Nowadays, it's hard to imagine not having wireless applications or smart phones. Some applications are great for killing time (Angry Birds, anyone?), for finding that perfect hidden gem of a restaurant or for being a helping hand and assisting you throughout the day. This week, it was my mission to go on a hunt to find the best applications for your wireless smart phone that will not only help you prepare for the back to school season, but that you will be able to use throughout the entire school year. 1.       Ask Voice: Get directions prontoAsk.com has come out with this new innovative app that integrates voice-recognition technology into its Mobile platform. Need directions? Tell your phone. Ask Voice allows you to speak an address instead of typing it. Not only is it a faster method to get directions, but it solves the problem of address abbreviations and variations.  I know I could have used this app many times while I was lost in a seemingly unsafe part of town, pulled over, frantically typing in my home address! This is the perfect app for a college student who just recently relocated to a new city or for a teen that recently started driving and is unfamiliar with some areas of town. 2.      Web-Alerts.com: Stay up to dateWith this app, you can stay on top of news, your favorite website, or get updates on your favorite blogs as they happen by SMS messaging  (SMS stands for smart mobile messaging) This app reminds me of Google News Alert, except you get a message on your phone. It's a free service and to get it, all you have to do is go to the Web-Alert.com web site, paste the RSS feed you wish to follow into a box, enter your phone number and Web-Alerts does the rest.  Even better, you can even enter a keyword to limit the results to only the information you need. The service will automatically monitor the sites you wish, and send you a text when something is updated.  This is perfect for sites that contain time sensitive information (Hello, one day sales!) than can be a great helping hand when you are out back to school shopping. 3.      Shazam: The song IdentifierThink about it, you'll probably be listening to music more than ever once returning back to school. Kill the boredom of that long bus ride or help keep an upbeat mood while studying by listening to fun newly discovered songs.  As for myself, I often times will walk into a store or restaurant, fall in love with a song I have never heard before, then realize I am probably never going to hear it again, because I don't know whom the song is by, the title, nothing! Well now, there is an app for that. Let me introduce you to Shazam, an application that is self-styled as a "music discovery engine." With this app, all you have to do is hold your phone up to the music that is being broadcasted and the app will identify the song and the artist. Users can also view related YouTube videos. 4.      OmniFocus: Stay on top of tasksStarting college? Have what seems like a ton of errands to run and a massive to do list before settling into your new class schedule? OmniFocus is here for you. It is basically a location-based task manager founded on the principle that certain tasks are performed in certain contexts. Wikiperdia sums up its purpose as "A program that is able to capture thoughts and ideas into to do lists." How does it work? It uses the GPS and WiFi positioning capability of your phone to organize your list of chores according to their locations. This app is soon to be my new best friend. For years, I have been writing out long to-do lists, only to lose them shortly after. Thank goodness for technology like this. 5.      DataVault: The password ManagerWith technology expanding into more parts of our lives every day and with more applications and Internet services being delivered via the web, students are expected to memorize an ever-bewildering array of passwords.  That is where DataVault Password Manager can be super helpful. The app offers a handy and intuitive way to store a range of passwords, PINs, credit card details, and other vital personal information. No worries, all of your info is protected with strong encryption technology. So when you are sitting in class and need your school login information, you can have it safely on hand. 6.      Urban Spoon: Hungry?After a long day of back to school shopping, need a new place to dine? UrbanSpoon is here for you. Set up in a fun format, you spin the urban spoons slot machine and it will come up with a suggestion. You can select certain attributes such as burger joints or inexpensive food and local restaurants will appear. Even better is that the app includes reviews, restaurant contact information and you can even press another button for a map and directions from where you are located. 7.       Red Laser: Scan anythingI can't believe I ever lived without this convenient and helpful app! While it may not tell you if that color dress doesn't compliment your skin tone, it is a great shopping companion. It works by scanning bar codes. Once you scan, RedLaser retrieves product information, including prices at not only local stores, but online merchants as well. Another great aspect of RedLaser is being able to scan books, because the app not will not only locate a copy of it in a nearby U.S. library it can also help you find the books from thousands of online retailers. While there are so many other helpful apps such as FindMyCar and ShopKick, I could only cover so many from the vast array! I found the ones listed above to be most relevant for assisting you in all your back to school needs. So to carry on the discussion, please share with me your favorite helpful apps!