Essentially an American tradition, Friendship Day (or Fraandship Day, as they call it here) is observed across India as well on the first Sunday of August. This year, it falls on 5th August. If you haven't made any plans yet, here are a few ways to help you have a fun and memorable evening with your close buddies. As the saying goes, you can't choose your relatives, but you can at least choose your friends!


Zomato
Developer: Foodiebay Online Services
Platforms: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Symbian, Windows Phone
Price: Free
Rating:

Good company is best enjoyed with good food. While hanging out with friends, if you're looking for a café or gourmet restaurant close by, then your handset or tablet can come to your rescue. Available across all smartphone platforms, the Zomato app acts as your food guide — not only does it direct you to restaurants, but also provides user reviews and the menu cards of these places. This last feature can really come in handy if you're throwing a party at home and want to order some food. Click on the relevant platform name above to download the app.

Carrom
Developer: Various
Platforms: Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, Symbian, Windows Phone
Price: Free - Rs 55
Rating:  

Chilling with your friends, but getting a little bored and looking for a bit of timepass? How about a dose of nostalgia with the king of indoor games: carrom? Thanks to the digital age, this quintessential Indian pastime has been digitized to fit into your smartphone or tablet. Better still, it can be played with friends, just like the real thing! Carrom MP for the iPad has tight controls and an easy learning curve. Visuals are good and the physics seem realistic. The game is a lot of fun when you are with friends, and to some extent it does have the same charm and appeal as its real-world counterpart. In short, an excellent way to spend a lazy afternoon bringing back some old, fun memories. While Carrom MP is available only for the iPad, links to similar well-received carrom games for other OSes have also been provided. Enjoy! Click on the relevant platform name above to download the app.

Friend Locators
Developer: Various
Platform: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Symbian, Windows Phone
Price: Free
Rating:

If you want to catch up with your friends in person instead of just sending them messages, this category of app can help you pay them a surprise visit. HeyWAY (short for Hey, Where Are You?) is a GPS-based app that helps you keep a tab on your friends' and family's locations. They can breathe easy though, because it's not a spy app. The software will never send out positional info without their explicit consent — that is, if you request their location, they have to manually approve the request before their co-ordinates will be sent. The free version displays ads within the app, but it is unclear whether they are selected according to your location. While this takes away some of the surprise, it might still happen that your friend thinks you're only curious to know where they are and doesn't actually expect you to turn up at the exact same place. This will work even better if a group of you get together to surprise one "target". While HeyWAY is available only for iOS, links to similar apps for other OSes have also been provided. Click on the relevant platform name above to download the app.

Omegle
Developer: Omegle.com
Platform: Web Browser
Price: Free
Rating:

If you are Forever Alone and looking for new ways to make friends this year, try chatting with a total stranger instead. Omegle is an anonymous chatting service that requires no sign up (you can use your Facebook credentials if you want), and connects you to a random stranger without revealing your identity. It works on almost every mobile browser, but the standard disclaimer of being careful about trolls applies. In fact, the site itself warns you in fine print on the homepage that "...human behaviour is fundamentally uncontrollable. The people you encounter on Omegle may not behave appropriately. Use Omegle at your own peril". Encouraging words these, but it works both ways. At least the people at the other end will not know straightaway what a jerk you are, thus giving you a chance to make a new friend. Or not.

Friendship Calculators
Developer: Various
Platform: Android, iOS, Symbian, Windows Phone
Price: Free
Rating:

This type of app serves no real purpose, but if you're desperate for a "cosmic" sign to let you know how close your friends really are, this might not be such as waste of time after all. The tool is simple to use — just key in your name and that of your friend to check how strong your relationship really is. Be warned though: entering the same names might give you different results every time. Click on the relevant platform name above to download the app.

Friendship Quotes
Developer: Various
Platform: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Symbian, Windows Phone
Price: Free
Rating:

Be it Raskha Bandhan, Independence Day, Valentine's Day, or Holi, greetings between friends fly thick and fast — despite the full SMS charges levied by mobile operators on these days. In case you're at a loss to come up with a smart message to impress your friends with, these quote-generator tools are just what the doctor ordered. If you have the patience to scroll through all the messages, you might actually find something meaningful to send to your close pals. As usual, options have been provided for each mobile OS. Click on the relevant platform name above to download the app.

On a parting note, if you want to lend that personal touch to the celebrations by making your own friendship bands for your dear buddies, this resource might be of some help. Here's wishing you and all your friends a Happy Friendship Day from all of us at TechTree.com. Have a blast!

Tags : Apps, Internet, Culture, Lifestyle, Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Symbian, Windows Phone, Kamakshi