Our top 5 Android and iOS apps of the week
Like every weekend, we meet on NextPit for my selection of 5 free or paid mobile applications and games that caught my eye on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Every week I try to bring you the best possible apps that are not data traps or microtransaction nests. In addition to my own finds, I also add the apps found by the NextPit community and shared them on our forum, which I invite you to consult.
From mobile games to productivity apps, here are the 5 free and paid Android/iOS apps from NextPit this week. We publish this selection every week, you can also check my 5 apps of last week.
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Carrot Weather: Alerts & Radar (iOS)
I've been thinking about the weather freaks among you with what is, in my opinion, the best weather app ever developed in the history of mankind.
Carrot Weather has the distinction of having a built-in assistant whose tone you can set from polite to sassy. I obviously set it to the most infamous setting known as "Overkill". What fun it is to be insulted by an artificial intelligence or to receive sarcastic remarks such as "Come on, slide the sausage you're using as a finger to subscribe to the premium version!".
I'm a total fan of the developers' humor and I find that to be refreshing. This is especially so since the application's interface is really neat. The application is based on Foreca's engine, which is well known to be highly accurate, and offers plenty of features as well as gamification elements with a slew of new features. These gamification elements will boast missions (like finding the official residence of the American president) and a reward system.
The premium version is too expensive for my taste, with an annual subscription of $19.99 requited to unlock additional databases (notably Dark Sky), among others. But the free version is enough on its own and the only ads I noticed are fake ones like the one to hire a hitman or the one to buy rare pins. In short, this is THE top application of this week.
- Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes ($19.99 annually) / Account: Not required
- Download Carrot Weather: Alerts & Radar from the Apple App Store.
JamJars (Android)
If you get hives from A-list lists and prefer to stash your money under your mattress or a shoebox, well, you should know by now that you're practicing jarring. Yes, you remember this fashion that helped popularize basic concepts and make them disruptive by adding the suffix "-ing"? Showering, batch cooking, and therefore, jarring.
Jarring is setting money aside by putting it in a jar. You can define projects or financial goals and assign a deadline (the famous deadlining) to keep track of your savings.
The interface is very nice and the application is free, without any ads. But the developer mentioned he is working on a paid version which will limit the number of Jars to 10 in the free version.
- Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: None / Account: Not required
- Download JamJars from the Google Play Store.
Qlate (Android)
Well, let's calm down a bit, we had a good laugh with the first two applications, but this time it's serious. Qlate is a 2-in-1 calculator and note-taking application. I cannot keep one faction happy without upsetting the other (remember the civil war between these two factions last year?).
What I like about Qlate is that you can enter formulas to quickly perform calculations and enter data even more easily. You can also balance your monthly budget with it. The interface is minimalist in terms of design but loaded with information. For the nerdy folks among you, I'm sure it will find its audience.
In the free version, the application contains ads. The paid version without any ads costs $2.49.
- Price: Free / Advertising: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes ($2.49) / Account: Not required
- Download Qlate from the Google Play Store.
Punchlab (iOS)
When some of you mess with me in the comments, I do a little shadow boxing session while letting out a scream, alone in my room, just to relax. That makes me normal like everyone else, right?
What do you mean my review is rotten? *BAM* Take this! What? What? Did you just say that I contradicted myself regarding the SoC performance? *PAF* *BIM* *BOOM* *SCHLACK*
But oddly enough, despite my venting episodes, UFC CEO Dana White still hasn't offered me a contract to castrate me in the octagon. So don't do what I did, don't unload your years of suppressed rage alone in your room as a self-taught disciple. Instead, install Punchlab, this app that offers drills and workouts for different combat sports.
You can choose from English boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, or even MMA and try out several workouts depending on your level or goals. Some are free and offer video demonstrations with certified coaches who guide you by voice.
But, as you can imagine, you'll have to pay to unlock all the modules and especially the programs, which offer several workouts over a set period of time with a real schedule, a structure, the whole works. The monthly subscription costs $11.99 and you have to pay $79.99 for the annual subscription.
- Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: None / Account: Not required
- Download Punchlab from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Mini Skull-Pixel Adventure RPG (Android)
Mini Skull-Pixel Adventure RPG is an adventure game with very lite RPG elements but whose gameplay is more like a narrative game based on a system of multiple choices to advance the story.
The pixel art graphics don't reinvent the wheel, but they are nice to look at and the game doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's free to play, but it does have some in-app purchases to unlock in-game items. Influencing the story with your choices also allows for a good degree of replayability.
In short, it's not game of the year material, but it's a very nice indie title to check out during a weekend.
- Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: $1.99 to $9.99 per item) / Account: Not required
- Download Mini Skull-Pixel Adventure RPG from the Google Play Store.
What do you think of our selection this week? Did you find any other interesting apps or games on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store?
