[trip]

I'd like to keep this in the GenChat area if possible since it is more of a general poll.

Whether it be from the Apple iTunes store or Android market there are countless mobile phone apps out there. Some written by major companies and some written by kids in their mother's basements. Some are free and some you have to pay for.

My question is: Do you really use a lot of apps on your iPhone/Android? Do you actually download an app and find you cant live without it, or do you download an app and check it out for a few hours to see what it does and than almost never check it out again?

Naturally there are some apps that just make sense for quick glance convenience(weather, sports scores, email, maybe twitter feed), but do people really use their phones for some of the other apps out there? Can people not maintain good personal health without their mobile phone heart monitor? Are buildings not plumb because people don't have their mobile phone level? Are more people quitting cigarettes thanks to their cell phone? Since smart phones have nice web browsers, are people actually using apps that just offer a different view and navigation of the website - or are they just opening up their phone's browser to the original site?

I'm being vague for a reason. A lot of my job responsibilities is dealing with mobile applications(both for public and private use) and I find myself arguing on the side of "are people really going to use that?". I'm starting to convince myself that mobile phone apps are really just short run gimmicks.

[Girish]

I can't recall any app that I can't live without. But they definitely enhance user experience by providing more options and features that a normal phone does not. Some applications are pretty handy though; like the one that provides me the local train/bus timetable. As I travel by train everyday to get to work or anywhere in Mumbai, it's a really useful app to have on you. Much better than carrying a physical timetable and then wasting time searching through it.

[JOSEPH X]

Why pay phone finder app of course..

http://www.2dayblog.com/2009/05/09/pay-pho...app-for-iphone/

[Voodoo]

I regularly download apps from Google Play and the Amazon appstore. Amazon has a daily paid app for free, as well. There's a lot of crap out there for sure, and 99% of the time I'll delete them pretty quickly but every now and then I'll find something useful. The gmail and dialer apps are the only ones I really couldn't live without. Aside from that, the basic social stuff like messaging, IRC, Youtube, and Twitter are the most useful.

[Waddy]

I use every App I have d/loaded on my iphone. Currency converter I use everyday, Twitterr, FB, Weather, Bank...all of them.
SO THERE!

[El_Diablo]

most apps are useless gimmicks or time-wasting games.

but there's also a lot of very productive and perfectly useful apps floating around.
they're just a little harder to find and usually not free.

[Vanzant]

I have an app that locates the closest strip clubs near me along with directions...nah not really.

I only use the stop watch app.

[Ryan]

I use my phone for making phone calls, texting, email, and the web to check Facebook and the weather occasionally. Also do a bit of picture taking due to the nature of my job. That's really all I use my phone for. Never understood people's obsession with having stupid farting apps and games on their phones.

@Vanz: Who needs an app to locate strip clubs when you have Amy?

[Icarus]

The apps I use the most on my phone are Facebook, Twitter and my online banking app. I also have some games on there just to keep me entertained when I'm taking the train to and from work, or if I'm flying.

[finn4life]

I only have crucial applications on my phone, i have installed probably 6 or 7 and the ones that come preinstalled.
- The only games i have are GTA III and Angry birds.
- I have a Netbanking App (WHich is very easy to use and secure)
- I have the Facebook app but the SGS2's browser is faster anyway, i only use the app so i can upload photos after i take them (It comes up as one of the upload options)
- I Use Navigation
- A ringtone finder.
-Album Art downloader (Since some art doesn't sync properly because of androids sh*tty desktop integration)

Those are the only apps i use, websites that prompt for the app i sometimes download only so the prompt goes away (Like my tv guide) and i can continue viewing on the browser.

[trip]

Thanks for all these responses guys. I'm serous - they actually help me.

I half want to say games don't really count as apps though.

[TheCacti]

When I had an android phone, there was only one app that I downloaded and was willing to pay €0.99 for. Chess clock. It was a damn good one too.

[Piperka]

The only apps I use regularly are; Facebook, GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Google Maps, Google Navigation, Android VNC, Funny Jokes, Task killer, and the Browser. Everything else I download I just do so either because I'm bored or I want to check it out, but almost never use them again.

[DP Man]

I use the Facebook app to upload photos, Instagram rarely and the web browser. Phone games are sh*t

[Jay]

Apps have their function, I just don't agree with apps that are shoehorned onto you to essentially view a specific web page. The phone has a web browser, and websites have mobile versions, don't make an app to view your website in a different way.

I seldom download apps because I am a cynic and think they're all out to get ma deets.

[Icarus]

QUOTE (Jay @ Sunday, May 6 2012, 00:31)

Apps have their function, I just don't agree with apps that are shoehorned onto you to essentially view a specific web page. The phone has a web browser, and websites have mobile versions, don't make an app to view your website in a different way.

CBC News has its own app and the only reason I downloaded it is that the mobile version you get if you go to their actual webpage is garbage, whereas the app is much easier to navigate. That was my justification for getting it, not to mention it was free.

[Otter]

I have fun with a lot of them but honestly don't rely too much on the 100+ I've got installed currently. It's a little ridiculous.

I tend to get Universal versions when they exist, though, so I use 'em like crazy on my iPad.

My current go-to iPhone apps:

- skype
- flipboard
- Pano
- Photosynth
- Instagram
- iFitness (discontinued)
- Silvertune (instrument tuner)
- MicPro
- ComicZeal
- Cracked
- Twitter
- Drawsomething
- netflix


...and then tons of games. But in those listed apps, I actually use them quite often. Of course, the main functions I rely on the most are the calendar, maps, mail and safari built in apps.

[Cursed]

I use the Facebook, FML and Daily Mail apps on my phone regularly. I also occasionally use a flashlight app. I've got quite a lot of games on it but at the moment the only two I've been playing are DrawSomething and The Logo Game.

[nic_23]

Has anyone used the dolphin browser? Its pretty good because I can surf the internet as a desktop instead of mobile websites and nextvid is a good youtube app because you can listen to music in the background while browsing.

[zoo3891]

(Android for reference)
For the most part I use Pandora and a few game apps. I also use the Cracked reader, and Chant but that's about it. I have an eBook reader to use on the toilet, but it's buggy as hell.

QUOTE

Has anyone used the dolphin browser? Its pretty good because I can surf the internet as a desktop instead of mobile websites

I use Dolphin. I think I use it more for the gesture controls though, not that browsing the web on my phone is desirable or all that useful.