Sift, PicAlong, Itinerant and other apps to check out this weekend

Apps of the week

This week’s edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features an educational news app, a quirky photo editor and a weather app that doesn’t use any numbers or symbols. And as always, we’ve selected two great new games for you to check out.

Sift

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by other news apps, you might want to check out Sift. It offers a space where you can press pause on the endless barrage of headlines and really understand what’s going on. This includes everything from historical context to nuanced perspectives and even tactical learning experiences. To be honest, I’m not a fan of the their subscription model, but in this day-and-age I think all news apps that try to offer context and perspective on hot button issues are worth checking out. Plus there is a free trial so you can decide if it’s worth paying for.

PicAlong

Here is something fun to check out this weekend. It’s an app called PicAlong, and it’s essentially a photo editor that lets you easily cut out the backgrounds of your photos so you can insert yourself in other pics. So you can go back in time and meet Albert Einstein, walk the Red Carpet with Lupita Nyong’o or even jump on the Moon. Features include cut and other editing tools, photo filters and a bevy of sharing options.

Itinerant

Are you ready to get weird? Ok, let’s get weird. Itinerant is a weather app. As you can see it doesn’t utilize any type of symbols, numbers or other traditional UI elements. Instead, it uses a visual interpretation system that essentially looks like a big blob. The idea is that eventually your brain will be able to read the blob to get the weather forecast. Now I know, being from Texas (aka Tornado Alley), there are times when you need the forecast and subsequent weather alerts quickly, and you don’t have time to stare at blobs, but I like the outside-of-the-box thinking here and I imagine it really helps flex some seldom-used brain muscles.

Super 80s World

Super 80’s World is a nostalgic platformer that tasks you with saving the decade by collecting old-school memorabilia. You must stop Dr. Noid Wormers from eliminating the 80’s with his Power Glove of Doom by bouncing your way through the decade and collecting things like VHS tapes, cassettes and video games. Features include over 40 levels in 5 unique worlds, six boss battles, old school arcade mini-games and much more.

PGA TOUR Golf Shootout

If you’re still flying high on Tiger’s awesome win at the Masters last weekend, check out this official Golf Shootout game from the PGA Tour. It has you playing real holes on real courses against real opponents from around the world. Features include beautiful 3D graphics, collectable clubs, daily challenges and much more. I’ve noticed a handful of complaints from early adopters about the swing mechanics/physics but this being a PGA title, I have to think those issues will get resolved quickly.

Other app-related news