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Must Have Apps

Abigail Brosnan Staff Writer

ALEX PARKER
ALEX PARKER

Most apps are compatible for different Smartphones. Whether you’re using an iPhone or Android, you can still download the same apps. The problem with downloading apps is that they can take up a lot of space. It’s important to research your apps before you down- load them, even if they are free, to reserve memory space. Here is my review on a few different apps that I think are important to have.

The most beneficial apps for college students are ones you can incorporate into your everyday routine. The main social networking apps are a must have. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are all free, and allow you to share your photos and updates with your friends. Tumblr is also a convenient free app provid- ing those who blog from their computers with a mobile option. Foursquare is similar to Twitter, but allows you to share your location with friends instead of text updates. When you check into a location on Foursquare, it shows you how many people are checked in there, as well as reviews on the location, ratings, and comments. You can even look through pictures that were taken there, or post your own. This app is great because if you go to a new restaurant you can get an idea of its quality, or even read recommendations. I’ve checked into restaurants before that recommended dishes and/or servers. Sometimes, by checking in somewhere, the app will even give discounts! I once checked into Planet Hollywood, and they awarded me with a discount at their souvenir store. “My favorite app would have to be Facebook,” said sophomore Music major, Joshua Libal. “It gives me a way to stay connected [with friends and events] when I am not at the computer.”

It’s always good to keep an alarm on your phone that you can rely on, additional to the one that already comes on your phone. “Alarm Clock Xtreme” ismy personal favorite; it allows me to create multiple, labeled, weekly alarms, and comes with different sounds to choose from. This is crucial in terms of time management. Your weekly schedule can be programmed into your phone with the swipe of your finger.

When you’re out with friends and hear a good song that you can’t remember the name of, or a new song that you enjoy, Shazam will provide the title, artist, and al- bum cover along with links to hear the song straight from your Smartphone. This app is great because once you click the Shazam button to try and decipher a song they are automatically saved in a list called “tags” that you can refer back to at any time. If you want to purchase the song for yourself later, you can check out your tags list and your song will still be listed there!

Another important download would be your bank; this could be extremely helpful regarding money management. By keeping your bank account on your phone (password protected, of course), you can transfer or review your money at any time on the go. If you’re out to eat and not sure how much money you have, you can budget yourself by checking your app. I use Citibank, and this comes in handy to me all the time. I’ll be at the mall and have no idea where I’m at with money, and that app will remind me to save.

The Dictionary.com app has saved me a few times in class or while completing assignments. This app also has a thesaurus, which is extremely convenient when searching for variations or trying not to sound redundant.

Of course you have to have your utilities, personal and social networking apps, but it’s never a bad idea to have at least one en- tertaining app on your phone. Two of my favorites are “I’d Cap That”, which automatically adds funny and witty captions onto your photos, or Snapchat from which you can send funny pictures and videos of yourself to friends that only can be viewed for a certain amount of time. Senior Art Therapy major, Sara Nami, said, “I think it’s great that there is practically an app for everything! My favorite app would have to be Snapchat. I love that I can exchange funny pictures with my friends throughout the day.”

Games are always really good to have for when you’re traveling or waiting for someone, but those are personality based. My favorites are Peggle and Bloon’s. Peggle is a fun time killer, which kind of reminds me of ski-ball. Instead of rolling a ball into different points, you have to hit as many orange “peggles” that you can in each level. There are a few different types of Bloon’s games, my personal fa- vorite being Bloon’s tower defense. In this game, you have to block balloons from getting across your

path by building different defenses around the board. The intruding balloons pick up speed as the game goes on, and becomes more difficult for you to pop. I don’t play games that often while I’m out, but I have found that these are the most entertaining when I’m at the airport or in the passenger seat of a lengthy car ride.

There are millions of apps out there, whether in your An- droid play store or Apple app store, but some of them turn out to be kind of disappointing. Be sure to read reviews and look into your apps before downloading them or purchasing them, and try not to use up all your space on apps you wont use!

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