Gizmodoers, Christmas is upon us! And it’s a safe bet you’re either travelling somewhere, or waiting for people to travel to you this week. Either way, plenty of time to sit around and play with your phone. Here are some new toys to stuff your phone’s stocking.
Android
Dolphin Zero
Browse the web with impunity thanks to Dolphin’s new mobile private browser. Full “do not track” mode destroys browsing history, data, passwords, cookies, and more, automatically, while customisable settings let you decide how much data you want your phone to save or share. [Free]
InstaMusic
Ever look at an Instagram and say, “dang, I wish this was sound?” Quit your nonsensical griping and download InstaMusic, which lets you pick a 15 second clip from your favourite song in your library and share it on Instagram. What’s next, sending pictures through headphones? [Free]
Fleksy Keyboard
This custom keyboard is finally out of beta and on the Play store. Designed to make typing easy enough to do without looking, the various sizes of keyboard can be made invisible so you can see your full screen while typing. That plus strong spellcheck will have you typing eyes-free in no time. [Free]
Get Shit Done!
With the internet in your pocket, it’s easy to get distracted. Put some blinders on and crank through your to-do list with the charmingly foul-mouthed Get Shit Done. The app lets you break your tasks down into sub-goals, set rewards for success and punishment for failure, and even doles out breaks as it sees fit, all with the cuddly softness of a grizzled drill sergeant. [Free]
iOS
Nike+ Running
Nike’s running tracker just added COACH, a tailored training program that gives you daily workouts, tips and motivators. Choose 5K, 10K, half or full marathon, and beginner, intermediate or advanced training level, and let your phone guilt you into lacing up instead of languishing on New Year’s Day. [Free]
Humming Timing
Regular ol’ stopwatches are boring. There’s no sound! Fortunately, Humming Timing mines your iTunes to create a playlist for your timed event. When the last song ends, your hard boiled egg (or whatever) is done. New challenge: find a reason for a timer that lasts exactly as long as Pink Floyd’s 23-minute “Echoes.” [Free]
Fragment
Check out the crazy mind-bending stuff this photo-manipulator can do! The huge palette of templates and scalable effects means your creativity is the only limitation. Go make something weird — then share it on FaceTwittStagram. [$1]
Windows Phone
Vine
This week’s update brings perhaps the most useful new Vine feature to WP users: draft saving! Now you won’t have to start from scratch whenever your fastidiously aligned stop-motion creation comes out a smidge off. [Free]
Xbox Video
A familiar feature from WP7, Xbox’s rent or buy video store is back on WP8. Sync your movies across all your devices, get the latest TV shows the day after they air, and never be without moving picture entertainment again. [Free]
Distress!
Sometimes we’re so busy using our smartphones for dumb crap, we forget they can actually be grown-up useful. Distress! asks users to push an “I’m OK” button at regular intervals — if the button isn’t pushed, the app sends a message with location to your emergency contacts and anyone with the app in a 1km radius. It also lets you send a check-in message to someone else, alerting you if they do or don’t respond. [Free]