by F. Andrew Taylor
Any.do is a relatively simple organizing app that can link to your Google account. It has a handful of features that can keep things running smoothly in your busy, multi-tasking world. For instance, if you send a call to voicemail while you’re in a meeting, the app will remind you to return the call when the meeting is over. It allows you to create to-do lists with daily reminders. It’s the daily reminders that people in need of some organization skills will appreciate. Like any program, you get out of it what you put into it, but the setup of this app is such that it can make adding reminders into a habit that will save some headspace for other tasks.
Gate
Gate Guru Is a useful app for frequent flyers trying to sort things out in an unfamiliar airport. You can use it to find services in more than 200 airports, including restaurants, retailers and, of course, gates. Users can also review the amenities, the security hassles and in some cases, even the layout of the facility. There is a “Tips” tab on the airport where user/reviewers make note of a wide array of things, including the best times to go to avoid a long line at the TSA and where the best places to nap are. The airport search function could use a little work. For example, a search for Hartford, Conn., failed to turn in any results, so if you don’t know the name of the airport or its three letter ATA code, you’re out of luck.
Transit
Once you’re in that unfamiliar city, getting from one point to another can be eased by an app like Transit. The interface seems a little clunky at first, but once you get used to it, it’s a fairly painless way to find out how to get from one place to another in a variety of ways when you don’t have your own automobile. The app offers information on which bus lines go where you want to go and when the next one is leaving. It also offers estimates on how long it will take to get to a location via ride share services, like Uber and Lyft or by bicycle, if you happen to have one or are lucky enough to be in one of the cities with a bike share service. Interestingly, in most cities bicycles are the quickest way around, but they aren’t generally practical for convention visitors who may be lugging around equipment or don’t relish the idea of arriving at a meet and greet soaked in sweat with one pant leg rolled up. The app also offers routes and an estimate of how long it will take to get to a location on foot. Be aware that it shows the most direct route, not necessarily the safest. For example, I mapped a test route to a hotel a few miles from the office and it went through a neighborhood I wouldn’t walk through on foot with full body armor flanked by Rambo and John Wick.
Andrew Taylor is an award-winning journalist, artist, photographer, cartoonist and illustrator. He also works in film production, does local historical research and has been an amateur stunt driver and rodeo participant. Contact him at fandrewt@exhibitcitynews.com.
This story originally appeared in the November/December issue of Exhibit City News, p. 16. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecn_flipbook_novdec2018
