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 a rugby game to satisfy armchair World Cup viewers, a dedicated Youtube gaming app, and the first novel written specifically for a smartphone.
Rugby Nations 16
For: iOS, Android
Cost: Free (in-app purchases €5.29)
- Apparently some enormous rugby tournament kicked off yesterday? I jest of course, the next six weeks will see the Rugby World Cup dominate our screens and airwaves
- Traditionally rugby has been a difficult game to convert into a coherent video game (the all-conquering Jonah Lomu Rugby – amen – notwithstanding)
- Rugby Nations 16 does a very nice job of bringing rucks and mauls to your small screen with more-than-passable controls and great presentation and visuals
- It’s a wee bit pricey but well worth a download if the daily World Cup fix isn’t enough to sate your rugby-obsession for the duration of the tournament
Youtube Gaming
For: iOS / Android
Cost: Free
- Gaming, or rather watching other people play games, is big, big business on YouTube, with channels like Pewdiepie and Stampylonghead getting ludicrous numbers of views each month
- Youtube Gaming is a dedicated native app for such channels, allowing you to keep connected with all your favourites and featuring an easy interface when it comes to finding new ones
- There’s videos from more than 25,000 games and live streams with in-app chats with other viewers
- And naturally there’s the ability to upload your own playthroughs
- A fine app for a truly enormous demographic
Arcadia
For: iOS
Cost: Free (€3.99 for full app)
- Many of us use our little bundles of technology to read books, via a Kindle or similar app
- Arcadia differs in that it’s a book written specifically (by author Iain Pears) for a smartphone experience
- In truth, the idea takes a lot from the Fighting Fantasy / Choose Your Own Adventure genre, with the book’s path being decided by reader choices
- The similarities end there though as Arcadia features thousands of possible threads.
- For someone looking for a more immersive, smartphone-y reading experience this could be a good bet
Msty
For: iOS / Android
Cost: Free
- Sending music via instant messenger is not new concept, and has been present in the likes of Whatsapp for some time, albeit the interface is a little clunky and counter-intuitive
- Msty (My Song To You) is dedicated to sending music samples and nothing else as a pure music messenger
- The interface is pretty simple – pick a track, a background, and then message a friend with whatever text you wish to send
- The app claims to have access to “the best music on the planet”, but for the simple combination of your own photos and music it deserves a shout out
Caret
For: iOS, Android
Cost: Free
- Given the sheer number of apps out there (well over 1.5 million on iOS alone and counting), the address book has been done to death
- That said, Caret does offer some fairly unique ideas, or at least well-implemented ideas
- The basic concept is an address book that interacts with your approved contacts via status updates, proximity, timezone, calendar events etc to present a well-rounded experience, particularly for busy people
- So, in theory, your phone’s geo-locator could trigger a status update for approved contacts to see (eg you’re in the office, therefore busy)
- An interesting take on what smartphone technology can do for a hectic modern lifestyle at the very least
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