Aps and the Apprentice

[Northern Lass]

Anyone see the apprentice last night?

Those guys are so annoying!

They had to invent an app for a mobile phone.
One lot did annoying noises
others did Local dialect conversion

well the dialect one I have seen before anyway
and the annoying noises

They are just links aren't they these apps
my phone is an old one with none of the current gizmos on

so how does it work you download an app (link) to a company
so how does it make them money?

[Stormâ„¢]

Apps is short for applications. Some as you suggest are sort of links. For instance Rightmove is a search engine for finding a house. Now on your phones internet which usually is set to go to googles home page - google automatically loads up and you search for rightmove, and it takes you to their site, but it will (because you are on a phone) detect this, and put you through to the mobile phone version. Supposedly quicker and easier to use. RUBBISH btw. Anyhow an App bridges the gap kind of, by allowing you to set up searches and then hit the get button. So in a way, its a link to the main sitebut not like a link as we understand clicking on a desktop icon thats linked to the site.

HOWEVER - mainly apps are programmes that you donwload to your phone. For instance I have a wild flowers one. It needs no connection to the internet and once downloaded allows me to use it as a mobile book on wild flowers but also has wild flower wizard with thousands of wild flowes and a programme that lets me search for - flower colour - leaf shape - number of flowers etc and then I can hopefully identify a flower. There is also one called Star Walk. You switch on the app and tilt your phone and look up at the night sky. Each star is represented on the screen and as you move the phone about the skyline moves with it so its in real time. So if you see a star you hold up your phone and swing it round and you see the represented star on your screen. Then you can click on it and it tells you all about that star. There are games, twitter apps. all sorts. On Iphone there are around 350,000 apps for different things. There is even a few for genealogy - ive got one called Gedcom. And it makes a gedcom file from info you imput so you have it on the move. A lot are free, others are more expensive.

Hope that helps.

[Rob]

Interesting stuff Rory.
I've got a mobile but it's got no credits on it.I have to haveit with me in case anyone needs me for anything but other than that i never use one(a mobile).
In fact, if i may diverse from topic a little,i wonder where all this technology is leading us to!!
I get in the bus to go to work and 90%(well maybe 70% depending on what time of day) has got a mobile-ipod or whatever in their hands with ear plugs in!!
Someone sitting next to me will suddenly start speaking and they're talking to themselves!!
If they're wearing a headscarf or a hat you can't even see the headphones!!
My point? Dunno really but it leaves me,scared? worried? in despair?
You tell me.

[linell]

Anyone see the apprentice last night?

Those guys are so annoying!

They had to invent an app for a mobile phone.
One lot did annoying noises
others did Local dialect conversion

well the dialect one I have seen before anyway
and the annoying noises

They are just links aren't they these apps
my phone is an old one with none of the current gizmos on

so how does it work you download an app (link) to a company
so how does it make them money?

You have to have an I Pod Phone Jan, some Apps are free others you have to pay for, you just down load them. Lin.

[Maths girl]

I saw the programme and realised that I must be getting even more out of touch than I thought --

although I had heard of "apps" I have not worked out what they do and was none the wiser when they had finished the programme - sadly Storm's explanation doesn't help either __
I think that I am going to go with the idea that while I am one step ahead of Rob in that I have credit on my mobile phone and can just about text in case of emergency --it is usually switched off and certainly does not have access to apps -- I will let this development pass me by until it becomes relevant to me or -- as in the case of some other things is superceded by the next "big thing" and I can skip a generation stage and keep my brain for something more useful like tackling the next brickwall!

[snoopysue]

You can use any smart phone for them, not just an i-phone!

I'm still on a good old fashioned mobile phone too. I ended up getting one with a camera last time, but only because it's nearly impossible to buy one without (other than the ones they make for oap's and the like, that have big buttons and an SOS button). I'll probably go for something similar next time, although I do like HTC's spell check, it's loads better than the average - don't think they do ordinary phones though! I have a bog standard deal with my phone company with a minimum usage of about £4 a month, and I don't always use that up!!!

[dianel]

I love my iPhone and use lots of apps. One is a GPS so I don't have to carry an extra little black box when I'm travelling about (It was great last year in the UK). Another is an Australian bird reference so I can identify any strange feathered encounters. And there's the Melbourne public transport one that gives me all the train & tram timetables. Then there's the 'spirit level' - Never know when you're going to need one of those.

Oh, it's a joy for a gadget freak! Mind you, I hardly ever pay for an app - Most are freebies. I'm a MEAN gadget freak.

[peterd]

I love my iPhone and use lots of apps. One is a GPS so I don't have to carry an extra little black box when I'm travelling about (It was great last year in the UK). Another is an Australian bird reference so I can identify any strange feathered encounters. And there's the Melbourne public transport one that gives me all the train & tram timetables. Then there's the 'spirit level' - Never know when you're going to need one of those.

Oh, it's a joy for a gadget freak! Mind you, I hardly ever pay for an app - Most are freebies. I'm a MEAN gadget freak.

and your crackers

[dianel]