The Apps of the Week post is iDB’s weekly roundup of apps and games we feel are worth checking out over the weekend. This week’s edition features some great selections such as a new streaming service for stand-up comedy, a beautiful calendar app, a habit-tracking app with an interesting twist, and as usual, we’ve included two awesome new games for you to try.
Laugh.ly
Looking for a quick pick-me-up? Check out Laugh.ly, the first streaming service devoted to stand-up comedy. You can listen to all of your favorite comics like Aziz Ansari, Louis CK or Kevin Hart, or you can discover new talent. You can also save your favorite jokes and channels, and share them with your friends. The app launched with over 400 comedians, and ad-supported, so you can start listening for free. If you want to get rid of the ads, or enable profanity filtering, you’ll have to sign up for a $3.99 Premium subscription. Laugh.ly is available for free.
Yearly
It’s been a while since I’ve seen an all-new calendar app that I felt was worth checking out, but the just-launched Yearly grabbed my attention immediately with its beautiful design. It reminds me of the Clear todo app, in that it gets rid of all the usual noise to deliver a simple, minimal experience. Where adding events and reminders in more complex apps can take several steps, Yearly can do this with a tap or two. Unfortunately there’s no Google Calendar support (yet?) or iCloud sync, which are going to be deal-breakers for a lot of users, but it does support iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch and has a beautiful Notification Center widget. If you’re in the market for a new, simple calendar app, this one is worth checking out. Yearly is available for free.
Habitify
Habitify is a new habit-tracking app for iPhone that promises to give you all the motivation you need to form new habits and daily routines. The UI is well done, which makes it easy to add new habits and set reminders, you can sync data between iPhone and Mac (we haven’t tried the Mac app), and there is a Today widget that lets you view your progress and easily check off your habit list. Perhaps the most interesting part of the app is that you can earn points from habit streaks, and Habitify will convert those points into money you can actually donate to Charity. This app is available for free.
Reigns
Looking to try a new game this weekend? Check out Reigns. In this title, you sit on the throne as a benevolent (or malevolent) medieval monarch of the modern age and swipe your royal fingers either left or right to impose your will upon the kingdom. Each year of your reign brings another important request from your unpredictable kingdom as you strive for balance between the church, the people, the army, and the treasury. Prudent decisions and careful planning make for a long reign but unforeseen motivations, surprise events, and poor luck can take down even the most entrenched monarch. Reigns is available for $2.99.
Bowmasters
Bowmasters describes itself as a “hotsy-totsy aim and shoot game.” Players can choose between 30 insane characters and 31 different weapons to take on enemies in multiple game modes. You can have an epic duel with a friend, go hunting, or try various trick shots like shooting an apple off someone’s head. Throw in charming graphics and awesome fatalities with rag-doll physics, and you’ve got a game that you won’t want to stop playing this weekend. Be wary of the in-app purchases, but Bowmasters is available for free.
More apps to check out
- Go Radar tracks Pokémon locations in real time
- Apple’s free app of the week: Dr. Panda’s Ice Cream Truck
- Tip: quickly measure your Netflix streaming speed with this iPhone app