Christmas was a big deal for the mobile market, with a £1 Billion being spent in the UK alone just on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. That means a huge influx of new users into the mobile world, and when you arrive and are greeted by 700,000+ apps all wanting you to download them, it can be intimidating to say the least.
After all, how do you choose which one will be the best for you, especially if you have specific tastes?
Do you really want to spend ages doing the “trial and error” style of app usage until you find the right one?
Well, luckily for you, here at Kumulos (Backend as a Service) we also had a few new arrivals of tech over the holiday season and so we decided to put together a short list of apps that we think are worth having on your device.
So, to start:
For overall productivity: The Google Suite
Whether you’re using Android or iOS, the Google set of apps and services is just far too good to not have, especially as it’s all for free. We use the Google suite here at Kumulos as our standard communications platform and most of us use the entire set of services on our phones and tablets as well,
The Gmail client is lightweight and efficient, Google Drive is free cloud storage that ties directly into your other Google services and, if you have Android, Google Calendar ties into Google Now and will not only tell you directions and the weather, but also when you need to leave to reach your appointments on time.
Google Music just introduced free Cloud Storage for up to, and not a single word of a lie, 20,000 songs from your own library. Just download the Google Music Manager onto your computer, select the folders you want to upload and it’ll push them all into the cloud, ready to be streamed anywhere you can access Google Music
And, of course, you also have the best maps in the business.
For Social Networking: Facebook (obviously)
With over a billion users now, it’s safe to say that Facebook is the social network that won the race. Their apps are something of an essential in the modern online social scene, and they are good apps in their own rights. The standard Facebook app works great as a hub for all your Facebook needs like your timeline, news feed etc. Messenger does pretty much exactly what you’d expect and acts as a standalone messenger when you want to chat but don’t want the rest of Facebook cluttering up your conversations. Facebook Poke is entirely up to you however. Google+ was recently named the second most popular social network out there, so it may be worth starting to build your profile up on there as well.
For Photography: Instagram via Pixlr
Okay, so we’ve split this one into two because we know that not everyone is thrilled that Instagram are now owned by Facebook and recently thought it’d be a swell idea to sell people’s photos to marketing companies without asking for permission first.
That being said, Instagram wasn’t bought for 1Bn for no reason, and it still remains the most popular photo taking and editing app out there due to its simple interface and making it incredibly easy to share your photos with others; it also features a strong community and social platform all on its own.
Pixlr is for those who have more of a photographically minded slant on their pictures, with over 600 effects, filters and editing abilities for photos on the app and, of course the ability to share it with your social network of choice, all for free. They also have web app with similar features which means that no matter what device you’re on, you can always access the editing features.
For the Musically minded: Spotify/Pandora with a runner up in Google Music
Spotify has emerged as the overall online streaming music service to be beaten, especially in its home of Europe. With it’s vast, vast library, easy to use interface and cheap price, there are many reasons to have this streaming service as a part of your mobile life, not least because it’s one of the few ways to access that much music legally.
That being said however, Spotify is much better at playing your music you already know rather than finding you new music, which is where Pandora comes in. Unfortunately still not available outside of the US due to stringent licensing, the app is an extension of the web based radio player that uses a very clever algorithm to find songs and artists similar to one that you specify. If you are in the US however, and you love your music, this app is definitely one you need.
As we said though, Google Music has recently opened the gates for 20,000 of your own library’s songs to be uploaded to it, so you can carry a good chunk of your personal collection with you on top of whatever other service you use, for free!
For the Shoppaholic: Amazon with Ebay and Groupon
Perhaps a glaringly obvious choice, but Amazon really does know exactly how to make a good online shopping experience. Their app is smooth and makes browsing their massive collection easy and of course, you have the usual fast shipping, one-clicks and the entire Kindle Store there as well.
If auctioneering is more your thing, Ebay have an app out there as well and if you’re an avid Ebayer, having the app on your phone can be a godsend. Never again will you get home to find that someone has outbid you and it’s too late to do anything about it, you can keep up-to-date on all your running auctions straight from your phone or tablet.
Finally, Groupon may have taken some flak in recent times, but if you’re smart about what you get from it, you can save yourself a lot of cash in the long run and get some pretty sweet deals on things you otherwise would never think of doing.
For keeping up-to-date: Google Currents/FlipBoard/BBC News
Once again Google pops up in this list, but their Currents offering is a great little news aggregator where you can pick and choose the publications you read across different categories such as News, Technology, Business, Sports and Entertainment. It’s lightweight and very easy to use, putting the content front and centre and lacking in any real frills other than a responsive interface.
If you’re looking for an aggregator with a little more style, Flipboard has been making waves with its great looking UI and powerful aggregator. It also has some more choices in the categories than Google Currents, with areas like Culture and Fashion news also being available to be part of your daily news feed.
BBC News is also definitely worth having due to its solid reputation for unbiased reporting and on the minute updates. The app also comes with the ability to watch BBC news 24 live on your mobile device.
Finally, for time wasting: NetFlix, Amazon Kindle and Reddit
Netflix may have had teething issues, but it’s no doubt that the online streaming service has a solid offering, especially when it comes to high quality US TV shows. Their Movie collection is a little hit or miss, but they do have some really good stuff in there. Certainly enough to keep you thoroughly occupied for a few months at least, and they’re adding new stuff all the time.
Amazon Kindle app is the universal one stop shop for e-books these days, and it’s not hard to see why. With practically any book you could want able to be downloaded to your mobile device in seconds as well as an easy to use and minimal UI whilst reading and the app being free makes this a no brainer if you have an Amazon account.
And finally, for those who like to trawl the internet, there are various Reddit aggregator apps out there, the two most popular probably being Blue Alien and BaconReader but there are a host out there for your veiwing pleasure if you find that neither of these apps works well for you.
Well there you go everyone, hopefully these apps will keep you nice and busy and will help introduce you to just how useful owning a smart device can be.And as always, if you’re inspired to make your own app after using these ones, here at Kumulos (BaaS) we are waiting to help you get that app off the ground and into the app stores. By using our Mobile Backend as a Service to develop your app, it’ll take away a good number of the headaches associated with creating a Mobile Backend for your app and instead make it as simple as signing up today, so why not go ahead and do just that?
After all, today could be the day you stop dreaming about being an app developer and take the first step in becoming one.
