Diff Apps for diff folks

CEBU, Philippines - Why are mobile phone applications or apps becoming increasingly popular and important?

A recent ComScore study reported that during the previous quarter, more mobile subscribers used apps than browsing the web on their devices (51.1 percent vs. 49.8 percent, respectively). ComScore is a leading internet technology company that measures what people do as they navigate the digital world.

Countless apps are available; some are free while others are not. It ranges from tips on preparing for and passing an exam, to managing and completing tasks, to participating in business functions, among others. Here are among the popular apps useful for students, for health conscious people, and for professionals, which are free to download.

Evernote is an app where you can make notes, take pictures and record audio notes, too.

A pharmacy student from Southwestern University, Gerald Daño, 20, is an Evernote app user.

"I use this for my biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics subjects to aid me in remembering terms and important notes, as well as to help me in my class reviews," he said.

Dropbox allows you to upload photos and videos straight from your phone and mostly used for storing large academic journals.

A dropbox user, Jonas Buguat, 23, who is a physics teacher said, "It is really convenient and fast. It automatically keeps many files organized and backed up online. It is also ideal in sharing folders to group of people who work on the same files together.''

My Fitness Pal gives one an easy way of tracking food intake and exercise.

An active app user of My Fitness Pal, Jane Nichole Yu, 18, a mass communication student and an active runner, attributed this app as one of her tools that help her achieve and maintain her ideal weight of 118 pounds from 130 pounds.

Genius Scan allows one to take photos of a multipage document, order the pages and turn it into a PDF, and then save it to Dropbox, Google Drive, Box.net, Evernote or SkyDrive or one can just print or email it directly.

Janice Ottesen, 30, who works in Froya Havbrukservice in Norway uses Genius Scan app, since she loves taking photos of her kids and sends them to her mother in large files.

"It is suited for a working mom like me,'' she said.

Foursquare. If you're heading to a trade show or some other industry event, this app gives you an efficient way of hooking up with co-workers and business partners in the area. For Rovel Geronimo, 19, a call center agent, "I just love it because it gives suggestions like breakfast spots in the morning. I get to see where my co-workers want to go after work and it recommends the best sights in a place."

With the high-end technology revolution, consumers are now craving for various applications to download. It has become a trend and a differentiator for mobile buyers, too. It increases accessibility, gives tools that drive the "New App Economy" and help generate business. (FREEMAN)