Entertainment
An assistant in your pocket
Gone are the days when phones revolved around just heart-to-heart conversations. With the evolution of smartphones we now have personal computers that easily fit into our pockets.Bivek Khatiwada
Gone are the days when phones revolved around just heart-to-heart conversations. With the evolution of smartphones we now have personal computers that easily fit into our pockets. And with the right set of apps installed, these phones turn into indispensable personal assistants that we need to ensure our days run smoothly.
Here are three digital assistant apps designed for the Nepali users that you need on your phone, right now.
Tootle
Even though the roads of Kathmandu are extremely congested, there still are many people who do not own a private vehicle. Among those, there are again many who do not want to squeeze into public transport but cannot afford a taxi either. There is always an additional threat of harassment and pickpocketing when on the less-than-ideal public vehicles of the Capital; and everyday commute is a hassle for many in the city. To solve this problem, the new app Tootle acts as a bridge between those without a private vehicle to those that ride two-wheelers, whereby vehicle owners can offer rides to those looking for an alternative to the Kathmandu’s oftentimes arduous commutes.
To enjoy the benefits of this service, one needs to log in to Tootle and select the destination, choose the payment method and select the time of departure. Once you make the booking, a driver, or a Tootle Partner as the company calls them, will contact you at their earliest convenience. Once the agreement is established between the driver and the rider, the driver picks you up from your location and drops you off at your destination. The modes of payment for the travel could be cash or a Tootle balance, which can be topped up using eSewa, SCT MoCo, IME Payment or vouchers the company makes available. There is also a parallel app called Tootle Partner for the Tootle drivers who seek to make a little income on the side by letting someone occupy the empty seat on their two-wheeler. However, one has to register to become a ‘partner’. They have to fill in some personal details and upload a photograph of their driving license. The verification process takes around 24 hours.
The initiative of Tootle to ease Kathmandu’s inconvenient commute conundrum is indeed praise-worthy. However, the fact that the utility of the app is just limited to the Valley and only from eight in the morning to eight in the evening is a shortfall. Beyond this limited timeframe, the app doesn’t add any value. What also limits the usage of the app is the paranoia of the risk that riding with a complete stranger comes with. There is also no speed limit set, and there is little ways to verify if your driver is quite reckless on the roads. Furthermore, the service is not always reliable. There are chances of your booking request getting rejected with no one showing up to take you to your destination.
That being said, Tootle remains in its early days and no doubt the developers will be smoothening out the glitches in the future. All in all, it definitely is an app every commuter should try out.
My City Pulse
Like every other city in the world, Kathmandu has its own beat and rhythm. The city has seen a rise in events of all sorts with the number of event-goers also climbing. But, one doesn’t always know where to go when they want to go out.
My City Pulse, an app that encompasses three sections—Events, Live Map, and Trending—acts as a city guide that tells people what part of it is pulsing with an interesting event.
The Events section enlists concerts, parties or music/art festivals happening in the Valley. You can surf through the list of events available and click on the one that interests you. Clicking on the event gives you all the information about the event. There is also a “get direction” button, which redirects you to the Google Map showing the exact location of the event. In addition, there are also “share” and “get offers” buttons, which make you eligible for deals and freebies such as free drinks, discount vouchers, and free entrance. Furthermore, the comment section on the app allows you to review the event honestly as well.
In the Live Map section, a bunch of pins depict all the events happening nearby. The best thing is that the pins are colour-coded and represent the number of people attending the event. Events with twenty people or less are flagged with yellow pins. Green pins depict events with a number of people between twenty to hundred and Blue pins for the events exceeding a hundred attendees. Whatever the colour of the pin, clicking on the event again provides you with the details of the event.
The Trending section of the app includes the ongoing events and offers that might interest you. Users may find this section handy if they are in search of ongoing discount and clearance sales. My City Pulse will be of great use for the shopaholics and party animals. In addition, the app doubles up as a promotional platform for Music and Art festivals.
But despite its usability, the app does come with some bugs. It responds slowly, which can be annoying at times. And swiping left and right on the Live Map section is another difficult task, as the app mode shifts to Event and Trending section rather than showing more portions of the map.
Yet, the effort of the developers for such an initiative is commendable, as the app has aided promotion of tourism, sales, and talented artists in the city. And once its simple bugs are fixed, it undoubtedly is a model that can be replicated in other cities around the country as well.
Blood Members Nepal
Accidents are ugly and always unsolicited. You never know when you might find yourself at the face of death and in need of blood. To prevent avoidable deaths that take place at the cost of insufficient blood, Blood Members Nepal provides users with access to blood donors and blood banks.
Blood Members Nepal app includes a database of blood donors, their blood type and their weight. Furthermore, the app also includes the contact details and location of the donor. One can look up the donors by easily filtering the location and selecting someone that is closest to your emergency.
The app also includes a Request (Chahiyo) section, where the user can make a blood request stating the full details and urgency of the case. This section allows its users to quickly ask for and offer help.
The About section has been well-developed with information on Blood Donors Association Nepal (BLODAN) and on developers and is equipped with useful insights on the eligibility for blood donation.
Blood Members Nepal is definitely a useful app which will save you a lot of time and energy should you find yourself or a dear one in a grave situation. This app can also be a medium to help reduce death rates and Maternal Mortality Rate in Nepal.
However, the database is limited and may cause a bit of frustration when in dire need. What’s also lacking is the donation history of the donors, which may lead on to you reaching out to donors who have donated only recently and can’t do so immediately.
For more news, reviews and information on new and old technology in the town, visit www.gadgetbytenepal.com If your technological devices are giving you a hard time or if your's just curious about certain things, pleae drop up an email at [email protected]