University of Washington computer science student Laura McFarlane and her team work on their smartphone app aimed at helping girls being illegally trafficked get help. Sara Lerner/NPR hide caption
apps apps
Nick d'Aloisio displays his mobile application Summly, which Yahoo recently purchased for a reported $30 million. But the Internet company is killing the app and integrating the algorithm that drives it into its own technology. Matt Dunham/AP hide caption
While many people look to tax preparation services for help, Tobie Stanger, editor at Consumer Reports, says online tools are often cost-effective. /iStockphoto.com hide caption
New York City rules will soon permit yellow cab drivers to accept rides through smartphone apps. Richard Drew/AP hide caption
Cell phone communication can be hacked, tapped or otherwise tampered with. A new app aims to change that. iStockphoto hide caption
A screenshot from the "Make me Asian" app page in the Google Play store. The app is no longer available. Google Play hide caption
Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Mannino checks a sailor for skin cancer the old-fashioned way during a screening exam at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego. MC2 Dominique M. Lasco/U.S. Navy hide caption
A screen image from "NRA: Practice Range." MEDL Mobile hide caption
The iTube platform, left, uses colorimetric assays and a smartphone-based digital reader to detect potential food allergen. A screen capture of the iTube App appears on the right. UCLA hide caption
Mobile apps and devices track a user's health statistics. But those data are sometimes sold and can end up in the hands of employers and insurance companies. iStockphoto.com hide caption
Who's collecting information about her? Peggy Turbett /The Plain Dealer /Landov hide caption
Apps that can keep kids entertained during long road trips include (from left) Waze, Story Dice, Mobbles, Cobypic, and Postcard on the Run. NPR hide caption
With thousands of medical apps available for download, patients and physicians can instantly keep visual records of wounds and look up symptoms. Benjamin Morris/NPR hide caption
Jealous? If you have trouble sleeping, several new apps and devices promise to help you figure out why. In this photo from January, Huan Huan, a female giant panda, sleeps in a zoo in Beauval, France. Franck Prevel/Getty Images hide caption