Smartphones are becoming more and more popular. Along with their ability to make phone calls, send texts, read emails and scour the Internet comes a great variety of apps that allow smartphone users to find an array of information or perform a variety of tasks. Everything from gaming to shopping to applying makeup and learning how to cook can be found on a smartphone app.

If you are a new smartphone user, you can be overwhelmed with the amount of applications available at your fingertips. You may download everything or be unsure where to begin. Lucky for you, we're here to help. The following are five apps that you must have.

Depending on which type of smartphone device you have, you will want to download Find My iPhone or Locate My Droid immediately. Both apps are used to locate your phone if stolen or missing. Using another device, you can enter your information into the app to locate your phone. You can either see the location of your phone using the app’s map, or you can schedule a sound to play in order to locate it—even if your phone is currently placed on silent.

Find My iPhone also allows users to lock the phone if it is stolen as well as erase all personal information.

Though some smartphones may come equipped with a weather app already installed, The Weather Channel app provides more than just local weather. Through the app, users are able to view current weather conditions in their area, hourly weather conditions, 10-day forecasts as well as radar maps. You will also receive severe weather alerts to notify you of incoming weather conditions, and you can also set up push alerts for pollen if you have seasonal allergies.

The Weather Channel app also allows you to locate weather conditions in other parts of the world, and you can designate favorites to easily view weather in multiple locations without having to re-search.

QR codes are becoming more popular on packaging and marketing materials, and the information behind these two-dimensional codes is only available to those who own a smartphone. With a QR reader, you can access the information from these codes, which can either provide you with more information or reward you with some type of incentive. Apps such as i-nigma, Quick Mark, Kaywa and QRDroid are all popular QR code readers. Try them out and stick with your favorite so that you can benefit from the information behind the code.

Whether you're on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn or some other social networking site, chances are there's a smartphone app available. Using social media while on the go is more popular than using these sites while stationary. Having instant access to your favorite networks allows you to be constantly in the know as well as allowing you to update your information or access certain information whenever you need it. Plus, having these apps on your phone is a great way to kill time while waiting at the doctor's office or standing in long lines at the grocery store.

Most popular banking franchises have mobile apps that allow users to check balances, transfer money throughout accounts, pay bills and even deposit checks all from the convenience of your smartphone. If you forgot to pay your phone bill, you can do so through your phone while sitting in a taxi. If your checking account is running low on funds, you can transfer money from your savings account without traveling to the bank.

While having access to this information is great, it is a good idea to not save your username and password to the mobile app. This way, if your phone is ever lost or stolen, the thief will need your username and password in order to access the information. If you had this info saved, simply opening the app would provide them with instant access to your money.

If you have a smartphone, make sure to download these apps immediately.

Steven Clark is a writer who works for Tru Phone.  He writes various articles about phones and recently wrote about travel sim cards.

Google’s ongoing efforts to push its social network’s exposure simply cannot be ignored. After having updated its Google+ Android app last month, the networks’ mobile users were treated to flashy new animations and larger displays for profile images. At that time, Google also announced that an update for the iOS version of Google+ was already in the works and would arrive with some additional functionality.

The promised update actually ended up coming out today and, for the most part, it features pretty much exactly what has already been seen in the Android version. On both iPhone and iPad, Google+ users can expect to experience a more attractive user interface that puts the emphasis on profile content above UI elements and the like. Additionally, the new update adds further support for multi-touch capabilities and integrates Apple TV into the device for Google Hangouts. Google has also promised that future updates will add in Google Events features.

Although Google+ continues to struggle in its attempts to catch up to Facebook’s average monthly sign-up rate, Google is taking the right steps in trying to capture that market. Aside from the obvious benefits of a cleaner looking and better operating interface, the new update to the company’s social network is sure to take advantage of the eye-catching retina displays seen in Apple’s newest line of products. Seeing as every new buyer of the iPad 3 and Macbook Pro is looking for that killer app to show off their beautiful screens, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more people download the newest Google+ app even if as just a show piece.

As any successful social media company knows, getting people to take notice of a site is the essential first step to gaining conversion rates and increasing unique visitor traffic. Even if the initial download of the updated app is due to little more than curiosity or passing whim, Google+ now stands to improve its reputation with Apple users. As a result of this, those companies that are currently listed on the company’s social network could gain more attention in turn. What matters is that business get listed on Google+ before Apple users move on to the next big thing.