Checking congestion before going out

In large cities in Japan, local governments have issued requests to refrain from going out to citizens, but it is impossible to stop them completely. You have to go shopping for food and daily necessities, and you may have to go to a hospital or dental clinic suddenly.
Then, Yahoo! Japan has re-released the crowd radar function to visualize the degree of congestion in each area on their mobile map application "Yahoo! MAP" and its web version.

They closed this feature on January 31, but re-released it with more features due to the spread of the coronavirus.
The new congestion radar calculates the congestion status from 2 hoursago to 26 hours ago based on the data of users who allow the use of location information in the applications provided by Yahoo! JAPAN indicate. The degree of congestion is indicated by colors on a heat map in stages. By moving the slider at the bottom of the screen, you can check the congestion at each time period from 2 hours ago to 26 hours ago. And when you tap the play button, the transition of congestion status is shown by animation.

If you have to go out due to unavoidable circumstances, you can use this to understand the tendency of congestion around the destination area or stations, and you will be able to avoid congestion and act more easily.
Yahoo! MAP application version is free to download(iOS/Android).

Eliminate exercise shortage using the application

The spread of the coronavirus has increased the number of business people who work remotely at home, but they tend to cause lack of exercise.
So, a fitness mobile application BeatFit proposes fitness that can be done at home.

BeatFit is an application that personal trainers along with popular songs and teach you fitness by voice. It has 11 genres such as walking, running, aerobics and yoga and more than 600 classes, and you can choose from them. If you are not sure which class to choose, AI will recommend the class based on your user information, purpose and mood. These are the part of special features for remote workers released this time. "Start your day comfortably with morning fitness!", "Recommend walking after meal", "100 times squat challenge". All of them can be easily challenged between work, and you can enjoy fitness in 5 minutes. In addition, it is linked to Apple Healthcare, which allows you to record fitness data daily.
Downloading the application and using it for 30 days is free(iOS/Android), after which the subscription costs 9800 yen per year.

Use your smartphone like a PC

The work style of many business people has become telework due to the influence of the coronavirus. Then it is important to make your home a comfortable work place for good performance. This may help for your work place in home.
Online gadget shop Sanwa Supply released a card reader 400-ADR325BK that can output a smartphone screen to a monitor like a desktop PC by setting a smartphone in the Type-C connector and connecting it to the monitor with an HDMI cable.

It supports DeX mode of Galaxy series and PC mode of HUAWAI series. It also has a USB A port, so you can use your mouse to operate your smartphone like operating a PC. For example, you can write a draft of texts on your smartphone, and then use it to review and refine it on a large monitor. In addition, it also has SD card and microSD card slots so you can manage your media.
The size is 80 x D110 x 21.5mm and weighs about 77g. It is flat and easy to carry when you collapse it. If telework ends when the effects of the coronavirus cease, you will be able to use it at your office. The price is 4,480 yen and you can buy this at their official shops and major e-commerce sites.

Experience composition for free

Currently, various companies are offering their content free of charge to workers who are working remotely at home and children whose schools have been temporarily closed due to the effects of the coronavirus. But why not just try to compose music, not just enjoy them?
Electronic instrument maker Korg is offering an app version of their gadget Kaossilator, that can compose loop music for free for a limited time. No problem if you don't have any knowledge of music. You can compose and play music of various genres simply by tracing, hitting or rubbing the touch pad. Also, while you are playing, cool visual effects will be displayed on the screen in conjunction with it.

It contains 150 types of sounds and has a scale / key setting function that allows you to play without losing the pitch. If you write a masterpiece, you can record it and post it to SoundCloud. You can download the iOS version of the application for free until March 31, and the Android version for free until March 20.

Social virtual world in your pocket

Not all businesses are negative by coronaviruses. Certainly, real-world events are being canceled, but the virtual world is thriving. cluster is a social VR application for VR head-mounted displays and PCs. You can log in to the virtual world via your own avatar, chat with someone and participate in various events. They released its mobile application version this month.

If you don't have any VR head-mounted displays, and you can't watcu your PC screen, you can access almost all the virtual world features from your smartphone. Logging in with the application is easy. You launch the application, select your Apple or Google account, enter your user ID and display name, and you can walk around the world with a simple avatar.

The display name and icon can be changed later. If you are new to avatar control, you can practice it with the tutorials provided in the official world. Check the bulletin board on the home screen if you want to know event information and popular worlds.

Up to 12 people can be connected at the same time per world, and you can use microphones and original avatars and have a small meeting here. Downloading the application is free(iOS/Android).