The app that will save you from playing phone tag with your friends

Essentials Week spotlights unexpected items that make our daily lives just a little bit better. 

I used to play phone tag with my college friends a lot. That, or we'd go months without a phone date, our contact relegated to liking each other's Instagram posts or a few texts here and there. 

Marco Polo changed all that. 

Since getting the app, which lets you record videos that people in chosen groups can watch later, chatting with the friends I've had for nearly 15 years has increased exponentially. Time zones, work, and just general busyness meant the four of us would be stuck leaving each other a string of voicemails before finally scheduling a time to talk via text. But now with Marco Polo, we each send a video whenever we have the chance. And we listen in when we do, too. The app, which is free on both Android and iOS with in-app purchases, boasts it "helps people feel close, even when life gets busy." Read more...