Mobile apps over the past several years have come a long way, and now you can find an app for just about any purpose. Because there are so many apps available on iTunes or the Google Play store, it can be easy to miss some of the most useful ones. Here are some of the top mobile apps so far this year on the iPhone and Android networks:
Top iPhone Apps
This free app from Google finally answers the pleas of webmasters who have been asking for a mobile version of the popular Analytics tool for some years. It allows users to monitor all of their web and app data from their iPhone and includes real-time metrics.
Another free app, this one aims to teach you a foreign language. There are many apps to do the same but Lingua.ly takes a unique approach by showing you news articles in your chosen language. You simply tap any words you do not know and it will translate them as well as saving them to flash cards and games to help you remember. Not only will it teach you English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and Hebrew but it will also keep you abreast of current affairs.
If you have ever been walking around and seen something you want to remember for later, this app will appeal to you by filling the common need for a location based journal. Whether you want to make note of a new piece of beautiful street art, a new café, or a shirt in a store window, MapHook allows you to make on-location notes and take photos and videos of anything you see that you want to remember. It also allows users to share entries with others and browse a collection of public entries. The app aims to get people to explore their cities more and become more aware of interesting spaces.
This app is the iOS file manager that Apple forgot and essentially turns your iPhone into a wireless hard drive. You simply launch the app and your device will show up in your Mac’s Finder or in Windows Explorer as an external drive, allowing you to drag and drop data between the PC and your iPhone with no syncing or connection setup.
One of the first apps to take advantage of the iPhone 5’s M7 motion coprocessor, it is still one of the best available. It provides a simple interface for tracking the number of steps you take in a day and displaying the results in a colorful bar chart. It will show if you are on track for hitting your daily goal which can be configured in the apps settings.
- Google Analytics (free):
- Lingua.ly (free):
- MapHook (free):
- Pocket Drive + (£2.99):
- Pedometer++ (free):
Top Android Apps
Recently acquired by Google, this app is the ultimate navigation tool for drivers and provides a travel mapping service using the phone’s GPS to provide a real-time picture of the roads around you. Simply pick your destination when you hop in the car and it will quickly identify the quickest route while showing average road speed; areas of heavy traffic; user-reported incidents like road hazards, accidents, and speed camera locations; and petrol stations.
Most newspapers have their own app but the BBC is one of the few that doesn’t require a subscription to get access to the best content. Not quite as extensive as the online version (as it’s free!), it is great for those looking for a quick digest of the day’s top stories. Users can tailor the topics which appear on their home screen.
Initially TED talks aimed to bring together the brightest minds of our day to deliver educational talks about technology, entertainment, and design, but the number of topics has exploded and they are bound to have a variety of interesting talks that address your interests. Users can watch or listen straight from the app or download content for later. Every video is translated and localized in 21 languages.
One of the most generous photo storage apps. Flickr provides one terabyte of storage upon signup. All of your photos are stored at their original resolution and the app also provides a variety of fun filters. Easy to share on other social networks, Flickr also offers privacy settings that allow users to control who sees their photos.
If you ever wanted to share your phone’s photos or videos with another device, Bump is the app for you. It does not require NFC technology and allows two devices which both have the app installed to easily select and share specific files simply by bumping them together.
- Waze (free):
- BBC News (free):
- TED (free):
- Flickr (free):
- Bump (free):
