Illustration by Ben Fraternale/The Diamondback

With the recent shutdown of the wildly popular game Flappy Birds and the release of Facebook’s Paper app, along with the ever-raging battle between Apple and Android, smartphones and their apps are as pertinent as ever. A couple of The Diamondback’s columnists shared their thoughts on the matter. 

Ezra Fishman wrote a column on using your smart phone applications in the best way possible.

[ READ MORE: New-age efficiency ]

The editorial board listed the lesser-known apps that are great to have.

[ READ MORE: 8 Apps University of Maryland Students Absolutely Need ]

Today’s staff editorial is about improving the appearance of Route 1 by undergrounding the above-ground utilities.

[ READ MORE: Tear down these utilities — and bury them ]

In a letter to the editor, adjunct lecturer David Falk wrote in about his experience with the Department of Transportation Services.

[ READ MORE: One DOTS policy to change ]

And check out today’s diversions section, which includes an homage to Facebook on its 10th birthday.