Apps, Apps, Apps, Apps !!

There's an app for that...

Video courtesy Sesame Street.


This video just goes to show how ingrained Western Society has become with smartphone applications.

Want to find out your bank account balance? There's an app for that.
Want to book a flight? Yep, there's an app for that too.

So, what are apps? We all use them everyday, but how do they actually work, and why do we call them "apps"?

The word app, is simply short for application, except it sounds way cooler. Basically, it extends the capability of your phone.

Apps can range from "pretty'd up" websites (such as Mobile Banking, weather and news apps) to fully fledged productivity applications (such as Documents editors, radios and communications programs).

Apps first started to appear on Nokia's Symbian S60 platform (who still uses that...). They were clunky, crashed, and were difficult to install. It wasn't really until the release of the iPhone in 2007 and the release of Android shortly after, that apps gained in popularity. For the first time, it became easy to get these apps, without the nerdiness.

There are now over 200 000 apps on Android Market and the iTunes app store. Click the links below to find out more about apps. (Source: GSMArena)

Click here to go to the Android Market

Click here for the iTunes app store.

Sid.