Partner Article

Apps that are Poised to take Mobile Space

Smartphones today have become the Swiss Army knives of long ago. We have come to depend heavily on your devices to get through our days. Our smartphones have replaced a number of bulky items we would normally lug around such as calculators, planners and books. However, they have also allowed us to have gadgets with us that we would not normally be able to carry around such as cameras, encyclopedias and games. App developers are constantly putting out tons of apps to tickle users’ fancies. Chances are that if you’ve thought of it, someone has already created it. Unfortunately the sheer number of apps being put out each week means that many cool apps you may find useful become lost in the pile. Here are the apps that are set to stand out from the crowd in 2017.

ExpressVPN – Keeping yourself safe when using public Wi-Fi is no longer a small consideration. What many people are unaware of is that free public Wi-Fi is largely a myth since you can pay dearly for the service. When you use free Wi-Fi you risk having your private information leaked to those who wish to steal your credit card info, your identity or your private information. Sadly too many people, giddy at the thought of finally being able to upload vacation photos to Instagram, put their information in danger. However with ExpressVPN you can prevent this by blocking nosy individuals from accessing your info. The app is lightning fast and incredibly safe boasting of a 256-bit encryption key. Additionally, the app offers unlimited bandwidth and has servers in 78 countries so it’s very likely that wherever you are, ExpressVPN will be there to keep you safe. The app costs $8.32 a month when your purchase a yearly package.

Pocket – Have you ever come across a nice website or an interesting article you want to read but because of its length or a lack of time on your part you are unable to read it? Of course you have. It has happened to all of us. Many times we end up closing the tab or saving it in our bookmarks, never to be seen again. Pocket makes it extremely easy to save those tidbits we find online. Likewise, retrieving your saved pages is just as easy. Pocket integrates easily with other apps such as Reddit, Facebook and Flipboard. You can also use the app to share information between other apps if need be. In addition to this, pocket is distributed as a browser extension so you can start saving your bookmarks despite which platform you use. Best of all, the app is completely free.

SwiftKey Keyboard – Sometimes the included android keyboard just doesn’t cut it. Some of the most common complaints against Android’s keyboard is that it isn’t intuitive enough, and that its predictive text leaves users feeling frustrated. This is where the SwiftKey Keyboard comes in. Although available on the market for a few years now, the app is set to take off in 2017. In this free download, users will find a keyboard that is both powerful and customizable. It comes with a dedicated number row, unlike the built-in Android keyboard. However, just like Android’s keyboard, it allows for gesture typing. SwiftKey also comes with multiple language support as well as cross-device syncing of your library. If you wish to, you can also purchase themes for your keyboard from the developers. Microsoft is now the owner of SwiftKey, which will ensure that the app keeps humming along with improvements and updates.

Greenify – Few things are worse than finding yourself out with a dead phone battery. Unfortunately this happens way too often as smartphone batteries are notorious for losing their charge very quickly. Additionally, charging sites can be few and far between and of course you aren’t always able to carry around a phone charger on your person. While external battery packs do help to keep your smartphone juiced up, it will also help a great deal to stop chewing up battery life. This is where Greenify steps in. This app helps you to stop the bleed by showing you the apps that are placing a heavy toll on your battery’s life. If you deem an app to be using too much battery, you are able to freeze it then unfreeze them whenever you need to. And since apps that use too much batter tend to also sap your phone’s performance by hogging memory. Greenify helps your phone to run smoother one those battery-sucking apps are frozen.

Having a smartphone is a wonderful addition to your life. When smartphones first came on the scene in the early 200s, there was no telling how much functionality we would get out of them today. Phones have become so integral to our lives, people report feeling “naked” if they happen to leave home without them. However, having the right apps can improve your smartphone usage from amateur to professional level. From the looks of it, 2017 will have a lot to offer if you will take the time to check out what’s available.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alisia Watson .