The World of Apps

We are bombarded with many talks about ‘apps’ – but what are they? In short, they’re a way to perform almost any task on your phone and they have now become a phenomenon. ‘App’ is short for ‘application’ – which is another name for a computer program. Normally, when people talk about apps, they refer to programs that are capable of running on their smart phones and other electronic gadgets including iPads and tablets. 

How Do Apps Work?

Apps can let your phone or tablet do almost anything that the programmers can imagine, within the technical limitations of the device. This means that you can turn your phone into a remote control for a toy helicopter, your tablet into a turbo-charged drawing pad, and much else besides.

How Do You Get Apps?

Apps are downloaded from an online store run by the makers of the phone or tablet’s operating system. In the case of the iPhone and iPad, it’s simply named the ‘App Store’. On Android phones it’s the ‘Android Market’, on Windows Phone the ‘Windows Marketplace’, on Nokia phones it’s the ‘Ovi Store’ and on BlackBerry it’s ‘App World’ These are all accessed by an icon on the device’s home screen. Most app stores will allow you to browse specifically for free apps, and there are a large number available – though of course the more advanced apps usually cost money. To pay for apps, you can register a credit or debit card, though gift cards can be bought from normal shops for some app stores.

When all is said and done, since apps are designed for your handheld device, the reading experience is far superior to attempting to read the same content located on a web site. However, the main advantage, is that most apps are reasonably priced and some are free.