This week’s roundup of new and improved apps includes one offering that bills itself as “AAA for the app-y generation.” We’ve got games, photos, maps, and more.
Guess it’s a trend now: The world’s smartest, most in-depth publications are coming up with “lite” versions for the iPhone. First there was NYT Now from the New York Times; now we have The Economist Espresso, a daily compendium of news and ideas. The app is free to download, but subscribing costs $4 a month.
Another Facebook app! This one lets you create, join, organize, and share information with (natch) Facebook groups. Post news, photos, links, and more to keep your groups updated.
This $4 iOS app lets young users discover and explore different kinds of unique homes from around the world. “Investigate electricity and utilities, from sparking wires to bubbling toilets. Clean up, or make a mess. Personalize each space with your own photos, drawings, and decorations.” Fun and educational.
This app bills itself as “AAA for the app-y generation.” If your car gets stalled by the roadside, just fire up the app, explain the problem and the kind of vehicle you’re driving, and the service will send a truck to help out. There’s no membership fee, but prices for services start at $49; Honk says it has a fleet of 20,000 trucks across the nation to help needy drivers out.
This free iOS app helps automatically sort your photos—and Version 2.0 offers even more sorting possibilities, including the ability to organize pics by person, as well as by holidays, locations, and other keywords. You can customize your keywords, and bookmark your favorite pics.
It seems like we have a great map app to show you every week. What makes Scout unique? It’s a bit more social. A couple of features: First, in-app chat, so you can talk with your friends about where to meet up and check in to see if they’ll be arriving on time. You can arrange meetups, use turn-by-turn navigation, and check everybody’s ETA.
Space Age is a $4 “retro-futuristic” game set on the planet Kepler 16 in 1976. There’s multiple characters to play with, facing down puzzles, mysteries, and other challenges, and filled with “drama, humor, and nostalgia.” It’s a sci-fi movie come to life.
This free iPhone browser promises blazing speed thanks to the card-based format of its display. It’s also geared toward exploring trending news, as well as tech and culture news. The developers promise: “Wildcard strips away all the unnecessary window dressing and slow performance of mobile web pages to deliver just what you need. “
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.