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How Smartphone Apps Are Changing City Life

How Smartphone Apps Are Changing City Life
Photo credit: Mr.TinDC / Flickr

Living in a big city can be overwhelming at times. From having to find your way through endless miles of underground subways to not understanding what the server at your new favorite Mexican restaurant is saying, the challenges faced in big cities tend to be a bit different than those encountered when living in a rural area of the country. Fortunately, though, technology is changing city life in a very positive way.

There is an endless number of smartphone apps that are changing our lives in the city. For example, if you don’t know where your new doctor’s office is located, that’s no problem. All you need is a location app on your smartphone. Location apps are enabling you to find your way around big cities, meaning you have more time to spend on other activities.

Looking for a new restaurant to eat at? Have a certain style of food you’re interested in eating, such as Italian? With a restaurant finder you can find almost any restaurant within a certain mile radius of where you’re at, and you can base your search on cost, style and/or location. These apps are not only beneficial for you, but for restaurant owners alike. They enable small restaurant owners to get their names out there without paying for it.

Feel like you have to stand on the side of the street for 20 minutes every morning or afternoon trying to catch a cab? If so, go ahead and catch 20 extra minutes of sleep each morning from now on because you can take advantage of a taxi app on your smartphone that books your taxi rides for you with the tap of button.

The same type of smartphone app can also help you locate the nearest bus stop. Not only will the app tell you where the closest bus stop is but it’ll also tell you at what times the bus comes. Taxi and bus stop apps are helping people improve their ability to make it across town in a shorter amount of time than what they’re accustom to.

And although you may allow yourself plenty of time each morning to get the kids to school and yourself to work, there are probably plenty of times that you need to know an alternate route due to accidents and construction work zones. With a traffic app, you can quickly find a plethora of alternative routes; this type of app is also great at improving your ability to travel around the big city.

Furthermore, gone are the days of getting lost in subways. Subway apps on your smartphone can inform you of each subway’s route as well as the time that each one gets to each platform. You can use the app to save time when traveling in the city.

Sure, you probably have your favorite shopping hot spots picked out, but what about when you need a special piece of apparel for a special occasion? If you don’t know the best places to go shopping, simply use a shopping app. You can find the best-of-the-best deals when using a shopping app, meaning you can save lots of money.

Do you enjoy walking? Whether it be for exercise, pleasure or as a way of transportation to get to and from work, doctor appointments, etc., you need to be in the know as to the best walking routes to take. If you take one wrong turn, you could find yourself in a part of the city that you don’t want to be in. With a walking app, though, you can rest assured you’ll know all the safest walking routes to follow.

Lastly, when traveling, living or working in a big city, you will likely cross paths with numerous people who speak languages you aren’t familiar with. If you find yourself engaged in a conversation with one of these people, you’ll definitely benefit from a translation app. In fact, translation apps are going a long way in being able to help diverse people interact with people who they normally wouldn’t be able to interact with.

No matter where you find yourself in the city, there’s always an app that can be of use to you. Best of all, many of these apps can be used free of charge. Next time you find yourself in a jam, do a quick online search and see if there is an app that you can download that will help make your life a bit easier.

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