Monday, July 22, 2013

20 best iPhone and iPad apps this week

iPad Screenshot 4

It's time for weekly roundup of brand new and notable apps for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.


It covers apps and games, with the prices referring to the initial download: so (Free) may mean (Freemium) in some cases.


Google Maps (Free Apps)

iPad Screenshot 1

Google Maps used to be part of the iOS software, before Apple and Google's licensing deal ran out. It then re-emerged as a native iPhone app, and has now finally gone universal to include the iPad too. Its tablet-friendly design complements the usual Google Maps features, including Street View.
iPad



Curious George's Town (£1.99)

iPad Screenshot 1

I've been waiting for a children's game that tries to teach kids to save their virtual currency rather than spending it. There are no in-app purchases in this FarmVille-style town-building game. Instead, children save their virtual coins, and earn more by doing chores in the real world set by their parents.
iPhone / iPad



Salvador Dali – The Official App (Free Apps)

iPad Screenshot 1

Yes, even long-deceased painters have official apps nowadays. The subtitle for this one is 'Pictures, Books, Movies and Paintings', which covers the content nicely: Dali's paintings take centre stage, but his books and films also feature prominently. In-app purchases are used to buy the various works' digital forms.
iPhone / iPad



Xero Personal (Free Apps)

iPhone Screenshot 1

No surrealism or sliced-up eyeballs here, just personal finance. Thankfully. It's an iPhone app from finance firm Xero for managing your money, covering bank account and credit card transactions, tying into the existing Xero Personal service.
iPhone



Sky Gamblers: Cold War (£2.99)

iPad Screenshot 1

The Sky Gamblers games have won a firm following on iOS, not least because of their spectacular graphics (cue "console-quality" mention in the App Store listing for this new one). As before, this is a dogfighting game with a mixture of solo and multiplayer modes, tied deeply into Apple's Game Center, iCloud and AirPlay technologies to store progress and play on a TV if desired.

iPhone / iPad


The Wind in the Willows (Free Apps)

iPad Screenshot 1

The tale of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Mr Toad gets a new retelling for iPad, with Stephen Fry providing (some) voice narration, with animation and music accompanying the text – which is faithful to the original according to developers Beyond the Story.
iPad



Tapestry (Free Apps)

iPad Screenshot 4

Billed as "safe, simple photo sharing for seniors and their families", this is a photo-sharing app aimed at older, less tech-savvy users (because it's worth making clear that there are plenty of older tech-savvy people too, who'll be fine with Facebook, Instagram and the rest).
iPhone / iPad



Montessori Math : Add & Subtract Large Numbers (£2.99)

iPad Screenshot 1

With the school summer holidays having just kicked off in the UK, parents looking for good educational apps to keep their kids' brains ticking over for the next six weeks have plenty to choose from. Developer Les Trois Elles' latest release focuses on specific maths tasks, with three activities and games, and lots of thought put into how children learn.
iPhone / iPad



Pac-Man Dash! (Free Apps)

iPad Screenshot 1

If you think about it, the original Pac-Man was one of the first endless-runner games, given its hero's mission to keep moving and guzzling pills. Now, in the era of Canabalt and other side-scrolling endless runners, Pac-Man is evolving too. The game features more than 70 missions and lots of power-ups.
iPhone / iPad



Leiths Kitchen Wizard (£2.99)

iPhone Screenshot 1

This aims to be a helpful app for cooks, providing timed recipes; conversions of weights, temperatures and volumes; and a glossary of "classic" cooking terms. A quiz aims to help build your knowledge in the kitchen too.
iPhone



Paris Guide by National Geographic (£2.99)

iPad Screenshot 1

One of a set of new travel-guide apps from National Geographic, this provides a selection of walks and tourist hotspots for the French capital, with photos of key landmarks, an itinerary-building section and useful tools like exchange rates, measurement conversion tables and (if you're roaming on data) live weather.
iPhone / iPad



Plants vs Zombies Comics (Free Apps)

iPad Screenshot 1

Plants vs Zombies was a big hit with mobile gamers, and a sequel is on the way soon. In the meantime, there's this app from Dark Horse Comics selling digital issues of the official Plants vs Zombies comics. Two issues are available so far: one is included for free, with the next costing 69p via in-app purchase.
iPhone / iPad



Bounty Arms (£2.99)

iPad Screenshot 1

This 3D side-scrolling action game startled me with its graphics – it uses the Unreal Engine – with gameplay looking to match. It sees you taking on the role of an intergalactic bounty hunter, battling your way through 10 missions.
iPhone / iPad



Dollarbird (£0.69)

iPhone Screenshot 1

iPhone has seen plenty of personal finance apps, and a fair few innovative calendar apps. Now developer Halcyon MD has combined the two categories with Dollarbird. It gets you to enter your spending in a calendar-based format, tracking your habits over time and helping you (hopefully) start to save.
iPhone



Shout Science! (Free Apps)

iPad Screenshot 1

This is a nice idea: an app aimed at 7-11 year-olds that turns three historical stories of scientific breakthroughs in Europe into comic-strips. Animation, interactivity and sound are added into the mix to hold children's attention as they learn about the Scientific Revolution.
iPad



Kanvas (Free Apps)

iPhone Screenshot 3

Latest in an extremely crowded line of apps hoping to get iPhone owners making their own memes, then sharing them. Here, that involves adding text, stickers, painting and sounds to pre-set backgrounds, with in-app packs sold to provide more personalisation.
iPhone


Kamikaze Pigs (Free Apps)



Squeal, aim, and fire as you send these pork-bellied troops into a chaotic scramble. Simply tap to launch your attack and watch as these ham-handed pigs bring the war to its gristly end.

Pork Vengeance
Whether you’re roasting pigs in the battlefield or making bacon among the clouds — there’s over 40 battlefields to storm across five theatres of war.
iPhone/ iPad






Lots of interest in Potluck at the moment online: it's the work of Branch media, a company set up by some of Twitter's founders to launch new products. In this case, it's a social bookmarking service (and now app) to "hang about and talk about cool things you find online".
iPhone


Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded (£2.99)

iPad Screenshot 1

Was 2013 really crying out for the return of Leisure Suit Larry and his lounge-lizard persona? Seemingly so. This is a new version of the 1987 Leisure Suit Larry adventure with beefed-up graphics, new dialogue and a new musical score.
iPhone / iPad



TimeQuote (£2.99)

iPad Screenshot 1

Finally, an app for professionals: "journalists, video producers, directors, broadcasters, one-man-band camera operators" to be specific. It's a way to log key quotes or moments when they happen, so you can find them easily later on when going through your footage. It's a specific niche, but one that benefits from being filled.
iPad

That's this week's selection, but what do you think? Make your own recommendations, or give your views on the apps above, by posting a comment.


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Data source:  Guardian (By Stuart Dredge)

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