APPLE SHORTCUTS

Apple’s iOS operating system has a few tricks up its sleeve. Namely in the form of shortcuts – a quick way to get one or more tasks done with your apps. In a similar manner to IFTTT (example shown below), the Shortcuts app allows users to build a programmable series of actions to be automatically performed by the phone once activated. The app automates a wide variety of things, ranging from getting specific directions to even calling your emergency contact while being pulled over. If it’s on your iPhone, Shortcuts can find a way to make it easier.

support.apple.com

LEMONADE

Insurance is probably one of the most important things an adult should possess – but apparently, everything that surrounds the insurance industry seems to be engineered to be as inconvenient and tedious as possible. Between endless paperwork, unexplainable premiums and absurd payment times, insurance seems more like a problem than a solution. Fortunately, startup Lemonade has reversed this model to make insurance as seamless, painless, hassle-free as possible. You get insured in 90 seconds and get paid in 3 minutes (!) after reporting something’s wrong. What’s left over from the premium fees goes to causes you care about – what more could we ask for?

lemonade.com

DECIDER

We’ve all been there – you get home, sit on the couch and get on your favourite streaming site. And then, it hits you – the absolute frustration and dread of not knowing what you want to watch. That’s where Decider comes in – an entertainment and pop culture destination site that consistently recommends the most streamable content on most platforms, taking the insurmountable burden of selecting a show out of your hands. Essentially – less thinking, more watching!

decider.com

WAZE

Traffic is every city’s nightmare, all around the world. Roads, which are an essential part of our day-to-day mobility, are often clogged or accident-ridden, which makes all of our commutes (whether by car or bus) just that much worse. Waze has saved thousands of hours in traffic for people all around the world, enabling them to get to their destination in an easier, faster, safer way, through their practical, community-based solutions. The app uses user-submitted data to calculate better, quicker routes for drivers to take; even allowing users to schedule a trip, calculating the best time to leave in order to arrive on time at their destination.

waze.com

1PASSWORD

An incredible amount of people have the same password (or password format) for every account and website they log onto. All kinds of private information can be unlocked just with knowing a single password. This vulnerability is the result of people’s lack of willingness to remember a bunch of different passwords. Our privacy-minded world needs a safer alternative: which is why password managers, like 1Password, are a thing. Not only do they store your passwords and automatically fill them in, but they also generate extra-strong passwords for you, freeing up all of that mental space for something else.

1password.com

CASH APP

Cash App has changed the way people in the United States and United Kingdom send and receive money. It works as a separate entity from your bank account – though you can send money to it – and it resides in your phone. Users can use a $cash-tag, phone number, or even QR code to pay. The Cash App lets users get direct deposits up to two days early, offers easy investment and bitcoin options, and all-around simplifies money transfers.

cash.app

IFTTT

IFTTT, an abbreviation for If This Then That, is an app that lets users execute simple conditional statements or “applets”. A wide range of websites, apps, and even smart home appliances, are compatible with the service, allowing for combinations such as “if someone tags me on a Facebook picture, upload that picture to my Twitter”, or “if the pizza is on its way, turn on the front porch lights”. A brand-new level of integration between every single Internet-based service and product can be achieved through IFTTT – making our lives a whole lot easier in the process.

ifttt.com

THERMOMIX

Cooking at home can be tedious, difficult, boring… Let’s leave it to the Thermomix – a multifunctional kitchen appliance that can do the heavy lifting for you with the push of a button. You just load the ingredients into it, select the recipe you want it to make, and you can just kick back and relax. Whether you just came back from a long day at the office and don’t want to order in, or you’re simply not in the mood for turning on the stove – Thermomix makes a decent chef out of even the laziest cook out there.

thermomix.com

GLOVO

Barcelona-based company Glovo provides on-demand, custom delivery and courier services in over 20 countries through their accessible, user-friendly app. Pretty much anything the user wants, the app can deliver – as long as it fits inside the courier’s delivery backpack and it’s not illegal: from restaurant takeaway to flowers or even the keys you forgot at home. Ordering from Glovo and not having to get out of your house to pick up that last-minute purchase truly makes a world of difference.

glovoapp.com

CLUE

As most people with uteruses know, getting your period could be an unpredictable, sometimes painful and stressful experience. In the 21st century, there should be an easier way to understand how your own period works – and there is. Clue is an app that allows users to log their periods and ovulation in order to track their period and identify any patterns that appear, allowing the app to create mostly accurate predictions and analysis about each unique period and maybe make periods slightly more manageable.

helloclue.com

AMAZON GO

Amazon Go was introduced in 2016 as the first grocery store to simply let you walk out with whatever items you purchased – no register, no lines. It offers pretty much everything a regular store provides, including fresh produce, meat and seafood as well as bakery items and household essentials. It opened in Seattle in 2017 after much anticipation. It works like this: Users walk in with the Amazon Go app. Then, using state-of-the-art RFID and different tracking technologies, the store automatically detects which items the user takes, and charges them accordingly as soon as they step out of the store. It’s as easy as shopping can get.

amazon.com

FIVERR

Fiverr is an online service marketplace with thousands of different services available for 5 USD or more. Anything from video editing, translation, copywriting, to programming and audio mixing can be sought after through Fiverr. Two different groups coexist in Fiverr: that of the freelancers, which provide the services, and that of the consumers, which hire the services. If you need to outsource something on a budget, Fiverr has the solution, saving you time, money, and most importantly, effort.

fiverr.com

UBER

Most city taxis aren’t the best, safest, cheapest *or* easiest option out there for on-demand transportation. But ever since Uber showed up, users haven’t gone back. It’s just so easy – tapping a few buttons in an app and waiting for your driver to show up – all for much less than the usual taxi fares. Not to mention the added bonus of having more leisure time while you’re on your way to your destination – a win-win situation through and through.

uber.com

ROOMBA

Who wants a regular old vacuum when you can have the pleasure of using a Roomba? The once-futuristic robot is as popular and time-saving as ever. With its new capabilities, like self-emptying and custom mapping, the iconic vacuum robot by iRobot is already a household staple that (thankfully!) makes sweeping and vacuuming days a thing of the past.

irobot.com

TIMEKETTLE LIVE TRANSLATION EARBUDS

Traveling to a foreign country where you don’t even know how to say hello is often a nightmare for monolingual travelers, especially when the locals can’t speak their language. That problem is soon to be a thing of the past, through technological advancements and accessible products like the TimeKettle WT2 earphones. They work by capturing a person’s voice in one language and translates it to another using advanced AI immediately after they finish speaking, enabling surprisingly fluid conversations. 40 languages are available, with over different 93 accents, and best of all – available offline. Breakthrough by breakthrough, the language barrier is closer and closer to being eradicated – and traveling is about to be a lot more smooth.

timekettle.co

APPLE PAY & GOOGLE PAY

In the early 2010s, people used to wonder if a day would come in which we would be able to pay with just our phones – and it came. In 2015, Apple launched Apple Pay, and Google followed soon after with Android Pay (now Google Pay). Both of these platforms allow users to pay directly at physical locations with their phones using NFC tech, in addition to offering digital services like splitting a bill with friends or sending virtual cash between users. Apple Pay and Google Pay are perhaps the first step to a cashless and even cardless future – but in the meantime, they help us pay faster and more easily.

apple.com
pay.google.com

EATSA

In 2015, Eatsa, a fast-casual restaurant specialising in quinoa bowls opened up in San Francisco, California. The catch? It was fully automated from beginning to end, requiring exactly 0 human interaction in order to get your meal. Users ordered on iPads, got notified when their order was ready on a screen, and picked up their food at high-tech lockers with transparent screens. The concept resembles the mostly forgotten automat restaurant format, with a high-tech twist and in accordance with the latest food trends. Unfortunately, Eatsa closed down permanently in 2020, but their innovation – and the ease they created – lives on.

businessinsider.com (article)

HOME PLUS

Subway walls in Seoul (South Korea) were covered with virtual displays of over 500 of the most popular products in Tesco’s Homeplus discount stores. Each product was equipped with barcodes which are able to be scanned by customers on the go using their smartphones. Payment is processed instantly and once they get home, they find their order waiting for them.

businesstoday.in (article)

NESPRESSO (NESTLÉ)

We all know making hand-crafted artisanal coffee is of unbeatable quality and flavor. But we don’t necessarily know how to craft a good one. It takes time and experience, so rather we prefer a one-click experience to have a great coffee.

nespresso.com

TINDER

Matching platforms and apps have existed for long, full of boring and long questionnaires, quizzes and demographics to find your perfect match. Tinder instead works only with a picture and a small text, enough to have a first impression and swipe (left or right) depending on your judgement. That is simple.

tinder.com

GOOGLE ASSISTANT

Make Google Do It. That is the evolution of interactions with platforms. In the future you may ask your personal AI assistant, in natural language, to do, remember and search things for you. And as it is evolving, it can foresee what you may actually need to know and suggest it to you (such as the time to leave for the airport or your wedding anniversary).

assistant.google.com