This week was all about Android, with Google unveiling a pair of new Nexus smartphones to act as flagships for its Marshmallow operating system - which begins its rollout next week - and we have quite the selection of apps for anyone who's thinking about upgrading.
But
you don't have to be on Android to enjoy the latest edition of our apps
round-up, as this week's highlights include a cross-platform
application that pools the audio output of all your devices, and the
arrival of Google Keep on iOS.
1. AmpMe
© Amp Me Inc
Available on: iOS,
AndroidAmpMe
is a cheaper alternative to buying a home sound system. It syncs all of
your mobile's devices together to surround your abode with audio.
You
can install it on as many devices as you want, whether they're iOS or
Android-powered, and it also syncs with your Bluetooth speakers.
It's
the kind of thing that's ideal at parties. Imagine yourself and a group
of friends all packing this app on their smartphones, pumping out the
same tune in unison.
Price: Free,
Publisher: AmpMe, Inc,
Release date: Out now
2. Google Keep
© Google
Available on: iOS,
AndroidGoogle
Keep is a popular app for taking notes that are easy on the eye. This
week, it made the jump from Android to iOS to give Evernote a run for
its money.
It lets users capture, edit, share, and collaborate on
notes from any device on the go - and its arrival on iOS means users
can work together across mobile platforms.
Google Keep is for you
if the idea of text-only notes bores you. With this app, your random
scribblings will be adorned with photos, colours and embedded audio
clips.
Price: Free,
Publisher: Google,
Release date: Out now
3. Khan Academy
© Khan Academy
Available on: iOS,
AndroidNo, it's not a training application for
Star Trek villains, but Khan Academy will teach you a thing or two about the universe.
The
app is an emporium of information where users can learn about anything
and everything, with more than 10,000 articles and videos providing the
basis of your lessons.
It's ideal as a study aid for students of all ages, with topics including maths, science, economics, history and more.
Price: Free,
Publisher: Khan Academy,
Release date: Out now
4. Kibo
© Group Logic
Available on: iOS
Kibo is a keyboard app for iPhone that adds extra layers of privacy and security to all of your correspondence.
Any
messages typed on its digital keys can be locked away from prying eyes
at the touch of a button and replaced with an innocuous phrase - only
you and the recipient will have access to the underlying text.
It's
the kind of app that would come in useful if you happen to work for
MI5, or failing that, you simply value privacy over all else.
Price: Free,
Publisher: Group Logic,
Release date: Out now
5. Firefox Browser for Android
© Mozilla
Available On: Android
Failing
to provide freedom of choice on web browsers is the kind of thing that
can get you sued - just ask Microsoft - but nobody can accuse Google of
that.
The latest version of Mozilla's Firefox has just touched
down on Android, bringing with it a crop of new features for those who
find Google Chrome isn't everything they want it to be.
The new
Firefox includes a quick-search feature, improved bookmark management
with duplicate detection, and the option to open apps from browser
links.
Price: Free,
Publisher: Mozilla,
Release date: Out now
6. Daily Pic
© T.Partl
Available on: Windows Phone
You'd
be hard pressed to find somebody who prefers Bing over Google, but you
have to admit, the Microsoft search engine's daily photographs are
rather nice.
Daily Pic for Windows Phone is an app that brings
you those images only, in glorious Full HD resolution, without the
neglected search engine they're usually attached to.
Along with a
never-ending supply of pretty pictures, the app brings you supplemental
information about each photo along with details about the photographer
who shot it.
Price: Free,
Publisher: T.Partl,
Release date: Out now
7. Tweetbot 4
© Tapbots
Available on: iOS
If you think that the official Twitter app is the best way to experience the microblogging service on iOS, you'd be wrong.
Tweetbot
is the best third-party Twitter client on the App Store, and the latest
version makes it even better, with stylish new animations, an
overhauled profile page, and a landscape mode.
Its headline
feature is the new Activity tab, which collates all of your
notifications into a single stream. Moreover, Tweetbot 4 is a universal
app that syncs your timeline across iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Price: £3.99 (time-limited discount price),
Publisher: Tapbot,
Release date: Out now
8. Google Photos
© Google
Available On: Android, iOS
You
may already be a Google Photos user - but you might not be aware that
the service's latest update has just improved it tenfold.
A new version of the app with Chromecast
support was pushed out to iOS and Android users this week, allowing
them to cast images, videos, and GIFs to a TV, with the help of a Google
dongle.
And that isn't the only killer new feature - Google
Photos now includes the option to create shared albums that users on
different platforms can contribute to collaboratively.
Price: Free,
Publisher: Google,
Release date: out now
9. Password Chef
© Naranja Studio
Available on: i OS
Reports
of hackers and data breaches making you paranoid? This app will give
you peace of mind by supplying you with the kind of passwords that even
Alan Turing would struggle to crack.
Password Chef has been
specially designed to cook up letter and number sequences that form the
basis of near-unguessable passwords, storing them on your device under
the protection of a pin code.
As these passwords only exist
locally on your device, you can rest easy knowing that cyber criminals
are never going to get their grubby mitts on them.
Price: £2.29,
Publisher: Naranja Studio,
Release date: out now
App of the weekAmpMe
for iOS and Android devices is our app of the week because it solves a
problem that most of us will be familiar with - rubbish built-in
speakers on mobile devices.
With this app pooling the audio
output of all gadgets in the vicinity, your car, living room, or party
venue will be rocked by a wall of music.