Want free pizza? Hazy about last night? Try these apps.

Scott Dobson-Mitchell reviews five apps for students

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Photo courtesy of Alla_G on Flickr

Photo courtesy of Alla_G on Flickr

1) FoodBot [mobile site]

Nevermind medical diagnoses or space exploration. Artificial intelligence has found a more important calling — locating free food on campus! FoodBot combs the web for events where free food has been advertised, such as fundraisers, job fairs and council meetings. It puts them on a calendar that details quality, quantity, time commitment, and — importantly — awkwardness. Too bad it’s only available at a few schools so far.

2) Things [ iPhone]

Do you prefer making to-do lists and study schedules over actually doing schoolwork? Then Things is the app for you! After creating items for the to-do list and adding a bunch of details (due dates, notes, category, etc.), you day is automatically organized. The interface is simple and the app can sync to your computer. Once you’ve completed something, a satisfying check mark appears. The biggest drawback? It’s $9.99.

3) StudyDroid [Android]

Study using your phone — even on the bus to school. StudyDroid lets you create and edit packs of flashcards. You fill out the front and the backs of cards. When you’re studying, you tap the screen to flip it over. If you’re consistently getting an answer right, you can remove it from the pile. Creating packs is simple on a computer but a bit less straightforward on phones. You can download pre-made packs from the website, with subjects ranging from Spanish Vocabulary to Chuck Norris.

4) Droid Scan (Android)

Why bother writing notes when you can just take a picture of the whiteboard? Even if you’re not directly in front of the board, ‘perspective correction’ converts off-kilter pictures into perfectly-centered images. Droid Scan can also take pictures of books or journal articles in the library and convert them into high quality JPEGs or PDFs, saving you a trip to the copier each time.

5) iBlackout (Blackberry)

Ever woken up and wondered: what happened last night? iBlackout uses your BlackBerry’s GPS to track your whereabouts, so when you wake up in the morning you’ll have a full “Damage Report” that shows where you were, how far you traveled and who you called or texted the night before. In addition to including a Blood Alcohol Content calculator, iBlackout can also save you from sending drunken messages to your ex by blocking select contacts from your address book when drunk.