Apps aplenty

Shopping for apps can be addictive. There are app stores for almost all mobile operating systems. It started with the one for iPhone by Apple. Then came the flood — Ovi by Nokia, Android Market by Google and BlackBerry App World and Windows Marketplace.

There are reports that the number of apps in Android Market has just overtaken Apple's. Android is also becoming the dominant OS, with almost every phone manufacturer, may be except BlackBerry and Nokia, coming out with Android phones. The Windows Phone is also likely to get a boost with Nokia joining hands with Microsoft.

One of the best and easiest to use is the Android Market. As your mobile is synced to Google account, you will be able to log in with your Google credentials. Once you log in, your mobile is connected to the Android Market. Unlike Nokia's Ovi which sends an app link to your mobile, which in turn connects and downloads and installs the app through the Ovi Store app in your mobile, in the Android Market, the app is downloaded and installed once you click install in the Market site. There is no intervention required on your part.

In the iTunes store or Blackberry App World, if you have to install an app from the Web site, your phone has to be connected to the computer for you to download and install the app.

Android phones have one more advantage. Apart from the official Android Market, there are other ‘markets' such as AppAware and AppBrain that can be used to download apps.

Both AppAware and AppBrain can download apps to your phone through your Google account.

They also tell you which apps are popular or most downloaded. AppAware can also tell you how many users have installed or uninstalled the apps.

For those who don't have Nokia, iPhone, BlackBerry or an Android phone, there are other third party ‘stores' such as Getjar from where you can download apps for almost any phone.

Airtel has its own store called App Central that has apps for almost all phones, but you have to be a subscriber of Airtel mobile service to use it.