What application are you hooked on to?

Smartphones are here to stay and the numerous applications provided by them have tremendous advantages for people on the go, says Alison Lal

For the youth today, laptops have become passé and their mobiles have been conveniently renamed as palmtops. Palmtops is a fitting name as now everything and anything can be accessed through a Smartphone which fits your palm. They have become a rage with nearly every youngster owning one or vying for one.

Youngsters are not just interested in the new gadgets but they are making best use of the apps either for their academics or for entertainment.

Other than the Whatsapp being the most popular and universal, most Smartphones have their own applications based on what brand the phone is.

A user of an iPhone 3GS Shreya Anand, a student from Badruka college says, “the most useful application my phone has is the dictionary which comes in handy while surfing the Internet.

I use all the games frequently especially ‘Temple Run' and I find the ‘Talking Tom' very cute as the cat repeats whatever you say.”

The exclusivity of the applications ensures that you need to do proper research before you pick up a Smartphone because you need to pick the applications that suit your requirements and hobbies.

For example if you're a music freak you will love the TrackID application given to the users of Sony Ericsson handsets that will recognise for you any form of music or track being played around you. Savio Mendes, a student from Loyola Academy uses a Samsung Galaxy S2 says, “other than Whatsapp my favourite applications are Skype and Viber because they help me interact with my friend efficiently.”

The basic necessity to access the applications of a Smartphone is to have 3G as without it only the browser can be used that also only if your GPRS has been activated.

A student of St. Francis, Pooja Jain using a 5.2 version phone from BlackBerry says, “I am very happy with the BBM which is a BlackBerry messenger and I am always connected with my friends through BBM and FB Chat Pro.” Where as Rebecca, who is currently doing her internship with The Photography Company and owns a Motorola ATRIX 4G says, “The GO launcher is one amazing application that helps you customise the entire phone and the Skitch application is for those who like editing their pictures and the best part being that it is a free app.”

One thing for sure has been established is that these Smartphones are here to stay and the numerous applications provided by them have tremendous advantages for people on the go.

But make sure you take your time and find out exactly what you are getting when you buy a Smartphone.