Must-Have Mobile Apps

In last month’s article, I recommended the mobile app RedLaser® because RedLaser scans bar codes of items in the stores and then lets you know where that same item can be found for less. Since then, several readers shared with me their stories of the huge savings they are enjoying due to my recommendation and have asked me to recommend other mobile apps that I consider to be absolute must-haves. What follows is a list of mobile apps that I have come to depend on for savings and convenience. It is my hope that you will find them useful as well.

For life here in the ‘burgh, I highly recommend the Giant Eagle® Mobile App and the mobile app known as ParkPGH^TM. Once you download the Giant Eagle Mobile App, you register your Giant Eagle Advantage Card® number with the app. Then, through the eOffers^TM feature, you can “clip” digital coupons by just selecting the various featured items you want. You can “clip” items at anywhere, anytime, prior to scanning your Giant Eagle Advantage Card at the register. When your Giant Eagle Advantage Card is scanned at checkout, all the discounts and savings automatically come off the total bill. I save with their digital coupons according to my schedule and without the bother of scissors or paper coupons. According to Dan Donovan, the official spokesperson for Giant Eagle, there is “more than $100 in savings currently available via eOffers. It has become another way for our customers to find value by shopping with us”. I know that I personally reap the benefits of this mobile app every time I go grocery shopping. The Giant Eagle Mobile App is available on iPhone, Android and via a mobile web site.

ParkPGH gives you the current status of the parking garages in downtown Pittsburgh by indicating which garages have “Availability”, are “Approaching Capacity” or are “Full”. I never head into downtown without first checking this app so I know exactly which garages are still available.  ParkPGH was created by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. J. Kevin McMahon, President and CEO of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust said, “Our goal in launching ParkPGH is to reduce stress for arts patrons, increase more impromptu visits to the District, decrease the number of latecomers to performances and further improve the overall visitor experience of enjoying Downtown retail and entertainment.” Based on my own experience, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has definitely achieved their goals while offering a tremendous public service to all Pittsburghers.

I also recommend OpenTable® for Pittsburgh or any city. It shows the currently available reservations at local area restaurants. Therefore, if you need an immediate reservation, you can start OpenTable, see who has an available time, make the reservation and receive a confirmation number. I save an extraordinary amount of time by using OpenTable.

For business, I recommend BUMP®. With BUMP, you can exchange information with other SMART® phone users by selecting the information you want to share and then clicking the phones together like wine glasses. This method is ideal for exchanging contact information and is quickly replacing the traditional business card exchange, particularly at business lunches. The best part is that it doesn’t matter what type of SMART phone you have. For example, you can click iPhone® to iPhone, Android® to Android or even iPhone to Android and vice versa.

For travel, TripIt® is an absolute must. TripIt puts your travel itinerary from any booking site into your calendar for you and enables you to share your itinerary with others. This mobile app is such a convenience and timesaver for anyone who travels that I even recommend the premium version of TripItPro® which is currently priced at $49/year.

Overall, I endorse any mobile app that promotes hands-free use of my SMART phone. For this reason, I strongly recommend Vlingo®. With this FREE mobile app, you can talk to your phone and receive verbal responses to your commands. For example, with Vlingo, you can ask your phone “where is the nearest Italian restaurant?” and it will read your choices to you. Additionally, the most critical feature is that Vlingo will send texts to people in your contact list. Simply dictate your message and the text is sent.

This list contains my current recommendations for mobile apps but as more and more mobile apps become available, I will keep you informed which apps are must-haves.  Meanwhile, if you have a mobile app that is a must-have for you, please post about it on Northern Connection magazine’s Facebook page