For the love of tech
Tech and apps help us all year round. Why should it be any different on Valentine’s Day?
THE sweetest, most romantic day of the year is just two days away. If you have a special someone to spend the day with, congratulations, someone likes you. If you don’t, nah ... it’s not that big a deal anyway. The only person who can give you all the love you deserve is none other than yourself. Oprah Winfrey told me that, and you’d better believe it.
Anyway, guess what can make this day better with or without a significant other? Technology. There are so many apps and gadgets out there catered to the loved-up people of the world, and when would be a better time to check them out than now?
The power couple
Do you know lovey-dovey couples that call each other with their pet names, confess their love from the top of every building and are non-surgically attached at the hips? Introduce them to the Couple app (free on iOS and Android), and hopefully they won’t do all that in public anymore. Couple is like a social network made just for the two of you, where you can send disappearing private messages (like Instagram and Snapchat), and even have a timeline of your relationship. It would come in totally handy when your partner asks you to prove your love by stating the exact day and date of a random event. You can also send a “thumbkiss” where touching corresponding spots on the phones simultaneously will make them vibrate.
There is also the Happy Couple app (free on iOS and Android) that allows you to see how much you and your partner know about each other. Each partner has to download the app, and every day they will be asked five questions. If the answers match, then they will get points which allows them to unlock other features in the app.
Missing in action
Cannot bear to spend Valentine’s Day away from your loved one? Say hello to Pillow Talk, a set of wristband and speakers that lets you listen to your significant other’s heartbeat while they are away.
Developed by the totally normal people at Little Riot, the gadget aims to bridge the gap in long distance relationships. So basically, both parties need to own the Pillow Talk set that retails for £136 (RM740) and ships worldwide. When one party puts on the wristband, a message is sent via the Pillow Talk app (free on iOS and Android) telling the other person that their significant other wants to “pillow talk” with them.
The wristband picks up the heartbeat and sends it in real time to their loved one, which they can listen to via the speaker that plugs in directly to the phone. One needs Internet or WiFi connection for this setup to work. The Pillow Talk ships worldwide, and if you’re looking to get it in time for Valentine’s Day, the express delivery within two to three days costs an additional £15 (RM82).
No time, no problem
If you forgot to get your partner a gift and thus dread seeing them on Valentine’s Day, take a deep breath.
Online shopping has been around almost forever now, you know? There are many online shopping sites where you can purchase gift cards and let your partner pick out whatever they want.
Now if your significant other prefers cliched gifts like flowers, there are also many online floral shops that could deliver the goodies right to their doorstep. The catch? It might be super (and unnecessarily) pricey but that’s the price you pay for not remembering to get a gift earlier.
Meet somebody
Once upon a time, there was a stigma surrounding online dating apps. Now, it’s not as bad as before but seriously, who cares about how you met your future partner?
There are several dating apps like Paktor (free on iOS and Android) that lets you meet other people who are also looking for love. But if you’re not looking for a long-term relationship, and just need humans to hangout with on Valentine’s Day, the Kakis app (free on iOS and Android) will help you find like-minded people.
You will survive
Break-ups are difficult and Valentine’s Day does nothing but highlight #foreveralone in the story of your life. The good news is that you don’t have to go through this alone.
Mend (iOS) is an app that lets you get over your break up in stages. But like everything else in life, this too has a price tag.
While the first seven sessions are free, users are required to pay for a subscription if they want to continue – it’s US$9.99 (RM39) per month though if you sign up for longer, you get better prices.
The app starts off by asking several personal questions including when and why you broke up, and then gives you a series of activities that helps you care for yourself like taking deep breaths, hydrating, exercise and meditation.
The app responds like a chat, so it feels like you’re getting advice from a close friend instead of a chatbot.