We live in an age of information overload, and managing the constant influx of information can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are various tools and apps available to help you filter, organize and make sense of the vast amount of information at your fingertips. Here are some types of tools that can be helpful.
Popular apps that offer unique scanning capabilities:
Shazam is primarily known for its music identification feature. It allows users to identify songs by simply holding their phone up to a source of music (e.g., a song playing on the radio or in a restaurant).
Vivino is a platform and an app focused on wine recognition. Users can scan the label of a wine bottle using their smartphone’s camera, and Vivino will provide information about the wine, including its name, producer, grape variety, user ratings and reviews.
PlantSnap lets users identify plants and flowers by taking photos of them. It’s a great tool for gardening enthusiasts and nature lovers.
CamFind allows users to take pictures of objects to identify them. It can recognize a wide range of items and provide information about them.
Chegg Study enables students to scan textbook pages or homework problems to get instant explanations, solutions, and answers.
MyFitnessPal allows users to scan barcodes on food products to quickly input nutritional information.
Pic2Shop is a barcode scanner app that can compare prices and find product information online by scanning barcodes.
RedLaser is another barcode scanning app that helps users find product prices and details and it can also create shopping lists.
Genius Scan turns your smartphone into a portable scanner, allowing you to scan documents, receipts and other paperwork.
BookScanner App scans book barcodes and generates a virtual library catalog with book details.
Yuka lets users scan food products to receive information about their nutritional quality, ingredients and potential health impacts.
CurioPets uses augmented reality to allow users to scan physical trading cards and bring virtual pets to life on their devices.
CamScanner is a document scanning app that uses your smartphone camera to scan, digitize and organize documents, receipts, business cards and more.
Prizmo Go scans text documents using your smartphone camera and then uses optical character recognition (OCR) to convert the text into digital format that can be edited or read aloud.
Adobe Scan is another document scanning app that captures physical documents and converts them into high-quality PDFs using OCR technology.
Artivive is an augmented reality app that allows artists to enhance their physical artworks with digital content. Users can scan art pieces to see interactive AR elements.
Scanner Pro is designed for document scanning and comes with features like automatic edge detection and color correction.
SwiftScan is a mobile scanning app that allows users to scan documents, receipts, whiteboards and more, and then save or share them as PDFs or images.
SkyView is an astronomy app that uses your device’s camera to identify and display stars, constellations, planets, and other celestial objects in real time.
Peek Calendar is a unique calendar app that lets you simply point your camera at an event poster to automatically add it to your calendar.
Fooducate is a health and nutrition app that lets you scan barcodes on food products to get information about their nutritional content and make healthier choices.
ChirpOMatic is an app that identifies bird songs and calls. It can be handy for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts.
Сonsumer review websites:
Trustpilot is known for its focus on customer reviews for businesses across various industries, helping consumers make informed decisions.
Wirecutter focuses on writing detailed guides to different categories of consumer products which recommend just one or two best items in the category.
Yelp is a widely used platform where users can leave reviews and ratings for local businesses, including restaurants, shops and service providers.
TripAdvisor is focused on the travel and hospitality industry and features reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants, attractions and more. It’s a popular resource for travelers looking for recommendations.
Glassdoor focuses on workplace reviews, providing insights into companies from current and former employees. It includes information about company culture, salaries and job interviews.
Capterra focuses on software and technology reviews. It helps businesses find the right software solutions based on user feedback and ratings.
Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization that provides expert and unbiased reviews on a wide range of products and services, aiming to help consumers make educated choices.
CNET is particularly valuable for technology products, it offers in-depth reviews and ratings for electronics, gadgets and software.
Goodreads is a platform where readers can leave reviews and ratings for books they’ve read.
Cars.com offers reviews, ratings and information about cars and dealerships.
Websites that provide information and assessments about the trustworthiness of other websites:
ScamAdviser analyzes websites to provide users with risk assessments, trust scores and information about potential scams and fraudulent activities.
URLVoid is a website scanner that checks a given URL against multiple databases to assess its reputation, security and potential risks.
Norton Safe Web evaluates websites based on security and potential risks, providing insights into whether a website is safe to browse.
McAfee WebAdvisor provides website safety ratings and alerts users to potential risks, such as malware and phishing.
Web of Trust is a community-driven platform that offers user-generated ratings and reviews for websites to help users make informed decisions about their safety.
Google Safe Browsing feature helps protect users from dangerous websites by displaying warnings when they attempt to visit potentially harmful sites.
PhishTank is a crowdsourced platform that tracks and verifies phishing websites, helping users avoid deceptive and malicious sites.
Sucuri SiteCheck scans websites for malware, blacklisting and other security issues, providing users with a security report.
Trend Micro Site Safety Center assesses websites for potential security risks and provides safety ratings.
Wappalyzer helps identify the technologies used by websites, which can indirectly provide insights into their legitimacy.
Fact-checking websites:
Snopes is one of the oldest and most well-known fact-checking websites. It covers a wide range of topics, debunking urban legends, rumors and misinformation.
FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, it examines the accuracy of claims made by politicians and public figures in the United States.
PolitiFact rates the accuracy of statements made by politicians and public figures on its “Truth-O-Meter,” ranging from “True” to “Pants on Fire.”
The Washington Post Fact Checker is a project by The Washington Post that assesses the truthfulness of claims made in politics, public policy and more.
Reuters Fact Check fact-checks news stories and social media content to verify accuracy and counter misinformation.
AFP Fact Check verifies and debunks false information circulating online, particularly focusing on social media.
BBC Reality Check examines claims and statements in the news to provide accurate information and context.
EUFactCheck is focused on European issues, it fact-checks claims made by European politicians and parties.
Africa Check focuses on fact-checking claims made in African countries to combat misinformation in the region.
Health Feedback focuses on fact-checking health-related claims, particularly those related to medical science and public health.
SciCheck is a project by FactCheck.org that focuses on debunking false and misleading scientific claims.
