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 oldschool Mega Man action, watching YouTube on any iPad app and quick notes.
SKRWT
For: iOS, Android
Cost: €1.99 (iOS) €0.92 (Android)
- There are a number of fantastic camera apps out there. VSCO, Camera+, Manual, Hipstamatic and so on.
- You can add SKRWT whose Android app was recently released. It brings a number of features that can help improve your photos, making them look almost professional.
- Unlike many photo editing apps, it doesn’t rely on filters or auto mode. Instead it brings you into the real mechanics of photo editing, while maintaining a simple interface.
- Its useful for lens correction and fixing lens distortion as well as auto-cropping and adjusting a photo’s ratio to improve it. You will be spending a bit of time going through the different options but there’s a lot to choose from.
- A great camera app that’s handy for those wanting to improve the quality of their photos.
CornerTube – PiP Player for YouTube
For: iOS (iPad)
Cost: €1.99
- Those of you who have the more recent iPads will likely have iOS 9 which allows you access to split screen apps and watch video while still in another app. It’s handy when you have it and the screen size to support it.
- CornerTube brings this functionality to YouTube by allowing PiP (player in player) viewing. The YouTube app itself only allows you to do this within the app itself but this allow you to do the same on any app.
- It has a few other handy features like its widget which detects any video links copied onto your clipboard so you can watch it later.
- Should that not be enough for you, it allows you to watch the video in a different app in a few taps. Want to watch it in YouTube itself or a different app? You can do that as well.
- A handy addition for any iPad and allows you to multitask. Just check that your iPad is compatible first before doing anything.
Action Note
For: Windows Phone
Cost: Free
- While Windows 10 is only out on a few phones right now, many universal apps are now making their way to the Windows Store.
- One of them is Action Note, effectively a notetaking app with some handy features.
- As well as colour coding your notes, Action Note displays them all in the action centre for easy access. You can add new notes without having to go into the app itself.
- Since it’s a universal app, it syncs with the desktop version making it a handy companion for while you’re on the go.
- It’s not the most complicated app, but it does its job.
Defumblr
For: Android
Cost: Free
- The traditional lock screen is useful, but there are those which want to make it even better, allowing you to access apps and other handy links.
- Defumblr is the latest to attempt this. Instead of just displaying a number of apps on your lock screen, it sorts them by size and usefulness.
- It uses machine learning to determine the best apps to display alongside more traditional ones like to-do lists, messages, weather (although it’s in fahrenheit at the moment, a celsius option is on the way), and media player alongside your most popular apps. You can choose your most popular ones if you don’t agree with what you see.
- Certain apps like messages have their own popups although the drawback is since it’s the lock screen you’re operating this on, the PIN option isn’t turned on automatically.
- Should you be tired of the traditional lock screen and want to speed certain actions up a little.
Venture Kid
For: iOS
Cost: €0.99
- Those of you who remember the days of Mega Man on the NES will immediately see the inspiration for Venture Kid. To be fair, there is no shortage of games that try to cash into this but Venture Kid has a good a reason as any for choosing this look.
- The game has you exploring nine different levels, defeating enemies and end-of-level bosses. True to its inspiration, it also manages to be incredibly tough but never truly unfair.
- You start off with the standard blaster but progress and you gain more weapons like boomerangs, fireworks and freeze orbs. These weapons have a purpose as some of them can be used to find secrets.
- The controls are fine although you will need a bit of time to get used to the jump button. It’s very exact – letting go of it mid-jump will bring you back down again – and mastering it is key if you want to get past the first few bosses.
- Yet the 8-bit style and music and the level design, which doesn’t throw you into the deep end, will resonate with those who grew up playing games in the 80s and 90s.
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