STUDENT-TESTED, STUDENT-APPROVED
As we approach fall and students return to campuses and classrooms, it’s important to maximize our technology for good (minimizing their use for distractions and memes). Studious has created a list of 5 phone applications that will help you get back on your feet after the summer break. Whether it’s rapid consumption of curated news streams or intuitive manipulation of Cartesian coordinate systems, these apps have you covered.
Flipboard is a constantly updated personal magazine. You can pick your areas of interest, and the app will assemble article collections for you. Don’t like a particular article? You can choose the option to exclude similar articles from further daily updates. Investing, health care, DIY projects, and music production can all coexist in a beautifully designed digital magazine at your finger tips. There are hundreds of possibilities that you can choose to hone your magazine to suit your academic lifestyle. With the app, staying on top of news is easier than ever and always available.
2. Google Photos
Google Photos isn’t just photos. With the new creation of Google’s Backup and Sync, which unifies and stores your media and documents from all your devices in the cloud, Google Photos backs up all your pictures of avocado toast (and class notes) for free. What’s more, the app intelligently creates animations (GIFs), videos, and photo albums from your stored media. The sharing features make it perfect for study groups. Did we mention that you get unlimited storage? With the correct optimization settings, your photo storage capabilities won’t be limited. OK, Google. We’re impressed.
3. Free Graphing Calculator
FGC is a gem. The developer, William Jockusch, essentially wrapped up important algebra and calculus tools and gifted it to students. William didn’t just loan you his TI-84; he put it into a free app and released it to the world. For this, we are grateful. With FGC, you can graph multiple equations at once, create statistical tools and regression lines, convert units for pesky physics assignments, and more. You can even graph implicit functions, polar coordinates, and parametric equations. Built-in help screens provide guidance along the way. Thank you, William.
4. Clarity Money
Clarity Money will help you get your financial life in order. As students, we know that money can be tight; this app helps you understand the composite of your banking and investment accounts so you can see where your money is coming from and where it is going to. For example, you can check “How much money did I spend last month on Amazon?” Realizing the excessively plush dorm furniture à la Bezos you bought exceeds your budget isn’t the only source of wisdom Clarity Money provides. The app tracks bills, provides free credit reports, and creates graphical representations of your moolah. Ooh la la!
5. Spark Post
Spark Post by Adobe is like having a graphic designer in your pocket. Modern design elements and an easy to use interface make this app an essential tool for class projects, social media, organization promotion, and academic presentations. One nice feature is “Magic Text” that will automatically adjust both font size and orientation to suit your current design. Additionally, the app comes filled with professional-looking designs for a variety of purposes such as lifestyle, food, and school. So, spice up your PowerPoint presentations with the clean aesthetics provided by Spark Post; your audience will thank you.
There you have it—5 apps for 5 different aspects of school that help you make the grade.
5 free apps. Could it get any better?