By Isabel Ovalle
Who doesn’t have a smartphone nowadays? Even people who have ‘not so smart’ phones carry valuable information in them and find the gadget a very private part of their lives. It allows them to keep track of their appointments and, most importantly, keep in touch with loved ones.
However, modern phones offer a long list of services that go far beyond phone calls: Texting, Internet browsing, checking your bank account, shopping, you name it! Cell phones are indispensable for many people and studies show that the average person checks his phone every 15 minutes.
Notwithstanding the debate about whether using smartphones can be addictive, it’s clear that they offer a unique opportunity to companies that want to promote their products, and are also excellent service providers. This is why these days there is a mobile application for almost everything.
Many businesses based in Qatar are taking advantage of this market niche and have developed applications for smartphones that make life easier for users and clients. The remaining task is local development and design of these, given that most of the applications currently in use in Qatar were developed in Dubai, India or Europe.
These are some of the useful apps available to smartphone users in Qatar:
Hukoomi
The mobile app version of Hukoomi allows anyone with a java-enabled smart phone to access government information and services. This mobile app includes shortcuts to pay utilities bills, check and pay for traffic violations, renew health card, read news and events headlines, find useful phone numbers and contacts and other information.
Traffic Qatar
It helps the user find out if he or she has committed any traffic violations in Doha. It’s as easy as entering the vehicle plate number to view if the car has ever been noted by traffic police. Developed by KodeBlink, a software company based in Bangalore, India, it’s available for Iphone and Android.
Cinema Qatar
This application offers a simple service: Check movie timing showing in cinemas all over Qatar. It has information about movie theatre schedules in Villagio, City Center, The Mall, Landmark, Royal Plaza and Gulf/Doha Cinemas. In addition to timings, the user can view the movie ratings, cast, plot, trailer and other information about a movie. It’s developed by Aptrixx and available in Apple Store and Google play.
Qatar Cars
It’s the application that car lovers were waiting for: a forum for Qatar to show their rides and dedicated to motoring passion for cars. Developed by Lignitech, a company which describes its self as a primarily European organization, it’s available for Iphone and Android.
Qatar Airways
This long-waited for application allows passengers to search and book for flights, check flight status and more. Users can also check the latest travel alerts, find all the necessary information for their journey and locate Qatar Airways around the world. Customers can also sign up for special offers and receive up dated information about exclusive fares and packages. The application is developed by Qatar Airways IT.
HSBC Qatar
The HSBC Personal Banking App offers secure and convenient tools to help customers manage their money. It can be downloaded for free and is useful to view account details and transaction history, transfer funds between accounts, pay credit card and utility bills, and send and receive secure messages. The app is only available for Apple devices.
