Best Apps: Dec '17 Edition
With more and more apps migrating to a subscription-based model, is it time for a reality check? I love having a great app experience as much as the next guy, but when is it okay to pay to the tune of US$ 50 and up towards monthly subscriptions? Is it solely based on the app's core function? Or is it when you want to unlock additional 'pro' features, remove ads and support the people behind those apps?
Ulysses and DayOne are some of the recent examples, and this is not including apps in other popular categories like password managers, music streaming, video streaming (Netflix, Hulu and HBO, and the many more splinters to come), online dating, productivity and instant messaging. Then there's Amazon Prime, a subscription service to end all subscriptions, granting blanket access to the retail giant's varied offerings.
There was a time when most indie software developers relied on upfront one-time app purchases and paid upgrades, but as a business practice, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is never sustainable in the longer run. Subscriptions, then, are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future, but it doesn't hurt to be mindful of where you are putting your money in, and if it even really matters in your day-to-day workflow.
Pronounce (Android only) - From the developers of 2Do, comes a beautiful Android app that helps you focus on words and their correct pronunciation.
Recall (Android only), Edo Agenda (iOS only) - A quick unfussy way to create reminders and keep track of things that need to be done.
Weather Atlas, Blue, Carrot weather (iOS only), 1Weather (Android/iOS) - Newest weather apps on the App Store that are worth checking out. Blue in particular is so reminiscent of Solar.
Revel (iOS only) - A great app to discover, shop and experience men's fashion through interactive stories from brands.
Opener (iOS only) - If there is one thing iOS still lacks, it's the capability to launch links using third party apps and services. Opener not only lets you go this, but also offers support for third-party browsers.
Bobby (iOS only) - A useful app to keep track of all your monthly subscriptions in one handy place.
Google Tez, Zelle (Android/iOS), Apple Pay Cash (iOS only) - Mobile payment solutions and cash transfer apps are one too many (Venmo, Google Wallet, Square Cash.. among others), and Zelle, born out of a joint collaboration between various U.S. banks, and Apple Pay Cash (built within iMessage, and therefore more reasons to be locked into Apple ecosystem) are the latest to join the bandwagon.
Agora (iOS only) - A stunningly designed podcast app for iOS.
Trip, Outings (Android/iOS) - In a crowded space dominated by Trip Advisor, Google Trips and Foursquare, enter Trip.com and Microsoft's Outings. Competition is good, after all!
nPlayer (iOS only) - A feature-reach video player that supports virtually any format thrown at it.
Firetail (iOS only), Stockpile (Android/iOS) - If Robinhood is not your preferred cup of tea when it comes to personal investing, an equally fantastic alternative is Stockpile. Firetail on the other hand is what a minimalist stock tracking app should be!
Apollo, Beam (iOS only), Relay, Boost (Android only) - Perhaps the best unofficial reddit clients on iOS and Android.
Dropped, Yoink, Workshelf (iOS only) - Thanks to iOS 11, it's now possible to drag and drop items between different apps, and these apps here represent a whole new category of tools to help ease the experience on iPhones and iPads.
Terminology (iOS only) - A featured packed dictionary and thesaurus client for iOS.
Notion (iOS/Web) - A note taking app that also doubles up as a collaborative space for managing tasks and wikis.
Halide (iOS only) - A manual camera app to end all other manual camera apps.
Eon Music Player (Android only) - A beautiful and highly customisable, Material Design audio player.
Wordly (Android only) - Learning new words and improving one's vocabulary is no easy chore, but Wordly makes it possible through word lists, flash cards and quizzes, all put together in a neatly packaged app.
Record Bird (iOS only) - Want to stay on top of latest releases from your favourite artists? Then Record Bird is the app for you.
TapMeasure, Sky Guide AR, Giphy World, IKEA Place (iOS only) - With ARKit, Apple casually brought a whole new business to mainstream, so much so that it led Google to abandon its three-year-old Tango project in favour of ARCore. While jury is still out on the exact benefits of augmented reality, apps like TapMeasure and others show the immense potential that is likely to be tapped in the years to come.
Hurry (Android only) - A simple countdown timer, and a beautiful one at that.
Flamingo, Swipe (Android only) - The best unofficial Twitter and Facebook clients for Android, especially the latter if you are in the camp that believes Facebook has gotten too bloated for its own good.
I Love Hue (Android/iOS) - An addictive puzzle that’s just about artistic as it's calming.
Datally, Files Go, YouTube Go (Android only) - Google's growing arsenal of lightweight apps targeting data/storage-conscious users. And oh, did I say that Files Go comes with its own take on AirDrop to transfer files between Android devices? Alternative: GlassWire (Android only)
Science Journal (Android/iOS) - A ridiculously useful app to record sound, air pressure, acceleration and many more statistics using your phone's built-in sensors.
Engare (Mac/Windows) - A hypnotising game of geometry and architecture, showcasing the beauty in Islamic art in a manner that's utterly stunning.
Index (Android/iOS/Web) - A new app to organize your digital content through notes, to-do lists, news articles and more.
Smart Recorder, Audio Recorder (Android only) - iOS comes with a preinstalled Voice Memos app for basic recording, but on Android no such luck, unless you install an app like Smart recorder or Audio Recorder.
Movies Anywhere (Android/iOS) - As ecosystem wars push users to subscribing to multiple portals to purchase movies, Movies Anywhere comes as a godsend to unite all of them under one roof. Which means you can even play your iTunes purchases on Chromecast! Isn't interoperability great??
ExpressVPN (Android/iOS/Web) - Easily one of the most trusted VPN services out there.
Burner (Android/iOS/Web), TempMail (Web), Nada (Web) - Privacy (and staying free of spam) today comes at a cost. And with mobile numbers and email addresses becoming our identity on the web, it makes that much more sense to get into the practice of getting disposable numbers and email addresses to get your work done.
Dashlane (Android/iOS/Web) - Never ever reuse passwords, and if you are ever getting lazy, be sure to use Dashlane's freely available password generator for inspiration.
Coda (Web) - After Quip, it's now the turn of Coda to rethink our approach to spreadsheets. Not sure how long it will be around, but I will have to admit, it's a fantastic idea!
Ulysses and DayOne are some of the recent examples, and this is not including apps in other popular categories like password managers, music streaming, video streaming (Netflix, Hulu and HBO, and the many more splinters to come), online dating, productivity and instant messaging. Then there's Amazon Prime, a subscription service to end all subscriptions, granting blanket access to the retail giant's varied offerings.
There was a time when most indie software developers relied on upfront one-time app purchases and paid upgrades, but as a business practice, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is never sustainable in the longer run. Subscriptions, then, are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future, but it doesn't hurt to be mindful of where you are putting your money in, and if it even really matters in your day-to-day workflow.
Pronounce (Android only) - From the developers of 2Do, comes a beautiful Android app that helps you focus on words and their correct pronunciation.
Recall (Android only), Edo Agenda (iOS only) - A quick unfussy way to create reminders and keep track of things that need to be done.
Weather Atlas, Blue, Carrot weather (iOS only), 1Weather (Android/iOS) - Newest weather apps on the App Store that are worth checking out. Blue in particular is so reminiscent of Solar.
Revel (iOS only) - A great app to discover, shop and experience men's fashion through interactive stories from brands.
Opener (iOS only) - If there is one thing iOS still lacks, it's the capability to launch links using third party apps and services. Opener not only lets you go this, but also offers support for third-party browsers.
Bobby (iOS only) - A useful app to keep track of all your monthly subscriptions in one handy place.
Google Tez, Zelle (Android/iOS), Apple Pay Cash (iOS only) - Mobile payment solutions and cash transfer apps are one too many (Venmo, Google Wallet, Square Cash.. among others), and Zelle, born out of a joint collaboration between various U.S. banks, and Apple Pay Cash (built within iMessage, and therefore more reasons to be locked into Apple ecosystem) are the latest to join the bandwagon.
Agora (iOS only) - A stunningly designed podcast app for iOS.
Trip, Outings (Android/iOS) - In a crowded space dominated by Trip Advisor, Google Trips and Foursquare, enter Trip.com and Microsoft's Outings. Competition is good, after all!
nPlayer (iOS only) - A feature-reach video player that supports virtually any format thrown at it.
Firetail (iOS only), Stockpile (Android/iOS) - If Robinhood is not your preferred cup of tea when it comes to personal investing, an equally fantastic alternative is Stockpile. Firetail on the other hand is what a minimalist stock tracking app should be!
Apollo, Beam (iOS only), Relay, Boost (Android only) - Perhaps the best unofficial reddit clients on iOS and Android.
Dropped, Yoink, Workshelf (iOS only) - Thanks to iOS 11, it's now possible to drag and drop items between different apps, and these apps here represent a whole new category of tools to help ease the experience on iPhones and iPads.
Terminology (iOS only) - A featured packed dictionary and thesaurus client for iOS.
Notion (iOS/Web) - A note taking app that also doubles up as a collaborative space for managing tasks and wikis.
Halide (iOS only) - A manual camera app to end all other manual camera apps.
Eon Music Player (Android only) - A beautiful and highly customisable, Material Design audio player.
Wordly (Android only) - Learning new words and improving one's vocabulary is no easy chore, but Wordly makes it possible through word lists, flash cards and quizzes, all put together in a neatly packaged app.
Record Bird (iOS only) - Want to stay on top of latest releases from your favourite artists? Then Record Bird is the app for you.
TapMeasure, Sky Guide AR, Giphy World, IKEA Place (iOS only) - With ARKit, Apple casually brought a whole new business to mainstream, so much so that it led Google to abandon its three-year-old Tango project in favour of ARCore. While jury is still out on the exact benefits of augmented reality, apps like TapMeasure and others show the immense potential that is likely to be tapped in the years to come.
Hurry (Android only) - A simple countdown timer, and a beautiful one at that.
Flamingo, Swipe (Android only) - The best unofficial Twitter and Facebook clients for Android, especially the latter if you are in the camp that believes Facebook has gotten too bloated for its own good.
I Love Hue (Android/iOS) - An addictive puzzle that’s just about artistic as it's calming.
Datally, Files Go, YouTube Go (Android only) - Google's growing arsenal of lightweight apps targeting data/storage-conscious users. And oh, did I say that Files Go comes with its own take on AirDrop to transfer files between Android devices? Alternative: GlassWire (Android only)
Science Journal (Android/iOS) - A ridiculously useful app to record sound, air pressure, acceleration and many more statistics using your phone's built-in sensors.
Engare (Mac/Windows) - A hypnotising game of geometry and architecture, showcasing the beauty in Islamic art in a manner that's utterly stunning.
Index (Android/iOS/Web) - A new app to organize your digital content through notes, to-do lists, news articles and more.
Smart Recorder, Audio Recorder (Android only) - iOS comes with a preinstalled Voice Memos app for basic recording, but on Android no such luck, unless you install an app like Smart recorder or Audio Recorder.
Movies Anywhere (Android/iOS) - As ecosystem wars push users to subscribing to multiple portals to purchase movies, Movies Anywhere comes as a godsend to unite all of them under one roof. Which means you can even play your iTunes purchases on Chromecast! Isn't interoperability great??
ExpressVPN (Android/iOS/Web) - Easily one of the most trusted VPN services out there.
Burner (Android/iOS/Web), TempMail (Web), Nada (Web) - Privacy (and staying free of spam) today comes at a cost. And with mobile numbers and email addresses becoming our identity on the web, it makes that much more sense to get into the practice of getting disposable numbers and email addresses to get your work done.
Dashlane (Android/iOS/Web) - Never ever reuse passwords, and if you are ever getting lazy, be sure to use Dashlane's freely available password generator for inspiration.
Coda (Web) - After Quip, it's now the turn of Coda to rethink our approach to spreadsheets. Not sure how long it will be around, but I will have to admit, it's a fantastic idea!
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