Man, lots of mobile news this week. Windows Phone finally previewed its Windows 10 overhaul (it looks great!) and huge apps debuted big updates and extra features, such as Spotify and Twitter (they also look great!). But among all the big news, bunches and bunches of great apps found their way on various app stores. Here are the ones that made us pay attention.
Android
ClickLight
Clicklight is as simple and brilliant as it gets. We’ve all been in dangerous low-light/no-light situation, fumbling around in the dark trying to find a light switch or your keys or your booze. With Clicklight, double tap the power button on your Android device and boom — instant flashlight. Much more convenient than having to unlock and bring up a separate flashlight app. It’s a simple convenience, but one worth having. [Free]
QualityTime
Do you spend a lot of time on your smartphone? The fact that you’re reading Gizmodo and specifically a blog post about new apps probably means yes. No worries, you’re not alone. That’s why ZeroDesktop created QualityTime, a way for users to track exactly what they’re doing on their smartphones, how much they’re doing, and making ways for us to take breaks from our pocket device. Of course, there’s the irony of having to look at your smartphone to access how much you’re using your smartphone, which seems like a cyclical ouroboros of smartphone despair. But, hey, maybe not! [Free]
Camu
Camu is a well-designed and fun photo app that’s been pretty popular on iOS for some time now. The app migrates to Android as the iOS 2.0 version and brings real-time filters, a bunch of different collage modes, Instagram friendly 1:1 option, as well as a bunch of other tools. It’s incredibly straight forward (the main UI has only four buttons), but it may be a good companion app for the frequent social media photog. [Free]
iOS
Timeline
Ever read a news story and feel like you’ve just been plopped in the middle of the controversy, conversation or cat GIF-filled listacle? Timeline is a different kinds of news app that tries to bring some much needed context to the biggest news stories and trends crossing all kinds of different interests, including science, technology, politics and more. The idea is each topic is — you guessed it — a timeline that can sometimes stretch back thousands of years. It’s well-designed, easy to navigate, and worth the subscription price of zilch. [Free]
Be My Eyes
Get ready for a jolt of altruism with a swift punch right in the feels. Be My Eyes is a warm and fuzzy, feel good app that lets sighted volunteers become the eyes for the blind community. The way it works is a blind member will ask for assistance through the app and a sighted member will help them accomplish whatever task they need help with. In the short video above, some examples include helping someone determine the expiration date on their food or simply telling someone what a picture looks like. If you’re too busy to take a call, no worries. It will just hop to the next available person. Be My Eyes is just an awesome example of how technology really can connect us rather than separate us. [Free]
Funny or Die Weather
Weather can be pretty boring. Some celsius here. Some humidity there. Snooze-ville. Funny or Die Weather is what you would expect from the notorious humour website — all the weather info you’d ever want with a bit of biting comedy. But actually the app is great at delivering weather news, which maybe is part of the joke? [Free]
Windows Phone
Dropbox
File this under “a long time coming”. Dropbox is finally available for Windows Phone, bringing all its cloud storage goodness. In November, Microsoft and Dropbox announced a partnership that would bring the service to all of the company’s various platforms. Now that partnership is bearing fruit. It’s uncertain how popular this will be on a platform that is so intimately intwined with OneDrive, but more choices is never a bad thing. [Free]
Cycloramic
Cycloramic is another app migration from iOS to Windows Phone. The app’s primary objective is to create the absolute best panoramas possible. It also did this neat thing with the iPhone 5 that made the smartphone auto-rotate using the built-in motor. While that probably won’t be possible with most (if all) Windows Phones, it’s still a great panorama app to have in your arsenal. Note: some smartphones are experiencing firmware bugs with Cycloramic, but the developer has stated that they are working on a fix. [Free]