From the course: Working with Computers and Devices

Understand applications

From the course: Working with Computers and Devices

Understand applications

- Applications are the programs that your computer runs and in which you'll spend most of your time on your computer. Generally, an application is any piece of software used to accomplish a task, whether that task is writing a paper, composing music, editing a digital photo, playing a video game, browsing the web, or checking your email. There are countless applications for countless purposes. Some applications come pre-installed on your computer, like the web browser, Microsoft Edge, and the basic word processor, Word Pad. And you can acquire and use other apps by downloading and installing them from software company's websites, or through services like the Microsoft Store. The same goes for the apps you use on mobile devices, like your phone. Often mobile apps are specialized for use on the go, like navigation apps that help you find directions to different locations, or time management apps that send you notifications reminding you of meetings and appointments. You can get almost any kind of app on your mobile device. For the most part, mobile apps are simpler and less powerful than desktop apps, which are apps designed to run on desktop computers, as well as laptop computers. Desktops and laptops are more powerful than mobile devices and offer more screen space to work. So they're more suited for running apps with more features and complexity. However, you'll find that app developers make both desktop and mobile versions of their applications and they often work well together. For example, you could start drafting a document in Microsoft Word on your phone while you're commuting on a train and then continue working on it from the desktop version of word when you arrive home. These days with so many apps available, you can find lots of apps for both desktop and mobile devices that are designed to help you accomplish specific tasks and get work done.

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