This week’s edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features some great apps and games for you to check out this weekend. We have an easy wallpaper-maker, a productivity app for shortcuts, a one-stop-shop for all of your news and social feeds, and of course two awesome new games that you won’t want to miss.
Blend
Looking for a simple, easy-to-use app that allows you to make your own wallpapers? Let me introduce you to Blend. Pick your colors, adjust the brightness, change the gradient angle, and tada! You just made a great-looking wallpaper. I’m sure there are other apps out there that do something similar to this, but I haven’t stumbled across them. I like the idea here and I like the execution. Blend is available for $0.99.
Quicky
Here is another pretty cool app concept. Quicky gives those with 3D touch devices quick access to app shortcuts. The app icon is cleverly designed as a menu button, and you can customize the apps that show in its Quick Action menu. This essentially means you can tuck these apps away in a folder. True, apps like Launch Center have had similar functionality for a while, but I like the simplicity here. Quicky is available for free (with a $1.99 IAP).
Bynd
Bynd has been around for a while, but it just recently got a big 2.0 update, so we thought it was worth highlighting. For those who aren’t familiar with it, Bynd bundles all of your favorite feeds into one central hub. This includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit and over 50 different News channels. It also has push notifications, inline video, and a sharp interface to boot. This app is available for free.
NBA 2K17
NBA season is almost upon us, and that means a new version of NBA 2k17 is out. Sure it’s better on the bigger consoles, but for die-hard fans that can’t get enough basketball action, it’s a must-have. Features in the latest version include revamped gameplay controls, physical controller support and deeper career modes. This game is available for $7.99.
Faily Rider
Looking for a fun free game to play this weekend? How about Faily Rider? The follow up to the hit Faily Brakes puts the fun physics-based action hero Phil Faily on a motorcycle. While doing some sightseeing on a motorbike in the Nevada desert, Phil is forced off the road, plunging him over the edge of a steep embankment and into a world of dangerous hazards and obstacles. What happens next? You’ll have to play it to find out. This game is available for free.
More apps to check out
- Apple’s free app of the week: AG Drive
- Google’s Allo messaging app hits the App Store and it logs all your chats
Apps updated this week
- Pokémon GO update shows where Pokémon were caught, adds Go Plus features & bug fixes
- Facebook Messenger gains iOS 10 integration on the Lock screen and in Phone app
- Snapchat rolls out Sticker Search
- How to save Instagram posts as drafts
- Apple updates Mac iWork apps with support for real-time collaboration
- Tweetbot for Mac updated with support for macOS Sierra, extended Tweets and more
- Media, polls and quoted tweets no longer count against Twitter’s 140-character limit