Ask the Readers: What's Your Favorite App Idea?

Editor's Note: Due to Facebook changing their promotions guideline rules, we had to select two winners from the comments and one from Twitter. Congratulations to Chris, NJJ, and 1bets1 for winning this week's contest! 

For iPhone's alone, there are over 350,000 apps available for download. These days it really does seem like there is an app for everything! But have you ever come up with an idea for an app that wasn't already available for download?

Do you have a good idea for a mobile app? Have you ever wanted to do something with your phone or iPad but you couldn't find an app for it? Do you have an app on your phone to help you with your finances but wish that it had more features? If so, what other features would you like to see?

Feel free to share any app ideas you have. But of course, this being Wise Bread, we'd especially love to hear about apps that will help people save time and money!

Tell us about your favorite mobile app idea we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Win 1 of 3 $20 Amazon Gift Cards

We're doing three giveaways — one for random comments, one for random Facebook "Likes", and another one for random tweets.

Enter 1 of 3 Ways:

  • Post your answer in the comments below, or
  • Go to our Facebook page, "Like" us, then "Like" the update mentioning this giveaway (you can comment, as well — but you don't have to for entry), or
  • Tweet your answer. You have to be a follower of our @wisebread account. Include both "@wisebread" and "#WBAsk" in your tweet so we'll see it and count it.

If you're inspired to write a whole blog post OR you have a photo on flickr to share, please link to it in the comments or tweet it.

Giveaway Rules:

  • Contest ends Monday, May 22nd at 11:59 pm Pacific. Winners will be announced after May 22nd on the original post and via Twitter. Winners will also be contacted via email, Facebook, and Twitter Direct Message.
  • You can enter all three drawings — once by leaving a comment, once by liking our Facebook update, and once by tweeting.
  • You must be 18 and US resident to enter. Void where prohibited.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.

Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.


Guest's picture

I kind of dream of getting an iPod Touch, but I don't actually have one, so I just play with my little sister's smartphone. Since I don't have one, then, I can't promise my idea doesn't already exist.

Anyway, I'd really like to have an app that helps me find stores that sell fair trade coffee. I'm a nerd about my coffee and I like supporting the fair trade movement, so this would be perfect for me.

Guest's picture

I'd love a price book app that would let you list and easily view prices at multiple stores. The I'd know the best place to stock up on soap and the best store to buy my favorite shampoo.

Guest's picture
Guest

Wisebread, long time reader. Not cool. Offering incentives to aggregate app ideas to use or sell. Don't misuse your popularity for gains like this, I'm not gonna stop following you yet, but this officially earns the right to be my least favorite move by you guys.

Guest's picture
Guest

Nobody is forced to give ideas. And the comments are open; so you can use them too if you would want to.

Meg Favreau's picture

Hi, Guest. Thanks for your comment. Our primary goal here is to develop discussion among readers, and as the above commenter noted, these answers are available to everyone. We also don't require that responses have a certainly level of specificity, so readers are welcome to respond with as many or as few details about their ideas as they desire, from a point-by-point description to "better food app options."

Guest's picture
shannonmarye

i would love to have an app where I could record the sound of a bird outside and have it identify what type of bird it is.

Guest's picture
Eric

Hmm... I'm still looking for the perfect workout app. I've got a couple decent ones, but not one that quite does *everything*.

Guest's picture
jaimee

i am so app illiterate, so there may actually be one like this out there, but one that tracks your steps (like pedometer), as well as tells you how many calories you've burned doing "normal" (housework, grocery shopping, etc) tasks

Guest's picture
Maseca

Maybe I haven't looked hard enough, but I'd love an inflation calculator app. Right now I just have Westegg bookmarked on my iPhone, but a nice app would be spectacular!

Guest's picture
Ash BK

I would love if there was an app that scouted out farmer's markets by entering the zip code close to home (or wherever you are). Being able to get locally grown food at the palm of my hand(held) would be amazing!

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NJJ

I'd love if there were an app that could help identify birds, ducks, flowers, plants & leaves-which would especially be helpful while camping especially to avoid getting lost or avoid poison ivy.

Guest's picture
Guest

I, too, would like an app that could be used as a price book for multiple stores. There are some out there, but they don't cover the x-tra's that I'd like to have in a good all-purpose shopping app.

Guest's picture
Chris

My wife is a nurse, and I would love for her to have an app that would let her chart more easily.

Guest's picture
Searching for solutions

Ok, I've never commented but this is something I have extremely strong feelings about - having spent the better part of a month searching for the perfect 'personal finance' application. Here's my dilemma; I need an app that has an appropriate level of detail (I.e. All my transactions and the relevant info) without including stuff that would put me at risk (account numbers, name and address etc.). Ideally it would aggregate, but so long as it can import from common file types, I think that would be ok too. And on top of that i need the ability to categorize each transaction, set budgets for each category, compare those budgets to reality, and adjust everything as needed. Finally - and this is the kicker - I need the ability to project into the future. I need to be able to say "ok, in august I'll get three paychecks - how should I allocate that money?" or December plan for a large expense, and subsequently save each month and adjust for months where I save too little or a little extra. No small feat believe it or not. This would be an iPad only app - iPod touch and iPhone are great mobile tools but lack the screen size in my opinion to truly replace the laptop for this purpose. I honestly don't care about giving details because if someone could write this GREAT - I'll buy it! I have tried almost every single reputable app out there to see if it will meet all these needs and such a thing just does not currently exist. Mint.com is the closest contender, but the app itself (rather than the online system which is really impressive) leaves a lot to be desired. The best app i've seen is homebudget, but even that isn't quite right and requires a couple workarounds (and lacks a true 'projection' feature). I have a spreadsheet that I've been using, but excel on the iPad (I.e. Numbers) isn't quite there yet, so I'm left cobbling together a solution. I kind of can't believe this doesn't already exist, as each individual function is available in one app or another - so obviously the functionality is there. Maybe it's too expensive for the iPad price point (around $10 MAX for most personal finance apps) but if it solved all these problems, I'd buy it in a second - and be much more likely to stick to my budget as a result!

Guest's picture
Therese

My favorite app is the one that tells me when the next bus is coming to my bus stop, since I now commute using a combination of walking and riding the bus. This way, I can decide if I want to wait a few minutes for the bus, or if I have time to walk to the next stop before it comes. Saves me money and I get my exercise!

Guest's picture
Michael

My droid light has been the single most useful app (besides maybe gmail). I love it!

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Lynda

i'd like an app that tells me the price of anything, including groceries!, at local stores =P wishful thinking i think

Guest's picture
KelR1

I don't even own a smart phone or iPad yet. Just an old-fashioned regular cell phone. So I've never even used an app yet.

Guest's picture

How about an app that keeps track of all my must-buy items and tells me every Sunday morning which store (in my local area only) has the best price, complete with coupon matchups.

Guest's picture
Betty

I don't have a smartphone, but if I did, I'd want an app that told me if a store had an item in stock. Many times I make a trip to a store for a sale item, only to find out there's none on the shelf.

Guest's picture
Carmen

I don't have a smartphone at this time, but I love the idea of the bird sounds app (I'm cardinal-song blocked) and I also like the idea of a price book app for sale shopping.

Guest's picture
Maria S

E-books!

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Raina

I'm frugal enough that I don't own anything that uses "apps". Hurray for my basic phone!

Guest's picture

i don't know if there is one already out there for this.. but I would love an app that would "hold" all my shopper loyalty cards and gift cards. I could flip through until I came to the one I wanted and it could be scanned at the register.

Guest's picture
Donna D

I am unable to get phone reception at my home but since I work 30 miles from home my old pay as you go phone for $25.00 every 3 months does the trick and gives me piece on mind in case of an emergency. The phone is so old it does not accomadate apps.

Guest's picture
Donna D

I am unable to get phone reception at my home but since I work 30 miles from home my old pay as you go phone for $25.00 every 3 months does the trick and gives me piece on mind in case of an emergency. The phone is so old it does not accomadate apps.

Guest's picture
Trish

I'd like a coupon database app that searches by product to find if there are coupons online or in newspaper inserts.

Guest's picture
kristina wittchen

I'd love an app that would tell me what song was playing on the radio. I'm always at a loss for the artist and title.

Guest's picture
Scott J

Try Shazam or Soundhound. Both are on IOS and Android. To learn more about Apps, check www.gizmodo.com. They have a great montly app roundup.

Guest's picture
Grig

I'd love an app that searches the web and tells me the lowest price for an item I'm about to buy. It'd save so much time! :)

Also, I looked *everywhere* on your facebook page, and haven't found the update mentioning this giveaway. Was there a glitch, or did you guys forget to post the update? :p

Guest's picture
autumnesf

Being a Girl Scout leader I would die for apps to keep track of my girls badge work. Would make life so much easier!

Guest's picture
Christie

I loved the app that tells you when the next bus was coming in Chicago! (Saved us time at the bus stop when that particular route had stopped running for the night!) :)