Apps that Power Manipal

During the semester there will be many things to keep track of such as one’s course timetable, classes, finances and attendance. Soon you’ll realise that your phone alone is your true buddy, and you need to arm it with the most useful and interesting apps you can get. You are bound to find an independent app for every mundane thing under the sky.

Here are some categories in which you can upgrade your phone with an app.

Notes and Checklists

If you have the habit of forgetting your engagements or making lists of required necessities, a note-taking app is the first thing you’ll need in your phone. Google Keep works fine for checklists helping you set reminders for everything. You can also use it to keep track of assignment dates or homework. Papyrus and Evernote are other popular apps with impressive user interfaces. Pro tip: Save your class timetable as an image note in Google Keep for easy access.

Online Shopping

Very often we find amazing deals on online shopping portals which may even convince us to make a purchase regardless of their necessity. Sometimes these deals are limited to their mobile apps. If you are the type of person who avoids the discomfort of leaving their room to go out and buy stuff, having an online shopping app would be wise. It can also save you a trip to Mangalore in those times when what you’re looking for is just not available in Manipal. Every major seller delivers to Manipal within two days at the most. Having Amazon, Flipkart, Jabong, or Myntra will soon turn out be a boon.

News

In case you have the habit of reading the news everyday there are two options for you, either you wake up early in order to get your hands on the newspaper delivered to your hostel before it gets crumpled, torn and put to other ridiculous uses or you promptly download an app that serves all the information you need to know about the world at your fingertips. Feedly and Flipboard give you the news from various sources. But if you prefer reading your news from your trusted outlet, you can always subscribe to the news provider on Google News. Reuters and The Independent are known for their unbiased news reporting, but if opinionated, unconventional and off-beat stuff interests you VICE and The Onion have got you covered. If you don’t have the time to read long articles, ‘News in Shorts’ can keep you updated using 60 word snippets.

Games

Even if you are not a fan of gaming you’ll need something to keep you company while waiting alone for the next class to start or while waiting in line somewhere or even to pass the time during a boring lecture. Games like Mini Militia, Clash of Clans are amazing options considering they are not tough on your device. There are a ton of options on the Google play store but find a game that you can put on mute, works without the internet and can keep you occupied for a reasonably long period without boring you and you’re good to go.

Alarm Clocks

Though your phone has an ‘alarm’ setting, your mind drowsed in slumber can work its way to disable it within a few seconds. So if you don’t want your inability to wake up become an excuse when you miss your classes then you might want to consider apps like like Timely, I Can’t Wake Up or Wake N Shake which don’t allow you to switch off the alarms without completing tasks that are sure to wake you up.

Money Trackers

At one point everyone loses their mind over money. For many students, it happens multiple times. You will not know when your wallet goes empty. Keeping track of money will at least ease the pain and lift your spirits when you blame yourself for being a spendthrift. Monefy and Money Lover are decent apps with many features.

Revels/Techtatva App

During the two fests there will be a lot happening in the campus. With multiple events being held simultaneously at venues far apart, the apps will help you figure out what’s going on at any given point of time and decide which events to attend. They are also useful for checking results and will certainly help you get the most of the fest season.

Reading Apps

Most of your college study material is going to be digital. While reading things on your laptop is infinitely better for your eyes, it doesn’t hurt to keep a good PDF reader on your phone for emergencies. OfficeSuite is a nice set of apps that will take care of PDFs, Word docs and the occasional powerpoint presentation. If you enjoy reading in general, you might find yourself switching from physical books to the convenience of ebooks. Moon+ Reader and the Amazon Kindle app are both great options to help you with that.

Period Tracker

Ladies, there are few things worse than getting your period when you’re unprepared for it. It’s a disaster on the same level as a zombie apocalypse, Hannibal getting cancelled and a forest fire. The only thing worse is getting your period during a zombie apocalypse. To avoid this disaster and make sure you’re always prepared, install a nifty little app like Lunacycle or P Tracker to help you keep track of the time of the month when your body is going to throw a tantrum. They can also alert you a few days before you’re due so you can make a quick run to the campus store to stock up on your favorite brand of pads.

After you enter college you might have to use some apps that you’ve never needed so far. Ever thought you’d have to say that you’ll check your calendar before affirming an invitation? With all the activity on campus you might end up saying exactly that.

And when you are unable to put your phone away to spend some time study, there’s an app for that as well. ‘Flipd’ and ‘Forest’ help you keep away from the phone while you pursue something worthwhile.

-Pranav Parashar, Shriya Atmakuri and Rijul Rastogi for MTTN