10 Low-hassle Tools to Master Your Commute
1. Waze
[message type=”simple”]While you might initially chuckle at a few of the whimsical looking icons that Waze uses to alert you of a traffic jam or denote a construction zone, your dismissive attitude will likely disappear once you discover just how effective and helpful the community-based navigation software is.[/message]
Waze gets you out of traffic and moving to your destination thanks to crowd-sourced traffic reports from its users that work in conjunction with Waze’s GPS technology. That’s a major upgrade from other navigation apps that don’t always factor in current traffic conditions. For those with a heavy foot, Waze — thanks to user reports — also identifies and shares speed trap locations.
2. Road Warrior
[message type=”simple”]Busy professionals are rarely going from point A to point B. Rather, they’re going to a meeting, stopping for a client lunch, dropping off a package and running a few errands (if there’s time). Road Warrior is a route planning app for professionals with jam-packed itineraries. Users input their multiple destinations, set priority levels and receive an optimal itinerary from Road Warrior that accounts for traffic and on-the-go schedule hitches like a late cancellation.[/message]
3. Moovit
[message type=”simple”]Public transit navigation apps are certainly a huge boon, but they’re not much good if they don’t update in real-time and take into account user-generated reports about delays and outages. Moovit does both, giving commuters the quickest route using various modes of transportation like bus, subway, ferry and trolley. Because its information is constantly updated, Moovit can detect when a 30-minute trip is going to take an hour, which gives you time to plan ahead.[/message]
4. Umano
If reading on a screen makes you motion sick, or if you prefer having news read to you, check out Umano. The app features real voice actors (because listening to a robot is boring, not to mention eerie) who read news to users, many of whom are in transit, at the gym or multitasking. Umano also curates stories for you based on what you’ve read in the past. You can save stories to listen to them later, as well as submit stories that you think Umano should narrate.
5. MapMyRid
If you want to begin cycling or are looking to streamline your existing bike commute, MapMyRide can help you find new routes and study your pace. Unlike other cycling apps that are used mostly for tracking and route sharing, MapMyRide has both navigational and social components. Users can record their route, access it at a later time and even share the course with friends. To find the quickest way to work, check out MapMyRide’s 120 million bike routes.
6. Downcast
[message type=”simple”]Downcast, which has received rave reviews from Wired, Lifehacker and CNET over the years, remains a leading “pod-catcher.” On your tablet or smartphone, Downcast helps you kill time and stay stimulated while in transit by offering a sea of podcasts that you don’t have to sync with iTunes. Instead, Downcast automatically downloads podcast episodes in your playlists, so that when you’re underground without Internet, you still have access to pre-loaded episodes.[/message]
7. Duolingo
Forget about downloading dozens of expensive CDs in a futile attempt to master a foreign language. Duolingo is an interactive, multidisciplinary language learning app that is every bit deserving of Apple’s 2013 App of the Year award. The app provides hundreds of speaking, reading and writing lessons at varying levels of difficulty in nine languages.
Grades are given as the lesson progresses, and users can move up to the next level if they master a lesson. If you have a long commute every day and are willing to stay committed to a routine, check out Duolingo. You might find yourself with a new level of foreign language proficiency.
8. Agile Speech Audio Message
For professionals who drive to work or commute on a bus or train, reading and responding to emails before work isn’t always possible or desirable. Unfortunately, the morning is also the time of day when messages and tasks begin to pile up, leaving you with a stack of work to sift through before you even get in.
AgileSpeech Audio Message is a great tool to stay productive during your commute and to prevent your tasks from mounting. The app uses voice commands to access your inbox and then text-to-speech software to read your emails to you. ASAM also works in reverse; the app has speech-to-text capabilities so you can compose, forward and reply to messages.
9. TuneIn Radio
There’s no reason you can’t access a cornucopia of radio stations just because you don’t drive to work. TuneIn Radio offers commuters 100,000 live radio stations and four million podcasts that can be curated into personalized feeds. The service works on mobile, tablet or desktop, and users are able to save and rewind programming.
10. The Coursebook
No need to set aside an hour during your nights and weekends to watch an inspiring talk or listen to a lecture on an academic matter that interests you. The Coursebook app allows you to access lectures from top universities like Stanford and Yale, podcasts, TED talks and instructional videos on programs like Photoshop and Ruby on Rails during your daily commute. If you’re not sure what you want to sink your teeth into, The Coursebook offers personalized recommendations. Later, you can store your favorite content and share it with your friends and connections on Facebook and LinkedIn.
How do you stay productive during your commute? Tell us in the comments.
