Jul 29
The Google+ Local iPhone app mysteriously disappeared from the App Store this past Friday—and now we know why. The Google-owned Zagat has just released a new app for both iPhone and Android today, all coming in Google’s new card-based UI.
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Jul 25
If you’re already a fantasy sports fan, chances are you’ve used Yahoo’s Fantasy Sports app before. And just in time for football season, their newest version of the app comes with a major design overhaul and one very welcome, long await feature—mobile drafting.
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Jul 24
Cloud storage services are a dime a dozen these days, and just the thought of sifting through the mass to find the one that works best for you can be overwhelming. But when it comes to not just mobile-specific but also photo-specific storage, your options are pretty much cut entirely. That’s what makes Loom (which just went into beta) so great—it’s a better way to take photos that gives you the benefits of the cloud without any of the complications.
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Jul 23
For a good portion of the population, remembering both names and faces is a task too astronomical to even conceive of. You meet a fun, new person, and you don’t want to be rude—but chances are, as soon as they walk away, you’ve already forgotten what they look like. The problem only exacerbated when you’ve downed a few drinks to lubricate the mingling process, which is when you meet the most potential new friends and romantic interestes, anyway. NumberSnap is a clever, if not slightly creepy, way to to make sure you never forget a face.
What does it do?
Just open up the app when you need to enter a new number, pass it to your new future best friend, and as they enter their contact info, the app will snap a pic with your phone’s front-facing camera, putting a name with a face forever. And assuming that you don’t want the app alerting your new peer that their photo is being taken whether they like it or not, you can turn on "stealth mode," which is creepy, yes, but also helps make sure you don’t call a relationship before it even starts.
Why do we like it?
Rarely do we take the time to assign photos to new contacts. What’s more, it’s pretty off-putting for someone you just met to command you to smile as they snap a pic for posterity. This way, you can appear to be a normal human being and still make your name/face flashcards to prepare for the next meeting. Everyone wins. The only downside is that the app doesn’t work with the Android contact forms, so when your new friend is entering their number, they’ll see the word "NumberSnap" above the entry lines. Chances are, though, that if you’re both drunk or overwhelmed with a number exchange, no one will even notice. Hopefully.
NumberSnap, Download this app for: Android, $1
The Best: Automatic, discreet pictures of new contacts
The Worst: Doesn’t use Android’s contact entry
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Jul 22
We’ve become a lazy, lazy people. If there’s two things that really bring us together, it’s an irrational demand for instant gratification and a desire to have as little face-to-face interaction as is humanly possible. Now on the one hand, this is probably the beginning of society’s grand demise. But on the other, doing things sucks! So we might as well give in to fate and enjoy sweet, sweet laziness while we can. Which, thanks to glasses.com’s new app, now included eyewear shopping.
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Jul 18
No one wants their parents on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media site they might be busy embarrassing themselves on. They surely don’t want to see pictures of you on the verge of consciousness every night and you certainly don’t want them posting embarrassing things in a public forum. Origami keeps things private, so everyone wins.
What does it do?
Lets you share photos, albums, videos, and text messages with other members of your designated family. In addition to being an app, you also get the domain of [yourfamilyname].origami.com, where you get all the functionality of the app versions. Both the mobile app and the website have the same, familiar timeline-style feed. It will even send you a daily newsletter (if you so choose) with all of your family’s latest happenings.
Why do we like it?
Not only are parents or grandparents joining social media sites often a point of contention, but there are some images, videos, and memories in general that you want to make sure stay within your family. And it doesn’t really feel like adding an extra burden onto your social media plate, because for the most part (especially if you’re the type of family that would use this app), you’re already sharing these things anyway. Origami just simplifies it. However, the service is $5 a month, and with all the free—even if less convenient—options out there, it’s probably not worth it for people who don’t regularly keep up with their family online. But if you’ve got a family that loves and/or needs to use the internet to stay connected, this is a wonderfully private, easy way to do it.
Origami, Download this app for: iOS, Android; $5/month (free for first 30 days)
The Best: Confidence that everything is only being seen by family
The Worst: Subscription-only
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Jul 17
Have you ever found a great article on the web, and wanted to share it, but couldn’t figure out the wittiest/snarkiest/ironic-est way to Facebook or tweet about it? Potluck promises to take the anxiety out of sharing links, by creating conversations between friends and friends of friends who enjoyed the same article. Now they’re offering this "house party on the internet" in iOS app form.
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Jul 16
Asking for directions is a sign of weakness. Everyone knows that. Still, that’s not necessarily to say that you should solely rely on the sun and your wildly unfounded gut instincts. Crowsflight for iOS gives you a middle ground.
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Jul 15
One of the great things about Vine and now Instagram, too, is the ability to stop filming and pick up right where you left off. It has the effect of producing more dynamic, interesting clips than you would otherwise. But that’s the problem—your’re stuck to clips. With Clipper, though, you can get that very same result without the time constraints.
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Jul 11
The group shot dilemma—it’s the bane of both narcissists and scrapbooking enthusiasts alike. But what are you supposed to do when you want to snap a pic of a precious moment between friends, but the only person around to take the picture is, well, you? Fortunately for you, Groopic has taken it upon itself to leave no group shot incomplete.
What does it do?
Quickly and easily merges two photos to create one cohesive final product. Your friends arrange themselves, you snap a pic, and then you switch out with one of your pals, who will then take the second photo. Once you have both shots ready, you tell the app which two individuals took on the role of photographer, and Groopic goes to work merging the two and creating a single photo of all your friends and, most importantly, you.
Why do we like it?
All this could be done with the help of most photo editing programs, yes, but while Groopic only offers one of the features those services might offer, it’s the feature that solves an incredibly common problem. You’re normally left with a few less than ideal options—praying for the mercy of a kind, passing stranger, forcing one unlikely friend out of the memory, or awkwardly attempting a group selfie.
People have generally come to accept this fate, but thanks to Groopic, there’s a better way. And though you do have to position yourself somewhat specifically for the app to work, it’s worth it for a group shot that isn’t cut in half by someone’s arm holding the camera. Plus, the app is on sale for a limited time for $2.
Groopic, Download this app for: iOS, $2
The Best: Gets everyone in the pic
The Worst: Both photographers will need to stand on either end
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This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.