Karo Chakhlasyan
Staff Writer
The iTunes app store is close to 25 billion downloads. One billion apps are being downloaded from the Android market every 30 days. Mobile apps are an emerging market with no end in sight.
“Convenience is key,” Sophia Oropeza, a business administration major, said.
With more than half a billion downloads off the Android market, Facebook is the most popular app.
“It helps me keep up with social media,” Aileen Torres, a business administration major, said. “It helps me know whose birthday it is, and the world can know when it’s my birthday.”
“I’d rather look at my phone (for a Facebook update). I’m too lazy too pull out my laptop,” Sophia Warner, a political science major, said.
Even though mobile applications are popular, some students do not have access to smart phones because they are very costly.
“I can’t afford it,” Cory Campos, a psychology major, said. “I’ve adjusted my life to be without it, so I don’t need it.”
“I would totally invest in one,” Cindy Lopez, a speech communication major, said. “It’s really useful because I’m involved with many things on campus, and it’s fun and convenient.”
Voxer Walkie-Talkie is a top ranked app in the android mobile store. It allows users to send voice messages to each other in a way that is similar to text messaging.
“It’s more convent then a call and simpler then texting,” Myron Woods, a criminology major, said.
“I just think it’s funny,” Remy Easterling, an English major said. “It’s quick.”
With convenience being a factor behind mobile applications, students are using their smart phones to organize their schedules.
Woods uses pocket informant, an application that combines calendar, tasks and notes.
“It lets me know when something is due,” Woods said.
App Inventor allows users to create applications for other Android devices. It features a drag and drop visual interface that allows users without a computer science background to build applications.
Building an environment, where what you do on your home computer will be the same as what you can do on your mobile phone.
Apple’s new operating system OS X Mountain Lion is an example of what is to come. Everything on your phone is connected through the iCloud and appears on a Mac desktop or Macbook instantly without having to connect the devices to each other physically.
“I could only see it expanding from here and progress,” Woods said.
Karo Chakhlasyan could be reached at karo.chakhlasyan@laverne.edu.
