We’ve learned to live with everything literally at our fingertips. With our entire lives (or at least as developers would like us to think) on our smartphones or feature phones, the recently released Nielsen Mobile Apps Playbook is more than market research on mobile usage. It’s a quick view of what matters to the modern urbanite. The proliferation of mobile phones has signaled how we love to be connected 24/7 and easy to reach with just a few quick keystrokes. The mobile apps we choose to download are a great indicator of what activities or utilities we find most important. If we are to believe the Playbook, then we spend a good amount of time in our lives playing, checking up on other people’s lives, finding our way around and avoiding a forecasted downpour. But, what do the top 5 iPhone apps say about modern living? [Well modern living is weird, really.]
Games rank as the most downloaded app category. For one, modern living requires a sense of humor. The game app phenomenon “Angry Birds” doesn’t require the IQ of a rocket scientist—just an intuitive understanding of physics and a big appetite for absurdity. Briefly, the game involves angry birds who seek revenge for the theft of their eggs. It’s a clever twist on the Three Little Pigs, but one that is tongue-in-cheek and engaging enough to keep you interested and amused. Consistently well-rated, this paid app will provide hours of entertainment, ideal for long trips or layovers. Everyone’s hung up about the weather If we are to believe Nielsen, it seems that tracking the weather plays a big part in our modern lives. With the free app available from The Weather Channel, it’s a breeze to find out if there’s rain predicted or if it’s a good day to work on a tan. Accuracy aside, as most weather sources are equally reliable, usability is what helps this app shine. And though we may feel quite sci-fi holding so much information in our hands, an interface that allows you to access that information quickly and with ease meets the mark.
With so much information on the web, remembering everything has become a daunting task. Evernote is an extremely helpful tool when you’re surfing on the fly. Essentially, it allows you to bookmark information and take notes via video, photos and text that you can annotate and tag. So you’ll never forget why you wanted to save a picture of Dolph Lundgren (you’re compiling a list of Mensa Club members who are actors.) The mobile app adds more dimension to their tagline, Remember Everything. You can add a voice note to any entry and even plot it on a map. In our virtual lives, it seems fitting that our memories can be accessed anywhere and can be browsed through a scrollable list of thumbnails.
All our lives are on Facebook and Twitter The official Facebook and Twitter apps for the iPhone took cues from the design of the iPhone itself and employed grids for their own distinctive user interfaces. Dealing with that much information both to read and to share, these apps (and their 3rd party alternatives) only signify how important it is for people to remain in the know about each other’s lives, even to a fault. But perhaps the popularity of these apps are more a testament to the websites themselves. Your music to go, just as you like it. It would be remiss to forget that the iPhone was built on the popularity (and design) of Apple’s iPod, so an app which caters to this original use is an interesting contender. Pandora’s app allows you to stream music based on preferences you provide and—if you have constant access to the Internet—then you completely eliminate the need of actually owning music on your iPhone. The simple interface features high-res cover art and a sophisticated rating system Pandora uses to provide you with the music you want to hear. So it seems that modern living does have its soundtrack, one that we can hear through earphones.
If developers keep it up, there is much to look forward to in the mobile application industry. So what do you think? Do you agree with Nielsen’s top 5 iPhone apps? Give us your recommendations, opinions or other favorites in the comments section below.
