It’s amazing how each week passes so quickly. It’s more amazing how my phone just gets loaded with more and more apps as I do these interviews.
Today’s feature might be new to many of us living in Asia. Ever heard of phone contacts app Humin?
Before we start off the article – welcome to Apps I Live By – a series that takes a weekly look into the smartphones of influential personalities. Last week, LINE’s Global Business Manager, Simeon Cho, shared a hilarious image of him in a LINE Selfie Sticker. If you’re a fan of sumpteous salads and grills cafe, The Lawn, check out our feature on Ze Yan, founder of a successful salad bar in Singapore. Should you have any personalities in mind you would like me to cover, do not hesitate to drop me a mail at dawn@vulcanpost.com.
Allow me now to introduce Sriram Krishnan.
Sriram is the Vice President for Global Markets of Humin, a smart phone app that pretty much make contact search so much easier. Ever forgotten the name of the person you bumped into just last week? With Humin, you can just search contextualised phrases such as “met last week” or “met today” and get a shortlisted list of contacts to choose from.
Previously the Head of new markets for Spotify, Sriram was part of the pioneer group of people who led Spotify into Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore last year.
Details about Humin seem to be really exciting. Apparently, Will.I.Am, Richard Branson, and even Angry Birds creator Peter Vesterbacka were all reportedly signed in for Humin’s beta launch months ago. If you are interested to know about Humin’s impeding launch into Asia, keep yourself updated at their facebook page or twitter handler @Humin.
“Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.”
That’s the life motto that Sriram shared to me. Well, let’s take a peak at this motto at work in Sriram’s homescreen today.
1. Reuters
“The best news app out there. Period. The app is very well designed and simple to use. The news is up-to-date so I’ll be able to stay abreast on what’s happening around the world!”
Many superlatives used right there. Anyone likes to contend Reuters as the best news mobile application? One thing for sure – the BBC news app is popular amongst many of our interviewees such as Timbre’s Co-Founder, Danny Loong and Spotify’s Managing Director for Asia, Sunita Kaur.
Also Read: You Have No Excuses Not To Read With This New App By NLB Singapore
2. Humin
“This is my default phone and contacts app. The way most smartphone users approach their contacts is fundamentally broken. It’s like search in the early 90s. We used to browse the web by alphabetical order. With Google, we now have the ability to search for information online the way we think about it so you can find what’s relevant. Humin can not only predict who you want to connect with, but you can also search for people the way you think. It’s not out in Asia yet but if you want an invite, you know who to reach ;)”
Funny thing is, I’ve never really considered revolutionising my contact search before. Have you?
Should you be interested in trying out Humin, you may reach Sriram and the Humin team via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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3. Fancy Hands
“One of my resolutions from 2013 was to save more time so that I can focus on things that matter. Enter Fancy Hands. Fancy Hands is a personal assistant service that I use to complete basic research tasks, scheduling a visit to the doctor and so on. I now don’t spend time waiting for the customer service officer for an hour to change my phone plan! Fancy Hands takes care of that for me!”
The first thing that popped in my head was TaskRabbits. But, Fancy Hands seem to be taking on a different strategy. You pay a monthly fee and get all the assistance you need! Read up their FAQs here. Anyone found good app similar to Fancy Hands?
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4. AwardWallet
“Being a frequent flyer, I use AwardWallet to consolidate all my airline and hotel programs into one app. At any time, I’ll be able to find out if I have those points I need for a 3 day 2 night trip to Phuket or a 7 day trip to New York. My family is on this too!”
For all the globe trekkers out there, you heard it! Although the website of Award Wallet seems to be slightly more on the functional side, I honestly wouldn’t mind. Would you?
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5. Waygo
“I use Waygo whenever I need anything written Chinese or Japanese translated. It’s a very cool app that uses OCR technology to recognize and translates texts, perfect for understanding the food menus in Japanese and Chinese restaurants!”
I wondered if there was ever a time that the translation was not done right and he ended up with a nasty meal. Sriram, one day you should really share your food adventures with us, especially the times when you were in China and Japan. It will definitely be a trending story. On a side note, are there any users of other translation apps out there?
Also Read: Singapore Changi Hospital Launches New App For Nurses To Converse In Local Dialects!
6. Spotify
“I can’t live without music. My confession = I have the same playlist I listen to all the time; when I’m walking back home from work or needing that extra dose of energy at work after lunch. I’ve had this playlist, “airport tracks”, for the longest time!”
Sriram Krishnan’s “Airport Tracks,” is the second Spotify playlist we’ve been told of, joining “Sunita’s Homework” by Spotify’s Managing Director for Asia.
Looks like the amount of apps on my phone as well as the playlists on my Spotify account is just gonna get longer each passing week.
Thank you Sriram for giving us the privilege to peak into your homescreen. We now also know how you prefer Chrome to Safari on your iPhone, and will have to wake up to 72 unread emails tomorrow morning.
If only there was an app that could assist in crafting contextualised replies so we could just hit send when we are awake!
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