Citymapper
Google Maps might be the best mapping app around, but its public transport smarts leave a little to be desired. If you’re in a supported city (London, Hong Kong, New York City, Rome, Paris, and over two dozen more), you need Citymapper installed.
It figures out where you are and plugs into all available transit information, enabling you to rapidly plan journeys via train, bus, bike, or ferry. Journey overviews enable you to compare how many calories or bucks you’ll burn, along with discovering which are ‘rain safe’, and those that’ll require you to hang around for ages before getting going.
Snapseed
We’ve long had a bit of a soft spot for Snapseed. Its intuitive interface was one of the most tactile on Android; moreover, the huge range of filters and effects made it perfect for all manner of photographic manipulation and fine-tuning. With 2015’s major revamp, Snapseed became further entrenched in must-have territory.
The star of the upgrade was Stacks, which converts each filter you apply into an editable layer. This means each effect can later be tweaked, rather than being burned into your image when applied, thereby providing even more scope for experimentation.
JustWatch
These days, figuring out what you want to watch is less of a problem than where to watch it. Your TV and boxes might consider themselves smart, but not to the point they can help you dig into a dozen telly silos and quickly access shows you might be into. Enter: JustWatch.
Tell it where you’re located and what you have access to, and it’ll make recommendations. Even better, if you’re the kind of person who still likes to buy stuff, JustWatch tracks price-drops on the likes of iTunes and Amazon.
Forest
The idea behind Forest is to use your smartphone less. You set a timer, and if you leave your phone alone, a little cartoon tree grows on the screen. Get tempted by Facebook or play Candy Crush, and you end up with a dead stick.
Your daily forests can be compared, and each successfully grown tree nets you some coins. These can be spent on new tree types to grow. Alternatively, if you’re socially inclined and have amassed thousands of coins (which takes weeks of dedication), use them to donate to tree-growing projects around the world.
GOOGLE TRANSLATE
We've seen a few clever translation apps in our time, but recently Google Translate has crushed them all. It now offers (sometimes clunky, word-for-word) translations of over 70 languages with input via text, handwritten words or symbols, spoken words or even text recognition via the camera. It can then give you the translation in the form of text or speak it for you.
The core app can do all this with a data connection, and language packs can be downloaded for free so you can use it abroad without the need for Wi-Fi or the fear of roaming data charges.
TWICKETS
Twickets is a way to buy or sell spare tickets to gigs or events, but what makes it special is the rule that tickets can only change hands for their face value or less. That means the profiteering touts stay away and genuine fans get to recyle spares in good faith - great if one of your mates has dropped out and left you in the lurch, or you need an extra seat at short notice.
You can browse what's available or offer tickets via the app and finalise the deal via Twitter (hence the name).
AUDIBLE FOR ANDROID
Long journey? Tired eyes? Audio books! A bit like radio shows that you actually want to listen to, a bit like podcasts before all the funny people stopped doing them, a bit like books being read to you (OK, mostly the latter), audio books are a treat to be savored.
Amazon's Audible app is a gateway to its own audio book service, drawing you in with free tasters of some of its best sellers. It's worth downloading even if it's only for those free nibbles.
NAVMII GPS WORLD
Yes, you’ve got Google Maps on your device, and the search giant’s hard at work making it possible for you to save chunks of maps for offline use, including turn-by-turn. But we still like Navmii GPS regardless.
It’s based on an open-source map database and provides mapping and voice-guided sat-nav for
no cash at all.
You can load it with paid extras if you like, but it's fine as it is. Download the local variant for
any country you're visiting before you leave and you'll always have a map and a sat-nav tool at your hip.
It’s based on an open-source map database and provides mapping and voice-guided sat-nav for
no cash at all.
You can load it with paid extras if you like, but it's fine as it is. Download the local variant for
any country you're visiting before you leave and you'll always have a map and a sat-nav tool at your hip.
AIRBNB
Hotels are great when other people are paying, or if you have pots of cash to waste,
but otherwise they're rarely situated where you want them. Airbnb is one of the stars
of the so-called shareconomy, an accommodation network built around normal
people offering up their unused rooms for a little bit of extra cash.
The result? You'll be able to find somewhere to stay right in the heart of the city,
up a mountain or even down a river, often for a very decent price. Just spend a
minute browsing the amazing pads on offer and you'll be hooked.
Hotels are great when other people are paying, or if you have pots of cash to waste,
but otherwise they're rarely situated where you want them. Airbnb is one of the stars
of the so-called shareconomy, an accommodation network built around normal
people offering up their unused rooms for a little bit of extra cash.
The result? You'll be able to find somewhere to stay right in the heart of the city,
up a mountain or even down a river, often for a very decent price. Just spend a
minute browsing the amazing pads on offer and you'll be hooked.
HANGOUTS
"Hey! Who wants brunch at Choochies today?" "Count me in! I've got tickets to the
Nicks game, wanna come too?" Etc. Alternatively you can use Hangouts to
message friends via text, video and emoticon-style "emojis" in a more realistic
manner. "Train cancelled again", or "Dad, get on the video call so you can show
me how to fix the boiler". That sort of thing. Woah! Hangouts rocks!
"Hey! Who wants brunch at Choochies today?" "Count me in! I've got tickets to the
Nicks game, wanna come too?" Etc. Alternatively you can use Hangouts to
message friends via text, video and emoticon-style "emojis" in a more realistic
manner. "Train cancelled again", or "Dad, get on the video call so you can show
me how to fix the boiler". That sort of thing. Woah! Hangouts rocks!
MET OFFICE WEATHER APPLICATION
All UK weather forecasts are based on information and predictions from the Met Office, so why not get your forecast from the horse's mouth? This app doesn't go in for swanky visuals but does give it to you straight, with timeline breakdowns of the changing skies plus map-based predictions of advancing weather systems. If you're less of a weather geek, try the BBC Weather app for a prettier presentation of much the same stuff.
All UK weather forecasts are based on information and predictions from the Met Office, so why not get your forecast from the horse's mouth? This app doesn't go in for swanky visuals but does give it to you straight, with timeline breakdowns of the changing skies plus map-based predictions of advancing weather systems. If you're less of a weather geek, try the BBC Weather app for a prettier presentation of much the same stuff.
UOLINGO: LEARN LANGUAGES FREE
Google Translate may be great, but the long-term aim should be to learn to speak all those languages yourself. Duolingo does an amazing job of making this fun, with a format that's a bit like a pub quiz machine. It currently supports Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian and English, and if you "play" it regularly you'll definitely pick up at least some competence in your chosen language. With more intensive use you can give yourself a week's crash course before a trip abroad.
Google Translate may be great, but the long-term aim should be to learn to speak all those languages yourself. Duolingo does an amazing job of making this fun, with a format that's a bit like a pub quiz machine. It currently supports Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian and English, and if you "play" it regularly you'll definitely pick up at least some competence in your chosen language. With more intensive use you can give yourself a week's crash course before a trip abroad.
FXGURU: MOVIE FX DIRECTOR
This slightly gimmicky special effects app is nonetheless very clever, verging on useful. It comes with a batch of free effects (the kind of things you'd see in a disaster movie) with additional packs as in-app purchases.
You point your phone or tablet at a scene (say, your office, the street or your garden), and then the app records a short video clip with a destructive missile attack or perhaps a hovering UFO superimposed over the live action. Motion tracking allows you to pan as you film, too.
This slightly gimmicky special effects app is nonetheless very clever, verging on useful. It comes with a batch of free effects (the kind of things you'd see in a disaster movie) with additional packs as in-app purchases.
You point your phone or tablet at a scene (say, your office, the street or your garden), and then the app records a short video clip with a destructive missile attack or perhaps a hovering UFO superimposed over the live action. Motion tracking allows you to pan as you film, too.
WIFI FILE TRANSFER
Google's liberal management of the Play store leads to some strange situations, such as the presence of six apps with exactly the same name. Here we're referring to the one developed by smarterDroid. We find it the easiest way to move files wirelessly to and from a computer and an Android device on an ad-hoc basis. The free version has a file size limit of 5MB, but you can buy the full, unlimited version for £0.88.
Google's liberal management of the Play store leads to some strange situations, such as the presence of six apps with exactly the same name. Here we're referring to the one developed by smarterDroid. We find it the easiest way to move files wirelessly to and from a computer and an Android device on an ad-hoc basis. The free version has a file size limit of 5MB, but you can buy the full, unlimited version for £0.88.
RETRICA
There are so many camera apps, social networks pretending to be camera apps, and camera apps pretending to be social networks, that it takes a lot to stand out. Retrica manages to do so due to its straightforward interface, slew of live filters and effects (so you can see what you’re going to get at all times) and excellent multishot mode.
Use the last of those when you’re zooming along in a car (er, as a passenger, obviously) and you get some really amazing photo strips. The free version burns Retrica’s name into whatever you shoot, although this ‘advertising’ can be dealt with for a piffling £0.63.
There are so many camera apps, social networks pretending to be camera apps, and camera apps pretending to be social networks, that it takes a lot to stand out. Retrica manages to do so due to its straightforward interface, slew of live filters and effects (so you can see what you’re going to get at all times) and excellent multishot mode.
Use the last of those when you’re zooming along in a car (er, as a passenger, obviously) and you get some really amazing photo strips. The free version burns Retrica’s name into whatever you shoot, although this ‘advertising’ can be dealt with for a piffling £0.63.
