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7 Gamification apps for every situation

ARTICLE – Gamification apps allow you to combine routine life situations with role-playing games (RPGs) that will keep you engaged while you work to accomplish your goals. If you struggle with self-discipline and motivation, then gamification apps are for you.

These apps give you the opportunity to earn points, badges and other incentives by challenging yourself and being able to compete with others.

Gamifying your life can be done both at work and at home. By using gamification for everyday to-dos, you can transform the way you get stuff done. Gamification can also be an effective tool for at work to impact employee productivity and increase workplace engagement.

These seven apps can help you turn routine life events into the fun situations you wish they were.

1. Habitca

Habitca provides you with a simple and fun experience, while you strive to accomplish your goals. With Habitca, you can input your to-do and task lists into the app to keep track of everything you want to complete. From there, you will create a custom avatar and earn points to upgrade your character as you finish items from your lists.

This app is great for motivating yourself to get tasks done as you go about your day. Habitca will allow you to stay on track as you seek to develop new habits.

2. Do It Now

Struggling to motivate yourself to get those boring to-dos on your list completed? With the Do It Now gamification app, you can track your own personal growth as you develop a routine for those less exciting tasks. This app gives you the mental boost you need to get things done.

Do It Now allows you to create a virtual character and develop your online self as you complete items on your list. It’s a classic RPG that motivates you to move forward with your personal tasks as you look to level up your online character.

3. MeetingPlay

The MeetingPlay app allows you to transform the way you run events and engage your audience. Gamifying your events can be done at work and other social situations when you need to get people involved and engaged.

With this custom event app, you can use gamification to your benefit when you host your next event. Using gamification at work can go a long way in boosting the motivation and productivity of employees.

4. Thirty – Get Inspired

Building habits and breaking habits can both be difficult if you try doing it on your own. The Thirty app allows you to try new things so that you can develop healthy habits in your every-day life. Create challenges within the app and track your success as you keep up your habit day by day.

Another great feature of the Thirty app is that you can easily share your success with your friends to let them know how you are doing. Complete daily, weekly and monthly challenges to ultimately better yourself and improve your lifestyle!

5. SuperBetter

SuperBetter offers a gamified way to help you conquer your to-do list or break from habits that are unhealthy to your well-being. This app can help you become the person you want to with an RPG theme designed to help you overcome setbacks and take on new experiences.

Gamification is used in this app by taking the goals and tasks you input and developing quests and challenges for you to overcome as you track your personal progression. This app checks all the boxes in a gamification app that is built to help you become the best version of yourself.

6. Forest

Do you tend to feel less productive every time you pick up your phone? It is common to lose focus and concentration when you are on your phone scrolling through apps. The Forest app is designed to help you concentrate when your mind is bouncing all over the place.

This app allows you to plant and build your own virtual forest. To keep you around, the app is designed to “kill” off your plants when you leave the app and lose focus. Forest allows for you to reach the sense of achievement and responsibility as you plant and grow your own online forest.

7. Zombies, Run!

Gamification apps have even been developed to help you achieve your fitness goals. With the Zombies, Run! running game, enter into a zombie-filled world that forces you to keep running as you develop your virtual “safe space.”

This gamification app is perfect for you if you want to try a new way to motivate yourself to get outside and exercise. Enjoy a fun and thrilling experience the next time you go for a run.

Who says playing isn’t productive? With these apps, adding a little fun into your day can give you the boost and focus you need to get your to-do list done.

Image via Freestocks.org

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7 Gamification apps for every situation originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 18, 2019 at 12:24 pm.

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How to Use Dropbox in Non-Ext4 Linux Filesystem

Using Dropbox on Linux used to be very easy. For many people, it still is. If you happen to use a filesystem other than Ext4, however, it is suddenly much harder. Fortunately, you’re not completely out of luck. What’s the Problem? For a long time Dropbox supported most any filesystem you wanted to use, then the company quietly announced that it was dropping support for what it calls “uncommon” filesystems. In the case of Linux that means anything aside from Ext4. You might have seen messages saying “Dropbox will stop syncing. Move your Dropbox folder to a supported file system.” Another error message is… Read more

Purist Collective Mover thermal bottle review

REVIEW – I drink coffee every morning on the way to work and while I’m at work. Given this, it’s important to me that a thermal bottle do two things well: maintain temperature and not leak. The Purist Collective Mover, 18-ounce bottle does both of these things well quite well.

What is it?

The Mover is one of three bottles available from the Purist Collective.  The other two, the Maker and the Founder, are smaller (10oz.) and larger (56oz.) respectively. Each bottle features a self-cleaning glass lined interior that’s designed to not retain odors. You can also choose from three muted colors such as gray, beige or, as in the case of the one that I received, black, or one that’s unfinished. No matter what bottle you chose a selection of three types of lids are available: one that allows for sipping coffee and other hot beverages, and another more suited to drinking water.

What’s in the box?

  • The Mover bottle
  • The Element Lid

Hardware specs

  • 18 oz capacity
  • 8″ H x 2.9″ W without lid
  • 8.56″ H x 2.9″ W with Element lid
  • 0.58 lbs without Element lid
  • 0.73 lbs with Element lid

Design and features

The Mover feels well built and has a nice heft to it. The outside coating is slightly textured and provides a good gripping surface when held. The lid screws on tightly and the integrated handle allows you to hook your fingers through it for carry or use a clip to hang it off your bag. The wide mouth and minimal threading make the Mover a great bottle to drink from directly. It’s as cup/mug-like as a thermal bottle could be.

The issue I have with the lid is that there is no way to drink from the bottle unless it is completely removed. As I like to drink on my way to work, this makes it all but impossible. The other lid designed for sipping would probably help with this, although it isn’t available as of this writing.

Performance

In order to see how well the Mover held temperature, I filled it with 204-degree water, screwed on the lid and then checked it every two hours over an 8 hour period to monitor the temperature drop. On average, the Mover lost 20 degrees per two-hour block. This was slow enough to keep the water (or coffee) pleasantly warm after eight hours.

I also carried the Mover to and from work every day for a week. I stored it inside my backpack and didn’t experience any leaking. The finish held up well after being knocked around with the rest of the stuff in my bag.

After a week I switched out coffee for water and used it around the house. No previous odors or taste from the coffee were detected. I would note, however, that the bottom of the lid is plastic and I could still smell a bit of coffee on it even after rinsing it in the sink. This did not impact the flavor of the water.

What I like

  • Easy to drink from
  • Good temperature stability with hot beverages
  • Well made and durable

What needs to be improved

  • Have to completely remove lid to drink
  • Expensive
  • Lid did retain some odor

Final thoughts

The Mover is a well-made bottle that feels solid and has good thermal retention properties. Having a lid that would allow you to drink directly from the Mover would be a great addition.

Price: $48.00
Where to buy: Purist Collective
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Purist Collective.

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Purist Collective Mover thermal bottle review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 18, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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GEESAA Your Home Barista pour over brewer system

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve not only picked up a coffee habit, but I’ve started understanding the differences in types of brewing methods, beans and how a good barista can take a decent cup of coffee to greatness. That’s why I got pretty excited to see the GEESAA – Your Home Barista announce it is starting a KickStarter.

What is it?

This Taiwan based business has brought together a coffee maker system that heats the water to a specific temperature, has a rotating base for the carafe as well as a swing arm dispenser for the hot water that mimics the swirling motion of your barista pouring hot water over the grounds to create your favorite beverage. It is compatible with a smartphone app that is preloaded with recipes from professional baristas but will also allow you to create your recipes.

Why do I like it?

I love that all you have to do is simply select your recipe, put your grounds in the top of the carafe and then let the machine do it’s magic. As an avid coffee drinker, I love the complex coffees and this product lets me have this coffee that I would normally have to go to a shop for or learn how to make myself. The fact it has an app for my phone preloaded with recipes is an added bonus.

Where can I find more info?

The actual KickStarter won’t begin until April, but at this time you can go to the GEESAA – Your Home Brew website and delve into the information they have available. I’m looking forward to seeing how this Kickstarter goes and possibly picking up one of these units myself, as pour overs have become our favorite methods for making a fresh cup. The price point is still unknown, but if you sign up for their e-mail notification you’ll get a $50 discount on the KickStarter.

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GEESAA Your Home Barista pour over brewer system originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 18, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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SERK Duo-entry Drawstring Backpack review

REVIEW — Everyone’s seen those nylon drawstring bags that look like a modern replacement for a hobo’s bindlestiff. Usually they’re just cheap, single-compartment sacks used to tote a change of clothes, but Rever Brand offers an evolution on that design with their SERK Drawstring Backpack. Read on to see how it stacks up.

What is it?

The SERK is an upgrade to the iconic drawstring backpack design, utilizing durable materials, waterproof insulation and a unique duo-entry design that isolates wet and dry items.

What’s in the box?

  • just the backpack itself

Hardware specs

  • Duo-entry design to separate dry and wet or dirty items
  • Waterproof oxford canvas exterior construction
  • Tear-resistant ripstop nylon
  • 1/4″ diamond braided nylon ropes
  • Weather-sealed coated zippers
  • RFID protective storage compartments
  • Leather accents
  • 14 liters capacity

Design and features

The SERK drawstring backpack looks a lot like a premium drawstring gym bag, but hides a pleasant surprise. While other bags offer one single large chamber for toting around clothes and shoes, the SERK proves a separate, waterproof compartment accessed from the bottom of the bag. This allows an isolated area for storing wet or dirty items or shoes while keeping the rest of your stuff clean.

The rear view side that lies against your back.

Additionally, the SERK has several internal pockets and two small RFID protected external pockets that can be accessed by weather-sealed zippers, perfect for storing your phone, wallet and other items that need to be quickly accessed.

The side pockets, while easily accessed wearing the pack, are indeed fairly small. I had a hard time fitting my entire hand inside to fish smaller items out. Phones and wallets should be a snap to get out, but anything that may find its way into the very back of the pocket like a pen or pack of gum may be hard to nab quickly.

Smallish side RFID protected pockets for your phone, wallet, earbuds or whatever will fit.

This bottom entry compartment is separated from the main compartment with a zipper in the bottom of the bag, allowing it to be rolled up and stored until needed. That was a clever touch to keep that part out of the way when using the bag in the conventional way.

There’s the hidden bottom compartment on the underside of the bag.

I would say this bottom compartment works well in keeping wet stuff from spreading to other clothes/material in the main chamber. It’s a great place to store damp towels, dirty shoes, even food or cold bottles that would collect condensation. This compartment, when expanded into the main chamber, will place the items within it alongside your belongings in the main space, so some adjusting and moving things around is necessary to keep the bag from feeling too “thick.”

And here’s the zipper that allows the bottom compartment to expand into the main chamber.

The SERK’s outer material is a thick, slightly stiff, waterproof canvas. It’s much more durable than a typical gym bag, though I found it does take some adjusting to conform to the curve of your back and shoulders. It’s not uncomfortable, but I never got to the point where I didn’t feel like I had something on my back, if that makes sense… I was aware of that material, stretching and moving around with it on my back, and it made me wonder if I’d get annoyed with it after wearing the bag all day, or if I’d eventually get used to it.

The top opening, when fully expanded, is very large.

It’s worth noting that the bag itself isn’t totally waterproof, as in you couldn’t drop it into a lake and have everything be all right, seeing as there is obviously a big hole at the top of the pack where the drawstrings pull it closed. I couldn’t get it to close any tighter than the circumference of a small egg. I think that’s good enough for most, just don’t get caught in a downpour.

For something that is made to be slung quickly on one’s back, I managed to accidentally pull the knotted nylon ropes through the d-rings a couple of times. That could easily be remedied with another (or thicker) knot at the end of the ropes, but the default size of that double-knot can be pulled through without much strength.

Speaking of those straps, they’re definitely not as comfortable as most typical backpacks I’ve used. It is recommended that the content weight not exceed 4kg (about 9lbs). That doesn’t seem like a lot of weight for such a heavy-duty pack. While the diamond-braided ropes can withstand 700lbs, I think the weight limit recommendation is there for comfort’s sake. It takes some fine-tuning to get the dual straps to rest on your shoulder with equal distribution.

You probably won’t want to overstuff this bag.

Funny thing about those ropes, I remember reading on the original Kickstarter page for this product that they could be removed from the bag and unraveled like paracord in an emergency situation, because of their high tensile strength. I suppose this is true, provided you were later able to feed a new cord back into the bag! That’s just a fun extra feature worth noting.

Here is the expanded bottom compartment inside the main chamber.

If you wanted to use the SERK as your daily commuter bag, as I did, once you get a laptop and a few other items in there, you might not have room for too much more before going beyond that weight limit and causing some discomfort on your shoulders. It definitely can be used as a work bag, the design even encourages it with pockets for a laptop, notebook and tablet, and padding on the bottom of the bag itself. I’d just caution against too much weight so that the straps don’t dig in to your shoulders.

Best for light loads, I would say. And tough, to boot.

What I like

  • Isolated compartment keeps dirty, wet items separated
  • Much more durable than typical nylon gym bags
  • Can be used as a commuter bag as well

What needs to be improved

  • Rope knots can come loose
  • Bag material can be a bit stiff
  • Side pockets are quite narrow, hard to fit hands inside

Final thoughts

The SERK backpack stacks up to be a great replacement for that nylon gym bag, and could be an excellent day bag for hitting the beach or park. But you might find it a little lacking for the serious work commuter.

Price: $40.95 in gray or $44.95 in black
Where to buy: The SERK drawstring bag can be purchased directly from Rever Brand’s website.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Rever Brand.

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SERK Duo-entry Drawstring Backpack review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 18, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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