Image by Rob Schultz/Macworld
This week’s roundup includes two apps that help you learn to play keyboard and guitar. Got a song in your heart? Read on!
Image by Chordana
Last week we told you about Skoove, a new app that teaches users how to play piano. This week? Chordana Play (free, iPhone and iPad) does pretty much the same thing—you can learn to play on an in-screen keyboard, or connect to one of several Casio model keyboards to learn to play tunes.
Image by Justin Guitar
If keyboards aren’t your thing, maybe Justin Guitar (free, iPhone and iPad) is more in tune with your desires. (Get it? Eh?) The makers say, “this is THE app to get you started if you are picking up the guitar for the first time, or if you been playing for a while and want to make sure you have not left any holes in your knowledge.”
Image by Breaker
Another podcast app? Yup. Breaker (free, iPhone) lets you subscribe and listen to your favorite shows, but it has a social element as well—letting you like, share, and comment on favorite episodes, and helping you discover new podcasts based on your likes.
Image by Construction Simulator 2
Construction Simulator 2 ($5, iPhone and iPad) puts you at the controls of real-life big machines from Caterpillar, Liebherr, Palfinger, Bell, STILL, and ATLAS, then lets you operate massive cranes, load construction materials, pour concrete, and cover the streets in asphalt.
Image by Instant
Instant (free, iPhone, IPad, and Apple Watch) still lets you track the time you spend on your iPhone, getting in shape, going places and sleeping. The latest update adds a new visual dashboard with movable cards, and helps you make goals for sleep, phone usage, and steps to make you more productive and healthier.
Image by Kaka Camera
Kaka Camera (free, iPhone and iPad) offers 500 filters to help you take the best possible selfies; the app also has a “beauty camera” feature to make your skin look beautiful, vignette tools to let you darken the corners of a pic, your pick of lenses to create a soft-focus shot, and an array of other powerful tools.
Image by Oxenfree
Oxenfree ($4, iPhone and iPad) is probably going to remind you of the Netflix series “Stranger Things”—it’s a 1980s-style supernatural thriller that focuses on Alex, “a bright, rebellious teenager who brings her new stepbrother Jonas to an overnight party on an old military island.” Explore the base, solve the mysteries, and maybe make an admirer of Steven Spielberg.
Image by Pocus
Here’s the latest in what we’re calling the “Zen puzzler” category of games. We’re not quite sure how to describe Pocus ($1, iPhone and iPad) except to recommend you watch this video: It’s got all the hallmarks of Zen puzzlers—the minimalistic music, the shifting physics—this time set in a world that looks like a three-dimensional crossword puzzle … without the words. We’re still figuring this one out, but it’s a beautiful experience while you’re trying to understand it.
Image by Death Road to Canada
Super Mario Run has updated with new playable characters … Kindle’s iOS app now has an extension that lets you send mobile webpages directly to the app … Death Road to Canada is a role-playing game involving, well, a trip north.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.