From the carefree, to the creative. For partying or productivity. We tried out these gratis apps and guarantee that they'll make your day.
Shubh yatra! Cool tool for train travellers
This app from ixigo helps find your compartment in a jiffy
The train has reached the platform. You have a berth or seat reservation. The halt is just 2 minutes. And you race up and down, lugging your bags, trying to locate your coach. Sounds familiar. So many long distance trains in India are not vestibular — that means the coaches are not connected. So you can't get in anywhere and find your compartment. For such hassled travellers, the new Coach Position feature in the ixigo train app will be a huge help. Currently available only for iPhone 6 and later users, since it harnesses Apple's Augmented Reality (AR) technology toolkit.
It enables users to accurately locate their coach positions for over 13,000 passenger trains at more than 7,000 railway stations across India. They just use their smartphone to have their coaches instantly recognized and labeled, thereby identifying how far away they are from their intended coach. They need to grant camera access to the app, point it at the railway platform, and the app will overlay coach positions of their train on the phone screen.
This is a first in the indian travel services market for using AR to ease passenger pain. Find the ixigo Indian Rail and Train app for iOS devices here
Spot that fake note
Verify authenticity of any major currency note with Chkfake
There is so much fake currency floating around, that most of us can rarely tell real from counterfeit. In India the problem is compounded by so many new currency notes coming into circulation in recent months — the latest is a Rs 200 note. Chkfake is an iOS and Android app that allows anyone to check for authenticity of any major currency across globe. Once installed the app works in conjunction with the camera eys of your phone to zoom in on the key features and help you check if they are real. It also asks you to switch on the torch to look 'through' the note, at the watermark and other embedded features. It takes a couple of minutes and actually depends on your yes-no judgment to verify the features and in that respect is not an automated tool. But may be worth your while when you get a high value currency note.
It also works with foreign currency including US Dollar, Euro, Pound Sterling and Chinese Yuan.
Be your own DJ!
Have a blast — without a central music player or speaker
AmpMe is a popular app that allows you to connect mobile devices with multiple friends and start a party without a DJ to run the show. Now the app has come up with a new feature called ‘Offline Mode’ allows users to party without an internet connection and without consuming their data allowance. It works by creating a personal hotspot on the host phone which launches an exclusive Wi-Fi network for AmpMe users nearby to join in.
The app allows users to access their in-phone music library and use content saved or downloaded on their phone — or from YouTube. The music then plays on all connected devices. If you’re a guest, just search for the host’s hotspot, tap connect and you’re ready to join the party. No need of a central connected or Bluetooth speaker! Available for iOS or Android devices.
Turn your thoughts into art
Crafting some golden words? Use the YourQuote app to embellish them with voice or images
Here is a cool tool for self-expression and for sharing of your opinions and experiences in English, Hindi and other Indian languages. Give new life to your quotes, tweets, poems, shayari, jokes, haikus or whatever, by entering them in a choice of styles and fonts, using photos or stock images as background. You can even create qa video of yourself, speaking or singing the words. More usefully, the help you reach a wide audience by making your work searchable on Google, while staking your claim as author. You can share your work across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp etc. Reach the world with your own thoughts — in your own language!
—IndiaTechOnline
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