Life? There's an app for that

Zhang Yu claims to have a lot of good friends, but they are not convinced. They joke that Zhang's "friends" are a number of thumbnail-sized applications installed on her smartphone.

The phone is never out of Zhang's hands, and she admits to spending more time with apps than with family and friends.

"With the popularity of smartphones and other mobile gadgets, apps - computer software applications designed to help users perform specific tasks via mobile devices - have greatly changed people's way of life," said Chen Ziming, vice-president of research and development at app developer Wochacha Information Technology (Shanghai).

For Zhang, apps function as a general assistant. Every morning, she turns to Moji Weather which provides a forecast for the day and helps her decide what to wear.

"It also advises on suitable makeup and the sun-lotion factor most suited to the day's weather. For example, it says today will be hot and humid, so it's best for me to use cosmetics designed to prevent dehydration and to apply less foundation cream," said Zhang, 30, who works for a public relations and social media company.

Out on the roads, she uses Anjia Digital Dog, an app that alerts drivers of upcoming speed cameras, no-parking zones and the areas most often patrolled by police. "That's a good app. It's already helped me to avoid lots of parking tickets and speeding fines," she said with a smile.

Zhang, a music fan, often forgets song titles. She found a solution with Shazam Encore, a song-search app capable of identifying a tune from just a few bars. "I've learned tons of new songs with it and won lots of applause from friends at Karaoke bars," she said.

The app she uses most frequently is called Momo, an instant chat platform that provides users with easy access to other subscribers. It's similar to text messaging, but far more advanced, and allows devotees to send photos and video footage and identify other user accounts. Subscribers can cyberchat, even if they've never met in real life.

"It's a good way to share moods and emotions and its location service is very strong. I install new apps and delete old ones almost every day. It's amazing that I can find apps related to almost every aspect of my life through App Store or Google Market. I find they make life more convenient and interesting," Zhang said.

Changing lives

"I think that right now apps are changing our lives in the same way websites changed the world 10 years ago. Apps are a worldwide revolution and provide people with access to information about companies, restaurants, anything, in a convenient and fun way," said Evgeny Kosolapov, CEO of I-Free Asia, a division of Russia's largest mobile Internet company which both develops apps and provides a platform for developers, when he attended the Macworld Asia 2012 conference in Beijing.

"We still have to use computers at home or in the office because of the Internet access, but apps - no matter whether you use them in the city, on the road or on the train - are changing user behavior," he said.

By the end of June, 388 million people in China were using cellphones to go online and mobile devices are now far and away the most common way for Chinese people to gain access to the Internet, according to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center.

At the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2012, Apple Inc's CEO Tim Cook revealed that the number of downloads from the company's App Store has surpassed 30 billion globally so far this year.

Liu Kai, an Apple fan who works at a newspaper in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, said apps are the best and cheapest tool for entertainment.

"I've installed many apps, but my favorite is iMovie, a video-making app. Even people without video- or directorial skills can make their own movies. I often use it to edit video I recorded with friends and family members," Liu said.

"I think apps are a good invention. They allow regular people like me to really feel the development of technology. They also make my life more convenient and interesting than before. It's really amazing that you can get whatever you want from them," he said.

Hou Xing, manager of a cultural communications company in Beijing's Chaoyang district, is also a fan, but he favors apps that aid daily life. "I installed a pocket health checkup on my phone. It tests my eyesight, memory, weight, hearing and heart rate. It's very convenient and a good reminder for people like me who pay little attention to their health," he said.

One of Hou's favorite apps is China Survival Handbook, which supplies updates on food safety. "I just received a reminder that a bakery I often visit has been selling out-of-date bread. I used to buy snacks for my 2-year-old daughter there. Thank goodness it reminded me," he said.

Hou also often uses weibo, or micro blogs, to access the latest news and to share views on certain topics. "I really like micro blogs. For me they've opened a new window to the outside world."