As summer begins, millions of college students put their textbooks away and replace them with leather-bound briefcases. After a series of comprehensive research, phone calls, and interviews, many of these young adults choose to move away from their home or college town and instead spend the summer in a new city. While this can be an exciting process, busy interns in a new city also face many difficulties in dealing with everyday life in this unchartered territory.

How can this experience go from one of being constantly stress and overwhelmed to a fun, stimulating process? These 8 apps can help any new intern get acclimated to a new environment while juggling work and play.

#1: Moovit          
A public transit app that makes traveling so much easier. When you put in your destination, Moovit will find the fastest route for you to take, giving multiple options, and it is constantly being updated in real-time. My favorite part of the app is that it tells me if a bus is running early or late and it informs me the names of each stop so that I know when to get off.

#2: 24me          
More than just your ordinary calendar app, 24me is a personal assistant, which helps you manage your life. The app links your calendar to your email so that you do not miss any meetings or appointments, and allows you to make quick to-do lists on your phone, and if you do not want to complete the tasks myself, you can link to TaskRabbit to ask others to do it for you. Most importantly, its new features inform you when to leave for your meetings based on traffic or weather conditions. 24me helps you organize and manage your life in a simple way.

#3: MyRoll       

The ultimate way to arrange your photos! MyRoll automatically organizes your photos and videos from your phone, showing you life events in an interactive collection which can be shared with friends. You will no longer forget about pictures hidden in your gallery because all the pictures will be organized in a way that’s easy to reach. 

#4: Yelp     

Helps you find restaurants, shopping stores, and other local services in any city. There must be times when you are craving a certain food but have no idea where to go to purchase it, even though there is a restaurant in your neighborhood. Yelp can solving this problem by finding your local restaurants, shopping stores, and more. 

#5: Instacart          

A grocery delivery service that delivers within an hour. Instacart connects you with Personal Shoppers in your area who pick up and deliver your groceries from your favorite local stores. I love this app because I often get home from work late and I do not want to spend my entire evening going to do groceries. Additionally, my only way of getting the supermarket is by public transportation which can become a hastle. I am so thankful for Instacart.  Currently, Instacart only delivers in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

 #6: Washio          

An app that allows you to have your laundry and dry cleaning picked up and dropped off from your house. You schedule the place and time and someone will show up to get your clothing and will return it clean the next day.  This is perfect for a busy intern who doesn’t have a lot of time for laundry and does not have a simple way of getting to and from a Laundromat. Currently, Washio is limited to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC.

#7: RunKeeper             

The summer is the best time to improve your fitness, and this app will definitely help do so. This app is a GPS Running, Walk, Cycling, Workout and Weight Tracker.  Track your pace, measure workout distance, chart weight loss, crush training goals and more. Make sure to enjoy that beautiful summer weather and stay in shape at the same time!

#8: Bill guard     

This is important for an intern to use because now that you are out of your home, away from your mail, statements, and bills it is hard to track what you are spending and what is being charged to your credit card. There is a solution to managing you financials and Bill Guard is the answer. Bill Guard is a personal finance security app which tracks your spending, and allows you to view all your accounting in one place, and protects you cards from unwanted charges. 

Adding these apps into your life will really help you save and organize your time. Being in a new internship can be very time consuming and use up a lot of energy. These apps will help ease your time so that you can find time to explore the city. 

   Written by Amanda Herman, student at University of Maryland, studying Accounting

Do you feel that heat? Summer is finally upon us.
As we enter July, the hectic process for your July 4th Independence Day event is underway with full speed planning. Whether you’re thinking about having a BBQ, watching fireworks, listening to good music, or enjoying the company of your loving friends and family, you must make sure you’re organized each step of the way.

Planning a July 4th event takes more energy and time than you realize. Who’s hosting this year? What’s on the menu? Who’s invited? The list could go on and on.

This year, 24me can help to solve all your problems and make your day run smoothly and be stress free. 24me is a smart and automatic calendar and to-do list app that acts as a personal assistant right at your fingertips. It will make your life more organized and coordinated. Here are some of the cool features offered by 24me that can help you plan the perfect event.

1) Check your calendar

The 24me calendar is unique because it automatically generates your scheduled events from each of your calendars and from your real life accounts. If someone at work invited to a meeting in advance, and you forgot to put it on your calendar, you no longer need to worry because the meeting was put on your calendar automatically. If you want to schedule your BBQ around the time of your local fireworks, you can simply do this using the calendar. 24me presents your free time, comparing each of your calendars, whether its Google calendar, outlook, or Yahoo!- all your events are in one place! Check to see what times you’re free this weekend and schedule your event as soon as possible.

2) Create an Event and Share it with friends
Create your event in advance, be it a BBQ or trip to the park or beach. Once the event is created, setting a time and date, with one simple click you can invite all your guests through your contacts. The app will send a message to your friends and will save the event on their calendars as well so no one risks forgetting about the exciting plans.

3) Create a Task List
There are many necessary steps which must be completed in preparation for your event. To make everything easier, write each of the steps down as a task you must complete. Within each task, you have the ability to write notes. Then, these tasks can be shared with friends. This allows you to divide up tasks so that everyone can contribute to the event, and you will not need to do everything yourself. If you do not have time to complete these tasks yourself, you can outsource your errand and a certified Task Rabbit professional will do that for you. This can be used for a variety of services ranging from pickup and delivery to cleaning and other administrative and annoying tasks. When sharing tasks you can also add notes or photos so everyone is on the same page with ideas.

4) Informs you when to leave
On the day of the event, there is definitely going to be a lot of traffic. If you put the reminder on you calendar with the location, 24me will inform you about the right time to leave based on traffic.

Overall, 24me is the perfect app for planning and organizing your Independence Day event as well as future events and tasks. 24me manages your life so that you are organized and never miss a step.

Happy July 4th!

Written by Amanda Herman, student at University of Maryland, studying Accounting

School’s out… for summer!

When kids hear this classic song, they’re filled with delight, as summer means over two months of endless water fights, play dates, and fun for them. Parents, on the other hand, may not have it just as easy. Two months of children out of school means busy parents have the stress of planning summer activities that ensure everyone gets the most of their summer.

Here’s how to keep your kids from the constant “Mom, I’m bored!” complaints while also allowing yourself to do the activities you want before this season of sunny skies comes to an end.

1)   Create a summer bucket list of tasks you and your family want accomplished before summer is over, and store them in your “someday tasks” folder on 24me. Check them off as you go to track how much you are getting done.

2)   Set a schedule in the mornings with daily to-dos, keeping both you and your children in mind. Plan indoor activities such as arts and crafts in the morning and leave yourself quiet time when its hottest out and the kids play outside.

3)   Don’t be hesitant about entertaining guests. It’s a great way for all members of the family to be around friends. The 24me “share tasks” button makes it easier to plan events- no tiring phone calls necessary!

4)   Take a vacation. All your hard work earns you some time to relax. Whether it’s with the family, by yourself, or with your significant other, planning a trip is easier with 24me. Once you get there, make sure you unwind, soak in some sun, and let 24me take care of the rest.

Written by Ashley Sadighpour, student at University of Southern California studying Business Administration

The 24me team and I are thrilled about the recent launch of our newest feature, “Smart Alerts”!

With this new feature, 24me helps you even more with your daily routines in a way that a real personal assistant would. Designed to help people from all backgrounds and lifestyles prepare for what’s next, 24me Smart Alerts provide the right information and anticipates what users intends to do – ensuring that you are always on top of your schedule and avoiding procrastination.

Traffic Alerts tells you the right time to leave for your next meeting based on your location and  current traffic conditions.

With Next Day and Today’s Agenda, 24me gives you a heads up about your schedule – including your meetings and tasks planned for tomorrow.

Special Events notifications will tell you about your friends’ birthdays ahead of time, allowing you to prepare and choose from greeting them on Facebook and sending a beautiful gift that will get there on time.

Smart Weather Alerts offer alerts on unusual weather conditions for the next day, so you’ll never get caught without your umbrella!

Other new features on this version include:

• Someday Tasks – A group of tasks that holds all the tasks which don’t have a due date. This group can be dragged from one day to the other.

• Email The Meeting Participants – New “Email All” button, allows sending all participants an email with one tap.

• Text and Emails – Tasks that are text or email can now hold the text/email content on the “Notes”. Once tapping on the action button of that task, the notes are automatically populated into the body of the text/email.

• Enhanced Invite Mechanism – it’s now easier than ever to invite your friends and colleagues to meetings, 24me lists the most recent contacts you email under “Recent” in the Invite tab.

Watch the tutorial video showing the new smart alerts, and download the newest version. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Have you ever felt overwhelmed trying to plan group projects?  I used to spend more time planning all of my group work than actually doing it.  That was before I discovered 24me and everything changed.  I now have a calendar that enables me to create, share, and discuss events in seconds rather than hours, and I can share tasks with my other group members so that each person knows exactly what part they need to do.

As I returned from midterms and spring break this week, I found myself needing to catch up on group work.  For all of my group meetings, the process is simple.  I create an event and invite my group members and post a note asking them what times are convenient for them.  After I receive enough feedback, I set the time and the event is automatically placed on our calendars.  Because the event is placed on everyone’s calendar, they will know if they are available instantly.

Just scheduling the meeting is not enough: we need to make sure that everyone is prepared and has done their part.  To do this, we can create and share tasks with each other.  I can even monitor my teammates’ progress by seeing if they have crossed the task off of their to-do list as completed.  For my teammate who is admittedly forgetful, I am able to add a reminder to his tasks.  24me definitely helped take the some of the stress out of this busy week.

Now on to some more fun stuff, my St. Patty’s Day Pregame.  24me is helpful for much more than just organizing schoolwork.  Here is a step-by-step breakdown of creating my event and the features 24me offers:

After naming the event, these are the options in the menu for the event.

I can pick a date and time…

Set the location…

Write a note with more information…

And finally, invite my friends…

If my friends don’t know how to find my apartment, they can click GO and use Waze, Google Maps, or Apple Maps to get there…

And now, the event is on all of our calendars

The post was written by Ross Gusler.

Prior to this year I never had to worry about missing a meeting, doctor’s appointment, or important family birthday. Mom would take care of it all for. But time flies and now that I am a student at the University of Michigan, all of these are harder to remember but just as important. No longer can I stare at the large family calendar in the kitchen to know what each day holds, and no longer can I rely on my mother to give me friendly reminders of what I need to do each day to avoid missing important events.

College life is so hectic, and with the rigorous course work and large social scene, my mind can be very forgetful. To help combat this, I rely on 24me. Between the reminders and checklists, 24me has become my actual savior, and the most evident example of this occurred just the other day when I almost forgot about my mother’s birthday.

Luckily, I was reminded of mom’s birthday two days in advance because of 24me, and upon receiving my reminder, I bought her a gift from the “send a gift” option that is within the app itself. Today, I called my mom to wish her a happy birthday, but before I could even wish her a happy birthday she was raving about the gorgeous flowers I had sent to her.

24me saved me from my mother’s rage, and made it so much easier for me to be involved in celebrating my mother’s birthday despite being far away from home.

The post was written by Zach Levin, A student at Michigan University.

What if  your task list and calendar were smarter and contextual, understand its content, and get you real-life solutions to get rid of the different annoying tasks and errands you are procrastinating?

The Future is here, with the new version of 24me!

Today, February 24th 2014, we are announcing  “Assistants For Everyone”, which is going to be available in beta in USA.

“Assistants for Everyone” is enabled per task content. So if you write a task: “Clean my House” – 24me adds a completion button and will suggest a cleaner to help you get rid of that. 24me offers all type of assistants, from cleaners to clean the house, delivery service to pick packages and take aways, shopping, Handymen, Research, Office/Admin, etc.

“Assistants for Everyone” helps people to break the cycle of procrastination and willpower exhaustion by automating the things they were putting off.

Other new features in this version are Calendar Agenda and Month view, that can activated from the right hand side of the top bar:

So let’s start doing the things we really love to do!

Get the new 24me version Today!

We Love our users and wish to give them something Sweet for Valentine’s Day.

Are you the Lucky user that will get a Ghirardelli gift basket full of goodies (Gift worth $45)?

Here is what you need to do:

1. Share on Facebook or Twitter how 24me helps you the most,  using the hashtag #24meSmartAssistant

2. Follow @my24me on Twitter and 24me on Facebook

3. Share the Contest with your Friends.

(Offer ends Friday, February 14th, 2014, Available in the U.S. only)

Did you know that with 24me you can send beautiful gifts to your loved one, right from your task list, with just one tap?

Send delectable wines, gorgeous flowers, delicious chocolates, or enticing gift baskets to your loved one without leaving your chair!

Watch our vine movie on how to do it: http://bit.ly/1fWCudt

Or follow the steps:

1)  Go to the Task or Calendar view, and tap on the plus button on the top left side. Choose the gift icon. Your contact list will open immediately.

2)  Choose your loved one from the list, or type their name. A new gift task is created.

3)  After tapping on the gift button, you will be directed to the 24me gift market, where you can choose from the wide selection of beautiful gifts.

4)  Pick the perfect gift from a variety of wines, chocolates, flowers, gift cards, and greeting cards.

5)  Schedule the date on which the gift should be sent.

6)  Craft a personal message

7)  Insert the recipient’s address

8)  Choose your method of payment: Credit/Debit card or PayPal

9)  Enter the account details and send to your loved one

10) Expect  a Really Happy Valentine’s Day!

Watch our full video of how to send real gifts with 24me: http://bit.ly/1b7M6hu

* Gifts are available in the US only.

The year is almost over, and it’s time to once again ponder the past 365 days. At this time of the year, we take the time to look back at the positive and negative, the highs and the lows, and look for ways to improve upon the things that we would like to change.

We took a group of men and women between the ages of 30 and 45, and asked them their New Year’s resolution. We were surprised to find out that, overall, the resolutions were very basic. Below are the top 5 resolutions that were mentioned. They are what each of us probably wants to do, and 24me can help you persevere after the normal routine returns.

#1: Exercise

Many of the people we surveyed define themselves as lazy with regards to exercise. With busy work lives and busier home lives, going to the gym — or even out for a run — is a chore. They would much rather stay in bed on the computer, or on the couch, or be there for their kids. Leaving everything to go to the gym or out for a run — no matter how healthy everyone says it is and how much it’ll help their lifestyle — is not something that people are always capable of.

Research shows that exercise is good for almost every aspect of our lives. It helps with depression by raising endorphins, increases brain activity which helps with memory, and even reduces stress. 24me is a great tool to remind you to go out for a run, or to the gym. Create a daily repeating task to go to the gym, and feel the empowerment every time you are able to swipe off the task. You can even schedule weekly zumba classes alongside running or leg workouts.

#2 Balance a checkbook
Although no one uses a checkbook anymore, with the economy at its current state it is difficult for our users to keep themselves in the black. Spending beyond their means, however unintentional, is only momentarily satisfying. Getting the bank statement in the mail: not so much.

One way to make sure to keep in the black is to know your bill payments and make them on time. 24me’s My Links connects to thousands of providers and hundreds of financial institutions. Once a provider is connected, the 24me lets you know what day the bill has to be paid, and how much, already keeping a part of users’ budgets balanced for them. Not only that, but users can pay their bills right from the app. With a few taps, you gain control over your bills.

#3 Spend time with loved ones
Although family and friends are the highlight of our users’ lives, balancing schedules makes it difficult to find time to even talk to them on the phone, let alone visit them and spend time together.

Take the time at the beginning of the month to plan gatherings. Create an event on 24me and invite those special people. You can specify location, time, and even add a note (maybe a reminder to dress in funny hats). This way, everyone has the date booked in their calendar, and planning in advance makes sure that no double-booking happens.

But no matter how much you try, there are always those loved ones that live too far away to meet with more than once a year, if that. To express your care for them, you can use 24me’s Gift Store to send a beautiful gift for any occasion: birthday, anniversary, or just because.

#4 Eat right

Who doesn’t have a stash of candy hidden somewhere around the house? Or that urge to buy junk food instead of wholesome ingredients for a balanced meal? Many of our users face those problems every day. Eating right is a skill that is not easily acquired. It takes careful planning, holding back, and strong motivation.

One way to help is to create a shopping list beforehand. Create a “Grocery List” task, and add all the healthy things that you want to buy as notes. Sticking to a healthy list will help keep you from straying. If this isn’t enough to prevent you from succumbing to your junk food cravings, share the list with a friend, and have them do the grocery shopping for you. Your roommate/partner will be able to withstand the call of the candy aisle better than you will.

#5 Never miss a birthday
People are forgetful creatures. They forget everything from where they left their sunglasses (on their heads) to what they wanted the next words out of their mouth to be. These incidents usually lead to jokes about getting old or embarrassing stories, but when that forgetfulness leads to forgetting people’s birthdays, things get personal.

24me easily reminds users about their friends’ birthdays. Not only can you create a yearly repeating task, but by linking to Facebook, users get a daily view of all their friends’ birthdays. For a personal touch without the hassle, users can even post to their friends’ walls from within the app, or celebrate by sending a beautiful gift.

If you have resolution that 24me has helped you with, we would love to know. Write them in the comments below.

Happy New 2014!