100 APPS THAT’LL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

Apps are the neatly packaged programs that make your smartphone smart and your tablet more than just a nice, shiny toy. They’re digital tools designed to do a specific job. Here are 100 of the best, most useful apps. Many are functional, some are just fun.

ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS

Google Apple, Android, Windows Price: Free

FORGET using a webbrowser to get Google: just a single tap of the app’s icon takes you straight there. And you can search without having to type by asking Google questions via your device’s microphone. The app provides onscreen answers and even talks back with the latest information. It’s still the best way to browse the web with its typically simple, clear approach.

Google Maps Apple, Android Price: Free

MOST Android users will have Google Maps pre-installed on their devices but it’s a must for iPhone and iPad users, too. Apple’s maps aren’t quite the disaster they were when they first came out but they’re still not a patch on Google’s impressive set – which includes the street view feature – and they don’t have Google’s voiceactivated search.

Yahoo Weather Apple, Android Price: Free

ONE of the best designed and best looking weather apps around. It includes stunning photography from Flickr but it’s not a case of style over substance. It locates you and gives hour-by-hour local weather for the rest of the day and night, plus forecasts for a week ahead, as well as satellite images, wind speeds and sun and moon rising times. Enter locations around the world for news of what’s happening elsewhere. Perfect for checking upcoming holiday destinations or what it’s like for friends and family overseas.

TuneIn Radio Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows Price: Free

TUNEIN radio turns your device into a radio that can pick up any station, anywhere on the planet. Just use the search facility to get access to your local radio from a distant beach. Or hear music, news, chat and sports from around the world. Also listen to archived shows.

Skype Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows. Price: Free

DOWNLOAD Skype, set up a user name and with just a click of your mouse you can video-call any other Skype user, anywhere in the world free, via the internet. It’s a revolution in face-to-face communications. Plus, for a small fee, you can also call landlines and mobiles.

Daily Mail Online Apple, Android, Kindle Fire Price: Free

WE don’t like to boast too much but Mail Online is the world’s most visited English-language newspaper website. Now you can access its unique blend of up-to-the-minute news, celebrity gossip, Femail features, award-winning sport and a 24hour rolling picture feed in an app named among the best of the year by the Google Play Store.

Facebook Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows Price: Free

ONE in six of the world’s population uses Facebook, so this is as essential as social media gets. The Facebook app keeps you up to date with friends’ posts via a news feed, notifies you of new friend requests, comments and ‘likes’ and allows you to post status updates and photos via easy-to-use buttons. Also the company has recently updated its instant messaging service, which integrates it further within most users’ phones.

Twitter Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows Price: Free

TWITTER’S abbreviated format, with its 140-character limit, is perfect for mobile devices. The app lets you post tweets and photos and send personal messages, as well as tracking all your favourite tweeters.

Instagram Apple, Android, Windows Price: Free

INSTAGRAM uses your phone’s camera to take square photos, styled using any one of 20 filters that give different effects from lurid colour, through faded Seventies’ tones to pure black-and-white. Then post the results online to be seen by 150 million Instagram users around the world.

YouTube Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows Price: Free

YOUTUBE has been pre-installed on some devices but if it isn’t on your screen, it should be. The app gives you access to all the countless videos on YouTube – whether it’s guitar lessons, cat videos or celebrity interviews. So as long as you have internet access, you’ll always be entertained. And you can upload your own videos, too.

Flickr Apple, Android Price: Free

WHETHER you’re a beginner, a professional or just an observer who likes a good photo, you could spend hours browsing the photography app – search by user, geographic area or keyword. Photos are stored in high quality and you get a terabyte of free space.

Spotify Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows Price: Free

SPOTIFY puts more than 20 million pieces of music at your fingertips. Listen for free to albums, create play-lists or just dip into Spotify’s pre-chosen selections. The free version plays adverts between tracks but for €9.99 a month, the Premium service is advert-free and you can listen offline.

eBay Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows Price: Free

ANYONE who has ever bid for anything on eBay knows how vital it is to be in on the action in the final moments before the auction closes. Having the eBay app on your phone or tablet means you need never miss out. Search, track and make your bid, wherever you are.

WhatsApp Apple, Android, Windows Price: Free

WHATSAPP is essentially a text-only version of Skype, using the internet to send text messages for free. Once you sign up, WhatsApp searches your address book for friends who also use it and you can connect with them for instant messaging at the click of a button. Whether they’re in the next room or on the other side of the world, there are plenty of cute emoticons to send their way.

Flashlight Apple, Android, Windows Price: Free

STUCK at home, can’t find the torch or the batteries are dead? Or outside rummaging for something in the dark? Simply download one of these battery apps and it turns the flash of your phone camera into a light. It can even be set to an SOS signal... Although it can be a bit of a battery drain if left on, it’s definitely worth having.

Dropbox Apple, Android Price: Free

DROPBOX is not the most glamorous app but it’s incredibly useful. Just save a file into Dropbox from your computer, then access it on all your mobile devices – perfect for working on the move or taking notes to a lecture or meeting. It also saves your photos for syncing to other devices.

Kindle Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows Price: Free

IF you prefer ebooks to paper, then Amazon’s Kindle store is the place to buy and download them. And now you don’t need a Kindle Fire to do that because virtually all tablets can get the Kindle app and you can have new books within seconds of placing your order.

Around Me Apple, Android, Kindle, Windows Price: Free

AROUND ME finds your location then shows you where to find anything from a coffee shop or a cash machine to a hotel or a hospital and how to get there. Perfect for when you’re in an unfamiliar place and do not want to depend on random passers-by for directions.