10 Mobile Apps You'd Want If Stranded On A Desert Island

Desert Island Apps

Suspend disbelief for a moment and picture yourself stranded alone on a deserted island, with nothing at the ready except your wits and a couple of smart devices. Here are ten mobile apps that you’d want with you if you were stuck in the middle of nowhere and needed to pass time safely while waiting for rescue.

Weather Radar for iPhone

This is one of the niftier weather apps in both its simplicity and its functionality. Click it on, and it will find your location via GPS and provide instant weather radar images, from the U.S. National Weather Service, to let you know if you’re about to get hit with a storm or just have clear skies around you. Pinch the screen to zoom in on a neighborhood, or zoom out for a region. Or, in your case, perhaps the archipelago where you’re stuck. This is a $2.99 app from the Apple iTunes App Store.

Evernote For iPhone, iPad Android

This is a market-leading, note-taking and organization app that works across Mac, iOS, PC and Android platforms, and it comes in handy in any number of scenarios. Whether you’re taking video notes, a quick snapshot, sorting through PDFs or just jotting notes down, this is, frankly, a must-have free app that will never let you lose track of important notes regardless of device or location.

Qik Video For iPhone

Qik, now part of Skype, was one of the first, best video live-streaming, across-the-’net services that worked with mobile devices and it continues to work like a charm. With a tap of the iPhone screen, you’re broadcasting video to the world from wherever you are. And, unlike other services, Qik will work just fine with 3G connectivity in case WiFi is unavailable when you’re stranded.

Memoires The Diary For Android

If you’re stranded, finding a pad of paper and a pen might not be so easy when you want to start a journal – so Memoires the Diary, a free app from the Android Market, can help. Designed for those who want to keep a journal and, according to the app, believe some thoughts ’still should be kept private,’ this app will let you write down your daily thoughts, encrypt them, and even tag entries for easier navigation later. Using the Android device’s GPS, it will also note your location at the time you’re writing.

Disaster Alert for Android

The last thing you’d want if you’re stranded on a deserted island is to be the last one to know a Tsunami is coming. So Disaster Alert for Android is a free app from the Android Market that you might just want to keep handy. Providing real-time information on alerts around the world, from Earthquakes in places like Vanatu to wildfires in California, or hurricanes anywhere, this is an app that will keep you posted on disasters that might be headed your way.

iSurvival - Wilderness Survival Manual for iPad

For $1.99, this app provides a streamlined version of standard military survival guides – with a few extras. It allows you to create a ’survival checklist’ of items you’ll need if you’re ever in the wilderness by yourself, along with step-by-step instructions and illustrations for everything from dealing with poisonous plants to building fires to signaling for help. Its section on ’The Psychology of Survival’ could be an every day reference for those in the IT industry, as well.

Send GPS for iPhone

’Send GPS’ may just yet become the new ’Send Help.’ This app, a 99-cent download from the Apple iTunes App Store, won’t just use your device’s GPS to tell you where you are, it will let you quickly and easily send your coordinates to someone via email or SMS, or just post directly to Facebook. It lets you save your location, recall it later or choose from your contact list with whom you’d like to share. If you’re stranded in the wilderness, what better app is there?

Memory Challenge for BlackBerry PlayBook

If you’re stranded, alone, for any length of time you might find that memory exercises can be invaluable. (Also if you tend to lose track of things like your car keys or what you walked into a room to do only to have it vanish from your mind.) Like a child’s game, Memory Challenge will provide you with four, brightly colored buttons – that light up and beep in different sequences. Your challenge is to remember the sequence and play it back correctly. It may or may not improve your memory, but it will kill some time when you’re stranded and waiting for help.

Battery Double for iPad

This 99-cent download, available on the Apple iTunes App Store, with in-app advertising that is mildly annoying, Battery Double won’t exactly lengthen battery life by itself but it will tell you how much time you have left for activities like watching video, listening to audio, staying on WiFi or standby mode. That will allow you to adjust features like brightness, Bluetooth or connectivity if you need to squeeze more life out of your iPad which, if you’re not near a power outlet, you’ll likely need to do.

Carbodroid Water for Fit for Android

A goofy but helpful app, Carbodroid Water for Fit will help you reach a daily goal of drinking two liters of water a day. It will send you notifications when it’s time to hydrate, keep track of each 8-ounce glass of water you drink by tapping an animated glass or bottle of water (making a little droid smile each time), and let you know when you’ve reached your goal. Hydration is for health and, if you’re stuck alone on an island or just crazy busy during the workday, Carbodroid Water for Fit will keep you flush.