According to Nielsen, 2012 was the year of the app once again. The average number of apps per smartphone jumped 28 percent, from 32 apps to 41. In addition to downloading more apps, the average smartphone owner is increasingly spending more time using them rather than accessing the internet through a mobile web browser – about 10 percent more than in 2011.
The five most popular apps are Facebook, YouTube, Android Market, Google Search, and Gmail. All are useful to authors, but there are many specialized apps that can help with productivity or the writing process itself. Here are 10 to consider, in alphabetical order.
A Novel Idea – This interactive game lets users take turns building a story, one sentence at a time. It can be both a time sapper and an exercise in creativity.
Evernote – If one of your resolutions for the coming year is to get more organized, you’ll love popular Evernote. It helps you remember, organize, and share the details of your professional and personal lives. It uses “notebooks” to organize and curate all types of content you assign to each notebook – files, photos, URLs, e-mail messages, and so on. The program syncs content among all devices linked to your account so that you’re current no matter which device you’re using at the moment.
iTalk – Need to record in-person interviews from your Apple device? This no-charge app works on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.
Recorder – To record telephone conversations, pay $.99 for this app recommended by a journalist friend, but note that there’s a per-minute fee associated with the telephone recordings.
SoundNote – At $4.99, this iPad-only app could be a lifesaver for anyone who takes notes on an iPad (I prefer a full keyboard for note-taking, so this isn’t for me). Ever miss an important detail during an interview and have to skim through your entire recording to find out what it was? With SoundNote, just tap a word from that part of the interview – it will play back what you missed.
Story Tracker – This submission tracking app makes keeping track of submitted stories, novels, poems, scripts, and articles easier. There’s a $7.99 fee for this one.
Taptu – There are a number of news aggregators to help you stay current on topics you need to follow. I use Taptu, but consider asking friends what they use, too. One tip for Taptu: Sign up on the website before using the app.
Wikipanion – I use Wikipedia so much that I recently donated when the site asked me to – it seemed like the right thing to do. This Wikipedia app for iOS provides quicker access, offering search results while you type.
Write or Die – Saying it “puts the prod in productivity,” this iPad or PC app forces you to keep writing by providing consequences for distractions and procrastination. Who doesn’t need something like this to keep them from checking e-mail or looking for cookies?
Writing Prompts – Using text prompts, current events, scene elements, genres, and writing types, this Apple app helps keep the ideas coming. The price is $1.99.
(This list was taken from Build Book Buzz by Sandra Beckwith)
www.buildbookbuzz.com
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