ONE-TOUCH CONFERENCE CALL

Boulder startup makes it easier to hold phone meetings

MobileDay, which has raised nearly $1.5 million in funding, this year released a free app for iPhones and Android smartphones that allows users to easily set up and join conference calls. The app works with third-party conference services or MobileDay’s built-in conference service, which is free. Setting up a conference call takes just a few seconds, and you can literally dial in to the call from the app with just one touch — no need to remember phone numbers or conference ID numbers.

Andy Vuong, The Denver Post

MAP APPLICATION

The social approach

As Google and Apple square off in the maps space, the directionally challenged may also want to consider alternatives for mapping. One such mobile devices application, Waze, takes a look at maps with a social slant. Waze also reads out turn-by-turn directions — a key feature for any successful map app. Users report the traffic conditions and other incidents on the road to build the app’s data. Sometimes this means that the data is really rich, but it also means that you may be out of luck if there aren’t other users in the area. And while the app is good for looking at traffic on routes you already know, it’s less helpful for finding your way around a place that you’re unfamiliar with because the routing data isn’t always accurate. The app is by no means perfect, but Waze can help with your commute if traffic is a great unknown. Free for iPhone and Android.

Hayley Tsukayama, The Washington Post

ONLINE SHOP

Obsessed with beauty

Life is full of beautiful things. That’s the philosophy Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom abide by. The San Francisco-based pair runs the Curiosity Shoppe based on their self-professed obsession with beautiful things. The Curiosity Shoppe offers everything from molecule building sets to hamburger-shaped kitchen timers. The products here are categorized by where they belong: living room, dressing room, kitchen, office, craft room, and library. The books offered reflect the site’s overall quirky sensibilities. You’ll find short yet fun titles like “All My Friends Are Dead,” “I Feel Relatively Neutral About New York” and other books that happen to be favorites of Smith and Fagerstrom. And there’s a page devoted to DIY activities. You’ll find kits for origami, crocheting, building a ukulele, etc. As Smith and Fagerstrom say: “Sure it’s exciting to surround yourself with wonderful things, but there’s magic to be found when you make it yourself.” curiosityshoppeonline.com

Joshua Axelrod, McClatchy-Tribune