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Another week has passed, and another heap of apps has been uploaded to the App Store and Play Store. For those who wish to try new apps on a regular basis, sifting through all of the new ones may be a daunting task. But fear not – we’re here to help, as each week, we comb through the stores and pick some of the more eye-catching apps that are out there.
This week around, we have the cool Meter live wallpaper for Android, which shows you animated meters of your phone’s status, the new neural network SwiftKey, an amazing relaxation app, and more. Which ones did you download, and did you like them? If you know of a brand-new app that deserves to be in this list, but we overlooked – drop us a line and we will find a way to have it mentioned in the future!
New for Android
Meter
Straight out of Google Creative Labs, this live wallpaper is data-driven and will cycle between battry status, Wi-Fi status, and notifications each time you unlock the phone. Every object is animated and reacts to the movement of the phone. Useful? Not extremely. A fun way to adorn your homepage? Most certainly so!
SwiftKey Neural Alpha
Last week, SwiftKey announced that it’s working on a neural network tech for its next virtual keyboard. The software will incorporate machine learning with some pretty deep algorithms, looking for context and meaning even in the longest of sentences, constantly trying to suggest the right words. As a result, the user will have to do much less typing, as the words they are meaning to say will be popping up as selectable auto-complete options right above the keyboard. The software is still in alpha and only supports US English, so if you are curious and want to follow its development – give it a spin.
AutoDash by Automatic
AutoDash is a launcher for drivers. It’s customizable and allows users to launch their essential apps with just a flick, start a navigation to home or work with just a single tap, set up an auto SMS reply so that callers don’t interrupt your driving, record voice memos, et cetera.
CloudCal
CloudCal is a pretty cool calendar, which visualizes the days and hours when you are busy right on its Month view. Its screens are a bit more complex, especially when compared to the flat and simple trend that Material Design-compliant apps are following, but once one gets used to to using CloudCal, it becomes evident that all of that “screen clutter” is actually relevant and useful information. Now, the app’s full potential is locked behind a $2 paywall, but if you are one who has dozens of tasks and appointments constantly stepping over each other in their calendars, you should at least check the free version out.
New for Android and iOS
Adobe Capture and Illustrator
Adobe continues to roll out its apps for artists on the go, Capture and Illustrator being the latest offerings. Now, keep in mind that these apps are free to download, but are meant for use by active Creative Cloud subscribers.
Capture allows you to export color pallets, shapes, and brushes from photos, then use the new assets in other CC tools – such as Photoshop or Illustrator.
Illustrator is a drawing app, which will probably work better on phablets or tablets. In any case, it allows artists to create layered vector illustrations and export them to the desktop Illustrator or Photoshop. Great if you are on the go or just lack a drawing board of any sort at home.
New for iOS
PAUSE
PAUSE serves as a relaxation app and nothing else. Tap and hold on your iPhone’s screen and you will be treated to soothing colors and sound effects, which should help you calm down and focus. Call it a mini-meditation app from the digital age, if you wish, it’s only natural that this will work more for some than others.
Graphic
Another tool to create vector drawings with, Graphic is made specifically for the iPhone. It has a brush and a pencil, a multitude of shape-creating tools, libraries, layer support, canvas styles, text styles, and lots more. Quite the bang-for-buck for the artist on the go.
picQuote
This app allows you to quickly slap stylized text over an image of your own, or just a stock wallpaper. The process is quick and easy and you can use it to either create some inspirational quotes, mock-inspirational quotes, or create personal messages over some mementos. The app features extra backgrounds as in-app-purchases, but there are plenty of free ones to choose from.
