Newsroom

 

What did we ever do before apps?!  We survived, but life is so much better with them.  Here are a few apps to get you ready for back-to-school:

 

Family or group calendar and organizer apps like Google Calendar, Hub or Cozi keep the whole family or your group of friends connected and organized.

Safety and emergency apps like SafeTrek, OnWatch, bSafe and Guardly can alert family, friends and the authorities in case of an emergency.

Homework help apps like Snapsolve, Socratic, iHomework or GotIt are great for homework help and tutoring.  Brainly is another good one and available in over 30 languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, and German!

Organization and task managing apps Wunderlist, Evernote or Microsoft OneNote keep you and/or your student on track and organized.

Puzzle apps like Brain It On and Brain Teasers can help sharpen your mind when you need a break from your school work

Language learning apps like DuoLingo test your reading, writing and speaking skills in Spanish, French and more. 

Study apps My Study Life, Flashcards+ by Chegg and Brainscape are great with study partners or when hitting the books alone. 

Music and entertainment apps like Deezer from Cricket and DIRECTV NOW keep you up to date on the latest music, videos, TV shows and movies. 

Where to find anything close to you apps like AroundMe, HeyLets, LivingSocial, Eventbrite, and Scoutmob help you find just about anything and everything in your area from cheap gas, where to eat, events and much more!

 

Back-to-school apps aren’t all about the students. Dads and moms need them, too!  Just because you don’t remember that calculus formula you learned a few decades ago doesn’t mean your child’s homework has to go unfinished.

 

Here are some apps designed to help ease the back-to-school transition for moms and dads:

 

Here Comes the Bus connects parents, students and administrators with school bus GPS.  It gives arrival and departure information for various stops and schools.  Track your child’s bus, get push notifications when the bus is 5 minutes away, schedule changes and more.  Have more than one child and each takes a different bus?  With this app, you can track them all at once.

 

Find My Friends is a GPS app that lets you easily locate your children using your phone or tablet while you’re at work. Parents can set up location-based alerts for home, school, sitter and more. When your child leaves a location, you get an instant notification.  And you get an alert when they arrive at their next location. 

 

Cozi Family Organizer makes sure you never miss carpool, picture day or a class trip. And it’s great for the whole family! Make a virtual shared calendar that the whole family and caregivers can access. Other features are shopping lists, to-do lists, a family journal, reminders and more.

 

Udemy is just for mom and dad. Kids are back to school. So you may have a little extra time on your hands. Or maybe you want to show your kids you’re never too old to learn something new.  Turn your phone into a 24-hour classroom where you can learn from an extensive library of over 55,000 courses taught by expert instructors. Pick your subject and learn at your own pace.  Some courses are FREE! Others range from $10 and up. 

 

Big Oven gives you quick and healthy meal ideas.  You can even  make a grocery list in the app based on recipes you like.  It also has a weekly organizer feature to help with planning meals.  A proper diet keeps the whole family healthy, focused and energized. 

 

MomCo helps moms find other moms.  It’s more than just an app. It’s an entire community that cures those awkward moments of asking for another mom’s phone number at the park or while dropping the kids off at school.  Plan playdates, mom’s night outs and support groups. 

 

Last-Minute Deals on Smartphones

If you haven’t yet picked up a new smartphone for the school year, here are some great deals for the students in your life (and for yourself).

 

 

For High School and College Students

Alcatel PULSEMIX™:  It’s the coolest phone in town with its SNAPBAK accessories (sold separately). ($29.99 when you bring your number to Cricket[1], $79.99 for new and existing customers.)

LG X power™: It has battery power to keep you going all day and then some*. ($49.99 when you bring your number to Cricket[2], $89.99 for new and existing customers.)

 

Mom and Dad (Because you need a new phone to go with your new apps!)

ZTE Blade X Max: It’s all about the fingerprint sensor, screen size, Dolby Audio™ and expandable memory! ($99.99 when you bring your number to Cricket[3], $129.99 for new and existing customers.)

LG Stylo™ 3: It has a great camera, a stylus pen and large screen. ($129.99 when you bring your number to Cricket[4], $149.99 for new and existing customers.)

 

*All battery usage claims are approximated and based on a standard mixed-use profile that includes both usage and standby time and is based on LG devices connected to a nationwide 4G LTE network. Actual battery performance will vary and depend on many factors including, but not limited to app usage patterns, signal strength, and device settings.