What tis an app?

An app is a application like games, utility's, and educational tools that you can be used on a device. Applications include things that might add effects to your camera, help you find your car, keep track of things, or kill pigs with birds. Apps have been around a long time but really took off with the launch of the iPhone in the summer of 2007. Apple launched the app store so you could get apps on your iPhone. Android phone also have a market place with many of the same apps.

To download an app you will need a mobile device like a iPhone, iPad, Android or even a blackberry (Noobs - talking about you Aimee). With each device is a new operating system for each, and each has its own version of a app store. You have to download the app from the version of the app store your on and then you can play it.

The apps you download can also access data on your phone. Each app you download has a set of policies that will tell you what the app will do on your phone. Some apps will take information from your phone to display the right ads on the app that will apply to your interests. Some apps will need to use your location for things like directions and finding where you need to go and such. Some apps can look at anything from your interests to your phone number and address.

The reason apps collect location data is because it needs to find out where you are. Some reasons are so the app can help you get walking directions to the nearest gas station. Another reason is to find out what you live around so they can have ads that relate to you. Google earth and Google maps are big users of your location for obvious reasons.

Some apps are free for a lot of reasons. Any app is free to get to the largest audience possible but other reasons can differ. One reason is so that they can get you to download it for free, then put ads on the app so they can still make money. Another reason is so that the developer can use the app as a advertisement for something else they are involved with.

Apps have advertisements so that the developers can make money. Developing a app is not free so the developer needs to make money some how. If they didn't have adds they would have to charge money for the app which would drastically reduce the audience downloading the app.

Like I said earlier apps can access your interests and location through your phone so that the ads in a app are specific to you and your interests.

Updates are a great Idea for a app and the user should definably update them. The update can provide security patches for the app and as a bonus updates usually include new levels to a game or new features for that app.

When you go to download an app you might read the reviews to see if its worth your time and bandwidth. You will see positive and negative reviews but some developers will pose as users and post positive reviews. So when you read the reviews just be careful.