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Friday 4 December 2015

December 04, 2015

(Image: Mutlu Kurtbas/iStockPhoto)

Best Free iPhone, Android Apps: Our Top 5


As we reflect on 2015, we look back on the iPhone and Android mobile apps that made our lives easier. Here are our top picks.


(Image: Mutlu Kurtbas/iStockPhoto)
'Tis the season to be thankful, spread some holiday cheer, and search forthe perfect gifts for everyone on your shopping list. It's also a time when we reflect on the year and think about the good and bad of 2015.
Today I'm going to focus on the good. Like most of you, I'm grateful for the mobile technology we use every day to communicate, stay organized, and get from place to place.

 Has mobile technology been an entirely positive presence in our lives? Well, no. Smartphones, social media, and other mobile tech has caused the human attention span to plummet 25%, from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds in 2013,according to a report issued earlier this year from Microsoft Canada.
Fortunately, mobile app stores are booming with tools designed to make our lives easier. We may have shorter attention spans, but we also have more capable apps to organize everything from schedules to finances.
Here, we put together a collection of useful apps from 2015 that will be handy additions to your mobile devices through the end of this year into 2016. This roundup consists of a range of apps you want on your smartphone, including a contact organizer, smart keyboard, photo editor and how-to guide.
If you're still feeling the effects of this year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping sprees, you're not alone. In the spirit of the holiday season, all of the apps in this roundup are free to download

Feedly If you find yourself jumping between social media sites and news outlets to learn the latest updates, download Feedly. It's an RSS feed reader that serves as a go-to hub for Web content. You can customize your Feedly with your usual news sites, blogs, social media accounts, and YouTube channels. It's available for iOS and Android devices. Forgot your phone? No worries. Feedly automatically syncs your choices with its web app, so you can access content from anywhere. (Image: Google Play)

Feedly

If you find yourself jumping between social media sites and news outlets to learn the latest updates, download Feedly. It's an RSS feed reader that serves as a go-to hub for Web content.
You can customize your Feedly with your usual news sites, blogs, social media accounts, and YouTube channels. It's available for iOS and Androiddevices.
Forgot your phone? No worries. Feedly automatically syncs your choices with its web app, so you can access content from anywhere.

SwiftKey The SwiftKey keyboard is a smart keyboard compatible with iOS and Android. It learns your writing style to determine accurate autocorrect and next-word predictions. The more you use it, the the easier typing becomes. SwiftKey also offers the option to type in multiple languages without changing any settings. With SwiftKey Flow, you can opt to skip the tap-tap of regular texting and slide your fingers over the keys to spell out a message. (Image: Apple App Store)

SwiftKey

The SwiftKey keyboard is a smart keyboard compatible with iOS andAndroid. It learns your writing style to determine accurate autocorrect and next-word predictions. The more you use it, the the easier typing becomes.
SwiftKey also offers the option to type in multiple languages without changing any settings. With SwiftKey Flow, you can opt to skip the tap-tap of regular texting and slide your fingers over the keys to spell out a message.

Slice Slice is a lifesaver (and, perhaps, money-saver) for anyone who shops online. It scans your email to pull tracking data on recently ordered products and sends push notifications when they are shipped. If you have your eye on an item or two, Slice will let you know when prices are lowered. Because there is such a thing as too much online shopping, a 'Slice & Dice' feature keeps you updated on your spending by category. Slice is available on iOS and Android. (Image: Apple App Store)

Slice

Slice is a lifesaver (and, perhaps, money-saver) for anyone who shops online. It scans your email to pull tracking data on recently ordered products and sends push notifications when they are shipped. If you have your eye on an item or two, Slice will let you know when prices are lowered.
Because there is such a thing as too much online shopping, a "Slice & Dice" feature keeps you updated on your spending by category. Slice is available on iOS and Android.

Speedtest If you're on the hunt for a reliable Internet source, check out Ookla Speedtest for access to the speeds of nearby WiFi connections. The app displays real-time graphs to show connection consistency, and lets you verify the promised speed. It's available on iOS and Android. (Image: Apple App Store)

Speedtest

If you're on the hunt for a reliable Internet source, check out Ookla Speedtest for access to the speeds of nearby WiFi connections. The app displays real-time graphs to show connection consistency, and lets you verify the promised speed. It's available on iOS and Android.

BillGuard Personal finance app BillGuard, available for iOS and Android, aims to protect your credit card from unnecessary charges. The app ties in with your credit card accounts and keeps track of your credit score, alerts you to suspicious charges, and notes which businesses charge for services you didn't know you were paying for. BillGuard is designed to learn your spending habits as you verify credit and debit charges over time. Its geo-protection feature visualizes where you spend money to help recognize fraud. The app claims to have saved $75 billion since its launch. (Image: Google Play)

BillGuard

Personal finance app BillGuard, available for iOS and Android, aims to protect your credit card from unnecessary charges. The app ties in with your credit card accounts and keeps track of your credit score, alerts you to suspicious charges, and notes which businesses charge for services you didn't know you were paying for.
BillGuard is designed to learn your spending habits as you verify credit and debit charges over time. Its geo-protection feature visualizes where you spend money to help recognize fraud. The app claims to have saved $75 billion since its launch.
- December 04, 2015