The dawn of the smartphone promised a world of streamlined living and efficiency. No more getting lost, no more being late, never losing anything thanks to the cloud. And yet, somehow, we’re still oversaturated.
So here are ten lesser-known apps that have firmly cemented themselves on our homescreens, all of which have a real, genuine function. Saying they'll change your life may be a bit of an overstatement, but who knows?
Eat and Drink London, £10.49, Apple
More than just an app - in that it's a bundle of several apps with carefully curated lists of the best wine bars, craft beer pubs and places to eat in the capital with all budgets and tastes accounted for.
Jukely, £25 per month, iOS
£25 a month might sound like a lot, but wait until you hear what you get for it - access to unlimited gigs. Jukely offers you a list of shows on that evening, and with a few taps you're on a guestlist. And you can do it every night if you really want.
Zipjet, free, iOS and Android
The future is here - with just a few taps on a screen, you can get somebody to pick up, clean, dry and fold your clothes. Better still, the novelty doesn't wear off.
Nightcapp, free, iOS and Android
We all know the feeling of the pub closing and it seems like there's nowhere else to go. But Nightcapp organised its listings by closing time, so you can find out where to get that final ill-advised drink.
Deliveroo, free, iOS
Sick of disgusting takeaways? Deliveroo picks up food from real restaurants, and drives it straight to your house. It means access to a lot of favourites across the UK, without having to ever go outside.
Delectable Wines, free, iOS and Android
Sound knowledgeable about wine without having to take a course - Delectable Wine give you information about any wine just by taking a picture of the label. You can keep track of wines you liked and find where to buy them again, or look up recommendations so you aren't reaching for the supermarket offers again and again.
Sleep Cycle, Free, iOS
Ever wanted to know how much exercise, or drinking, or noise really affects your sleeping pattern? This app creates a clever alarm clock which tracks your sleep cycles from light to heavy and you set a half an hour period in which you want to wake up, and it wakes you when you're in your lightest sleep - and gives you graphs of how well you slept so you can work out what's keeping you from a good night's sleep.
Apple News, free, iOS
Find news stories and articles about the things you're interested in - the more you read, the more Apple's algorithms learn what you like. Follow ShortListhere
Wunderlist, free, iOS and Android
Get rid of those scraps of paper with vague things to do, Wunderlist helps you plan in what you need to do, schedule time to do it, and set reminders by time, or by location (like reminding yourself to pick up milk when you go past the shop).
WifiMapper, free, iOS and Android
Whether you're trying to cut down on data usage, or find somewhere to work, finding reliable WiFi spots isn't the most exciting of tasks. WifMapper takes the tedium out of it by listing not only nearby WiFi spots, but also what sort of food and beverages they serve at them.
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