New apps are released into the Play Store all the time, but with so many
appearing, it can be easy to let the best ones slide under the radar.
In this article, we highlight the freshest arrivals in the Play Store,
so you'll never miss a great app again. Check out our pick of the new
apps you must install in January 2016.
January
Habitica
Habitica
has arrived at the perfect time. If you're the type to make new year's
resolutions, this app could be the one that helps you stay on track.
Habitica provides you with a digital avatar that "gains experience" when
you complete certain goals or quests. What's unique about this RPG,
though, is that you set your own targets, so as you improve yourself in
the real world, your Habitica character improves also.
It’s a
great way to stay motivated because you can see a visual representation
of your progress. Sure, you will naturally feel good about certain
achievements in real life, but this type of feedback can act as a nice
bonus.
Cortana
Cortana recently exited its public Android
beta and the full version is now here. This is the Microsoft equivalent
of Google Now and Siri, which seeks to assist you in your daily life.
Cortana allows you to set up reminders, track flights and packages, ask
questions, and you can even set up quick replies from your PC if you
miss a call on your phone.
It integrates with Windows computers in
a way which Google Now and Siri can't, but this is probably the only
area where it provides a credible improvement to them. Still, it’s still
early days for Cortana on Android, so if you’re interested, check it
out at the link below.
December
Chromer
Chromer
might be one of greatest new apps to ever grace our list. It's basically
a web browser for apps, and allows you to use Chrome custom tabs
without the need for app developers to implement the feature themselves.
Basically, it's like a miracle.
Once Chromer is configured,
opening web pages from within apps happens quickly and without fuss.
Leave the frustration of repeatedly selecting which app you want to use
to open a link behind, by using this secure, free app.
BandLab - Music Community
BandLab - Music Community
is perhaps a more interesting idea than a completely awesome app, but is
worth a look for musicians. Bandlab lets you record audio and share it
between different devices and people using BandLab’s cloud service. This
audio can also be edited and mixed to some degree, with a few simple
production functions.
The collaborative aspect of it unique but
the only problem is that mobile devices aren’t exactly built for audio
recording, and the sound quality is terrible. If you can overlook this,
BandLab is a great service for recording and sharing ideas as they come
to you – it certainly beats using your built-in voice recorder.
November
Define
If you do a
lot of reading, you’re learning English, or you just have a curious
mind, Define is the perfect addition to your Android device. It’s an
offline, device-wide word lookup tool that provides definitions,
synonyms and different usages of any copied word through an unobtrusive
pop-up window or notification.
There are a choice of three
dictionaries: Livio, Wordnet and Urban Dictionary, with the latter only
working when you’re connected to the internet.
Pixolor
Pixolor is a live eyedropper tool that floats
over any screen in the form of a persistent notification. It lets you
view the hex value for any individual pixel, create color palettes based
on the current selection and view the nearest material design color,
amongst other things.
The app is certainly most useful for designers, but the pinch to zoom feature might also be of use to those with poor eyesight.
There is an initial ad-free period of use, after which some ads will appear, but they can be removed by paying US$1.99.
October
Khan Academy
Khan
Academy began producing free and openly available videos and learning
resources in 2006. They mostly cover math, physics and science, but
offer limited coverage of other subjects, as well. All of Khan Academy's
material is freely available on YouTube, but the newly launched Android
app offers a quick and simple way to navigate and access its material,
of which there is loads.
It has more than 10,000 videos, as well
as in-depth articles in fields such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry,
trigonometry, statistics, calculus, biology, chemistry and physics. We
highly recommend spending some time exploring and an afternoon or two
learning with Khan Academy. It's free, accessible and fun!
Pintasking
Alt-tab doesn't really exist in
Android: there is always the extra step of opening the recent tabs
window. Pintasking solves this by letting you pin apps to the screen as
small buttons that can be pressed at any time from any app.
When
you press the pin, the app opens, and the pin turns into a pair of
arrows that can be pressed to quickly return to the previous app or
window. It's very handy if you need to frequently switch between two or
more apps.
Accomplish
There are plenty of scheduling and
productivity apps on the market, but Accomplish's interface is clean,
elegant and intuitive. It keeps things as simple as they should be, so
you can organize your tasks and set reminders without fuss. You can add
tasks, change their colors and then drag them into a day planner, where
you can stretch or shrink the box to adjust the length of time you want
to spend on the task.
Accomplish also syncs with your Google Calendar, and is the most intuitive scheduler we've seen here at AndroidPIT. If you want a simple, pretty way to organize your day, this is it.
Mirrativ
It's early days for Mirrativ, so it still
has a couple of bugs and speed issues, but it's clear that this app has
tons of potential. Mirrativ lets you live stream anything that is
happening on the screen of your Android device, and the
camera, simultaneously. It's amazing that no one has combined these two
things before. It only takes a few clicks, and you can share whatever
you're doing with friends, family, or the world. You can also interact
with others using stickers and comments throughout the stream.
Mirrative
is well worth checking out and having some fun with. Keep an eye on
it as it gets updated, too, as there's surely more to come from this
one.
September
JustWatch
JustWatch
is a resource that locates the best places to watch movies and TV shows
online, without breaking the law. It launched earlier in 2015 as an
online service, but now has a dedicated app for Android and iOS.
It's
a simple idea, pooling the best locations for watching videos online,
but it's surprisingly useful. It displays the cheapest prices to rent or
buy a particular movie or series you're interested in, as well
as whether it's available on a subscription service such as Netflix, or
even for free on Hulu or Crackle. There's even a 'price drop' section
where you'll find special offers.
JustWatch integrates with a
number of popular media streaming and download services, as well as
websites such as IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes to aid its search features.
It's one of those apps you might find yourself taking a quick peek at
every time you get the urge to watch something new.
Intel Remote Keyboard
Even though Intel specialises
in hardware, we're intrigued by the tech giant's forays into software.
Particularly the Intel Remote Keyboard, which turns your Android device
into a remote control for your PC keyboard and mouse.
It's
designed for Intel's Mini PCs, but works well with any PC that's on the
same Wi-Fi network as your Android device. This is one of the most
intuitive PC remotes around; its mouse controls in particular are second
to none.
Adobe Photoshop Mix
Photoshop Mix is a simple yet
impressive photo-editing tool that can effectively replace the default
photo editor on your Android device. Its features range from trendy
filters, to the ability to neatly cut out sections of pictures and
splice them into new images.
Photoshop Mix can sync with Photoshop
on your PC using Creative Cloud, so if you want to do some more
advanced editing, you're only a couple of taps away.
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