Stratus’ team building Beach-Work Retreat was a raving success. We fried the wifi with 11 people logging on at once, tried to use the free wifi from the frozen yogurt shop downstairs at some avail, filled the kitchen table with laptops, monitors, notes and other electronic devices, conducted conference calls on the deck overlooking the ocean (we could get used to that) and rode the Pirate Ship carnival ride…all in true team building fashion. So what’s next? Writing a blog post of course… a fun, super light, team inspired blog post that shares with you our favorite, most used, and most addicting mobile apps.
The two apps that got the most votes for favorite and most used were….drum roll please….Feedly and Facebook! Feedly came in first place with three votes from Jeff, Lauren and Rob! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Feedly, it pulls together all of your favorite RSS feeds and allows you to organize them into various categories. There is even a save for later feature if you don’t have time to read an article when you see it. Matt and Mimi said their most used app was Facebook, although I’m sure that’s the case for most people in the office, they just don’t want to admit it. We know you all sit at home following Stratus on Facebook when you aren’t at work, don’t lie.
In addition to these most popular apps, many employees had some other unique favorites!
Mimi, Director of Finance
As you know, Mimi uses Facebook a lot but she’s also an avid Weather Channel app user and horoscopes reader! Another one of her favorites is the Voxer Walkie-Talkie app which allows you to send and receive voice messages that can be listened to by friends and family members as you are speaking (like a true Walkie-Talkie) or audio messages can be checked later. No need for a sarcasm font with this app, right Mimi? Probably why she likes it so much!
Laura, Copywriting Intern
Laura is just full of interesting apps for everyone; here are a few of her favorites:
Zombies, Run!- Nothing motivates you run quite like virtual zombies chasing you.
What’s App- This app allows you to send messages across various mobile platforms without having to pay for SMS. Perfect for international travel!
Starbucks- I have to agree with Laura on this one, it’s one of my favorites too! If you are a Starbucks lover, you must have this app! You can load your Starbucks gift cards onto this app and pay with your phone. They also send you a free download each week, keep track of your gift card balance and you can earn rewards (aka stars) for free gifts.
MapMyRun- This app allows you to track your runs with GPS, track your activity, log your foods and share this information with friends.
Unlike City Guide- This website also has an app which is great for travelers who like to get off the beaten path. With restaurants, planned routes, clubs, shops, galleries, night life and more there is something for everyone. You can also post a great spot that you’ve found in your travels!
Jen, Senior Account Executive
Our Senior Account Executive loves to keep things organized with the Key Ring app. This app stores all the data for your loyalty cards (e.g. Giant, Ann Taylor, PetSmart, CVS, etc.). Reduce the clutter in your wallet by scanning the UPC on every loyalty card you have. Then when you go into the store, open the app, find your card and scan it through your phone to get your loyalty points. It also alerts you once a week for any current offers from the merchants on your key ring. Warning: if the loyalty card does not have a UPC or a number and has a magnetic strip instead, the app will not work for that card!
Another one of Jen’s favorites is My Fitness Pal which allows you to count calories by scanning the UPC code on the food you are eating. It gives you totals for the day, tracks your weight loss, allows you to set goals and so much more!
One more from Jen…Out of Milk. This app allows you to create a virtual shopping list with folders to organize everything. You can add things as you remember them and then delete them as you pick them up at the store. You can even share your lists with family, friends or roommates so anyone can add/delete items! Another similar app to this that I love is Wunderlist. Basically the same functionalities, just a different name!
Lisa, VP of Sales and Marketing
Lisa’s response to this favorite apps poll was just too good not to quote directly…enjoy!
“I love I Heart Radio app. I don't get great radio reception in my dope ass 2004 swagger wagon, so what do I do???? Plug in my trusty iPhone to the audio jack cassette player, and listen to live radio and killer satellite tunage. And even tho I can only hear that tunage thru the left door speakers, this mama is happy as a clam to have radio access in the car! Oh and I love my LinkedIn and HubSpot apps!!!”
Shetal, Senior Account Executive
Leave it to the employee with the longest commute to find the coolest map app, Waze. A community-based traffic and navigation app, Waze allows you to connect with and notify other users on your route for real time traffic and accident reports. You can even choose what type of “Wazer” you are based on your driving mood (i.e. Ninja, speedy, etc.). The more you use it, the more points you receive to unlock access. The more you report, the higher your rank and influence on real time reporting. It even won the Best Overall App award at the 2013 Global Mobile Awards!
Another favorite of Shetal’s is Zite. It aggregates news and content based on what you are interested in. With a Pinterest-like look, it learns what you like, analyzes millions of articles every day and then suggests articles, blogs, videos, etc. based on your likes.
Finally, Shetal cannot stop talking about Jetsetter! A website and an app with a great user interface (yes, we are interactive marketers), it allows you to book high end hotels at discounted rates or during flash sales.
Matt, Senior Copywriter
Go figure, the copywriter is a man of few words, saying “my most used would be Spotify, Instagram, Evernote, and Google Chrome”. Instagram and Google Chrome probably don’t warrant explanation but for those of you who are unaware, Spotify is a subscription based music streaming app and Evernote allows you to save notes, ideas, things you like, etc. and search for them later via keyword.
Lauren, Digital Director
Unfortunately, one of Lauren’s favorite apps, Astrid, has just been bought by Yahoo and is being shut down.
Astrid was a to-do list app that allowed you to create and share lists. Lauren, check out some of the other to-do list apps on our employee favorite apps…Out of Milk or Wunderlist!
Jeff, Programmer Extraordinaire and DJ
It should come as no surprise that Shazam is one of Jeff’s favorites. The app listens to any song that’s playing and tells you the artist and song title. The programmer side kicks in with his other favorite, Dropbox. Bring your files, documents, photos, videos anywhere and easily share with anyone! Finally, Yelp rounds out Jeff’s favorites as it allows you to search for the best restaurants, bars, gas stations and even bathrooms based on user reviews.
Finally, some of my favorites…
Bleacher Report- Pick you favorite sports teams and get news updates regarding these teams!
Untappd- Fondly referred to by a friend of mine as “Pokemon for Beer”, share the beers you drink, rate them, leave comments, earn badges along the way and search for what people are drinking and where they are drinking to find the best beers and the best bars near you.