We started the Apps I Live By series with the intention of investigating what apps were being used by influential personalities around us.
Sometimes, the least talked-about app in town might just be the one that has been wovened so tightly into our lives that we do not need to talk about. These are then the apps that have successfully figured out the human touch.
Today, we take a look back at all our interviews and name out the top five apps in this series, starting with the one most mentioned:
1. Whatsapp – All we can say is – ain’t no blue ticks gonna stop Whatsapp from dominating!
“For all types of communication” – Co-Founder And President Of Burpple, Dixon Chan
“WhatsApp has pretty much become a staple and necessary commodity in the app universe. One’s no longer just using it because one wants to but rather because one needs to. Nobody uses text nowadays.” – Marketing Director Of ZALORA Singapore, Dione Song
“This is the messaging app I use the most because most of the people I know also use this service to stay connected. Also, Spotify has a new social function that allows me to share songs with my friends and loved ones via WhatsApp, be it a song I just discovered or #ThrowbackThursday classics.” – Managing Director (Asia) of Spotify, Sunita Kaur
“I need my chat apps – that’s the way I keep in touch with our managers, musicians and staff, and (communicating is) crucial for us as we are a daily operation and communication is key to keeping our operations more stable and smooth.” – Timbre Group Co-Founder And Chief Creative Director, Danny Loong
“I use so many different messaging apps because different friends or business associates from different countries use different messaging apps; So, I’m on almost every messaging app.” – All Deals Asia CEO, Goh Yiping
“I use Whatsapp for messaging.” – Nuffnang Co-Founder Timothy Tiah
“I use this to connect with friends in Asia or the US.” – Founder Of Paktor, Joseph Phua
2. Instagram – Yes, you’re looking at the new Facebook
“A picture says it all sometimes.” – Deezer’s Head Of Label Relations For Asia And Oceania, Dona Inthaxoum
“To be in touch with my closest people.” – Co-Founder And President Of Burpple, Dixon Chan
“This app is mostly for marketing of The Lawn.” – Founder of The Lawn Cafe, Ze Yan
“I use these to catch up on news and what’s up with friends, to burn time, or during my toilet breaks.” – Founder Of Paktor, Joseph Phua
“As we are an active live music and lifestyle company where most of our customers are active with social networks through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others, this is a great way to engage them. I call these platforms the new “word of mouth.” – Timbre Group Co-Founder And Chief Creative Director, Danny Loong
“I like to take photos and selfies these days.” – All Deals Asia CEO, Goh Yiping
3. LINE – Cuteness comes in the form of stickers
“I use LINE for messaging.” – Nuffnang Co-Founder Timothy Tiah
“When I’m connecting with friends in Taiwan.” – Founder Of Paktor, Joseph Phua
“Of course, my day starts and ends with LINE messenger. Whenever I am traveling overseas for business trips, I stay connected with my family by messaging. Ever since I started using the free video call feature with my kids, I can’t imagine going back to just audio call.” – General Manager Of Global LINE Business, Simeon Cho
“I have previously lived in Japan and Thailand so I have a lot of friends from these countries where Line is very popular, and this is what I’m using to be in touch with them. They also have funny stickers like Psy’s face sending you big hugs!” – Deezer’s Head Of Label Relations For Asia And Oceania, Dona Inthaxoum
4. GrabTaxi – Hello Hailo, you’re not there yet
“With GrabTaxi, it is very convenient to get around Singapore during my busy day with multiple meetings! This taxi app dispatches a taxi in just a few taps for safe taxi rides around town.” – General Manager Of Global LINE Business, Simeon Cho
“The must-have app when it comes to traveling across Singapore. It’s very effective, super accurate and you can send a note to the driver if you think he won’t find you easily.” – Deezer’s Head Of Label Relations For Asia And Oceania, Dona Inthaxoum
“Best taxi app in the region.” – Founder Of Paktor, Joseph Phua
5. Flipboard – Your daily dose of news best read with a cuppa coffee
“Flipboard is what I use to get industry information. I configure it to get the latest tech news of the sites I follow.” – Co-Founder of Protag, Rick Tan
“I love the interface of Flipboard and it’s my go-to app whenever I’m catching up on all the happenings around the world. Current affairs, trending social stories, tech updates, design highlights – you’re able to curate anything on Flipboard in an aesthetically pleasing wire-frame, which makes it all the more enjoyable. Some of my favourite mags include Fast Company, VICE and Refinery29.” – Marketing Director Of ZALORA Singapore, Dione Song
“I always want to stay in the know when it comes to breaking news and cultural trends, so I love how I can curate the articles I want to read via Flipboard. Another thing that’s great about it is the fact that I can save the articles when I want to read them again or share them with my friends.” – Managing Director (Asia) of Spotify, Sunita Kaur
Honourable Mentions:
Evernote
“I take spontaneous notes of ideas with Evernote.” – Dirtybit Game Designer And 2D Artist, Fredrik Fors Hansen
Asana
“Team collaboration, project management and elimination of mails.” – Co-Founder And CEO Of HotelQuickly, Tomas Laboutka
8tracks
“I’m always on the road, and I prefer to use this app to discover new music while driving so that I can add them to the playlist in my cafe, The Lawn.” – Founder of The Lawn Cafe, Ze Yan
“Sometimes I’m too busy to consume content that very moment. So whether it’s news, articles, or even videos/galleries, I use Pocket to save content for offline viewing when I’m ready for it.” – Airbnb General Manager for Singapore, Tommy Wang
Nike+ Running
“I also exercise quite a bit to keep healthy and tracking them is my way of motivating myself to keep fit. Running helps me to de-stress after a day’s work.” – Co-Founder of Protag, Rick Tan
Well, you have it! The 5 apps you should bring into the new year because they are tested, proven, and most importantly, have survived 2014. What a year!
