Today is the day of yet another big announcement from Apple, and rumors are running wild: a new version of the iPhone? New iPad? Smart-watch? Reanimated corpse of Steve Jobs trashing his recent biopic?
Only two things are certain: Anything is possible, and you won't be able to afford any of it for at least a year. Luckily, Apple's existing products -- like the one in your back pocket -- get minor upgrades all the time -- each time a new and useful app hits the market. And in Miami, some are more suited to the locals than the rest.
From fighting traffic to dodging a DUI, here are the top ten phone apps for Miamians. Download, open, enjoy.
See also: Miami Duo's Weather Kitty App Brings Grumpy Cat to Your Smartphone
10. HelpBridge
In times of disaster -- like say, oh, a hurricane blasting through South Florida -- HelpBridge is here to, well, help. With hurricane season peaking through September, HelpBridge is an easy-to-use application connecting you to your loved ones after crisis. It allows you to alert for help or donate help.
You can sign in using your Microsoft, Facebook, or Twitter account; afterward, HelpBridge lets you choose emergency contacts straight from your phone. Your mom, girlfriend, or abuelita will be on call in case you find yourself stranded. You also have the option to donate via PayPal or register to donate goods or your volunteer assistance through the app. With plenty of opportunities to help or call for help, HelpBridge might be just what Miami needs. That is, if all the freaked-out meteorologists are right.
Android, iPhone (Free)
9. Copa Bridgestone
Football season just begun, but in Miami, the sport of fútbol is every bit as compelling. Miami-based software creator Rokk3r Labs built Copa Bridgestone Liberatadores for the 2013 Latin-American Cup. Users can receive push notifications for news updates, alerts, and view results for each team.
From Liga de Quito to overall champ Boca Juniors, support your favorites and share the madness directly from the app to your Facebook or Twitter for some good old-fashioned trash-talking. Until next season, amigos! GOAAAL!
Android, iPhone (Free)
8. DUI Dodger
Is that drive to West Kendall looking kinda fuzzy? Drinking and driving is never a good idea, and the DUI Dodger is here to remind you of that. Make no mistake: This app is designed to motivate drivers not to get behind the wheel while drunk, rather than getting behind the wheel and driving five miles out of their way to avoid a trap (and risking more lives in the process).
DUI Dodger lists facts and myths about drinking and driving and provides a BAC calculator that lets you cross-calculate factors such as number of drinks, gender, and age to properly determine whether you've had way too much at the club. You can also test yourself with the Walk the Line test, a motion-sensor capability similar to the notorious drunk test. Now get back inside and dance it off.
Android, iPhone ($4.99)
7. Deco Bikes
The official bike rental program for Miami Beach is now on your phone. Locals and tourists alike can easily find their nearest bike location and check bike availability.
With more than 100 bike spots positioned on a convenient GPS station map, Deco Bike is essential for those slow Sunday mornings. With so much bike hype around town, this app can help cure the craving. Plus, it's much better than sitting in hourlong traffic on Collins Avenue.
iPhone (Free)
6. Sktchy
Miami art blogger and app developer Jordan Melnick created Sktchy for all the Miami artists and "artists." Just find an inspiring face, create a portrait, and share it with the world.
This makes virtually everyone with a smartphone and a working wireless signal a modern-day Picasso. And feel free to run away with it! Melnick believes that eventually every face in Miami can be sketched as part of his Sktchy Miami Campaign.
iPhone (Free)
5. Weather Kitty
Normal weather updates are mundane, ordinary, and completely un-cute. Luckily, app creators and Miami residents Suraj Hemnani and Shiv Takhar have saved us by adding fur to their forecasts with Weather Kitty.
Choose from all sorts of felines, and match them with different weather updates. You can even have Grumpy Cat as your background for those rainy days (or sunny days, if that's your style). You can also upload your own kitty pictures. And if you're not a cat person, upload puppy pictures for Weather Puppy. "89 degrees and chance of showers" will never be this adorable again.
Android, iPhone (Free)
4. Miami New Times
Are we biased here? Sure. But it's our belief that no smartphone in Miami is complete without this survival guide. From art to food, guides to calendars and rappers to reality stars, the New Times app keeps the city itself informed about its own shenanigans. It also has Daily Deals for dining and drinking on the cheap, and slideshows of the most recent events and articles.
Completely free, it carries the weight of this city's wickedness in just one tap.
Android, iPhone (Free)
3. Transit Tracker
If you're one of the unlucky Miamians who use this city's cracked public transportation system to get around town, the Miami-Dade Transit app is critical in tracking your next commute. It covers all three major forms of travel: Metrobus, Metrorail, and Metromover.
Click on either course to see routes, stations, and maps, or plan an entire trip with the Trip Planner and GPS locator. The Additional Information tab is also handy if you find yourself in the airport asking yourself how in the world you got there.
This might be the most efficient and convenient thing Miami-Dade Transit has developed. Maybe next they'll fix the transit system itself.
Android, iPhone (Free)
2. Art Basel
The time is coming. You can almost smell it as it inches closer, day by day, from Wynwood and the Design District to its hub in South Beach.
Art. Basel.
Be prepared this year and install the Art Basel app. Because while everyone will tell you, "You can't see everything during Art Basel," just laugh and say, "Not this year, jerk!" Rounded up on this app are Galleries, Artists, Artworks, Exhibition Sectors, and Event Program menus. Can you contain it? Within each, find details about where to go, when to get there, and who to try to meet. All of your out-of-town friends will think you're sooo cultured.
iPhone (Free)
1. Best Parking
It's 1 a.m. on South Beach and you're still driving around looking for parking. What gives?
Don't fret, Miami. We have enough problems with our driving situation; the Best Parking app allows parking not to be one of them. A GPS map helps you see all the available garages and lots on one screen. Best Parking even provides coupons for some of the spots. With a five-star rating, this app is reliable and a Miami must-have.
Android, iPhone (Free)
-- Lourdes Dominguez
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