Smartphone Apps of the Month- September

For many, Labor Day Weekend marks the end of summer and the last chance to get out of town and relax before school starts and we transition into fall. This month’s recommended apps help smartphone users with two important aspects of a successful getaway: navigating to your destination as quickly as possible and being able to listen to your favorite songs and stations while away from home.

Waze: Available on Android and iPhone.

wazeSomething every driver dreads is an unexpected halt of traffic. Whether its road construction or rush-hour traffic, it’s no fun sitting in your car, stopped on the freeway while your valuable vacation time ticks by. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to know about a traffic jam before you were trapped in it? And what if you could be given a choice of alternative routes free of road hazards?

Waze is a hands-free, voice-operated app which notifies drivers of accidents, traffic jams, or even police speed traps before they catch you by surprise. Featuring an easy-to-use street grid layout (similar to other road map apps), the app pools data from other Waze-using drivers who report traffic delays, which are represented by colorful, animated pop-ups on the map. And Waze provides alternative routes so you can redirect and avoid being delayed.

Waze offers voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation so you can focus on driving (since the app requires GPS, it’s important to remember that it can use up data when running in the background.). And I love that it will automatically re-route you as road conditions change. The app even tells you how long it will take to get to your destination and lists gas prices for stations along your route.

If you like to save time and money, I highly recommend downloading Waze.

TuneIn Radio: Available on Android and iPhone.

tune in radioIf you’re like me, you find a radio station or two that plays your favorite music or talk shows and then switch back and forth depending on which is playing the better tune or discussing the most interest topic. But what happens when you’re out of town and can’t find your favorite stations? That’s why I use the TuneIn Radio app.

TuneIn Radio lets you stream more than 50,000 radio stations and 120,000 shows from around the world right from your phone. (Since streaming can use a lot of data, I try to use WiFi whenever available.) With a huge list of music genres to choose from, you’re sure to find something that meets your taste. You can even choose from categories like news, sports, weather, or talk radio.

Once you find a station—or a few—that you like, you can easily add them to your preset list right from the station page. When browsing, the app displays the current song on each station so you know what’s playing before you make a selection. My favorite TuneIn feature is its ability to pause your station to take a phone call or even rewind to replay one of your favorite songs!

Whether you’re a station surfer, live radio junkie, or both, you’ll love TuneIn Radio!

 

 

2 Thoughts on "Smartphone Apps of the Month- September"

  1. Eunis Penn says

    Can someone direct me on how to use the WEB on my cell phone. Is there a charge for downloading WAZE? Would someone be able to tell me how to download this if it’s part of my monthly plan usage for the WEB. Is there any other way to get directions from the cell phone?
    Thank you

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      Great questions, Eunis. To download apps or use the web on your phone, you first need one of our Connect! text message & data plans. If you don’t have one, you can add one through the My Account section on our website, or just give us a call. If you have the data plan, and you download Waze from iTunes or the Google Play store, the app will use Wifi or plan data. There are other direction assistance apps out there, and you can search for them in the Play store. If you need any help, just give us a call at (888) 345-5509, and we’ll be happy to help. Thanks!