In 2021, the concept of “web 3.0” increasingly worked its way into the mainstream. Artificial intelligence became smarter and more commonplace. Social media continued to integrate into everyday life. Whether or not you are enthusiastic about the future, it is clear that the way we use the internet continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Over the years, our weekly faves have adapted to this ongoing evolution, showcasing more mobile apps and different products in order to better reflect how people are building tools, games, companies, and fun sites on the web.
For our Best of 2021 list, we’ve chosen a group of faves that showcases the wide variety of ways in which the web as we know it can entertain, inspire, increase productivity or otherwise improve our lives.
Although All My Faves exists to help you better navigate the web, and our weekly faves list gives you eleven new awesome sites and apps to check out each week, we understand the negative impact that overuse of technology can have on individuals. So does Opal, a beautiful app that does exactly what it set out to accomplish: helping you “take control of your phone.”
The app asks you to set a goal for your daily screen time. It adapts based on user needs. If you want to get better sleep, be less distracted by notifications, or just spend less time being upset on social media, Opal can design a plan for you. The app’s basic function is disconnecting the apps that distract you most, so you can focus on what’s truly meaningful to you. It’s the antithesis of the “endless scroll” mentality that has overtaken engagement-hungry social media powerhouses.
Ultimately you’re in control of which apps Opal blocks and when it blocks them. So Opal is a tool to help you increase your awareness of your phone usage, and be more mindful about how you use social media apps. In a year filled with distractions, temporarily unplugging couldn’t be more important.
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Allset lets you order ahead and pickup from restaurants, safely.
The global COVID-19 pandemic is forcing all businesses to innovate. In the tech sector especially, companies that have received funding for business models that are not sustainable under quarantine measures are being forced to reevaluate their approaches. Allset, one such company, seems as if it would be antithetical to the new quarantine measures. Instead, the company aims to provide a valuable service for both consumers and restaurants that are struggling during this period. The app lets people order ahead at restaurants. Previously, customers could show up and eat their prepaid meal once they arrived, removing the wait time involved in ordering, cooking, paying the bill, etc. Now, Allset focuses exclusively on take-out orders from restaurants that are remaining open.
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Preply helps you find online language tutors.
In these uncertain times, during which people are spending more time indoors and online than ever, there has never been a better chance to put serious practice into a new skill. For those who have been wanting to learn a new language, or brush up on their knowledge of a second tongue, Preply has the most extensive, comprehensive list of online tutors. The majority of the platform’s tutors teach English, but there are several options for instructors in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, and many other languages. You can tailor your learning objectives based on what you aim to accomplish, and what you already know. You can also choose only to learn from native speakers of the language you’re learning.
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Scanwell provides at home UTI tests and treatment options.
Scanwell is one of the many companies which, in the midst of the ongoing global COVID-19 outbreak, is doing its best to make health care more affordable and accessible to everyone. Along with telemedicine startup Lemonaid, Scanwell is working to develop and distribute an at-home coronavirus testing kit. The test consists of an online intake questionnaire followed by next-day delivery of a testing kit, which syncs with Scanwell’s app, where users can confidentially and securely view their results from home before following up with a Lemonaid doctor, who can provide information as to next steps, whether that means self-quarantine, hospital care, or another option.
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When you shop online with Bookshop, you support local bookstores.
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Info Mesh is like a virtual museum for the World Wide Web.
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Kiwi is a platform to book cheap flights, trains, and buses.
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Horti
is a plant subscription service.
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Haystack
lets you watch video news from a variety of sources.
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Google Cloud Showcase
demonstrates how AI is being used to search for extraterrestrial life.
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Ivy
has created a stress-free system for getting things done.
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