Technology - running apps - Examined

I AM ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT for reviews of phone apps that help me make good choices for download. An excellent Runner's World slide show article by Jeff Dengate, Caitlin Giddings, Danielle Whitis (link and discussion below) reviewed 27 running apps.

Author Erin Beresini (link below) discusses some very advanced training aids in an article that doesn't specifically apply to running in Outsideonline.com. “How Apps Are Replacing Coaches With Personalized Training Plans.”  I liked her focus and decided to check out the apps she mentions.  One app discussed as free was not completely so (free trial period), and was mostly about non-running related training. She describes how the "coach" apps provide training plans and make adjustments based on information the user supplies. To really know how things work, the app must be installed, of course. It seems potentially to be too much work and I am reluctant to set up a trial period.  Maneuvering out of an automatic monthly subscription can be tricky and costly. The article did not help me in a practical way to find an app, but it set me thinking that eventually a coaching function I was excited about setting up and using might be perfected. 
 
ANOTHER APP: Runner’s World (RW), my favorite running information source, released a new free app “RW Go” that openly declares it has embedded opportunities in it for purchases, possibly plans and tracking capabilities. It might a good app for a specific race. From experience I know that purchases can unwittingly be made (by the witless). The app almost seems like it offers most of what the magazine publishes in the way of support advice in articles and videos, possibly free or for purchase at some level. For some it could be ideal. Personally i love having the physical magazine to read.
 
RW ARTICLE DOESN’T DISAPPOINT: I also found that RW published an online slide show article “27 Apps Every Runner Should Know About” in late 2015.The required operating system is noted and the slideshow DOES IDENTIFY which apps are FREE. Generally free apps are basic versions that make a daily effort to sell an upgrade. Of course, the first app to be reviewed was RW Go.  Other apps in the slide show were well-known leaders in the field like Runkeeper, Strava, MapMyRun, Nike+, Runtasic. Included were apps with a specific focus, like Charity Miles (helps with charity donations), Outsider (tracks weather), Treadmill Trails (provides videos of great places), PaceJam and PaceDJ (helps with pacing), Zombies, Run! (aids motivation),  RoadID, bSafe, React Mobile, and Kitestring (help with safety). Thanks are due to the article’s three authors for their work. I'd like to try many of the "specific focus" apps.
 
IT”S UP TO YOU: I took a deeper dive to more fully evaluate the 27 apps, but realized after the first 3 on the list that, even without getting on the road to test drive any, it could take a full day to accomplish this task with the entire list. And, that evaluation would only reflect MY preferences. Each runner will need to invest time in searching for the perfect app or the app that is perfect for a specific task. In the meantime, I’ll work to become more tech-savy, and continue looking for apps that are a bit more sophisticated and that go beyond simply providing a free GPS function to track distance, pace, and time. This function alone has made my training SO MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE!
 
RUN HAPPY!

http://www.outsideonline.com/2047501/could-app-really-replace-human-coach

http://www.runnersworld.com/electronics/27-apps-every-runner-should-know-about