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University of Copenhagen
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Smartphones are only as smart as we allow them to be. Unleash your student life with the potential of your phone
You deserve to get the most out of that spectacular and expensive device you are staring at.
Unfortunately, while Apple and Google are good at bragging about the millions of apps (not to mention billions of downloads and dollars) they have, it is still hard to find the best ones.
Look no further, for we have compiled a list of the ten best apps for students that you (probably) haven’t downloaded yet.
Who wants to spend all their time organizing their time?
Sunrise is a third-party calendar app, available to both iOS and Android users, and a perfect start to every organized student’s day. Besides sporting a stunningly beautiful and intuitive interface, Sunrise boasts a number of key features.
Sunrise connects with a host of third party apps to automate your calendar.
Want to know where that interview is for the student job? Sunrise can sync with your Google and Maps accounts to tell you when and where you need to be. Or, perhaps you want a personal preview of your class’s guest lecturer; well Sunrise events can sync with Twitter to show you the most recent tweets of people named in your event.
Find it on App Store | Google Play
No modern smartphone is complete without the ability to deliver great music when you need it most. All of our phones come with earbuds, so you better have a good music app for bike rides, study sessions and get togethers. If you happen to have Apple Music on your iPhone, or a subscription to Google Play on your Android, you don’t really have to look any further; but you’d be better off with Spotify. Spotify, being of sound Swedish mind and body, is [almost] a hometown favorite here in Copenhagen and the odds are most of your friends are already using it. Since these music streaming services are all about helping you discover new music and access what you like, you’re best off using what your friends use so you can share and discover together.
Find it on App Store | Google Play
IF by IFTTT might be the hidden gem of this guide. Since you are probably wondering, IFTTT stands for ‘If This, Then That’ and is quite arguably one of the most useful apps of all time. The app lives to it’s name by literally connecting and automating activities on your phone based on the simple cause and effect logic, ‘if this occurs, then that happens’ and it’s completely up to you to decide what that is.
For example: If your weather app knows it will rain tomorrow, then you get an email alerting you about that; without having to ask Siri or check Google Now. You can even auto send a message to your roommate(s) every time you go to the grocery store. The possibilities are endless and if you realize you need IF by IFTTT in your life, then head over to their recipes page to enjoy that.
Find it on App Store | Google Play
Somehow, Google Play’s Editor’s Choice Winner and Apple’s iPhone App of the Year, remains a relative unknown to many casual smartphone users. Duolingo is widely considered the best free language learning software available and it helps users achieve success with gamification. The start of 2015 finally saw the official release of Danish on Duolingo so this is an absolute must-have app for non-Danish students.
Find it on App Store | Google Play
Audible is a subscription-based audiobook program in the vein of Spotify and Netflix and their app puts more than 180,000 audiobooks at your every whim. Audible is owned by Amazon so their 180,000 audiobook library is a truly impressive one. Whether it’s for a textbook, or simply fiction in your downtime, there is no better platform to get your audiobook fix.
Find it on App Store | Google Play
Elevate is a brain training program that uses games to improve your ability to learn; making it a fun and perfect way to kill time between classes, or on the metro. Elevate will personalize training for you; so if you want to improve your focus, memory and processing speed while leaving out math and speaking skills, you definitely can.
Find it on App Store | Google Play
Khan Academy is a learning resource for everyone. Originally designed as an open, free education platform; Khan Academy has grown into one of the largest digital libraries of free educational information in the world. Frequenters of the Khan Academy are treated to a wealth of videos, reading materials and exercises absolutely free of charge.
The official Khan Academy iOS app and a third-party Khan Academy viewing Android app (linked below) offer access to Khan Academy’s library of educational materials for viewing and practice on your smartphone or tablet. Who knows, maybe you will discover the inspiration for your thesis while riding the metro.
Find it on App Store | Google Play (Not official)
Paper has been a gorgeous iPad app for sketchers and artists for years, but a recent update and release for iPhone has transformed Paper into a digital Moleskine. Paper’s design and accessibility makes it an absolute joy for users to jot down quick notes or reminders for review later, much more pleasing than any stock notes app could ever be.
What really separates Paper is its emphasis on productivity, taking the note app to a whole new level with annotated picture, notes styling and format exporting. In other words, with Paper, you can take a picture of your professor’s lecture, style it with bullet point reminders and email it in .pdf format to your absent classmate, who is suffering from that notorious Danish cold, all in less than a minute.
The only downside to Paper is that it is currently only available for iOS, but developer FiftyThree says they are working to bring it to Android as soon as possible.
Find it on App Store
Finding time for exercise can be difficult for stressed out and/or busy students, but making the time can go a long way towards easing the former and apparently 10/10 doctors say it’s good for your health, so you may as well let your phone make it simpler for you. Endomondo tracks your fitness progress, helping you more readily improve, across such activities as running, walking and most importantly biking (it’s Copenhagen, after all) among many others.
What separates Endomondo from the overcrowded pack of fitness apps is, well, the fact that it’s Danish (at least before Under Armour acquired it) and who doesn’t love supporting the hometown heroes. However, to be fair, Endomondo is objectively one of the best, so you sacrifice nothing by showing a little Danish pride.
Find it on App Store | Google Play
OK, so Microsoft’s Office isn’t exactly a secret, and their suite of apps are just wasted storage space on your phone’s small screen which lacks a keyboard anyway… or are they?
Recently, Microsoft realized they weren’t Apple and stopped trying so hard to make you buy their phones and tablets. Since then, the Office suite of apps for mobile became exceedingly accessible. Everything that was once scary about using Office on a small screen is gone. With Microsoft Word, for example, you can now easily view your term paper on the go and make some final edits before going to the library for printing, without ever worrying about your computer or that thing your parents called a desk.
Find it on App Store | Google Play
If you have any other suggestions for apps you really love, let us know! Write in the comment section below.
universitypost@adm.ku.dk
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