App Store Apps

Slope, Showtime PPV, Mirage World, and other apps to check out this weekend

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a new personal finance tracking app with a gorgeous interface, the PPV app showing the fight everyone is going to be talking about this weekend, and a new social app with an AR twist. And as always, we've selected two interesting new games for you to check out.

Slope

Slope was designed from the ground up to be unlike any financial app you’ve ever seen. With its user friendly interface, Slope gives you the power to see your entire financial history at your fingertips. Lightning fast transaction input allows you to input expenses on the go and reconcile with your bank statement later. Other features include categories and tags, multiple account support, receipt storage and much more. There is a SlopePro subscription option, but it looks like most features are available without it. Slope is available for free.

Showtime PPV

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 6 months, chances are you've heard about the fight coming up tonight between boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and MMA star Conor McGregor. There are a few ways to stream the fight, but the official way is via the SHOWTIME PPV app. It works on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, and makes buying the fight as easy as an in-app purchase. Features will include the stream, fight-related news and behind-the-scenes look at the fighters. The app is free, of course, but the Main Event is going to cost you $100. Showtime PPV is available for free.

Mirage World

This is kind of a cool app, and somewhat relevant given all of the talk these days about VR and AR. Mirage World allows you to create and "leave" digital, interactive artwork in the real world. Think virtual graffiti. You can place gifs, objects, hostages, photos and drawings anywhere for others to see. Just create, post and share using the Mirage app, and your friends can view them and share their own. As with all newcomer social media apps, I am skeptical this will gain much traction, but the idea is interesting enough it might make it into bigger apps. Check it out! Mirage World is available for free.

Death Point

Death Point is a hardcore single-player, top-down, stealth shooter with dual stick control that will test your abilities at every level. Here's the setup: only two from your group have survived—you (agent) and your operator. She is blocked somewhere within the enemy’s territory and you woke up in a prison, barely alive, but determined to get revenge. The countdown has started. Elimination sensors are already ticking in your heads. The mission success and your future depends solely on you. All you have to do is to find the girl and call for evacuation. Hurry up! Death Point is available for $6.

Cat Bird!

If Death Point isn't really your style, then check out Cat Bird! It couldn't be more opposite. This cute little platform adventure game sends you on an epic quest to help Cat Bird get home. You'll venture through unique worlds hovering across pits, traps, enemies, and saw blades. But beware of the mighty guardians that block your path! Other game features include 40+ challenging levels, 3 epic bosses, stylish pixel art, and a beautiful soundtrack. Cat Bird! is available for free (with a single IAP).

More apps to check out Google Assistant for iOS expands to Germany, France and UK Apple’s free app of the week: Colossatron: Massive World Threat You can now take 360-degree photos in Facebook’s iOS app Spark gains Touch ID inbox protection, Apple Reminders support & integration with 10 new services

Wine n Dine, Laugh out Loud, Packr, and other apps to check out this weekend

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a visual menu for over 80,000 restaurants, a new comedy network courtesy of Kevin Hart and a handy app to help you pack for vacations. And as always, we've selected two interesting new games for you to check out.

Wine n Dine

This is by no means a new app, but if you're not familiar with it, it's definitely worth checking out. Wine n Dine features visual menus from over 80,000 of the world's best restaurants that aims to help you always order delicious food. Save dishes with the 'Wanna Try' feature and you'll get reminded of it when you go to that restaurant, create and discover insightful restaurant lists, and browse the food map to see the best restaurant and foods around you. I also really like that the app avoids negativity—it's all about sharing the good, not the bad. Wine n Dine is available for free.

Laugh Out Loud

Laugh Out Loud is the new streaming video service from actor/comedian Kevin Hart, featuring a slate of original scripted and unscripted comedy series, stand-up specials, licensed programming, and live broadcasts. Laugh Out Loud combines Hart’s unparalleled social media savvy with his vision for the future of comedy - social, mobile, multicultural, and seriously funny. Not a fan of Hart's comedy? Don't worry, there are a ton of other comedians featured here. The app itself is free, and you can actually watch quite a bit without paying, but to unlock everything it'll cost you $3/month. Laugh Out Loud is available for free.

Packr

Packr will help you pack your suitcase for each trip. The app creates a packing checklist for your suitcase from 24 pre-defined activities and factors in details like length of stay, weather and planned activities. This is the perfect tool for your summer vacations, long week-ends, road trips and even camping. Plus, Packr learns from each of your trips to organize the packing checklists and adjusts the items it recommends based on that data. Unfortunately some features are hidden behind a subscription fee, which I think is a terrible idea for such a situational app, but the core features and design make it worth checking out. Packr is available for free.

Tunnels & Trolls Adventures

Combining rich interactive fiction with classic RPG gameplay for mobile, Tunnels & Trolls Adventures will let you play through iconic adventures like Naked Doom, Buffalo Castle, Deathtrap Equalizer and more. The world of Tunnels & Trolls is filled with tough decisions, devious traps, and monstrous encounters where the risks are only rivaled by the rewards. Roll your stats, choose your kindred and begin your legendary adventures. Tunnels & Trolls Adventures is available for free (with some IAPs).

Bottom of the 9th

This is kind of cool. Bottom of the 9th is a strategic 2-player baseball game played with cards and dice. This faithful adaptation brings the fast-paced fun of the tabletop game to your phone! Choose your lineup from a pool of players with different strengths and abilities, outsmart your opponent in the stare-down, then roll the dice to trigger the action. Will you lead the underdogs to victory? Or will you defend the league leaders’ unbroken winning streak? Bottom of the 9th is available for $4.99.

More apps to check out Finding your festival friends with ARKit Apple’s free app of the week: Tsuro Instagram launches new ways to reply with photos and videos in Direct Skype previews upcoming Mac app revamp ESPN for Apple TV gains simulcast feature for watching 4 live sporting events simultaneously Facebook begins rolling out Trending News section in iPhone app

Promote iMessage to your Menu Bar with Unreplied for macOS

Find it hard at times to stay on top of your iMessage and SMS influx because you’re just too damn popular? Or are you simply a notoriously slow responder that likes to wait until that red badge on iMessage has swollen to inordinate proportions?

Either way, Unreplied, a low-key app bundling iMessage chats in your Mac’s Menu Bar, vows to make your iMessage game faster and perhaps less flaky.

Hypno Cam, Mix, Trips, and other apps to check out this weekend

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a fun video editing app, an app for discovering new and interesting content, and an app for sharing your travel experiences. And as always, we've picked two great new games for you to check out.

Hypno Cam

So Hypno Cam is a new(ish) app that enables you to quickly and easily add cool effects to your videos. The app automatically scripts your clips with effects, music, and edits synced to the beat. You don't have to be an expert videographer to create awesome videos—Hype your Instagram and Snap stories with the push of a button. New "scripts" are added every week, and there is a beta developer program for folks who want to create their own. For what it's worth, the app has 4.5-star on early reviews. Hypno Cam is available for free.

Mix

Mix is a new way to discover and curate interesting content you find on the internet. I know, this sounds like the same pitch we've heard from dozens of other apps, but Mix is worth checking out. The app uses an algorithm to feed you interesting and relative content, and its beautiful, minimal interface will keep you swiping for more. Use the special 'Mix' button to save and share the things you like, watch videos in-app, and more. Mix is available for free.

Trips

Explore every day with Trips by Lonely Planet — a beautiful, simple and intuitive way to share travel experiences. Upload photos and videos to your timeline, then share your trip with your friends, family and fellow travellers. Discover new places, be inspired by stories from the Lonely Planet community and start planning your next adventure. I know there are a lot of these kinds of apps out there, but the early reviews say this is a great way to document your trips or view others' trips. I think it's worth checking out. Trips is available in the App Store for free.

Titanfall: Assault

Standby for Titanfall! Experience freedom on the Frontier battlefield in a new mobile RTS that redefines the genre with fast-paced action and intense PvP battles. Put your combat skills to the test by unleashing a powerful arsenal of Titans and Pilots, including units from Titanfall 2 plus brand new specialized units only for the mobile game. Deploy Sim Ninja, Boomer, Ion, Scorch and more onto the battlefield to fight for control of the Frontier. Unite and destroy. And lead your forces to victory in The Frontier War. Titanfall: Assault is available for free (with some IAPs).

Swim Out

Dive into the relaxing and refreshing atmosphere of Swim Out, a strategic, turn-based puzzle game, that will transport you into a sunny day by the swimming pool, the river or the sea. Plan each of your strokes wisely and be sure to never cross any other swimmer's path if you want to peacefully enjoy the sea view on a cosy chaise-longue. There are over 100 levels to play and 12 different types of swimmers. If you're a fan of puzzle games, this one is definitely worth checking out. Swim Out is available for free.

More apps to check out Apple’s free app of the week: Colorcube Instagram testing two-person live broadcasting

PicsArt Color Paint, Spire, Basic Weather, and other apps to check out this weekend

This week's edition of our Apps of the week roundup features a powerful, easy-to-use sketch app, a multitrack music recorder, and a new weather app that serves up both forecasts and GIFs. And as always, we've picked two great new games for you to check out.

PicsArt Color Paint

There are hundreds of sketch/drawing apps on the App Store, but I still think PicsArt Color paint is worth checking out. It offers a full drawing suite with an intuitive UI that makes it perfect for both beginners and professionals alike. Layers upon layers, a color mixer for any color combination you can imagine, fully customizable paint brushes, and an amazing texture brush are just some of the features available here. You can even doodle on that selfie you just took! PicsArt Color Paint is available for free.

Spire

Spire is a multitrack music recording app that automatically adds professional-quality polish to your recordings. Record your music anywhere, edit and mix it to perfection, then share it with the world. Features include working metronome, touch and drag mixing, song exportation, iZotope technology that autwmiatclaly removes unwanted song characteristics, and more. Spire is available for free.

Basic Weather

Weather is emotional. Basic Weather is the daily weather app for people who choose to celebrate the highs and weather the lows (zing!). Features include daily weather notifications with hand-matched GIFs to make you smile, simple and swipeable interface, 5-day weather forecasts, instant sharing, and the developers claim the app's forecasts are extremely accurate. Basic Weather is available for free.

Miracle Merchant

Miracle Merchant is a solitaire style potion brewing card game.In it, you become the apprentice of a master alchemist who creates potions for thirsty adventurers. By mixing and combining different ingredient cards you create powerful potions based on the needs of your customers. Each game has a unique, randomly generated set of cards that will test your skills. By successfully completing games you can collect a variety of masterfully crafted potions. Miracle Merchant is available for $1.99.

Flippy Knife

The title explains it all. In Flippy Knife, you work to become a master at knife flipping using the best knives from around the world. Features include realistic knife-flipping physics, over 35 different blades to choose from, various levels and locations, ranging from a campsite to tree tops, one finger control, and more. I know it sounds kind of ridiculous, but early reviews for the game are glowing. Flippy Knife is available for free (with some IAPs).

More apps to check out Apple’s free app of the week: Checkmate! Google Earth for iOS gains 3D imagery, guided tours, 64-bit support & more Apple’s ARKit replicates A-ha’s “Take on Me” music video in real time Plant a tree and get things done with Forest Here’s award-winning PCalc scientific calculator app in augmented reality, because why not? Spark for Mac gains advanced search features & other notable improvements