November is coming to an end, which means it’s time to reflect on some of the best apps to hit the App Store this past month. Let’s not waste any time. Let’s get started.
Moasure
The first app is called Moasure. It’s a smart measuring app that aims to replace your clunky, old tape measure. Moasure is a 100-meter or 300-foot tape measure, ruler, protractor, and a goniometer; which is an angle measure all in one app. Best of all, the app is really easy to use. You simply need to move your phone from one point to another point and let the app do the rest or do the calculating. It’ll display the distance between the two points or the angle between them. It apparently uses the same technology found in space rocket guidance systems as well as the sensors in your iPhone to calculate its measurements.
The app does cost $2. You can download it here.
Microsoft Solitaire Collection
Microsoft Solitaire Collection is a must have app for Solitaire lovers. It was recently added to the App Store and features all the classic Solitaire card games that you’ve come to expect and come to love from Windows machines. You can choose from Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, and TriPeaks game modes. There are daily challenges as well and you can even sign in with your Microsoft account to earn Xbox Live achievements.
Scan Documents
Scan Documents is an app that scans your documents using your smartphone camera. It’s really as simple as that. The app will auto detect the documents and will allow you to edit and save them as PDF or JPG. OCR is supported to extract text from a PDF and you can share and email your documents straight from the app itself. Look, there are a million different scanning apps out there but this one is about as simple as it gets.
DirecTV Now
DirecTV Now is probably the most recent app to hit the App Store since AT&T just launched the service. This is not a sponsor by any means but I just like the concept of being able to watch live TV via the internet. I also like to save money by cutting down my cable bill as much as possible. DirecTV Now provides over 100 channels to stream. And since it’s brand new, they have a package called “Go Big” that contains 109 channels plus local channels are available for $35/month. Normally, it’s priced at $60/month. But the app will let you view and stream TV on one device, pause the streaming TV service and continue watching on another device. You can also restart a show that’s already been playing.
This is a brand new app. I have yet to review it in detail. I just wanted to let you know of this deal that sounds pretty good on paper. There is a 7-day free trial though so you can make up your own mind on this service.
Don’t Grind
Don’t Grind is a game that is absolutely bananas. The premise is don’t let your little characters get ground up. You need to tap your way through buzz saws, lasers and various other obstacles. The developers certainly had an imagination when they designed this game. It is what it is but I would say the game is surprisingly fun, chopping up bananas and nuts has never been more fun. I never thought I’d say that.
Filmborn
Filmborn can transform your photos into cinematic masterpieces. There are preset filters for various camera types like Fujifilm and Kodak. There are also other tools you can set to your liking, increase or decrease brightness, change the white balance and color, soften or harden an image. The app is also very sophisticated in the way you can crop and manipulate photos. It can rotate, stretch, and compress your photos. It’s really the complete package.
Icarus
Icarus: A Star’s Journey is a stunning new game. Icarus has players helping a fallen bright star ascent to its former place within the night sky. The controls are very straightforward. You drag anywhere to aim and release to launch upwards and you can enter stars to refill health and collect orbs to level up and upgrade your health meter. I will say the game gets pretty challenging with more obstacles appear and you have to maneuver around them while n mid air. It’s exhilirating.
Inscape
Inscape is a meditation app to help you find balance and boost performance in your fast-paced overstimulated world. I’m writing this script while sitting in a Starbucks with people all around me who are in their own little world. I can tell the person sitting next to me that he can use some meditation.
You start by telling the app about yourself and what you like the app to focus on: boosting productivity, reducing stress or expanding awareness. You can set different times to meditate and allow mindfulness minutes to be recorded to your health app to help monitor and develop your practice. Basically, if you just need to relax, take some time to yourself, download this app and just de-stress.
PhotoScan
Google has released an app called PhotoScan, which will digitally enhance old photos of yours. So you place your old photo on a table and take a picture of it using the app. Then align the dots in all four corners and it will create a high quality digital image that is free from blur and glare. The photos will also be automatically cropped, enhanced and rotated so restoring a bunch of old photos can be pretty quick and easy using this app. The images that you scan will also be sent to Google Photos so it’s all very seamless and automatic.
Hop Swap
Hop Swap is the last app on the list. It’s a fun little game for all ages. You hop and then you swap to jump through the ground, which now becomes a sky. You journey through two worlds at the same time and swap between them to solve different puzzles. The controls are very basic, as you simply have to swipe left, right, up and down. Arguably, best of all is the retro graphics that bring you back to the good old days.
With that last one, those are 10 of our favorite iOS apps to hit the App Store during the month of November 2016.
