| If you have a Smartphone, then you are only going to get the best out of it by downloading some apps. However, it may sometimes seem like the entire app market is aimed at teenagers and twenty-somethings attracted to procrastination, social media and any other ways they can kill time! Well, it's time to think again, because there are hundreds of apps out there that are fantastic options for baby boomers and an older crowd. Here we have picked out 12 of the best for you, across a range of genres! | ||
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Available for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets Price: Free |
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Whether you use it for general interest, or to monitor your health in some detail, Instant Heart Rate is a fascinating app that uses your phone's camera to detect your pulse from your fingertip. It uses similar technology to standard pulse oximeters, and will allow you to monitor your heart rate before during and after exercise. The video above demonstrates how it works. |
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2. Vouchercloud Available for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets Price: Free |
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If you are a bargain hunter who enjoys shopping or eating out, then this is the app for you. Vouchercloud gives you easy access to a whole range of discount codes and coupons for restaurants, stores and leisure activities, and you can filter by the area you live in. There are versions of the service for numerous countries including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India and a host of other European countries. You can find out how to use Vouchercloud in the video above, it's a fantastic money saving app that everybody should know about! |
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3. Pandora Radio Available for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets Price: Free |
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Pandora Radio is a fantastic application for any music lover. It allows you to input your favorite musicians, songs, classical composers or genres and then creates your own personalized radio station for you, playing songs from your chosen favorites as well as others from similar artists. You can also use Pandora from your desktop, and easily link it to your other devices. |
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Available for iPad and iPhone (EyeReader), Android phones and tablets (Magnify) Price: Free |
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If you are anything like me, then you probably find reading paperwork exhausting, especially when it's a long, official document with tiny print. EyeReader provides a very simple solution to this common problem, by turning your phone or tablet into a glorified magnifying glass. Not only does it make the text bigger, it also illuminates it with a light so it's brighter and easier to read. Now you can spend some time catching up on your paperwork, or leafing through a magazine, without straining your eyes. The app is not available for Android currently, but if you are an Android user, you can get the very similar Magnify application. |
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Available for iPhone & iPad (Read2Go) and Android phones and tablets (Go Read) Price: Read2Go $19.99/Go Read Free |
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Ok, so Read2Go isn't a free app and costs a bit of money, but we think it's very much worth it. It is provided by Bookshare, a leading source of accessible online books and magazines, and is designed to help everyone enjoy reading, including those with poorer eyesight, the partially sighted, or even the blind. It offers fully customizable options to change the size of the font, color and background of the book to make it easier to read on a phone, tablet or kindle. You can also select a text-to-speech option to create an audiobook. It's a must for any bookworm! Bookshare offers the similar Go Read app for Android users, which gives users access to the same library, and similar customizable visual options. See the Read2Go video demo above for more information. |
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Available for iPhone or iPad (Android users can get the similar Crossword Puzzle App) |
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Sometimes today's digital games seem overly complicated, and nothing beats an old classic like a vintage crossword! Crosswords Classic has received numerous positive reviews for its ease of use, and sheer volume of word games that it brings to your iPhone and iPad. So now you can while away the hours while flexing your grey matter with an endless supply of classic crosswords. |
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7. Park 'n' Forget/Park Me Right Available for iPhone (Park 'n' Forget) & Android phones (Park Me Right) Park 'n' Forget: $0.99/Park Me Right: Free |
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Park 'n' Forget is another app that has been conveniently designed to solve a common problem. How many times have you been to the mall or town centre, parked up and walked off without taking the time to remember where you parked? This app is your solution! All you have do is input your the floor, aisle or section where you parked, and it will generate a little map to get you back there. The map works independently of satellite technology, so you can use it in covered or underground car lots. That's not all either, it also tracks the time before your meter runs out and your walking time back to the car so you can avoid getting a fine. The app is exclusive to iPhones, but Park Me Right offers a similar service for Android users, with slightly less bells and whistles. |
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8. HeartWise Available for iPhone & iPad (Android users can get the similar iBP Blood Pressure App) Price: Free on iPhone/$1.99 on iPad (iBP Blood Pressure is $0.99) |
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Heartwise is a fantastic app for any health-conscious senior and provides a wealth of information. You need a separate blood pressure monitor to make the readings of course, but enter the information regularly into the app and it will not only store it so you can analyze it over time, but provide a wealth of stats and other information that will help you protect your heart health. You can add notes about your diet and activities so you can eliminate habits that negatively effect your blood pressure, and there's also a weight tracker. It's a great multi-purpose health app anyone can use! |
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9. The Weather Channel Available for iPhone & Android Smartphones Price: Free |
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Never be caught out by a bad turn of weather again, by downloading the fantastic Weather Channel app for Android and iPhone. It offers a host of personalised, highly localized forecasts with pinpoint accuracy, radar maps and advice on changing weather conditions for whichever town or city you choose, and you can even filter down right to your own neighborhood. You can set up alerts, and see the weather for the next hour, or the next ten days, making it easy to plan anything from a stroll in the hills to a weekend away. |
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10. Medwatcher Available for iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets Price: Free |
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Medwatcher is a free app that allows you to search for a drug, medical device or vaccine, and learn about its uses, potential side effects and safe dosage levels. The app also offers regular updates about new drugs released to the market, as well as giving users the power to report a side effect or adverse event associated with any medication they are taking to the FDA. The database is a fantastic resource if you want to know more about the medication you or a loved one is taking. |
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11. Dragon Dictation Available for iPhone and iPad Price: Free |
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Dragon Dictation allows you to speak into your phone or tablet to dictate emails, text messages and even Facebook updates. You can send notes and reminders to yourself too. It is designed for people who find small smartphone screens difficult to see clearly, or anyone who has issues with hand mobility (such as arthritis or associated conditions). The app is known for its ability to learn quickly, and is used by the young and old alike around the world. |
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Available for iPhone (Big Names) and Android phones (Big Launcher) Price: $1.99 (Big Names), $10.00 (Big Launcher) |
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Smartphones are small and fiddly, and the screens can be difficult to read if you don't have perfect vision. Big Names and Big Launcher are apps for iPhones and Android phones that aim to eliminate this problem and make your phone's screen easier to read and navigate. Once you install the app, you will have a new interface with large icons, a newly arranged call history so favorite contacts are easily accessed and full screen notifications when you get a new message. These apps make life so much easier! |
