Image by Rob Schultz/Macworld
This week’s roundup includes a new running app that pits you against friends and competitors across the country, in real time. Plus: Microsoft releases its new To-Do app. Read on!
Image by Charge Running
Charge Running (free, includes in-app purchases, iPhone and Apple Watch) puts a different spin on the usual running apps. It offers three live runs a day—8:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m.—and lets you join with other runners across the country, pitting your progress against theirs and competing on a live leaderboard. It’s a way to run with friends, even if you can’t run with friends.
Image by DashFlow
DashFlow (free, includes in-app purchases, iPhone and iPad) is the latest in the never-ending stream of money-management apps. It lets you track financial accounts, budgets, bills, loans, investments, and money goals in place, plus offers bill reminders and other handy features.
Image by Fairyland Story
Fairyland Story (free, includes in-app purchases, iPhone, iPad, and iMessage) is the story of a a girl named, really, Dorothy and her journey into a mysterious dreamland. It’s kind of a Zen Gamer entry that mixes The Wizard of Oz and the extended trip through time and space at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s a “surreal journey through the beautiful world of geometric kaleidoscope” with a chiller soundtrack to match.
Image by Memoji
We don’t often bother with emoji apps, but Memoji (free, iPhone) offers one neat trick, letting you take a selfie and turn your own face into an emoji. Happy? Sad? You’ll probably give this app a thumbs-up smileyface. (Wink.)
Image by Microsoft
Remember Wunderlist? Forget that. Microsoft bought it and replaced it with Microsoft To-Do (free, iPhone) that lets you set due dates and reminders, of course, as well as color-code projects so you know which tasks are accomplishing which goals. There are also intriguing extras: The “suggestions” feature looks at your to-dos from yesterday and recommends tasks today based on that list.
Image by Mindfull Meal Tracker
Mindfull Meal Tracker ($3, iPhone and iPad) is more for dieters than foodies, but it has elements that’ll appeal to both: You’ll get an alert around meal time, after which you can take a picture or write a note. It’s a way to monitor your food intake, the developers say, without strictly counting calories.
Image by Sky Guide
Sky Guide ($3, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch) has long been a great app for exploring the stars from your front yard. Now the makers have unleashed a “supermassive” update that includes a new audiovisual series that takes you on tours of the cosmos. The catalog expanded to include 114 million stars, and the new zoom feature lets you examine galaxies, nebulae, clusters, and planets in closer detail.
Image by Vanido
In recent weeks, we’ve introduced you to apps that help you learn how to play piano and guitar. Vanido (free, iPhone) joins the gang as “your personal singing coach,” with daily sessions that offer three different vocal exercises, with real-time feedback on your pitch that helps train your ear and improve your timing.
Image by Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy TTG
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy TTG ($5) turns the movie into an iOS game … Instagram has added a new “collections” feature… Manga Reader (free) lets you discover and read thousands of manga comics for free.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.