Welcome to another instalment of sweet new apps. In this week’s batch we’ve got an app that takes the concept of live video streaming to the next level, a social app that lets you spout off your opinion as much as you’d like, and more. Without further ado, let’s dig in.
Android
Mirrativ
If Twitch worked on your phone, it would look something like Mirrativ. This app live broadcasts the game you’re playing or the video you’re watching — or whatever you’re doing on your phone — but you can add a view of your own face into the live stream. This could come in handy in a lot of cases and, frankly, I think Periscope should be bummed it didn’t consider this take on live streaming sooner. Currently the app isn’t accepting new broadcasters but that will change sometime this month. Mirrativ requires Jelly Bean and up, where at least 4.1 is needed to watch and 5.0+ is needed to stream. [Free]
Focus
This is the neat freak photo app you’ve been looking for. Focus helps you fine tune organisation in your Android’s photo library. It also doubles as a photo gallery app, but it excels in its tagging system. The app support GIF, video and pretty much every photo format. Focus is free to download and tryout. If you find yourself addicted to the organisation, you can opt to buy the premium version where — yes — there are even more organizational tools will be at your disposal.[Free/$US2.79]
iOS
Android Wear
While it’s quite exciting that Android Wear finally has iOS support, it’s also a bit of a let down if your wearable is anything other than a LG Watch Urbane. Older Android Wear watches will work too, but either way the full toybox will not be available. That’s because third party Android Wear watch apps didn’t automatically get accepted when Apple OK’d Android Wear for iOS. But basics like calendar events, weather, reminders and the Gmail inbox will work. [Free]
Direct Messenger
Facebook has a standalone direct messaging app, so why shouldn’t Twitter? That’s what the creators of this unofficial standalone Direct Messenger app thought — but unfortunately they were met with some limitations. For example if you have the app and a friend you’re DMing has the app, you can both go nuts: send 140+ characters, location, sticker emojis, pictures and even a string of floating hearts. For all intents and purposes, the app will work much like a text message session, but if a friend doesn’t have the app you lose the floating hearts, and pictures tend to appear only as links. [Free]
Windows Phone
Straw
Named with a nod to politics, Straw is a social polling app. But the best part is you don’t have to submit and answer polls about politics — but you can if you want to. Instead, the app lets you create your own polls using StrawCast and push them out to friends, followers on the app, or even web spaces outside Straw. Recently the app has also pushed a feature called #Topics, where you can search for the types of polls you want to answer and stay away from everything else. [Free]
InstaBlurrr
Add this to your stash of photo editing apps, because we all know there’s no shortage in the Windows Phone Store. Instablurrr does exactly what you think: It blurs a portion of a photo you took. Even though it only does this one task, it does it really well and without hassle. After you’ve blurred the background or given the photo a new blurred border, you can save the edit at a high quality and then share wherever you want. [Free]