Ahead of Thanksgiving, the Mashable staff reflects on the tech they became grateful for this year. Here are the apps, gadgets, and other devices they found essential in the second year of the pandemic.
Best iOS and Android apps we used in 2021 (so far) mashable.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mashable.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Non-essential worker
The pandemic has pitted Stop & Shop employees against a 140-pound hunk of plastic and metal with googly eyes
Grocery shopping in 2020 is an emotional roller coaster.
After strapping on your mask and thoroughly sanitizing your cart, you plot out the quickest, most efficient way to navigate the store, grab your items, and get out. Every surface looms like a germ-covered threat, you hold your breath when people pass, and you go to great lengths to ensure you don t get too close to fellow shoppers exchanging pointed, disapproving glances the second someone disregards the one-way aisle arrow.
No matter how careful you are, maintaining distance from your fellow shoppers isn t always possible. And an incessantly beeping 140-pound hunk of plastic and metal with googly eyes hovering by your side and blocking the aisles certainly doesn t make things easier.