Get A Life: Or Is There An App For That? (Maintaining Your Device in the Maelstrom of the App World)

It happens everywhere you go. The daily routines of life are becoming increasingly inundated with information being channeled to you from all directions. The latest version of our collective information overload comes in the form of "Apps", or software applications, designed to run on our phones, portable music players and tablet PC's. Maybe you don't know how to find the closest grocery store... there's an app for that. Cheapest gas station? There's an app for that too. Can't find a date for this Friday night... well, I'm not even going to tell you how many apps there are for that. It seems clear that the future of communications, information delivery and entertainment all center on these small, highly focused applications.

If you haven't used any kind of app before, you're probably soon to be in the minority. The Pew Internet Project recently released the findings of a study, revealing that approximately 24% of all adult cell phone subscribers in the U.S. are active users of apps, and as advertisers and mass media outlets begin shifting their content to this medium, that number is almost certain to rise. The speed with which the general population has adopted the usage of apps will drive the development of the technology, and guarantee its' propagation. Soon phones won't be the only place you are going to find these apps. If you're not convinced, consider that nearly all models of new HDTV sets are becoming internet connected, and many are preloaded with apps or have access to a marketplace to download the ones you want. If that isn't enough to make app usage nearly ubiquitous, even auto manufacturers are beginning to join in with apps of their own. Ford Motor Company has been pouring resources into its' Sync and MyFord Touch platform, which is poised to deliver apps directly to the screens in many new vehicles.

This new medium is opening up a whole new world of tools, gadgets and time-wasters to the broad population landscape. It's been my experience that many of today's heavy app users rarely even access the internet in its' traditional form, and nearly all communications are slowly being channeled through these programs. With nearly 450,000 apps available through Apple's App store and the Android market alone, you can practically start a career with the time you'll spend wading through them all. The trick of it all is to find and use the apps that may be useful to you, while safeguarding the real estate on your device and preserving its' performance. In order to accomplish this, remember to always try to keep it simple. If you download an app you don't like, remove it from your device. Take the time to read reviews to find out how a program is working for other users, and take careful note of people reporting crashes and device problems following installation. If you insist on being a collector of apps, try to keep track of the order that you have installed them, so you will be able to remove only what is necessary should you develop a problem on your device. Always remember that computers, smartphones, tablets and other app ready devices are ecosystems unto themselves, and the more tasks that you are requesting, the greater the likelihood that you'll run into a problem.

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Article Submitted On: March 07, 2011