Sign in to view
member only content

Freelancers and entrepreneurs make up a growing proportion of workers — 34 percent of the population in the US alone — and we’ve seen technology specifically developed to meet the needs of this new workforce. SamTime is a free app that allows users to log their working day automatically, by Bluetooth connection, as they leave one job and arrive at the next.

The app uses GPS to select contacts when it detects a known address is near, and adds the appointment to Google Calendar, giving users a minute-by-minute breakdown of how they have spent their time without having to write anything down. Freelancers are given the option of entering their hourly rate and their call-out charge, enabling them to calculate income on a daily basis. The app is free and there are no advertisements, however, SamTime plan to launch a paying service that syncs with other complementary programs such as billing and invoicing apps.

Whilst SamTime does sync with Google Calendar, the team are keen to emphasize that a user’s personal data is kept on their phone only. In their words, “We hate all those privacy violating apps just like you do. Your data and whereabouts are kept safely on your phone only.”

We’ve already covered innovations such as an online banking platform that connects with a wearable, which sends electric shocks to prevent users from overspending. With SamTime we see the Internet of Things acting to encourage good behavior too — a service that logs jobs in such detail may well discourage users from cutting their working day short. But are there pitfalls surrounding an app that logs the quantity of hours without taking into consideration the quality of work?