It’s Monday, and you probably hate that. Time to get ‘appy with our pick of the best apps of the week for all your favourite devices!
Multi Platform Updates
BBM
Blackberry’s messaging app got a hefty update this week, adding Voice (for free WiFi phone calls to fellow BBM users), Glympse location sharing, and Channels, a social media-esque way to find conversations based on topic. Also, you can quickly share photos, voice notes, and files from your phone or Dropbox account. This app is so nice, it makes the fate of the company that makes it doubly tragic. [Android] [iOS]
PolyFauna
Striking, creepy, semi-inscrutable: yep, this is an app by Radiohead. It matches surreal imagery to sounds from the song “Bloom,” and I don’t think I can really describe it any further, so I’ll just quote Thom Yorke: “Your screen is the window into an evolving world. Move around to look around. You can follow the red dot. You can wear headphones. You can get some pretty strange looks on the train.” [Android] [iOS]
Android
Dyce
Never have those dreaded circular “where should we go tonight” conversations again. Dyce finds six bars or restaurants close to you, then picks one at random, telling you how to get there and what to expect with user ratings and tips. Get out there and try something new! [Free]
Meet Me Halfway
Meeting up with friends in an unfamiliar area is kind of a pain. How do you pick a place to meet, without going way out of your way or getting hideously lost? Meet Me Halfway picks points of interest that are right at the halfway point between you and your friend. No more last minute phone calls saying “wait, which gas station?” [Free]
Sharing large files between Android devices is easy with SuperBeam. After pairing devices by NFC or QR code, you can share photos, videos, APKs, or whatever, through the fastness of WiFi direct. The Pro version does away with ads, and allows use of manual sharing keys and unlimited sharing with multiple devices for a $US1.50 upgrade. [Free]
iOS
Ken Burns
This gorgeous iPad-only app gathers scenes from Ken Burns’ documentaries into a video textbook of American history. Timeline view organises clips chronologically, while theme views create a playlist of hand-selected scenes that tie various documentaries together. For example, the Race playlist shows moments from Burns’ “The Civil War,” “Baseball,” “Thomas Jefferson,” and “Jazz,” for a whole new look at the master documentarian’s work. The “Innovation” playlist is free, while a $US10 in-app purchase unlocks five more playlists and tons of video. [Free]
Speedometer
Fancy new cars have great trip computers that calculate your average speed, log the miles you’ve driven, and all that. If you don’t have a fancy new car, check out Speedometer, which turns your iPhone into a GPS-powered trip computer and warns you about speed traps with both a database of over 50,000 speed cameras and user-reported warnings on traffic and speed stops. [Free]
Windows Phone
FlipMag
This great RSS reader app makes full use of Live Tiles and Mag Tiles to give you a slick and seamless way to keep up with your RSS feed on the go. With video and all-important GIF support and page-flip animation, you won’t have to sacrifice readability for mobility. [Free]
Poki
This Windows Phone client for Pocket users lets you completely customise your reading view with colour themes and font alignment, and lets you store articles offline for later reading. A nice and robust search feature let you find articles by title, tag, or URL, and the whole user interface is colourful and eye-pleasing. [$2]