In this edition of our Apps of the Week roundup, we have a super-smart photo editor, a minimal note-taking app, and a new internet radio client. And as always, we’ve selected two great new games for you to check out.
PhotoRoom BG
Create studio-quality images in seconds with PhotoRoom BG. I’m sure you’ve heard that tagline before, but I actually think this app might have the capabilities to back it up. The image editor uses AI to automatically cut the background out of your photos and overlay your subject—a person, an object, an animal, etc.—over a new background. Have you ever tried to cut an object out of an image with the standard ‘lasso’ tool? Yeah this is nothing like that, and it’s really something you have to use yourself to understand.
Etc App
In my never-ending quest to find the perfect note-taking app, I came across Etc. It stood out to me specifically because of this line in the description: every thought doesn’t need its own folder, just write it down and search for it later. I’m not really a ‘folders, categories, tags’ type of person, so this really resonated with me. Yes, most of the features are hidden behind a premium subscription service, but that’s kind of the name of the game these days. Etc. looks sharp, runs quick and isn’t bloated with needless features.
Triode
The fine folks at The Iconfactory—the makers of Twitterrific, Linea Sketch, and other popular apps—are back this week with another title: Triode. It’s an Internet radio app that looks like a mix between a podcast app and streaming music client. It supports the iPhone and iPad, Apple TV, macOS, Siri Shortcuts, and even CarPlay. The app is free to use, with no ads, and features include a curated list of the best music and news stations, the ability to search for your favorite station, manual URL input, and much more.
Naboki
Naboki is the latest minimal puzzle game from developer Maciej Targoni. Like his other titles, this one has no tutorials, no scores and no text. If you’re not familiar with his other games, they are basically all minimal puzzlers, sold for around a buck, and they are all generally well-reviewed.
Word Search: Guess The Phrase
If word puzzles are more your thing, you might want to check out Word Search. It’s like a cross between Wheel of Fortune and the typical word search game. You solve puzzles from all of your favorite categories: movies, TV shows, landmarks, etc, with each hidden word you find pushing you closer to solving the secret phrase. There are thousands of puzzles in dozens of categories, so the fun is sure to last you all weekend.
Other app-related news
- The best Apple TV apps for home design and remodeling
- OpenKeyboard lets you customize virtually anything about your iPhone keyboard
- New to Mac? How to change the default app to open a file type
- Spotify’s new ‘Soundtrack your Ride’ helps you build the perfect road trip playlist
- Annapurna bringing gorgeous music platformer The Artful Escape to Apple Arcade in 2020