The education sector is expected to see various reforms this year. With teaching and learning going online, several avenues have now opened up which educational institutes would try to incorporate. As we wait for new trends to surface, the fact remains that smartphones have become an indispensable part of every student’s life. And what use are those phones without the crucial apps that help us in almost everything from communication to photography to travel to our lifestyle needs? A report claims that more than two million apps are now available on the Google Play Store. So, we shortlisted six essential ones that will prove useful.
AppLock
Applock (http://bit.ly/1jjyav2) keeps out those nosy friends and family members who are forever trying to snoop into your phones. Armed with an array of features, this app can help you protect your data and personal files. Some of the most useful features are a photo and video vault, time lock (which will auto-lock/unlock your phone as per a pre-defined time), random keyboard and invisible pattern lock (which will guard against people peeping at your pin code) and a power saving mode to save battery, among others.
feedly: your work newsfeed
As the popular quote goes, knowledge is power. This is what the Feedly app (http://bit.ly/JkNQhz) gives you — news from across different online platforms. It allows you to organise your favourite publications, podcasts and YouTube channels into collections and receive updates whenever new stories and videos are published. Sharing what you read is important too, and the app does this seamlessly, connecting you to various platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Evernote, Buffer, OneNote, Pinterest and LinkedIn. You can also save the posts you like to read them again later.
Calorie Counter - MyFitnessPal
If one of your New Year resolutions was paying attention to your fitness, the Calorie Counter - MyFitnessPal app (http://bit.ly/1eSD8g4) can help you stay on track. Whether it is weight loss, weight gain or maintaining your health, the app will meticulously guide you towards achieving your goal. It creates a customised diet and exercise plan as per the needs of the user. To stay motivated, you can track your progress through a chat that shows how you are improving over time. You can also put your mind to rest while eating, without fretting about how many calories you’ll gain. The app has a database of more than six million food items and one can scan the barcode to log in the details of what you are eating. The calories are automatically counted. And if you don’t trust yourself, you can add your friends to lend you that extra support.
Everyone has a hectic schedule these days. It is not always possible to read an article immediately. This is where Pocket (http://bit.ly/19jq7Y9) comes in handy. Save the article to Pocket and you can read it whenever and wherever you want. Just don’t forget to sync it with your phone, PC and tablet as this will enable you to read it even if you are offline. The stories can be saved from any platform such as Facebook, Twitter, email, and so on, and also provides you with a night-mode option. Apart from this, it curates stories that might interest you based on your reading pattern and recommends people you can follow.
Quik - Free Video Editor
They may have been taken from the most sophisticated of cameras or from almost broken phones, but the photographs we take are always special to us. What if you could select some of those special moments and get them automatically converted into a video with special effects, transitions and groovy background music? Quik — Free Video Editor (http://bit.ly/2j6vtzq) does just that. You can even include texts, filters and personalised music to add your own touch to the video. With an upper limit of 75 photos or video clips, the app reorders the elements or let you customise them as per your requirements. It also lets you post your masterpiece on Facebook and Instagram so that the world can see your special moments.
Any.do
Apart from your regular classes, you might be part of the college football team or the theatre group or maybe taking dance or music classes. There is so much to do and so little time. Any.do (http://bit.ly/1gNWKip) can help you prioritise your tasks and send you regular reminders to ensure that you don’t forget anything. You can sync it to your phone, desktop or tablet so that you are always on track and the homescreen widget will let you keep your to-do list at hand. Calendar integration, task list management, daily planner… this app has it all! Apart from all this, it lets you plan and organise projects with your colleagues and friends.
My choice
Yoheswari Devaraj, B.A. Journalism, M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai
Free Books & Stories - Wattpad
Elanic - Simply Sell
musical.ly
Ruchi Rana, M.Phil., Delhi University, New Delhi
Dictionary - Merriam-Webster
Boomerang from Instagram
SHAREit - Transfer & Share
