With the outbreak and increasing spread of Coronavirus worldwide, staying indoors in other words self quarantine is one of the measures adopted to reduce the spread of it. When you find yourself in such a position, use the time to catch up on books, podcasts, movies and other things you’ve been putting off.
There are some apps that will help you stay up to date and keep you entertained besides the default Social Media apps(facebook, twitter, instagram…). Here are some you might not already be using.
Google News and Apple News
Google News and Apple News are two of my most-used apps. They’re free and do a really good job of keeping you up to date on the latest stories, but they also let you break out into different news categories. So,you can follow along with business news, politics, video games and more. Both also show you the biggest stories of the day from an assortment of the best news outlets, so you can be sure you’re always up to date on what’s going on.
Kindle
When you can’t read, listen. Kindle lets you switch from reading to an audible book, understand challenging books with instant dictionary to look up meanings; it’s a whole digital library in your pocket that we’ll help you fill up your time. Get Kindle and discover all that it has to offer.
Headspace
Meditation can help you pass the time while simultaneously managing stress. There are lots of meditation apps available for iPhone and Android and Headspace is one of them. There are courses, ranging from the basics of meditation to others that help you stay positive. Short exercises, like “Breathe,” encourage you to take a quick 1-3 minutes from the day to relax. Some other good ones: “Goodnight” for calming down before you sleep and so-called “Sleepcasts” that are just stories told in a relaxing manner which may help you snooze if you can’t sleep when it’s quiet. Headspace has a 7-day free trial and costs $12.99 per month (or $69.99 a year with a 14-day free trial.)
The New York Times Crossword
The New York Times Crossword puzzle is a fun way to keep your brain stimulated. Monday puzzles are easiest, and throughout the week the puzzles progress in difficulty. If you find you can’t do the harder days, you can always go back into the archive and practice on earlier Monday and Tuesday puzzles and it’s fun to try to keep a streak going as you complete each day. It costs $3.47 a month and is available for iPhone and Android.
Mario Kart Tour for iPhone and Android
This might be fun for keeping the whole family entertained because of the multiplayer option. That means you can race against your family nearby or friends anywhere in the world. It takes some getting used to: you swipe your finger on the screen to make sure your driver stays on the track. If you grew up playing Mario Kart, or just need a fun new game, check it out. It’s free.
Pocketcasts
There are lots of podcast apps you can find. Podcasts are pretty much for any topic imaginable, from health and science to politics. Find your favorite daily news casts like The New York Times’ “The Daily,” the BBC World Service’s “Global News Podcast” and CNBC’s “Squawk Pod.” Pocketcasts is free for iPhone and Android.
Disney+
If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s time to dive in: Disney+ is awesome if you want to rewatch movies you liked as a kid. It should also help you keep your kids occupied. It costs $6.99 a month, or $12.99 a month if you bundle in Hulu and ESPN+, and includes content from Pixar, Marvel, Disney, and TV shows such as The Simpsons.
Google Stadia
The game selection is still pretty minimal, but it’s growing, and there are lots of really good games to get started with. It doesn’t use physical disks. Instead, everything streams from Google’s servers. You never have to worry about sitting around for hours waiting for a game to update, and you can pretty much play anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.
You can start playing on my TV and then pick up on a computer or Android phone. Stadia Pro costs $9.99 per month and you should probably buy the Stadia Premiere Edition setup, which includes a controller and a Chromecast 4K for $129.
