice, "Oh ya, I'm not feeling very joyful today," it is so much easier to turn that around and decide I'm not going to have a "frowny face day" just because that's how I felt at 8:30 a.m.  Perhaps it sounds a little cheezy, but it's easy enough that it's worth a try.  Maybe you'll find it extremely helpful, like me.  Sorry iPhone friends, this one is exclusively available on Android :)
PlayStore: Menthal