I love learning languages, and while I’ve been quite proficient in a number of European ones, when I needed to learn Japanese for work, I tried a number of apps unsuccessfully. Busuu has been the only one that consistently builds on your understanding and ability to use the grammar, which are essential for true mastery of the language, and even more important in Japanese, given it is so very different to the European languages I know. Busuu has helped me gain confidence in hiragana, katakana and now kanji as well, and has supported direct tuition with a tutor, as it serves as practice between lessons. I’d also like to point out that Busuu doesn’t treat any language as one and done, either. In the time I’ve been learning Japanese, several updates have been made to the course, including new chapters that expand knowledge and understanding, backfilling potential gaps. There’s even an option to learn through manga that wasn’t available to start with, but which I might well consider to improve my less formal vocabulary. I could list a few apps that would be vastly improved for following the Busuu approach. Maybe it’s just that Japanese is so different, some apps that work with more familiar languages just don’t hit the mark. But this is the one app I have recommended over and over again, and which I will happily keep using for my own development. For benchmarking purposes: I’m native English, speak and write French so well that the French assume I’m a native, and speak and write German fluently, too. I’m wired for languages generally. My son did not get that gene, and when supplementing his GCSE German with apps, Busuu was also the one that had the most impact on his ability to get through and actually learn it.

I’ve been a fan of Niantic’s games since the Ingress beta, so I’ve had a chance to experience almost all of their games. Where inclusion used to be a big part of the appeal, some of the gameplay in the games has now made some of them really hard for disabled players to enjoy.
I’m not going to go into Pikmin Bloom here: suffice to say that it deliberately excluded non-walkers and that was like a slap to the face for otherwise loyal Niantic fans.
Unfortunately, MH Now, while not being exclusively based on steps like PB, is a game that is hard to advance in if you are unable to take a regular turn around your neighbourhood. The spawn rate of large monsters is too low to make play from home viable the way it is in PoGo, and the speed lock feels even tougher than those in PoGo and Ingress, even for passengers on buses.
Given that I’m stuck at home awaiting spinal surgery and only leaving the house for medical appointments, it’s overall hugely frustrating when ordinarily it would have given me something other to focus on than being in pain.
I’ve met John Hanke: I know he believes in gamifying health and fitness for the greater good. And that’s a great aim. I led RES to anomaly victory in London against ENL when he was there and playing on that team, and we played in such a way that disabled players were welcome, included and valued. But it does leave those of us who genuinely can’t be hiking the world feeling abandoned by a game studio that some of us have supported for more years than we care to remember.
I’d like to see a way for disabled players, at the very least, to be able to contact Niantic for access to a game mode that made allowances that could keep us engaged and included. I really hope someone from Niantic is reading this and willing to at least give it some thought.
As for the game itself, I wouldn’t be pushing so hard for accommodations if Niantic had created a dud. If you’re able-bodied and want a new excuse to get more exercise, download MH Now and look forward to battling dinosaurs on your local streets.

I love learning languages, and while I’ve been quite proficient in a number of European ones, when I needed to learn Japanese for work, I tried a number of apps unsuccessfully.
Busuu has been the only one that consistently builds on your understanding and ability to use the grammar, which are essential for true mastery of the language, and even more important in Japanese, given it is so very different to the European languages I know.
Busuu has helped me gain confidence in hiragana, katakana and now kanji as well, and has supported direct tuition with a tutor as well, as it serves as practice between lessons.
I’d also like to point out that Busuu doesn’t treat any language as one and done, either. In the time I’ve been learning Japanese, several updates have been made to the course, including new chapters that expand knowledge and understanding, backfilling potential gaps. There’s even an option to learn through manga that wasn’t available to start with, but which I might well consider to improve my less formal vocabulary.
I could list a few apps that would be vastly improved for following the Busuu approach. Maybe it’s just that Japanese is so different, some apps that work with more familiar languages just don’t hit the mark. But this is the one app I have recommended over and over again, and which I will happily keep using for my own development.
For benchmarking purposes: I’m native English, speak and write French so well that the French assume I’m a native, and speak and write German fluently, too. I’m wired for languages generally. My son did not get that gene, and when supplementing his GCSE German with apps, Busuu was also the one that had the most impact on his ability to get through and actually learn it.

When you make a booking for a specific time, you expect it to actually happen. Well, not with this app. Not only do bookings consistently not get honoured, you don’t know until the time of your booking that it won’t happen.
While able-bodied users could get an Uber instead, wheelchair users don’t have that option and need to be able to rely upon the service doing what it promises.
Would give zero stars if I could. Avoid.

Sure, this is a useful app in its way. But it’s beyond time that Amazon gave shoppers a dark mode that allows those with neurological issues to use it without pain.
It’s way too bright, no matter how convenient it is.

Having just taken delivery of a new car, the dealership told me to install this app. Which is fine. I’m finding it interesting - if a little scary given current fuel prices - to see how much the journeys cost, but get very frustrated at how poorly they are logged. I’ve made 2 long drives for work recently, give permission to track - and seriously, do you have to ask me every time I get in the car? - and neither has registered. Just when the data would have been most useful it lets you down.
So while I can see the potential, and I’m sure other functions will be very helpful in due course, I do think there is still some work to do for this app to be truly good.

While the single biggest piece of advice I can give about Wish is caveat emptor, because the products don’t always match up to photography or descriptions, there are some things that it’s quite handy for.
However, I’m uninstalling the app and here is why. There is a bug that is making it impossible for me to add things to the basket. I went through a first round of contacting support and got a very patronising response that addressed nothing. I’d already followed every step recommended because I’ve been buying stuff on the web for more than 20 years and anyone with a basic level of tech savvy would have followed the same steps already. And it solved nothing.
So of course I provided feedback that the advice was insufficient and eventually received another response, which basically doesn’t care that there is a technical issue with the app and instead suggests I use their website. Well thanks, Captain Obvious. I actually wanted to use the app and I thought you might care that there’s a bug that needs fixing, but how silly was I?
So the app is being uninstalled. I may or may not shop with Wish in the future, but their attitude towards this kind of elementary improvement makes me feel I’d rather give my money to a company that cares about the customer experience and doesn’t just patronise its customers.