Hello! You might notice that Apps of the Week looks a little different this week. We’ve decided to combine them all into one post. Keep reading to find out which apps this week made our list of favourites.
iOS
Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid (iPad only)
Disney is re-releasing The Little Mermaid starting September 13, and actually encourages moviegoers to bring and use their iPad during the film. The screenings are kind of a modern take on the sing-alongs that films like Mamma Mia and the Rocky Horror Picture Show have. But those in attendance are encouraged to download an accompanying iOS app which provides everything from games, to karaoke-style lyrics, to other interactive elements designed to ‘enhance’ the film. Free.
Paprika
This is far and away the most recommended app by our readers — and for good reason. This beautifully designed program offers just about everything a modern home chef could desire. Beyond entering and organising your own recipes, Paprika includes an integrated web browser for tracking down online recipes, a one-touch clipping function for slurping recipes from more than 200 cooking sites, and imports any existing digital recipe databases. What’s more, it can also create shopping lists, meal plans and scale ingredients while syncing your database across all your devices. $5.49.
Opera Coast (iPad only)
Coast is being described by Opera as “the browser that should have come with the iPad”, and that means a UI stripped down to only its most essential elements. Following a recent trend towards simpler browsers, when simply displaying a web page, there will be nary a URL bar nor button in sight. Instead, swipe-based, intuitive gestures take you back and forth through web pages as you go left and right, and a swipe down reloads the page. So you get all the screen space your iPad can offer. While Coast is stripped down, Opera promises all of the same security measures they’ve become known for; you’ll receive warnings about potentially dangerous sites before you access them. Free.
Xbox Music
A year after launch, Xbox Music will finally be available on mobile to iOS and Android users who were excluded when Microsoft foolishly launched with just Windows Phone as its only mobile platform. The app will come with support for playlists, radio and a related artists feature that surfaces recommendations. Unfortunately, the mobile apps won’t support offline playback — you’ll need a data connection or Wi-FI to listen to music on your mobile device. Microsoft says that app updates “in the coming months” will let you cache music for offline playback. Free.
Shake
Basically, the idea is to reduce legal costs by providing free, stock agreements for independent contractors, non-disclosure, buy and sell, goods rental or a personal loan. And other types of agreements are coming. A user creates a document by answering a series of questions, reading an agreement, signing and then sending the document to the other party or having them sign in person. The philosophy behind Shake is to “combine the simplicity, convenience, and collaborative spirit of a handshake with the protection of a legal agreement.” Free
Android
Dryft by Swype
Now, the same minds behind Sywpe are trying to change tablet typing with Dryft, a virtual keyboard for touch typists. The premise is simple. When you use Dryft, you lay your hands on the tablet like you would a keyboard, but since there are no homekey bumps to keep your centred, Dryft just dynamically moves the rest of the keys around your fingers. For the time being, Dryft isn’t even in beta; its founders are looking for investors. And until it comes out in some usable form, it’s all just talk. I mean, this sounds almost good to be true. But if it does work, Android tablets could be about to get way more viable as productivity devices. Custom keyboards for the win. TBD.
MY ASICS
The new MY ASICS app, which rolled out this past week, features adaptive training plans. You’re not just choosing from one of a dozen pre-set workouts, the system works through a series of algorithms and it evolves as you go. It creates a plan designed just for you based on how much you can run and what you’re working towards. The program has amassed 400,000 users and they have logged over 5,000,000, which they are constantly re-analysing. They claim 78 per cent of runners who follow their plan achieve their goal, and that 91 per cent of marathoners improve their time. Impressive numbers. Free with MY ASICS account.
Paprika
This is far and away the most recommended app by our readers — and for good reason. This beautifully designed program offers just about everything a modern home chef could desire. Beyond entering and organising your own recipes, Paprika includes an integrated web browser for tracking down online recipes, a one-touch clipping function for slurping recipes from more than 200 cooking sites, and imports any existing digital recipe databases. What’s more, it can also create shopping lists, meal plans and scale ingredients while syncing your database across all your devices. $5.
Xbox Music
A year after launch, Xbox Music will finally be available on mobile to iOS and Android users who were excluded when Microsoft foolishly launched with just Windows Phone as its only mobile platform. The app will come with support for playlists, radio and a related artists feature that surfaces recommendations. Unfortunately, the mobile apps won’t support offline playback — you’ll need a data connection or Wi-Fi to listen to music on your mobile device. Microsoft says that app updates “in the coming months” will let you cache music for offline playback. Free.
Windows Phone
Pictastic
A slick, newly-updated Instagram interface for Windows Phone, Pictastic has all the photo functions familiar to Instagram users. Plus, when pinned to your start screen, Pictastic’s live tile toggles through recently shared photos from the people you follow. Your iOS friends will be super jealous of that. Free.
SkyPath
This free ImageShack app help you keep track of all those pictures you’ve got floating around on your phone and your computer. With the desktop and mobile apps, you’ll be able to automatically transfer between devices and back up your pictures to the cloud. If you’ve got an ImageShack account, it’ll keep everything in your account in sync, and the app will let you post pictures in your library directly to Facebook. Free.
Poynt
This app lets you navigate the best spots in town like a local, even if it’s your first day in town. The local search function po(y)nts you towards cinemas, restaurants, petrol stations and events, with nearby offers and fuel price info (in certain countries). You can also make restaurant reservations, navigate, watch movie trailers and call your points of interest in-app. Free.