The top apps for any phone:

 
HOLLYWOOD — You just got a new phone, and the first question you've got is how to fill it up. What are the top apps to start downloading?
We went out here on a recent sunny day and asked folks the five apps they would pick. Nearly each one started with the same top app: Facebook, which makes sense, since 1.2 billion of us are members of the social network.
 But no two people had the exact same five choices.
 Here are the apps that made their list:— Instagram. The world's most popular photo app is available for free on Apple and
Android, and as of this week, for Windows Phone as well.
— Over. ($1.99, Apple). To add text to Instagram photos.
— Vine. Make a 6-second funny video with this app from the folks at Twitter. Available for free on Apple, Android and Windows Phone.
— Words with Friends. The social twist on Scrabble is free for Apple, Android and Windows Phone. (This is the app that got actor Alec Baldwin kicked off a plane when he refused to stop playing.)
— Snapchat. Photos that get shared — and virtually disappear within 10 seconds. The hottest app of 2013 for the young generation is free for Apple and Android platforms.
— eBay. Keep track of your auctions with this free app, for Apple, Android and Windows.
— What's App. Make free phone calls and more with the free app, huge internationally, on Apple, Android and Windows platforms.
— Pinterest. Pin your favorite images, and keep track of what others are pinning in the free app for Apple and Android.
— Google Search. Download the free Google app for quick searches. For Apple, Android and Windows Phone.
— SoundCloud. The "YouTube of audio" is a place to explore music, podcasts and news broadcasts. Free; Apple and Android.
— Twitter. Short status updates in 140 characters or less, for free, with Apple, Android and Windows Phone.
— Angry Birds. The uber-popular game still makes many must-have lists.
— Yelp. Check out reviews of local restaurants and institutions, on Apple, Android, Windows Phone. Free.
— Flipboard. A way to keep up with your social news feed, displayed in a magazine like setting. Free for Apple, Android and Windows Phone.
— Groupon. Check out daily deals with this free app, for Apple and Android.

This College Student Is the King of Snapchat PR

Until recently, Matthew Hanson had been the media point of contact for Snapchat, Inc. Seems like a pretty good gig for someone who only recently received a degree in public relations, right? The only problem: He doesn't actually work for the company.

During the fall 2012 semester, Hanson was enrolled in "Strategic Writing for Public Relations" at the University of Southern California. For the course's final project, the 21-year-old had to create an online newsroom for a company or product of his choice. He picked Snapchat, the popular mobile app that lets users share videos and photos that disappear within seconds of being viewed.

In December 2012, Hanson published his final assignment using WordPress. The site featured "Ghostface Chillah," Snapchat's mascot, prominently in its background. It also contained a "Facts and Questions" section, the biographies of founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy and a page with contact informationfor media inquiries. The email address Hanson provided was fake, but the telephone number wasn't. It was his own.

"I never thought that anyone would find the site," Hanson told the Daily Dot. " I guess I didn't think it would show up on Google."

Not only did Hanson's class assignment — and his real cellphone number — appear in a cursory search, but it constantly ranked in the top three search results. In fact, according to him, it actually beat out the startup's bare-bones page for a period of time.

Soon thereafter, he started receiving constant calls about Snapchat. The first came from a Los Angeles-based agency that represented app designers and was interested in signing him on as a client. Media outlets like Fox News also reached out to Hanson for more information about the company. In fact, our first communication with Hanson stemmed from us trying to get a comment on the app's controversial new "best friends" feature.

"Those weren't the weirdest ones, though," he said of the press-related calls. "I started getting calls from actual Snapchat users complaining about the app, or from people who wanted to know how to save a picture."

"I don't know what I was thinking publishing my real number on the Internet."

Moments after we first spoke on Friday, Hanson finally removed his telephone number from the site and published a disclaimer noting that his WordPress site was in no way, shape or form associated with the company.

As for his grade? The USC senior says he got a B. Clearly Hanson's professor wasn't as impressed — or confused — as the rest of us were.

Mashable composite, image via iStockphoto, Ornelas; logo courtesy of Snapchat

Report: Snapchat Turns Down $3 Billion Offer From Facebook

The messaging app Snapchat is once again the focus of acquisition rumors as a new report claims that the company recently turned down a $3 billion offer fromFacebook.

According to sources in contact with The Wall Street Journal, Facebook made an offer of “$3 billion or more,” but Snapchat cofounder Evan Spiegel is opting to wait until 2014 in hopes of a better valuation for the company