The past year has brought with it another round of iPhone apps for all needs, interests and ages. A bazaar for freebies, the App Store can prove difficult to sift through. Editor-in-Chief Hailey shares a few of her favorites.
Google Voice
Voice messages were so 2010. And with a little help from Google Voice, you may never have to listen to one of those relics of the past ever again. Once you install the app, it will transcribe your voicemails and send texts to you with the contents. In all fairness, the app isn’t too useful beyond this purpose. But it was worth the short set-up time and the zero dollars I paid just for this one function. If you want to give it a try, however, Google Voice will allow you to send text messages from your iPad and iPod Touch. Since this feature is “free…at very low rates” according to the application’s description, I’m skeptical. One final note: the app allows you to set up a “Google Voice” number. But I’m not sure what to use this feature for other than prank-calling without having to type *67.
Dropbox
There’s finally an app that lets you instantly transfer documents, notes, pictures and more from your phone straight to a folder on your computer. Just download the app on your phone and head to www.dropbox.com to instantly install the media manager on your computer(s). Any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to a “cloud” that is accessible from your computer, phone and apple devices. Better yet, the app allows you to share large files (up to 2 gigabytes) with other people more quickly and conveniently than via email or texting. Just send your friends/classmates links and passwords to specific files in your Dropbox. You’ll never have to email yourself a file again or—even better—synchronize. Say goodbye to losing your files in cyberspace, and say hello to dropbox, the app that lets you save, download and back-up from (almost) any device.
iAssociate 2
What is a seven letter food that you eat with chopsticks and associate with rice? If you figured out a possible answer, or if you didn’t, then iAssociate 2 is the app for you. The object of the game is to guess words that are associated with the given words. The game is particularly enjoyable if it involves the people nearest to you shouting out suggestions for answers. And it’s a great way to meet strangers while you’re waiting in the doctor’s office. Each level has a different theme, and if you play enough then you can earn themes of your choosing, such as “Reality Shows,” “USA” and “Pirate.”
IMDb
Amidst the array of apps that provide easy access to movie times, the Fourcast has selected a winner. Equipped with synopses, reviews and trailers, this app adds extra ease to choosing a movie that is not only conveniently scheduled/located but also appealing to you and your friends taste in movie-going. Just click on the movie you’re interested in, and you’ll be taken straight to movie times, critics, users reviews and a rundown of the cast members. It’s also useful for catching up with the latest celeb gossip, seeing a list of stars celebrating their birthdays and getting a rundown of the television shows that air on a given night. The Fourcast is still holding out for an app that provides us a direct line of communication with Chace Crawford, but in the meantime, this app is the best we could ask for in terms of the latest in cinema.
GroupMe
This app takes group texting to a whole new level. It allows you to start group messages to more than 10 people. Here’s your chance to spam the whole soccer team in one fell swoop. Group texts started from GroupMe work even for friends who do not have the app. But people who have downloaded it have extra features such as favoriting messages, sending maps of where to meet and setting a group photo. The app works well for party planning, group texts that include entire class periods and harassing your friends in bulk.
-Hailey
