Mobile applications, without which you can not survive in America

Russian-speaking immigrant in the US Rimma Asmian told in her blog for VCthat US residents are much more actively using mobile applications than people in post-Soviet countries. She has compiled a list of the most essential applications in America that greatly simplify life in the States.

Фото: Depositphotos

Next - a word to her.

When I moved to America two years ago, I already knew a few basic applications that people use every day to search for a cafe or call a taxi (Yelp, Uber). Having lived there for some time, I realized that in the USA, in the homeland of Apple and Microsoft, the application is almost for everything. There is an application that throws a virtual coin for you. And there is an application that shows at what point in the film it is better to go to the toilet, so as not to miss anything interesting (RunPee).

I decided to save time for you and collected a list of the most necessary.

Transport

Uber (Uber)

What is it: Application to call a taxi.

Interesting fact: In America, it is not customary to hail a car on the street. Don't even try to stand in the road with your arm outstretched - in many states it's completely illegal.

Pros: Using Uber is convenient, safe (drivers have ratings and reviews), quickly (you will be picked up in minutes via 5) and cheap. In the States, there is a choice of different tariffs, one of which is UberPool (tested in Russia). This is the most economical option. Plus the fact that you immediately see the price, which does not depend on travel time.

Less: The conditional minus of UberPool is that the travel time may increase, as the application tries to send fellow travelers to you. I consider it conditional because it happens far from always, about half the time. And fellow travelers, as well as drivers, are very nice. You never know who you will meet, and what incredible story they will tell you. Drivers in general, like human spiders, lead a double life: I met an FBI agent, a writer, a drug dealer, and so on.

Cost: On average, $ 5-15 per trip, depending on distance and time of day.

Lyft (Elevator)

What is it: Similar Uber application to call a taxi. Almost as popular as Uber, but the Russians don’t know about it, because it is only in America for now. I highly recommend downloading on arrival.

Plus: Often rates are lower than that of Uber, especially over short distances.

Less: But sometimes tariffs are higher ...) It is therefore good to have both applications and compare costs.

Cost: On average, $ 5-15 per trip, depending on distance and time of day.

Music

Pandora (Pandora)

What is it: Pandora is a phenomenon not yet familiar to us. This is an Internet radio that generates a playlist according to your request.

Pros: There is no need to suffer and waste time creating a playlist manually. You simply enter the name of the song or artist, and the system selects songs similar in genre. You can also customize the channel to your liking or create several different “radio stations.”

Less: The presence of advertising, which, however, can be disabled by buying a premium rate. It also makes it possible to switch songs an unlimited number of times, whereas in the free version this can be done only a few times.

Cost: Free or $ 4-12.99 per month for a premium rate.

Spotify (Spotty)

What is it: A service with which you can legally and free to listen to music online. Unlike Pandora, it exists in many countries other than the USA.

Interesting fact: In 2014, the service was ready to appear in Russia, the company even managed to register a legal entity. However, then the plans changed due to the political and economic crisis in Russia. So, one of the top managers of the music label (very true) said: “Russian users are not very used to paying for content. On the other hand, they enjoy listening to music in streaming mode - they are accustomed to this by the social network VKontakte (Wikipedia).

Plus: In Spotify, you can create playlists and share them with each other.

Less: In the free version of the song you can not switch / browse songs.

Price: Free or $ 9.99 per month for a premium rate.

Фото: Depositphotos

Travels

Skiplagged (Skiplagd)

What is it: An application for finding inexpensive air tickets. The secret is that Skiplagged searches for tickets using the hidden city ticketing method. As you know, tickets with transfers are cheaper than direct flights. Skiplagged matches flights that have a connection at your destination and offers to buy the “half of the flight” you need. As a result, you just get off at the transfer and skip to the next segment of the flight.

Interesting fact: A major US airline United was furious when she found out what Skiplagged was doing behind their back and sued them. But it lost.

Pros: Many times I found very lucrative offers, using this application (for example, for of my trip to denver for $150 from San Diego and back), and I didn’t even know that it works according to the principle described above - you don’t feel any difference, except for a pleasant difference in price. Convenient, simple and affordable.

Minus: In most cases, luggage cannot be checked. Sometimes hand luggage is not included in the ticket price - only a small bag/backpack.

Localie

What is it: The application to search for Russian-speaking locals in any city in the world (not only in America, but also in Europe, the CIS countries). Expats guys who are happy to show their city to tourists and make new friends. Like a tour, but cooler. Recommend!

Interesting fact: I came up with the service Nick Nedelczuk from St. Petersburg. Nick realized that he had all the coolest trips when he visited friends in other countries or somehow received recommendations from local residents. It would seem that the idea was on the surface, and he became the one who could realize it qualitatively.

Pros: There is no established program or a strictly limited time - you reserve a local time and agree with him about a program that will be of interest to you, will suit you in terms of timing and wishes. All walks are individual - only you and your friends (at the same time for a company of up to four people the cost does not change). It is also convenient for those who only emigrated and do not know anyone in the country.

Less: So far, not all cities have local residents, so it’s better to send a request in advance.

Cost: $ 59 half day, $ 95 all day.

Films

Netflix (Netflix)

What is it: Online cinema, which collected a huge number of different pictures. Since 2013, Netflix has also begun to produce its own films, series, and TV shows.

Interesting fact: With 2016, Netflix seems to have appeared in Russia (but not in the Crimea, because America does not recognize it as part of the Russian Federation ...). Despite the official launch, there are almost no TV shows translated into Russian, but many films are duplicated and there are subtitles. This spring, the American company hired a bunch of freelancers to remedy this situation.

It is strange, why doesn’t they stop them here, that we are not used to paying for watching movies?

Pros: Good quality, availability of “family” tariffs, accessibility, convenience.

Less: Not all movies are on Netflix.

Cost: $ 8-14 per month.

Another interesting fact: And here is a very popular expression Netflix and chill, which means watching TV and doing nothing. Americans like it so much that they already produce souvenirs with this slogan. Perhaps this is a favorite way to spend free time for many.

But if a guy invites you over to Netflix and chill, then this means the same thing as “watching a movie” with us :)

Food

Yelp! (Elp)

What is it: The most important application to search for cafes, restaurants and other services. This service is wildly popular, everyone uses it and often ... (because the US food industry is huge).

Pros: Convenient search by location, rating system (stars) and reviews.

Less: People can be very strict in their judgments ... They can put 1 a star because flies were flying outside the window.

Cost: Free.

UberEats (UberIts)

What is it: Application for ordering food delivery. You place an order in the app, pay online, and the Uber-driver calls in a cafe and picks it up for you.

Interesting fact: (from an interview with Forbes about the launch in Russia) “Launching here was a difficult task for us due to external factors - weather, traffic jams. Many details of the process had to be greatly adapted. For example, for Moscow we produced special thermal bags that we don’t use anywhere else. There are regular thermal bags in all cities, but only in Moscow they can withstand temperatures down to -50 degrees. Moscow is also the only city where UberEATS cooperates with foot couriers. In general, Moscow is the coldest and one of the northernmost cities where UberEATS currently operates.” Well, now it all belongs to Yandex, you know.

Pros: No need to climb on different sites of institutions, everything is collected in one application + it immediately shows the places nearby that are open now. Ordering can be done 24 hours a day.

Another convenient is that it is possible to get food from restaurants that do not have their own delivery services. That is, if you suddenly wanted a burrito from a van in a nearby street, then you can order it.

Less: The driver is supposed to leave a tip (+ shipping cost) ... Therefore, if there is an opportunity to ask a guy / friend to perform this simple task, it will be more economical)

Cost: Delivery costs $ 4.99 + tip.

Postmates (PostMates)

What is it: Application for ordering food delivery and more. You place your order in the app and the driver/courier does the rest. This could be anything from ordering food from a restaurant to buying a charger at the Apple Store.

Pros: A wide range of services.

Postmates are also used to order products from supermarkets and even alcohol.

Less: Shipping costs are slightly higher than, for example, UberEATS.

Cost: Delivery costs $ 7.99 + tips + a small commission for each item in the shopping list.

Фото: Depositphotos

Shopping

Amazon (Amazon)

What is it: The largest online store where you can buy almost everything that is legally for sale.

Interesting fact: Amazon is famous for its harsh (“fascist”, according to employees) working conditions. The company uses metrics, competition among employees, and negative selection, which causes employees to either “push beyond their limits” or burn out on the job (Wiki). There are many articles on this topic.

Pros: Large assortment (34 category); convenient to choose products based on user feedback; fast delivery; prices are sometimes slightly lower than in retail.

In addition to the goods, there is also a section with online movies. Often movies that are not on Netflix are on Amazon Prime.

Less: Purely ideological ... How do you read what people are working there, you begin to doubt whether such a company is worth supporting.

Cost: Shipping cost varies; You can subscribe to Amazon Prime for $ 10.99 per month. Then the delivery will be free + access to movies.

eBay (iBay)

What is it: Another large online store where you can both buy and sell any goods not prohibited by law. The price is either fixed or online auction is held.

Interesting fact: Here are some especially valuable items sold at eBay. The manuscript of Shakespeare's Prince of Tire, which survived the Great London fire in 1666 (£ 5 million); Grumman Gulfstream II aircraft ($ 4,9 million); Yellow McLaren F1 1993 of the Year ($ 1,7 million);

Pros: You can find very good deals. If you want to save money, come here.

Less: There is no guarantee of the quality of the purchased goods.

Cost: Free (payment of the goods and its shipment occurs without the participation of eBay).

Craigslist (Craigslist)

What is it: The most controversial, the most suspicious, but at the same time for some reason the most popular site in America. Here you can buy a bike, find a job or rent a house to rent. But you have to go through dozens of strange people who send you photos of their genitals by mail and so on.

Pros: Indeed, a lot of people find housing / supported goods through this site. There is also a section with free things where you can find quite decent offers (the friend of the classy sofa there is a snag).

Less: A huge number of scammers, perverts, fake ads; Inconvenient interface.

Cost: Free.

OfferUp (OfferAp)

What is it: More like an alternative to Craigslist. An application where you can buy / resell any thing, including a car (there are some good examples).

Pros: Convenient interface. There is a system of reviews, ratings sellers.

Less: There is no guarantee of the quality of the purchased product. But this is, as a rule, a “pig in a poke” everywhere.

Cost: Free.

Money

Venmo

What is it: This is a social network for money transfer.

Submit an application for the transfer of funds, convenient, like Sberbank, but you can only transfer to absolutely any bank card. Find a friend, like in a social network, enter the amount and you're done! One of the tricks is that the rest of your friends see a comment that you leave to the translation.

pros: Convenience is the most important and undeniable plus. And the comments are fun to read (below are some of my screenshots).

Less: Initially, the application was created to make relationships between people less petty, but in reality it turns out the opposite - you pay down to the last penny. Some believe that such a service undermines the foundations of human communication and makes people less generous and generous. If earlier you would have forgiven and forgotten some 2 dollars, now you don’t have to forget, because they can be transferred in two seconds.

It is also funny (and a little sad) to watch how people spend money, and with whom they spend time. How do couples pay each other for food they buy or dinner ...

However, there are also “generous” transfers: a friend bought a swimsuit that her boyfriend liked so much that he immediately silently transferred money to her on Venmo, making it a gift.

Cost: Free.

Communication

Snapchat (Snapchat)

What is it: Application for instant messaging, photos and videos. The progenitor of Instagram Stories, which never became popular in Russia, but which Americans CAN’T LIVE without (appeared 3 years before Stories appeared). If you say that you don’t know what Snapchat is, Americans will think that you came from another planet. It will be very difficult to convince them otherwise.

Pros: The essence of this social network is to capture the moment and immediately share it with friends. The only difference from Stories is that there are more filters, there are geotags and there are brands channels.

Less: People just shoot in a row. Everything that happens around, what they eat and just their faces with dog ears ... Therefore, sometimes it turns into an endless stream of spam.

Cost: Free.

Фото: Depositphotos

Dating

Tinder (Tinder)

What is it: Well, this probably won’t surprise anyone. Mobile online dating application with very simple navigation: swipe left if you don’t like the photo and right if you like it. If you agree in your choice, a dialogue window opens.

Interesting fact: in San Diego, EVERY SECOND guy has a selfie with his dog as the main photo ... You should like not only him, BUT AND HIS DOG. Don't ask where I know this from.

Pros: Popularity, ease of navigation, shows people who are close to you.

Less: Unlike many other dating apps, in this one you choose a partner based on a photo... At most, your profile will have a couple more lines and a link to your Instagram account. In this regard, many perceive and use Tinder more for “one-time” dating than for building serious relationships. But with the building of relations in America in general complicated.

However, I would not say that this is very different from the way Tinder is perceived and works here: there is an example of my friend marrying a guy she met on Tinder, and there are examples where guys did not waste time and called “ to visit" after the first date.

By the way, there are two guys for one girl in American Tinder.

Cost: Only the price of your time, patience and faith ...

Bumble (Bumble)

What is it: Also a dating app, popular in America; The interface and navigation is very similar to Tinder.

Pros: They say in Bumble more people who are looking for exactly the relationship. I do not know how true this is, but there is always a chance to meet avocado male, which only seems “mature”.

Unlike Tinder, in Bumble, if a match occurs, the girl must write first, and then it’s up to the guy - he has a day to respond. This was intended so that the girls would not get tired of all sorts of perverts. In my opinion, this feature makes life too easy for guys who don't have to make the first move, but just sit and choose whose message to respond to.

The ratio of boys and girls is approximately equal.

Less: They say that the choice in Bumble is less than in Tinder (it sounds awful, as if it were a grocery store ... although in fact it is).

Cost: Only the price of your time, patience and faith ...

Dictionary

Urban Dictionary (Urban Dikshionari)

What is it: Modern online dictionary in which you can find definitions of slang words / expressions. Materials are edited by volunteers and rated by site visitors.

Pros: A huge database of all kinds of buzzwords and abbreviations. If a regular dictionary or online translator doesn’t help, go there. Only in Urban Dictionary you can find the meanings of words such as bummer, dude, ghosting. etc.

Less: True, there are also such words, the definition of which is better not to know at all ...

Cost: Free.

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