EACH WEEK, WE highlight five apps that are worth downloading for your smartphone and tablet. There are a lot of apps released on a daily basis, but not all of them are worth paying attention to.
This week features music making, contrasting photos and Tetris with a twist.
Paperback
For: Android
Cost: Free
- Note taking apps are relatively simple to use. It’s a good thing too because most times, you will want to get something down quickly before you forget.
- Paperback presents all notes in an easy to understand colour-coded format. It’s somewhat basic, but it’s straightforward.
- It’s simple to use, choose a colour, give it a title and write down whatever notes you want. You can add subnotes and images to each note, giving it an article-like feel.
- You can pay for the premium version which removes the three notebooks limit but you have more than enough to tell whether it’s worth it or not.
- For those who just want a straightforward note taker, this is a crisp and useful app.
Show & Hide
For: iOS
Cost: €2.99
- There are numerous photo editing apps out there that you need to do something a little different to stand out.
- For Show & Hide, that different feature is the ability to remove colour from certain parts of your photo.
- The app analyses your image and determines which colour is the most dominant. It works better when there’s a clear subject in the foreground instead of landscape photos.
- Once that’s done, you can swipe to choose two different filters, one with the dominant colour showing and the other hides it, but you’re not happy, you can change it with the colour and balance sliders.
- If you have a number of photos where there’s a clear foreground/background subject, it can result in some nice images.
Unibox
For: iOS
Cost: Free (€4.99 for pro version)
- Is there anything exciting about email? The answer is rarely considering how old it is but that hasn’t stopped people from thinking up of new ways to help manage your inbox.
- Unibox approaches the subject a little differently. Instead of giving emails priority or using an algorithm to filter them, it just groups them by name. Much like a messaging app.
- All emails from that person will appear on tabs for you to expand. Attachments will also be included too, and have their own page where they’re grouped.
- The Pro version allows you to manage multiple accounts, create custom signatures and determine how often the app syncs with your inbox.
- If you prioritise your email replies by person instead of content, this is a great way of keeping on top of your inbox.
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Figure
For: iOS, Windows Phone
Cost: Free
- With the first batch of smartphones running Windows 10 arriving, and the upgrade arriving soon, it’s probably worth looking at the universal apps that are released for it.
- One of them is Figure which allows you to create your own custom music tracks in moments.
- The concept is pretty simple. Set the beats, bass and synth by swiping, pressing and tapping on the screen.
- You can get a tune up in moments and share it with your friends on Propellerhead, or take tracks from there and remix them.
- A fun little app for anyone who sees themselves as a bit of a music buff.
Inky Block
For: Android
Cost: Free
- It’s safe to assume that everyone knows Tetris and how to play it. But how about a twist on the well-worn formula.
- Inky Blocks takes the existing game but puts it in a circular field. The aim is to last as long as possible and not allow the blocks to reach the centre circle.
- It starts off easy-going, but getting to grips with the new mechanics takes a bit of time. You can still rotate, slam and clear blocks but rotating is a little odd at first. You do get used to it eventually.
- Once you play some more, you begin to unlock some powerups like boom or laser to make things a little easier and there are 20 levels in total for you to wade through.
- For those looking for a fresh take on the classic Tetris formula.
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