by Allison Lautz, on January 3, 2012, filed under: Technology, Trends, Walker Sands
It’s a new year, meaning it’s time to get crackin’ on those resolutions that seemed like such a good idea last week. Like millions of others, I made a list of resolutions that I hope to accomplish in 2012, and also like millions of others, I’m beginning to feel like that list is a little daunting – and it’s only day 3.
Enter the iTunes App Store. Knowing that average folks like you and me have trouble keeping up with our New Year’s resolutions, the geniuses at Apple crafted a new addition to the App Store last year: a section entitled New Year, New You. Now it should be easier to make – and stick to – those New Year’s goals.
Over the next few weeks, I will be testing out two apps from each category of the New Year, New You section of the iTunes Store to discover which work best for keeping New Year’s promises, be it in terms of health, lifestyle, finances, or time management.* I will then review each app because, let’s face it, by that time we’ll probably all need a reason to recommit to our resolutions.
The apps I will be reviewing include:
Health -
Nike Training Health Club: According to the App Store it “Gives you your own personal trainer anytime, anywhere.” (Yikes!) It includes 130+ drills and allows users to listen to music and track progress, among other features.
vs.
DailyBurn – Personalized Fitness Evolved: DailyBurn is a little different in that its users track both fitness and nutrition (Bye bye, delicious chocolates sitting on the countertop in the Walker Sands kitchen). Like Nike Training Health Club, DailyBurn provides users with advice and videos from personal trainers to get fit.
Lifestyle -
Bloom: My friends at Apple tell me that Bloom “inspires you to live every day to the fullest: Reminders to make healthy choices, stay connected with others, manage stress, strengthen your spirit, save money, advance your career, and enhance your creativity.” That sure sounds better than an anytime/anywhere personal trainer…
vs.
TED: TED is an acronym standing for Technology Entertainment and Design. Its app provides users with access to educational conference videos. Though this app is much different than Bloom, it will be interesting to see if one sticks out over the other as far as enhancing lifestyle goes.
Finances -
Mint.com: Mint helps you manage your money by securely accessing your banking information. It sends out email updates that summarize where you’re spending the most money.
vs.
Pageonce: Pageonce promises “financial peace of mind” by allowing users to pay all bills at once.
Time Management -
Wunderlist: Wunderlist lets people share and sync to-do lists on its cloud-based platform. My first to do: emotionally prepare myself for seeing my Mint spending summary.
vs.
Orchestra To-do: Orches tra has been named the “Productivity App of 2011.” It helps users remember tasks to accomplish and assign tasks to others, regardless of whether or not they own the app.
Have you tried out any apps that help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions? I invite you to try this experiment along with me. You can visit the iTunes App Store for more information about compatible devices, or, feel free to try out apps on other mobile platforms and suggest them to other readers in the comments below.
*Note: because one of my resolutions is to watch my spending, I will only be downloading the free apps.
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