It’s the freakin’ weekend baby, and you know what that means: time for another edition of our Apps of the Week roundup. This week we have some great picks for you, including an AI baby monitor, a Chromecaster, and an app that can turn any Apple device into a flip clock. And as always, we’ve selected a fun new game for you to check out.
Slumra – AI Baby monitor
Ok, so I know this app has a very niche audience, but it was just too cool not to mention. It’s called Slumra, and it helps you turn any 2 iPhones into a baby monitoring system with AI crying detection. It does this by connecting two phones via a local network, and the app essentially runs in the background. Using machine learning, it can detect when your baby starts crying, and it will instantly send you notifications. Now I don’t know if this should replace a full-blown baby monitor, but it seems like an excellent solution in a pinch — visiting friends/family, etc. Plus all the baby monitoring is done on-device, so it’s totally private.
DoCast: Cast to Chromecast TV
DoCast is an app that allows you to seamlessly screen mirror from your iPhone or iPad to your TV set. It does this using Chromecast technology, so it’s perfect if you happen to have a Google TV or standalone Chromecast device that doesn’t support AirPlay. It also supports streaming video from your device. Now the app is free to download, but it caps you on how long you can mirror and video-cast. For unlimited use, you’ll need to pick up the subscription plan, or pay the one-time fee. I know there are other apps like this in the App Store, and maybe they don’t charge, but there’s enough utility here that it was worth a mention.
FlipClocker – Simple FlipClock
In the spirit of iOS 17’s new StandBy mode, I present to you FlipClocker. It’s a fun little app that lets you turn your iPhone, iPad or Mac into an analog flip clock. It can display time and date in full screen, in portrait or landscape mode, and you can choose between 12 or 24 hours. You also get dark and light modes, different clock modes and animations, and over 30 different types of styles, fonts, skins and backgrounds to choose from. It’s free to download, but it looks like some (or most?) of the features are hidden by a subscription plan. Still, I imagine this would be a fun way to repurpose an old or unused Apple device.
Little Big Workshop
As I’ve said before, I prefer highlighting free or cheap games here because I want everyone to be able to check them out, but wow, this was just too good not to mention. In Little Big Workshop, you essentially become a factory tycoon, where you run this incredible magic factory, and you can make literally anything you can think of, and then sell it for cash. You organize the factory floor, manage your workers, unlock and upgrade machinery, and design efficient production lines. It’s an open-ended sandbox experience, with a fully simulated Day/Night-cycle, and there are simply just too many features to list. If you have $10 to spare, this seems like an AWESOME way to spend your weekend.