The best Apps around

‘Apps’ is the buzz word these days. And more so if you own a smart phone. When I thought of writing a blog on apps, I figured it will be a lot easier to segregate them on the basis of the mobile operating systems. So here we will have a look at the top 5 apps from the top 5 mobile OS in the market. Let’s kick things off with my favorite

Nokia Symbian OS

1. Handy Taskman

Taskman gives you complete information about running programs and about free memory left on the phone (RAM, Phone memory and Memory card). You can also switch to or close any application or close all applications in one click! Taskman also gives you a recently used list and an application search function.

2. emTube

emTube is a great little application for viewing and saving YouTube videos. A recent firmware update gave users Flash Lite 3.0 but viewing videos in the web browser is not as convenient or as easy as using emTube. It has endless uses; out on the go and want to hear a specific song? Just search for it and chances are you can find the music video.

3. Podcasting

Podcasting can be set to download your favorite podcasts at set times and using a specified network. The search facility is also very good and if the application doesn’t list a certain podcast you can still get it using the URL.

4. Opera Mini

For the people who want websites to load as fast as humanly possible and want a desktop browsing experience on their mobile phone, Opera Mini is the browser for you. Opera Mini also reduces the data charges on your internet browsing as it compresses the data much more efficiently than the standard phone browsers, making it faster and more cost effective.

5. Sports Tracker

Using the built-in GPS module, Nokia Sports Tracker is a beta application that allows runners, walkers and cyclists to track and keep statistics of their workouts. Users can see stats such as average speed, total distance, altitude, and so on. Also, in a similar vein to the Nike + iPod Sports Kit you can export your workouts into a KML file and map your workout routes in Google Earth.

Blackberry OS

1. Viigo for RSS Feeds

Viigo comes equipped with a ton of RSS feeds from Technology to Science to Sports to Politics. Viigo also has an auto-configure option that allows users to type in their favorite websites and the program will automatically help find the site’s RSS feed. Preconfigured feeds also allow you to easily set up traffic alerts, stay up to date with flight information, and track packages from UPS, the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and DHL

2. Opera Mini for Web Browsing

The Opera Mini browser increases the speed at which pages are rendered on Blackberry devices by passing page requests through Opera servers making pages load much faster. Opera Mini also offers the ability to zoom in on pages and then zoom back out with the simple click of the Blackberry track wheel. It’s fast, it’s easy to learn, and it’s free!

3. TwitterBerry App for Twitter Users

This excellent Blackberry Twitter app makes it easy to micro-blog with your Twitter account via your device. You can read tweets from your friends list, send your own tweets via your @replies, and even write direct messages directly from your Blackberry device. TwitterBerry also allows for quick access to spell checking by allowing you to pull up the Blackberry spell checker, to insert symbols, and even look at your friend’s timelines and public timelines as well.

4. BBNotePad for Taking Notes on the Blackberry

BBNotePad is a plain text editor that allows for full documents to be written and even allows for code to be implemented. The application also provides three different text sizes and saves files as .txt files so you can transfer the files directly to your computer and open them in a word editor. BBNotePad also allows documents to be saved directly to your Blackberry device or via a memory card for easy file transferring. If you want to share your documents with other users the program gives access to file sharing via Bluetooth between units.

5. Vlingo’s Voice Recognition

Vlingo takes the capabilities of Blackberry Voice recognition to a whole new level. Not only can users dial a number by simply saying a name, but they can also perform web searches, such as saying “Find Movies in Chicago Illinois“. You can also launch Blackberry Apps with commands such as “Open Calendar” and compose entire emails and text messages by simply speaking into your device. It also gives you the ability to easily transcribe messages. You can simply dictate and Vlingo will type it for you.

Apple iOS

1. Apple iBooks

Apple’s iBooks isn’t just an e-book reader; it’s also an excellent PDF reader! The app uses an attractive bookshelf metaphor to arrange your virtual books and PDFs, and Apple makes quite a few older books available for free through its online store. As with many Apple apps, iBooks becomes more useful if you have more Apple devices, you can sync your bookmarks and notations with your iPhones, iPod Touch, and iPad.

2. AT&T myWireless Mobile (US Only)

AT&T’s myWireless app tells you if you’re coming close to your monthly 200MB or 2GB data limit, how many minutes you’ve used, and when your next bill is due. It also lets you upgrade your plan if you’re using your iPhone much more than you expected. Checking this app periodically is the best way to protect yourself from unexpected AT&T charges.

3. Bing

The Bing app provides a scrolling photo search, voice search, and local shopping searches. It even has a bar code scanner to look up prices on goods in stores. The Social tool lets you connect to Facebook and Twitter and search your results from friends.

4. CNBC Real-Time

One of the best business news sites has one of the best free business apps on the iPhone. CNBC’s app starts with business news alerts; it also has a detailed stock portfolio tracker. Other than that it also has well-rendered graphics.

5. Dragon Dictation

Ever wanted to dictate a long series of notes and then e-mail or text them? Dragon Dictation can do that for you. Just load up the app, tap the red button, and dictate for a one minute at a time. It even has multilingual support, and lets you paste text directly to the iPhone SMS client.

Palm OS

1. AvantGo

AvantGo is free and offers plenty of local and national news and other information. Text-based interface is easy to read and customize; schedules updates to reduce sync time. With this app your Palm will keep you up-to-date.

2. Documents To Go

It syncs Microsoft Office documents including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on your Palm. Documents To Go is the most complete product available for managing Office documents on the fly. It’s a must-have for anyone who regularly uses both a Palm and Microsoft Office.

3. BugMe

BugMe lets you scribble notes directly onto your Palm screen and then schedule pop-up reminders. BugMe’s ability to jot notes on your Palm screen is fantastic. The reminder feature is a great way to replace the Palm OS memo application with one that’s more fun.

4. Bubblet

It is one of the most popular games available. Endlessly amusing and challenging; requires both skill and luck. Every Palm user should download a copy of this addictive game.

5. Vindigo

Vindigo includes walking directions to specific destinations, as well as movie, restaurant, and nightlife reviews. If you travel to or live in any of the cities available in Vindigo and crave map-free travel or just updated movie listings, download this handy free app.

Google Android OS

1. Twicca

Twicca has full functionality for using Twitter, and in a package that is attractive and easy to use. It’s also hard not to appreciate the magical connotation of its name. Don’t let the image fool you; Twicca works in English, too.

2. Dolphin Browser HD

Dolphin brings most of the functionality of a full desktop browser. It has all the expected features, tabbed browsing, multiple windows and the like. Dolphin is very fast too!

3. Toodle Droid

Toodle Droid is an app that interfaces with ToodleDo and presents your To-Do list with a very basic presentation. You can add new tasks using Toodle Droid. The simplistic approach of Toodle Droid is what it attracts most of the users.

4. Speedtest.net

You can regularly keep an eye on connection speeds to see how things are moving along, and Speed Test is a nice way to do that. If you are familiar with the online test site speedtest.net, then you are already familiar with this app.

5. Google Voice

Google Voice turns the Android phone into a full Google Voice phone. There is complete control over how the phone integrates with Voice, including letting GV take over all aspects of phone calls completely if desired.

I hope if you own a smart phone you found this blog informative and helpful. Even if you don’t own one, it’s still good to have some knowledge about apps as they are the next big thing!