From slashed-price games to life-managing tools you won’t be able to live without, grab these apps right now!
Let’s face it--with the spate of online shopping festivals over this past week, there’s every chance you’re a proud owner of a shiny new smartphone or tablet. Coupled with these admittedly enticing deals on electronic gadgets there’s also been a parallel sale over at the app stores, with several apps and games that initially cost a fair bit now going for less than what you’d pay for a coffee.
So heading into the new year, here’s my pick of the best games and apps to grab--your new phone will love you for it.
1. Leo’s Fortune
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This spectacular little side-scrolling game looks and plays like a hand-painted masterpiece. And in many ways it is--the stunning, whimsical scenery in the game are actually handpainted frames. Based on a charming storyline--Leo, a furry little character, loses his fortune and he’s on an obstacle and puzzle-fraught quest to recover it. Best yet, it’s part of a special Rs 65 deal on the Google Play Store right now. Grab!
2. Monument Valley
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A winner of numerous awards, this game is based on a simple premise--guiding a silent princess through architectural mazes of varying complexity as she proceeds toward her final goal. What makes it special is the copious use of Eicher-like impossible objects, all of which make for many hours of brain-bending fun. This title is also among those on a special deal right now: Rs 61.25 on the Google Play Store.
3. Lara Croft Go
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Any gamer worth their salt is familiar with the fearless, athletic, ass-kicking Ms Croft. After swashbuckling her way through a rake of big-budget movies and cross-platform games, she finally comes to iOS and Android screens in what is arguably the best version of her yet. Never mind high-resolution and ultra-realistic graphics, this installment focuses on truly inventive puzzles, using retro, edgy graphics. As far as turn-based strategies go, this one is gold. And right now at under 80 bucks? It’s a gotta have.
4. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
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If it’s a great shoot-to-share photo experience you’re looking for, this is perhaps one of the best out there. Based on Adobe’s popular desktop tool for serious photographers, the mobile version does an excellent job of putting easy-to-use tools in the hands of regular smartphone shutterbugs. From edits that you can revert from, to its own in-app camera for taking great shots, it’s a must-have. And it’s free.
5. Flipboard
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The closest you can get to a magazine-like experience for your web content, this news reader collates articles from your favourite websites--or topics--and arranges them into a beautiful reading experience. The app also has a section of curated stories that puts the most important content from around the world within one-tap access. If you’re even a passing news junkie, this app should be on your device. Price: Free.
6. FX Guru
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Here’s a great way to put that multi-core processor in your new tablet or smartphone to use: a nifty video compositing app that let’s you live out your Spielberg dreams. Basically take a video clip of a scene--the street outside your house, or even in your living room--and easily add cool visual effects like an asteroid crashing down and sending everything to flames, or a mech-warrior striding in and blasting away. It’s a hoot, especially when you recruit a few of your friends to serve as ‘actors’ in these videos. The free version has a few effects built in, and there are a ton of additional paid effects including weapons (flamethrowers and RPGs,) animals (dinosaurs and snakes,) disasters (meteors and floods)--loads of fun guaranteed.
7. SwiftKey Keyboard
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Until the time phone manufacturers figure out a way to quickly and accurately transfer our thoughts directly into phones (alas, no neural interfaces yet,) the ubiquitous tapping-on-a-glass-keyboard is still the only way to go. From all the touchscreen keyboards out there, SwiftKey is one of the best. From accurate predictions, to the ability to backup your specific typing characteristics to cloud, to a wide collection of themes, it’s the best typing experience for your phone or tablet.
8. Money View
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Here’s a neat little app that takes on the often-formidable task of managing personal finances. But unlike others that require a fair bit of tinkering and initial setup, this one uses an elegant approach--scanning your netbanking SMS updates. By smartly using the transaction-related information in these text messages, the app automatically segregates your expenditure by areas of spend, sends reminders for upcoming bills, tracks outstanding credit card amounts and more. Best of all, it depicts this information graphically; cashflow is suddenly clarified. This app is only available for Android though.
