Always wanted to learn a new language? How about being more adventurous in the kitchen? Perhaps your finances aren’t in as good as shape as you’d like? There’s no time like the present, and if you’re finding yourself with more time on your hands, why not pick up some new skills from the comfort of your home with these handy apps?
Learn a new language
We live in a multicultural country where you can hear a dozen different dialects over the course of a day. If you have some extra time and want to learn a new skill so you can communicate better with the city around you, here are five top apps to help you learn a new language at home. Or maybe you just always wanted to learn how to speak Beaver (it’s a thing, and is spoken by around 300 people in Western Canada).
Babbel
Taking you back into the classroom, Babbel is a comprehensive way to learn a new language. The app is basic and focuses on combining audio with visual cues so you can learn the basics of conversation quickly. With short 15-minute lessons they’re easy to work into your day and start building up a vocabulary in your chosen language.
Free (app), Dhs60 per month, Dhs360 per year for premium access. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Drops
You only need five minutes a day with this app that slowly builds your vocabulary from a choice of 36 languages. Using a mix of audio, pictures and written words, you can pick up the basics quickly and test your memory to see if you’re absorbing the information or need to go back and do it again.
Free (app), Dhs270 for annual unlimited access. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Duolingo
With this colourful and user-friendly app you can decide at the outset how serious you are about learning a language – from five minutes a day at a casual pace to 20 minutes a day intensive learning. The app works like a game and uses a lot visual cues, so if you’re one that needs more than audio or written words to learn, then this could be the one for you.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Memrise
Once you choose a language you’re off and learning quickly. The focus is mostly on written and spoken language, using simple graphics and visuals to keep you right. It can be challenging, but persevere and you’ll pick up the basics in no time. With a free seven-day trial you can see if it’s the app for you before committing to a subscription.
Free seven-day trial, Dhs135 for annual subscription. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Rosetta Stone
It’s one of the most popular language learning services in the world and there’s a lot to like about the app. You can access lessons for 30 minutes each day for free, or upgrade your account for unlimited access to a host of immersive learning units. Using audio you will repeat words back to the app and receive a rating on your pronunciation, making it a good way to learn a language to use conversationally when travelling.
Free (app), Dhs198 for three months, Dhs480 per year, Dhs900 for lifetime access. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Rethink your budget
Life can be expensive in the UAE, and it’s easy to lose track of what’s in your account. Need to get your money in order? Here are five fantastic budgeting apps that can help you sort your finances out.
Emma
If your focus is on budgeting then Emma could help. This easy-to-use finance app allows you to set your paydays, track recurring payments and understand where your money goes each month (which is what we all want to know), helping you to track and cancel subscriptions that you don’t use and start saving money by making you a smarter spender.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Fudget
If budgeting, finance and spending gets your head spinning then Fudget could be the way to simplify everything to an easy to follow level. On the app you can create a simple log of incomings and outgoings, set weekly or monthly expenses and track them to see exactly where your money is going.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Wally
Keep track of everything in one place with this handy budgeting app. With Wally you can connect all your bank accounts, PayPal and others to get immediate insight into your spending patterns, set and track a budget each month, get categorised transactions updated in real time and even keep on joint accounts and group spending.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
YNAB
On You Need A Budget, you build your budget based on your income and set your budget to cover certain living expenses, from rent to savings and more, making you account for you whole salary and where it ends up, either paying a bill or moving into your savings.
Free seven day trial, Dhs50 per month, Dhs330 per year. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Yolt
If you’re looking for a comprehensive app that covers all the bases and keeps your finances in one place then Yolt may be a good option. In the app you can sync all your bank accounts and credit cards together, track your spending from all accounts, set and track budgets and monitor your bills. You can
even monitor investments and your pension fund, too.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Learn to cook
There are loads of choice for takeaways here in the UAE. But if you want to spend a little more time in the kitchen making food for yourself, check out these five brilliant recipe apps inspiring you to cook up a storm.
BBC Good Food
With a massive number of recipes, the BBC Good Food app has all the bases covered, whatever it is you want to cook. From healthy dishes to comfort food, bread, sauces and salads, you can find what you need fast and you can even save your favourite recipes if they go down well with the family.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
BigOven
There’s a whole lot of recipes available to check out on BigOven, with simple instructions and nutritional information. You can also add recipes to your meal plan, get a weekly schedule ready for the family and share recipes on social media. So there’s no excuse for failing to get any home cooking done.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Jamie’s Recipes
Need support from a celebrity chef? Jamie’s Recipes features loads of dishes created by British TV chef Jamie Oliver. The chef himself will talk you through how to make each dish. If it’s good enough for Jamie Oliver then the family is sure to like it, right?
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Tasty
This free app is a handy one when deciding what to cook up in the kitchen. Most recipes even come with a basic video showing you how to prep and serve the dish. Once you’ve recreated the recipe you can hit the ‘I Made This’ button and give an up-vote or down-vote to recommend it to other users. You can add some tips too if you think it will help other people make it. Nice.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Yummly
Select your favourite cuisines and add any allergies and dietary requirements you may have and you can start customising what you see on your feed. You can even add disliked foods or ingredients to avoid. The recipes can be set to your cooking level, too, with beginner recipes to more advanced ones. Nutritional information is included with each recipe, so it’s easy to keep track of calories when preparing these meals at home.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Productivity apps
Don’t waste any precious time procrastinating thanks to these apps.
Microsoft To Do
If you just need to have a clear idea of what needs done then this is a good starting point. Create simple to-do lists and set reminders to make sure you’re on top of everything. Plus you can also collaborate in online groups and set deadlines together to achieve goals, get work done and make sure nothing slips past.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Productive
Helping you to form good habits, keep on track with all your projects and motivating you to achieve your goals, is Productive. Set yourself one-off and recurring targets, including everything from improving sleep or drinking water, to completing specific tasks and creating streaks for achieving your goals.
Free seven-day trial, Dhs30 per month. Available on Apple and Android devices.
RescueTime
Is balancing your time causing you concern, or maybe you’re spending too much time on your phone? RescueTime tracks the sites you visit and categorises them and also logs the amount of times you pick up your phone so you can see if you’re spending too much time on social media instead of working, or if your smartphone is distracting you from achieving your goals.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Todoist
Keeping on top of everything is simple with Todoist, which lets you easily track one-off and recurring tasks on a simple-to-use interface. You can also add shared projects, priority levels, and integrate with programs like Dropbox, Slack and more to keep on top of projects in one place.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Trello
This handy app is ideal for co-working and organising a team with a simple list-making format. Set up a series of columns and create a flow so that every process involved in a job or project is clear and all team members with access to the page can clearly track progress and contribute to achieving your goals.
Free. Available on Apple and Android devices.
Four for the kids
ChatterPix Kids and ChatterPix
Kids can take a picture of anything, draw a line on it to give it a tiny mouth and then record messages that the photo will repeat in a silly voice. Teachers like to use this in the classroom in many ways. One of which is to use a picture of a famous historical figure and get children to record biographies for them. There is a version for kids four and over and one for kids 12 years old and over.
Free. Four and above (ChatterPix Kids), 12 years old and above (ChatterPix).
Crossword Puzzle Redstone
There’s nothing more fun and challenging than a crossword puzzle. Kids may moan, but there are plenty of cool features on this to keep them engaged. It may say suitable from four years, but unless you have a baby genius on your hands, it’s more realistically going to be most suitable for kids six and over.
Free. Ages four and above.
Kahoot!
Kids love Kahoot!. They can create quizzes and surveys using their own multiple-choice questions to play back with their friends and parents. It’s a whole load of fun and gives mums and dads a real insight into the thought processes of their precious kiddos.
Free. Ages five to 18.
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Ideal for toddlers and pre-schoolers, this is a fun game with a cute monkey who has to solve puzzles using colour recognition, counting and memory.
Dhs7.29 (one off payment). Ages two to five.
