Durban - So Valentine’s Day is over for another year.
Whether you greeted its passing with a sigh of relief or one of wistful contentment, you’ll almost certainly agree that lasting happiness in a relationship is about a lot more than one commercially hyped day.
Want to keep that loving feeling going all year round? There’s an app for that. A few actually. If these smartphone applications won’t keep the two of you feeling all warm and fuzzy until February 14 next year, they should at least stop you from going all War of the Roses on one another.
Kindu
This app is particularly useful for new couples who’d like an insight into one another’s deepest desires without the awkwardness of actually discussing them in person. After signing up individually, you each privately answer “definitely”, “maybe” or “no” to a barrage of suggestions fired at you by the app. These range from the pretty innocuous “Do something athletic together” and “Practise kissing creatively” to the kind of stuff more at home in Fifty Shades of Grey than a family newspaper.
The app then compares your answers with your partner’s and shows you both the matches, without revealing your embarrassing killer heels fetish – unless of course your partner shares it!
I can’t think of a more perfect app for the millennial generation who are more comfortable communicating via electronic gadgets than face-to-face. But it’s probably not a bad idea for long-standing couples who have got into a bit of a rut.
Kindu is free for Android and iOS devices.
Uber
Nothing pours icy water on the warm glow that follows a date night out at your favourite restaurant than being arrested for drunken driving. If only you’d taken Uber.
This modern take on the old fashioned taxi cab recently expanded its offering in Joburg, Cape Town and Durban. Now you can choose between being picked up by a swanky Merc, BMW or Audi (UberBlack) or taking a cheaper ride in a less flash, but still clean and comfy Toyota Corolla or Avanza (UberX).
You book your private driver using one of the slickest smartphone apps around. Not only is the system cashless – you load your credit card details into the app on sign-up – but you get to monitor your driver’s progress in real time on a map while you wait for your ride, leaving plenty of time to mull over some of your steamier Kindu app revelations. So much more romantic than a jail cell.
The Uber app is free to download for iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows phone devices, but you pay for your rides… obviously.
Avocado
If Kindu is the Fifty Shades of the couple’s app world, Avocado is the Oprah’s Book Club choice, nowhere near as raunchy, but eminently more down to earth and practical.
Avocado bills itself as a secure place for two, allowing couples to exchange private messages and share a calendar, lists, photos, and even doodles.
The shared calendar is particularly useful for partners prone to forgetting anniversaries, birthdays and important events like school galas and prize givings – no prizes for guessing who that one is in the Cooper household.
It’s a free download for Android and iOS devices.
Debonairs
Sometimes nothing beats a cosy evening at home, particularly after a busy week. If neither of you is in the mood to cook, the Debonairs app is the perfect solution.
After downloading the app and filling in your contact details and local outlet, simply browse the menu and choose your pizzas, along with any extras such as cool drinks, hot subs and chicken wings. The app even allows you to change toppings and the type of base – thin and crispy is how the Coopers like theirs.
We’ve used this app for about a year and it’s never taken longer than 40 minutes from pressing the order button to the dogs’ barking at the arrival of the Debonairs man on his motorbike.
The app is free to download for iOS and Android devices, but if you have another brand of smartphone simply type “app.debonairspizza.mobi” into your phone’s web browser and you’ll be taken to a cellphone optimised site with all the same functionality as the app.
Sunday Tribune
* Have any questions or comments? E-mail me at [email protected] or tweet @alanqcooper on Twitter.