Top mobile smartphone apps for college students
QuickVoice Recorder is the app you’ll need when you have trouble paying attention during a long lecture. When you’re finished recording, you can e-mail the recording to yourself, set a voice reminder that will play at a selected time and date, or even save it as a ringtone. The best part is you can even multitask (check email or browse Facebook) while QuickVoice Recorder is recording in the background. For iOS.
Smart Voice Recorder can actually stop recording if there’s a pause during a lecture. So if your professor decides to respond to a text in the middle of a presentation, your phone will know it, saving you valuable storage space. Depending on the recording quality you choose, it can record up to 75 hours of audio. For Android.
STUDYBLUE (above) is the app that’ll help you ace your next multiple-choice test. You can create digital flashcards and upload study materials to review on the computer or your smartphone. This app can even filter out the flashcards you know by heart to ensure you learn the hard ones as well. Import your notes from Evernote (in the Productivity section) for a stronger study session. For iOS and Android.
Google Translate can help translate that passage from your Spanish textbook, your handwritten Chinese characters, or that Italian phrase the waiter said Saturday night. So you can quickly type, write, say, or photograph whatever you need translated between more than 70 languages. For iOS and Android.
Quizlet: With more than 10 million free sets of digital flashcards, Quizlet offers students a variety of ways to study course materials. After choosing a flashcard set or creating a new set, students have the option of four study styles, along with two varieties of flashcard games that strive to bring an entertainment factor to studying. Quizlet is available to students through the Web as well as via more than 50 mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android-powered devices.
Evernote: This app is revolutionizing notes as we know it. Evernote is a mobile and web sync friendly, media-rich note-taking machine. The basic function of the app is note-taking with the ability to add voice, photos, location and tags as well as the option to share with friends. The most exciting feature of this app is the Evernote trunk, which is filled with all sorts of valuable tools that are sure to help you excel in the classroom. Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre.
inClass: This free iPhone and iPad app provides students with the tools to keep up with material in the classroom without missing out on their professors' lectures. Using inClass, students can record audio, take text or video notes, and create images of slides or handouts. Students can also use the app to share materials with friends through Facebook and iTunes.
iProcrastinate: Available for the Mac and the iPhone, this app allows students to organize to-do lists and tasks by listing the steps it will take to complete them. Users can set priority levels for each task, and iProcrastinate prompts students to break them down into parts—making projects more manageable. For group projects, task lists can be shared and managed by multiple users. Along with the Web-based and iPhone version of the app, an iPad version is also in the works.
Wikipanion: Who needs a textbook when you have Wikipedia’s brain child, Wikipanion? This app has really high ratings – because it’s simply a great app. You can access open source content on any topic imaginable, an essential tool for any class. Platform: iPhone.
GoDocs: View, download and send your Google docs from your iPhone or iPad with this $3.99 app. Google docs are the go-to collaboration tool for students, and GoDocs will make collaboration even easier. The only thing it doesn’t do is let you edit docs. Platforms: iPhone, iPad.
Outliner: Students can organize notes, tasks, and projects, and create and edit outlines with Outliner. Available on the iPhone and iPad, the app includes an editor tool, which enables users to make quick changes to documents created in Outliner. Outliner uses the cloud service Dropbox, so students can easily share their outlines, task lists, and projects from any computer or Web-enabled device.
Cliqset: Sharing, discovering and discussing on mobile and the Web just got easier: Follow your streams on Facebook, Twitter, Buzz — 70 social networks all told — in one place with Cliqset. This app is sure to help students simplify their lives and help professors keep students engaged. Platform: iPhone.
MyHomework: Make sure you hand in all of the assignments on time – download this app. MyHomework makes it easy to keep track of, and color code all of your homework, classes, projects and tests. The app will also notify you when you have late and upcoming assignments by numbering them on your application icon. Buh-bye, paper planner. Platform: iPhone.
Rate My Profs: The website has been around for a while — more than 10 million comments about 1 million profs — and now there is a free app available for this. Gotta admit, I love it. Rate My Professor was my bible for finding some of my favorite classes at school and avoiding some of the worst. Democracy run amok? Who cares! Platform: iPhone.
Kindle:7Digital textbooks are for sure the way to save. With over 6,000 textbooks available for the Web, mobile and tablets, Amazon’s Kindle will save you about $60 on your average textbook purchase. Multiply that by the amount of textbooks you buy in one semester — that’s a lot of extra spending money. Platforms: iPhone, iPad.
FlashCards++: There are a lot of flashcard apps to choose from – FlashCard++ is the best bang for your buck, going for $2.99, less than a deck of 3x5s. This stand-out study app makes it easy to study anything anywhere with your mobile phone. It can sync with Quizlet and also back-up your cards to Dropbox. If you’re not pleased with this one, check out CoboCards, Cram or Flashcards Deluxe. Platform: iPhone.
Sleep Cycle: While this won’t help you get more sleep, Sleep Cycle does serve as an alarm clock that wakes you up during your lightest sleep phase, helping you wake up feeling most rested and relaxed. Sleep is almost as important as studying before a big exam. Costing only 99 cents, this app is definitely worth it. Platform: iPhone.
iTranslator: You can use iTranslator to connect to Google Translator, Babel Fish or Free Translation to help with your language courses. Or, maybe it’ll help you figure out what language your prof is speaking. Platform: iPhone.
iStudiez Pro: For college students who are attempting to successfully manage a full schedule, iStudiez Pro can act as the digital hub for a student's academic life. Originally available in 2009 for the iPhone, the app is now in use on the Mac and iPad, and can be easily synced among all three devices. Separating its functions into five areas—Overview, Assignments, Planner, Instructors, and Holidays—students can include course schedules, plan study sessions, and prioritize assignments based on importance, among other uses. The app can also track grades and GPA, helping students keep tabs on their academic progress.
Quizlet: With more than 10 million free sets of digital flashcards, Quizlet offers students a variety of ways to study course materials. After choosing a flashcard set or creating a new set, students have the option of four study styles, along with two varieties of flashcard games that strive to bring an entertainment factor to studying. Quizlet is available to students through the Web as well as via more than 50 mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android-powered devices.
