Apps have been integrated into our lives. I regularly depend on my apps to get things done; from figuring out when I should leave the house to be somewhere on time to reading a book or article or even just passing time playing a random game. With the appetite for smart phones in western countries growing at a fast pace, there is almost an app for every task for activity niche you can think of. Here is a selection of apps that I think are pretty interesting and eclectic. (Clicking on the image will send you to the iTunes page.) The following popular apps reveal a lot about Australian interests - watching TV, food, travel and drinking! We hope this list inspires you to build your own app, go for it and check out our tips for planning an app here.

Fruit Ninja

Cost: $0.99

One of the most downloaded games, and it was made by an Australian game developer, Halfbrick studios. Such a simple game, all you have to do is cut virtual fruit into a salad. Sounds easy but we promise it is challenging!

Shop Ethical! 2012

Price: $4.49

For people who like to know where their food has come from, this app crowdsourced content from users and public databases about food and drink products which a user can search to make informed decisions about their purchases. 20,000 downloads of the app show that even with a high price point (for an iPhone app), buyers have voted with their wallets and downloaded the app in droves.

Fango - the social way to watch tv

Price: Free

Social media is everywhere now, and the more interactive it is, the better. Fango, brought to us by Yahoo!7 (a joint venture between Yahoo! and Australian media broadcaster Channel Seven) is a newcomer to the scene. The app makes watching TV a social experience. People can talk in real time to their friends and other users in the community while watching their favourite TV shows. A small downside is that you have to have a Facebook account for the app to work.

Learner Logbook

Price: Free

Learner Logbook is just plain useful for anyone who is learning how to drive a car. Logging hours in a book can become a hassle - making sure that the book is in the car or in an easy to find place. However, almost everyone would have their phone with them while driving (hopefully not using the phone at the same time). There is one for each Australian state and territory, and once you have accumulated all the hours, you can send a PDF via e-mail for you to print. Brilliant.

Park Patrol

Price: Free
Price for a ticket: ~$99

The DesignCrowd office is situated in a suburb known for parking patrol officers trawling the footpath. A user just needs to open the app, enter the time period and the app records your cars position and sets and alarm. This app works though people notifying the user that they have seen a parking inspector in the area, which in turns sends out a push notification which appears on your phone. It relies on other users submitting an alert when they spot a parking inspector. If a user's time is close to expiring and they see a parking inspector is nearby they can move their car and avoid being fined. There is a paid version of the app which provides some small useful features.

Everguide

Price: Free

This app tells you what is happening entertainment-wise in you city at the current moment. "Your mobile social manager," EverGuide will help you choose something that you may life to do all at a single touch your iDevice. You are also able to share these events easily and quickly so that your friends can know what you want to do and they can decide if they want to go or not.

Sydney Bars

Price: $1.99

You looked through Everguide, and didn't find anything that took your fancy. This nifty and cool app is like the 'little black book of bars' in Sydney. It's a guide to the best bars in town, categorised into region, price and live music amongst other things. It can even tell you which bars are the closest to you, making that pub crawl that much easier. It's like Foursquare Explore feature but curated by bar flies. They just need to load up more reviews as there are new bard popping all over Sydney at the moment and they're missing from the app.

Drinktracker

Price: $1.99

You have driven into the city and you know that there aren't any parking officers around to catch you off guard. You're now at a bar, it's late, and have had a few drinks. You want to know if you can legally drive - not the best situation, but you want to go home. Luckily you have been taking note of the drinks that you have been consuming using this app, and it shows that you are over the limit. Time to sober up and take the train home. The app relies on you counting your drinks so there's a weakness already!

Dirty Kebabs

Price: $0.99

You've been waiting at the bar for ages, and now you are getting a little hungry. You know that the bar you are at doesn't serve any food, and you are looking for some traditional drinking fare after a night out on the town. The dirty kebabs app will tell you where the nearest meat-in-bread food place is. Nifty. Felefal options for vegetarians available!

Tripview

Price: $2.99

Your friend who was with you each step of the way needs to go home, and they came into the city on the train. With a few taps and the tripview app, they know when the next train is coming and makes it to the station on time. A must have for anyone who uses public transport in Sydney, as it also allows for multiple forms of travel from every type of public transport available (bus, train, and ferry).

Go-Catch App

If you don't want to catch public transport after your night on the town, and you've had too much to drink, then use this nifty app to book a cab from where you are standing.

You can see in this list how apps can become integrated in our lives, and you don't even have to spend a heap of money either. It's also clear that Australians like buying apps that help them with practical day-to-day problems - looking up a train to catch, finding a place to drink or recording their driving experience. Explore the range of apps that are out there, see what it missing or what you think you can do better. The more specific the problem you're solving the better. If you have an idea coming along, see what you can do with it - it's difficult to create an app, but you won't know unless you try. Consider features like push notification to keep users engaged and make your app more effective.

BONUS: Are you launching an app in Australia? Check out BrandCrowd's app logo maker or Australian logo maker tool to get a logo design that will help make your app the next top app in Australia!

Written by DesignCrowd on Wednesday, July 11, 2012

DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.