Get A Life: Or is there an app for that? (Maintaining your device in the maelstrom of the world of applications)

It happens wherever you go. The daily routines of life are becoming more and more inundated with information being funneled into them from all directions. The latest version of our collective information overload comes in the form of “Apps,” or software applications, designed to run on our phones, portable music players, and tablets. Maybe you don’t know how to find the nearest grocery store…there’s an app for that. cheapest gas station? There is also an app for that. I can’t find a date for this Friday night… well, I’m not even going to tell you how many apps there are for that. It seems clear that the future of communications, information delivery, and entertainment is centered around these small, highly focused applications.

If you haven’t used any kind of app before, you’ll probably soon be in the minority. The Pew Internet Project recently published the results of a study revealing that approximately 24% of all adult cell phone subscribers in the US will almost certainly go up. The speed with which the general population has adopted the use of applications will drive the development of the technology and ensure its spread. Soon phones won’t be the only place you’ll find these apps. If you’re not convinced, keep in mind that almost all models of new HDTVs are connecting to the Internet, and many have preloaded apps or access to a marketplace to download the ones you want. If that’s not enough to make app use nearly ubiquitous, even automakers are starting to join in with their own apps. Ford Motor Company has been investing resources in its Sync and MyFord Touch platform, which is poised to deliver applications directly to the screens of many new vehicles.

This new medium is opening up a new world of tools, gadgets and time wasters for the broad spectrum of the population. In my experience, many of today’s heavy app users rarely access the Internet in its traditional way, and almost all communication is slowly funneled through these programs. With nearly 450,000 apps available through the Apple App Store and the Android Market alone, you can practically start a race with the time you’ll spend reading them all. The trick to it all is finding and using the apps that can be useful to you, while saving space on your device and preserving its performance. To achieve this, always remember to try to keep it simple. If you download an app you don’t like, remove it from your device. Take the time to read reviews to find out how a program performs for other users, and take note of people reporting crashes and device issues after installation. If you insist on being an app collector, try to keep track of the order in which you’ve installed them, so you can remove only what’s necessary in case of a problem on your device. Always remember that computers, smartphones, tablets, and other app-ready devices are ecosystems unto themselves, and the more tasks you request, the more likely you are to run into a problem.