Apps and Gadgets That You Need to Own

By Alex Kantarelis

Essential Gadgets

Airport Express ($99) ~ This Apple gadget helps me stream my music over my WiFi network directly into my speakers.  From any room in the apartment, I can hit play on my iPhone and the music is on ~ I don’t have to fiddle with wires or anything. It also works for wireless printing from a laptop or iPad and it can boost a WiFi signal if you are far away from your router.  It is an awesome gadget to have, and if you’re using it primarily for audio like I do, it is compatible with every kind of stereo on the market, and even works with simple computer speakers.

Roku  ($49-$99) ~ This affordable digital streaming box is the best on the market and is perfect for people looking to cut the absolutely ridiculous price of cable.  It gives you HD access to Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Crackle, Amazon Instant Video, Pandora, and a ton of other channels.  The only reason this beats out the very similar Apple TV is because it has a few more features (although Apple just last month added Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video).  Roku connects to both HD and regular old school TVs.

Essential Apps

Remote (free in the Apple app store) ~ This easy to use app lets you wirelessly play music from your iTunes library, so you don’t even have to get off the couch.  Your computer can stream the song through the airport express, or ~ if you don’t feel like shelling out the 99 dollars ~ you can just play it through your computer speakers.

Audiogalaxy (free and available for both Apple and Android) ~ Originally a file sharing service that got shut down in the early 2000s, Audiogalaxy is back in a new form.  We’re still a few years away from the cloud becoming the primary place to store music, so for now we’re stuck with what’s on our computers.  Audiogalaxy lets you stream that music directly to your iThing over a 3G or WiFi network.  It’s free and easy to use, and it lets you keep your entire music collection in your pocket at all times no matter where you are in the world (assuming you have service, of course.)