Apps in the News

Mental Health: In a recent study the use of specially created apps helped reduce anxiety and depression in a significant number of study participants. More studies are necessary to verify the results but it was so promising that some participants claimed to have little to no more symptoms of anxiety or depression. To learn more read: http://www.livescience.com/57394-mental-health-treatment-smartphone-apps.html

Google Voice has received its first major updates in five years. The app (available on iOS and Android) allows users to use a single phone number across multiple devices and with the current update users can send group texts, photos, and receive voicemail transcriptions. To learn more read: https://www.cnet.com/news/google-voice-update-adds-new-design-group-messaging-support-and-more/

Google Plus is not dead. The social media platform that receives little attention received three recent updates that upgrade  handling comments, seeing more in your feed that you might be interested in, and bringing back events to the community. Learn more here: http://www.androidcentral.com/google-update-adds-new-comment-moderation-brings-back-events

Evernote released an interface update to their app for iOS. The update is intended to allow users to access options much quicker and easily and integrate photos, audio, and text in a single note with less steps. To watch a video which illustrates the changes and read more check out: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2017/01/evernote-8-ios-major-overhaul/

Blynk is a new app that makes it easy for makers using Arduino or Raspberry Pi computers to control a process through their smartphone. Before this app users would have to create an app from scratch but now it is possible to create something in 50 seconds. The article has a step-by-step video showing how it works: https://lifehacker.com/blynk-makes-creating-mobile-apps-to-power-arduino-or-ra-1791446978

Meitu is a new viral app that allows users to use filters to create cute anime looking images. It reminds me of some Snap Chat filters, BUT it asks for a lot of permission on your device like your unique identifier, contacts, location, carrier information, SIM card information. Wi-Fi network information, and more. You might say, "I'll use it once and then delete it.". The problem is once a user says yes to the permissions they have handed over a lot of information about them selves that they don't take back after they delete. To hear what experts have to say, read: https://lifehacker.com/blynk-makes-creating-mobile-apps-to-power-arduino-or-ra-1791446978

Merlin Bird Photo ID, is a free app available for both iOS and Android created by researchers from Caltech and Cornell University. It needs a clear, quality photo, to match the picture against a database of 650 North American bird species. The app takes advantage of a database of over one million photos then leverages machine learning and visual classification data. Read all about it: http://www.seeker.com/snap-a-bird-photo-and-this-app-tells-you-the-species-2178518321.html

In iOS 10.3 (the next version of Apple's operating system) , apps will be limited to asking users to rate the app three times in a year. If you use apps as often as I do this is a relief because certain apps ask almost every time you use them. Another improvement is that users will not have to leave the app and go to the iTunes / App Store to review an app. http://www.recode.net/2017/1/24/14375558/apple-limit-app-rating-reminders

Netflix users on Android can now download certain titles to their SD card instead of internal storage. This can be helpful for users that want to download with a phone and watch on a tablet or if they have a small amount of internal storage with a large SD card attached. Get the details: http://www.pcmag.com/news/351283/netflix-adds-sd-card-download-support-to-android-app

Learn Computer Programming

Code.org
 – This nonprofit foundation website is a great starting point for coding novices. It shares lots of useful online resources, apps and even local schools for learning coding. There are materials that are appropriate for children from early elementary through high school. There are even adults that use these resources to learn Python and JavaScript.

Scratch
 – Designed by MIT students and aimed at children ages 8 to 16, this easy-to-use programming language lets kids build almost anything they can dream up. No crazy lines of code here. Instead you arrange and snap together Scratch blocks as if they were virtual Legos. It seems simple but it can get very complicated and you can do a lot more with it then you might think.

Stencyl – Inspired by Scratch's snapping blocks system, this software lets users create simple games for iOS, Android, Flash, Windows, Linux and Mac. Users have to down load their development environment software. If you or your child is serious about coding / programming, there are paid pro plans that come with advanced lessons.

Khan Academy – Known for its extensive and challenging math games, Khan Academy also has basic programming tutorials.

Code Academy – This interactive website is very user-friendly and teaches all users how to code through fun and simple exercises that feel like games. I will say from personal experience that it is very picky on the code, you can write some lines of code that do exactly what they are asking but if it isn't exactly like the website expects it will tell you that you didn't do it correctly.

Hackety Hack
 – After a quick download to your computer, kids can learn Ruby, an open-source programming language that's easy and intuitive.

Code Monster – Particularly good for kids, Code Monster features two adjacent boxes. One displays code, the other shows what the code does. As you play around with the code with some help from a prompt, you learn what each command does.

Apps to Learn to Code and/or program:

Daisy the Dinosaur (Free. iPad only) This app is good for children 7 and up. It is really teaches more beginning logic and sequencing, not really programming or even coding, but it is a good start.

Cato's Hike: A Programming and Logic Odyssey (4.99 iOS only) Cute story based adventures takes users on a journey collecting hearts and stars. The lessons are basic logic and sequencing but not really writing any code or assembling snippets of code. A nice game to prepare children 8 and up for Scratch.

Hopscotch (Free. iPad only) Target ages 10 and above it teaches sequence and logic but not a lot of "code".  It has great colors, a great interface, and can become challenging (even for adults).

Cargobot (Free. iPad only) For ages 8 and up it teaches logic, sequencing, and some basic ideas of how to create commands but not actual "code". It is fun and tough, I wish it better explained what it is trying to teach because although it is teaching through gameplay it could be clearer and straight forward in "this is the best way to do this because..." type stuff.

Kodable (Free - 6.99 iPad only) The company that created Kodable has a full curriculum for parents and educators to teach elementary school children programming concepts. Receiving high marks from reviewers it has activities and teachable moments that reinforce lessons from the app offline (real world). The first lesson is free but additional lessons are 6.99. Pricing for curriculum depends on the number of students and educators.

Lightbot Jr. (1.99 iOS, Android, and Amazon) Ages 4 to 8 Teaches writing code snippets and put them in an order to execute basic commands, they refer to them as coding puzzles.

Lightbot (1.99 iOS, Mac, Android, Amazon, and Windows) For ages 9 and up this game app teaches programming through puzzles that help users understand concepts required for creating a program.

Move the Turtle (3.99 iOS only) Teaches ages 9 and up programming concepts: loops, procedures, variables and conditional functions. Allows users to learn creating and manipulating graphics, spatial orientation, and programming sound. Provides additional inspirational examples they can try to duplicate or edit. 

L2Code CSS (2.99 iOS, Android, Amazon) Aimed at adults teaches users HTML and CSS basics through short easy to follow lessons. Examples help you see what you should do or what you are doing wrong.

Codea (9.99 iOS only) Used as a mobile environment for writing X code used to create Mac and iOS apps. It doesn't teach programming but allows users to write code on their mobile device, transfer to other devices, or share with others.

Tynker (Free. iPad only) Use problem solving skills to play a game that uses drag and drop blocks of code. The website has a platform for schools and educators, along with resources for children www.tynker.com

Bee-bot (Free. iOS only) The app is based on a floor robot by the same name and it uses the robot’s keypad functionality. The app enables children to improve their skills in directional language and sequencing.

ScratchKids Lite (Free. iOS only) The app has a series of videos arranged by type of coding activity the user is trying to accomplish in Scratch. It gives nice step by step instructions.

Free Web resources for learning how to code:

A new website created by Facebook that has a lot of resources to learn programming:
https://techprep.fb.com

Very basic to intermediate: http://code.org/learn

C# and .Net languages (beginner to advanced) http://asciiwarriors.com/resources

College level classes: https://www.coursera.org/courses and http://www.oeconsortium.org/courses/category/2717/

An assortment of languages (beginner to advanced): http://www.tutorialspoint.com/computer_programming_tutorials.htm

Learning HTML, CSS, and Java Script: http://www.w3schools.com/

To practice / work on projects: www.programmr.com

Learn to program for Android: http://www.vogella.com/tutorials/Android/article.html

Online Java Compiler:  https://ideone.com/

Media Creation / Production Apps (plus extras)

Today’s theme is Media Creation / Production (and some extra stuff)

New Adobe apps:

Photoshop Sketch -allows for drawing directly on mobile devices using special new built-in brushes, and can ship content back and forth between Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC

Photoshop Mix - updated to work with the iPhone as well as the iPad, and Lightroom Mobile adds comment capabilities for better collaboration, allows GPS tagging

Illustrator Draw -  a vector drawing experience with full support for Adobe’s Ink and Slide hardware stylus and ruler on the go. This is more of a sketching / canvas tool.

Illustrator Line - a precision drawing app that adds options for sharing shapes while they’re working. This is more of a precision drafting tool.

Premiere Clip - a lot like Apple’s iMovie app in terms of function, the features are more for the creative professional, it has full workflow integration with Adobe Premiere Pro CC so the projects can be begun on mobile and completed with a comprehensive, fully professional editing suite.

Brush - allows you to take a picture of an object or surface and upload it so you can use it as a custom brush design in Photoshop, Illustrator, or Illustrator Sketch

Shape CC - allows you to use convert any high resolution photo into a vector drawing; from fonts to cat pictures can then be used in Illustrator or uploaded to your Creative Cloud

Color CC - allows you to create custom pallets based on colors you choose in photos you have taken then upload the pallet so it can be used in your other Adobe programs

All of these apps are a way to get people to get more use out of their Adobe Creative Cloud accounts and their flagship programs Photoshop and Illustrator.

New Evernote apps (if you aren’t using the note-taking / organizing app it’s amazing):

Scannable - document scanning app. When the app is running, you simply put documents in front of your smartphone’s camera, and the app captures them automatically. You don’t have to press the camera button. The app will also categorize documents by type, it can do this because it knows the difference between items like business cards, receipts, magazines, etc.

Penultimate - tablet sketch app, you can draw with three different points with 8 colors, it knows not to mark the page with your wrist, automatically uploads to Evernote. It has been completely redesigned to be “more simple and elegant". I really like it.

Web client - the web version of Evernote has been simplified and streamlined. Options fade away if you are using them but will come back if you mouse over them. It has been designed to reduce distractions and have a clean look.

Flic - helps you manage photos stored on your phone, swipe to the right to keep or swipe to the left to delete. If you don't access the app for a while it will prompt you. It will also help you decide on keeping or deleting pictures on your iCloud account.

Other media  apps:

Camera51 - helps setup great shots, by analysing background and your photo's subject

Line SnapMovie -very popular in Asia (20 million users), shoot and edit video, share on their social media platform: Line or export to Facebook or Instagram

Treehouse -teaches programming, over 1000 video, quizzes and challenges

 A Hodgepodge of apps:

Digiduck's big decision - for kids 3-7 and their parents, teaching them how to stay safe online and when using mobile devices

My Singing Monsters - a very cute game where you collect monsters on different islands who have different musical abilities and styles. It's like creating a monster orchestra or choir. The game reminds me of Farmville and other games where you collect, build, and develop; there are seasonal characters / decorations and activities that require time. Ashley at South Holiday asks that you connect to her if you download the app.

NHL - follow your favorite teams, get detailed player information, game highlights and update clips are free, but Game Cast is a subscription service; slick and considered a vast improvement from the previous app the NHL had. GO BOLTS!

AtMyLibrary – this app is kinda clunky but it has been provided by the State of Florida library through their Florida Electronic Library. It has 52 Gale databases everything from Academic One File to the War & Terrorism Collection. It has research sources for business, cooking, health, students… so many things. They can e-mail the articles to themselves for printing or later reading. This is definitely a resource you should tell your patrons about because there is nothing else that provides this number of citable professional research resources and it’s FREE to the patron.

Homework Apps

After a recent webinar by Kira Smith KiraDemo@Kdace.com I learned about some of the Best Homework Apps. I looked at each of these apps tried them out and selected the ones that I thought were the best from her webinar and my experience.

Study Skills

iTooch (free; additional features $4.99) – large exercise database, meets common core standards, fast child-friendly interface, calculator and blackboard features, grade-specific content, syncs when web connection is available, badges, 3-5^th grade Elementary School app and 6-8^th grade Middle School app.

Quizlet (free; additional features $4.99) – create your own flashcards, 18 different languages, learn mode tracks correct and incorrect responses to emphasize areas you need help, spelling tests, math quizzes, typing program, voice recording for notes, the interface and content is definitely more middle school appropriate.

SAT Up and ACT Up (free; $4.99-9.99 premium features) – diagnostic questions help determine what you need help with and what you’re strong on, supports 12 languages, subject specific workouts, customized quizzes, games that help build skills, gives users a lot of feedback.

SimpleMind (free; PRO $4.99) – helps organize thoughts; create mind maps, flow charts, bracket charts, diagrams; add notes; works and syncs with desktop / other devices, the PRO version allows collaboration, sync to Dropbox, e-mail, icons, and much more.

MindNode ($9.99-19.99) – similar to SimpleMInd it has a slicker display / interface, more uploading options and display options, some user reviews express frustration with desktop version.

Assignment Trackers

myHomework (free; $4.99 additional features) – track assignments, schedule, projects, tests, and notifications; join io teacher classes, sync between devices, reminders, premium allows for file attachments, upload assignments, teachers can push out no ads, rewards

iStudiez (Lite Free, PRO $2.99) – calendar, collaboration, upload to iCloud, great layout, easy to use, track projects, assignments, and grades;

iHomework ($1.99) – extremely similar to iStudez with better upload / sync capabilities, integrates with Questia, has a reminder function, you can sort assignments different ways.

inClass (free) – video, audio, photo notes; schedules, assignments, repeating assignments, collaborate, share on Facebook.

Note Taking

EverNote (free, $5 month premium features) – the king of note taking apps it allows you use photos, video, audio; integrate different notes into portfolios; makes text in photos searchable; share via: Facebook and LinkedIn; the premium fee gives you PIN lock, offline mode, integrate with companion apps;

GoodNotes 4 ($5.99) – you can draw / sketch notes; use a stylus, finger, or keyboard; syncs automatically to cloud services; you can choose: graph, ruled, or plain paper (background); write on or highlight PDFs; iPad only

Learning to Read

Learn with Homer (free) – listening and drawing activities, Pre-K – Elementary, reading comprehension questions, customizable, great feedback, 30 free lessons, and it is so cute

Endless Alphabet ($6.99) – letter sounds, vocabulary, phonics, entertaining monster characters, very slick design, downside is large file size and doesn’t progressively get harder

Spelling & Vocabulary

Spelling City (free, $29.99 year) – lots of words by grade, schools use it, extremely popular, the subscription saves your progress, keeps a record, syncs your account across devices

The Opposites (.99) – brother and sister characters are opposites, cute engaging graphics, fun game, kid-friendly design

Winning Words (free) – memory match style game, four different game boards, changeable difficulty, up to 4 players, for 4 years and older, create compound words.

Geography

Tiny Countries (3.99) – children capture evil characters by answering geography questions that help children learn about 75 countries their capitals and major cities; 15 missions allow children to review information about countries before they begin.

BrainPOP (free, $4.99-6.99 a month) – third grade and up videos with quizzes about 7 subject areas; free gives you one free video and quiz a day; Explorer $4.99 give 4 additional videos with quizzes a day, and $6.99 gives unlimited access; the content is highly acclaimed by multiple parent and educator groups; the website gives you a lot of free games and videos.

News-O-Matic (free 10 issues then .99 weekly or $1.99 monthly or $19.99 yearly) – articles about sports, animals, news, etc. that have been written by written by professional children’s writers and reviewed by a child psychologist before publication to ensure emotionally safe content; quizzes, puzzles, and games accompany each issue.

Stack the States (.99) - learn state capitals, shapes, geographic locations, flags and more; tracks progress with your own map of the United States filled in with the states you have learned.

Science

Kid Weather ($1.99) – math and science skills, plot weather information, graph data, track multiple locations

Human Body ($2.99) – nervous, muscle, skeletal, system; uses microphone, camera, and light to demonstrate; beautiful artwork, urogenital system is an extra in-app purchase that can be made;

Plants ($2.99) – three biomes but they are adding more; see how different animals and insects interact with their environment; have the seasons change or introduce a fire to see how that affects things.

NASA (free) videos, photos, internet radio, mission details, history of the space program, this app is on my list of best apps for adults also – it’s that good.

Solve the Outbreak (free) – middle school and older audience this app has been created by the CDC to teach about how epidemics spread and how public health responds to those crises; lots of STEM education in a game format.

Math

Pet Bingo ($1.99) – for ages 4-10, it helps learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions; not timed, supports common core, tracks progress, and gives you a report card; you get pets for completing different levels and you feed them by answering questions correctly.

Sushi Monster (free) – for ages 9-11, you put in the correct number that fits each equation; a correct answer feeds the monster sushi; it is timed and has distractions; 12 levels of increasing difficulty with 14 questions each level.

Dragon Box Algebra ($5.99) - innovative educational app that through gameplay teaches kids concepts relating to solving algebraic equations. The app includes links to the developer's website as well as the app store, but does not require a user account or other online access

Language

Duolingo (free) - makes learning languages a games; has five languages

MemRise (free) – Learn languages, geography, history, science, and pop culture through crowd-sourced courses

English Monstruo (free) – through extensive analysis Cambridge has developed an app that teaches English to native Spanish speakers and emphasizes the phrases, grammar, and vocabulary that they most often encounter problems

Mango Language (free but need library card number) – teaches in a way very similar to Rosetta Stone, it has 26 languages and teaches you a lot about the language you want to learn. The library pays for it and it has ESL courses.

Resources

There are a lot great sources to find reviews of apps for children and education.

These are some of the best: (magazines) Horn Book, Kirkus, PC Magazine, School Library Journal

(websites) Common Sense Media, Edumic, AASL, Moms with Apps, Little eLit

Best Android Apps (for now)

This list of Apps was compiled during the month of August 2014. The marketplace for apps is always changing and with updates the App I looked at may already be different. I compiled this list by looking at the lists of several magazines and websites, the Apps listed are in no particular order (i.e. they are not ranked). The * means that both people communicating must have the App for it to be effective.

Google Hangouts – Easy to use, gives you free person-to-person calls, 12 people can video chat at once, allows for instant messaging

Viber – You can send text messages or make phone calls using your tablet, phone, or computer, free!

TextSecure – encrypted text messages makes sure things stay private*

RedPhone – encrypted phone calls mean that you’re not being recorded and the metadata is secure*

Wickr – self destructing text messages that are overwritten in a way that it cannot be retrieved*

Facebook – the giant of social media apps

Tumblr – a multi-media social network that is more blog-centric

Circle of 6 – An emergency alert app that sends out a pre-recorded message and GPS of where you are to up to 6 people

Plume – a very customizable Twitter platform that allows you to block users, certain words or phrases

Avast! Mobile – Remotely wipe your device’s memory, remote-lock, safe web browsing, battery  

                              manager, and anti-virus software

Lookout Security ($3 a month) – anti-virus, anti-theft, and protects against hacking

LastPass (free or $12 a year) – keeps track of all your passwords, creates secure passwords, does a

 security analysis on the passwords you use, secure web browser, secure

notes, secure form filler. Certain features only available on pay version.

Mr. Number Block – block calls and texts from a specific number or even a whole area code

Orbot – connects you with Tor which is a completely anonymous web browsing connection

HotSpot Shield VPN – protects your data when you are connecting via Wi-Fi by using an encrypted

                                       Connection

Noom Weight Loss Coach (free or $9.99 a month) – calorie tracker, weight loss suggestions, pay includes individualized help and online support community

Web MD –quick lookup of symptoms, medical terms, or a nearby pharmacy or hospital

Zombies, Run! ($3.99) – episodes have you being chased by Zombies, you are acting out a story that

               infuses music on your device, points for hitting your goals gets you things to 

               help you survive the zombie apocalypse

Sleepbot – tracks your movements while you sleep and nocturnal noises, wakes you during the lightest 

                    part of your sleep within a preset period

MyFitnessPal – tracks calories, activity, connect with friends, shows nutrition, and charts progress

Yelp – reviews of all kinds of locations and all kinds of basic info about the businesses

PepperPlate – save your recipes, gives you multiple cooking timers, organize meals, create shopping

                          lists, and save data so you can access offline

AllTheCooks Recipes – 150,000 recipes, select favorites, create shopping lists, and make a meal calendar

Untappd – read beer reviews, write your own beer reviews, share pictures, check-in to locations, create wish lists, connect with friends, and earn badges. Consider it social media for beer!

Google Goggles – reads QR codes, barcodes, and even foreign language signs and converts it into data you can use.

FieldTrip – local history, factoids, music hotspots, reviews, and alerts you to nearby deals

Google Maps – walk, bike, or drive maps with directions. Gives you approximate travel time with traffic alerts. Now you can get a car from Uber using the app

Uber – like calling for a taxi but you have choices from cabs, town cars, limos, private vehicles, etc. It will tell you how much it will cost right now and handle the entire transaction in app.

Google Translate – it can translate spoken or typed words and it can also speak for you. You need a data connection but this is considered the best translation software.

Duolingo – makes learning languages a games (only has five languages) which brings me to suggest

                     Mango Language like Rosetta Stone has 26 languages and teaches you a lot about the

                     language you want to learn

ShopAdvisor – tells you price history of an item, least expensive place to buy, you can set-up price alerts

Pinterest – a social media platform that is similar to create a simulated corkboards pinned with pictures.You can create “boards” for whatever you’re interested in: clothes, art, recipes, decorating,

 books, quotes, and much more.

Foursquare – a location based social media app where you can get rewards / discounts / deals for the

                         places you usually go

Comics – you can buy individual (or multiple) digital issues. Guided reading mode for new readers.

Flipboard – shows all of your media and social media feeds as a magazine articles you can flip through

Umano – popular news stories from a variety of news sources read to you by professional voice actors

ESPN ScoreCenter – covers sports from all over the world and connects you to all other ESPN content

Calibre ($2.99) – if you have lots of eBooks this app allows for a lot of shelves, you can search your

books, you can transfer from other devices or computers via Wi-Fi or USB. View tags and metadata from your collection. It does a lot for the eBook enthusiast

OverDrive Media Console – download and read / listen to library eBooks and Audio books

Stitcher - connects you to almost every Podcast out there. You can create playlists and it will make

                 suggestions based on your selections.

viaProtect – tells you where data from your apps is going and whether it is encrypted or not

Nova Launcher (Free) / Nova Launcher Prime ($4) – customize your home screen, icons, gives 

you tons of options and it’s extremely slick. The free version is good – just less options.

SwiftKey Keyboard – suggests the next word you might use and supports Swyple-like input

Tasker ($2.99) – for more advanced users, it allows you to create custom tasks like an LED light flashing when a text comes in, you can create custom scripts

Netgear Wi-Fi Analytics – tells you signal strength and amount of interference

Snap Pea – allows you to access files from your computer via USB or Wi-Fi. Allows you to send texts from your computer via your phone

ASTRO File Manager – view all the files on your device, upload easily to cloud services, backup your apps, and manage apps

Usemon – monitor your device’s performance and see network traffic, let’s you know might be bogging your device’s speed down

Dropbox – the best in cloud storage apps

Firefox – web browser that has great privacy protection

Opera mini – a minimalist web browser that is fast

Dolphin – considered one of the best mobile web browsers, integrates other apps like LastPass well

Weather Underground – slick design, useful weather info, and helpful widgets. Considered the best

                                             weather app for Android.

Wikipedia – its biggest feature is you can save pages for offline viewing very easily

Mint – considered the best budgeting app out there. It can be a bit daunting to set-up, but once done

             it’s extremely useful

Check – it is an electronic bill pay app for almost any company, what’s nice is you can pay individuals using their phone number or e-mail address

OfficeSuite Pro ($9.99) – Microsoft Office tools and it has a PDF reader

QuickOffice – create and edit Google docs and Microsoft Office docs, it’s limited in what it can do but is

                         considered the best mobile editor for PowerPoint

SugarSync – automatically backs up photos and videos to a cloud account (5 GB free)

eFax ($16.95) – allows you to send and receive faxes without a machine or dedicated phone line

Adobe Reader ($9.99 monthly fee for certain features) – lets you fill out PDF forms, mark up

documents, and make changes. The subscription allows you to convert any document to PDF.

Pushbullet – send notes, links, files, addresses, and lists to your computer or other devices

Google Drive – useful cloud storage

Evernote – a powerful organizational tool that allows you to sort or search pictures, music, and written notes. One of the cool features is that it makes text in pictures searchable.

Any.do – a list maker and manager, you can share lists with others. Also doubles as a task manager

                 encouraging you to review your plans for the day.

EasilyDo – unifies your calendars from other social media and calendar services. It will suggest gifts or messages to send people for different events.

DeaDBeeF Player – it can handle pretty much any audio file type and has a 10 band equalizer

Spotify – free streaming radio station, paying for a subscription you get access to an enormous music

                 library, playlists, discover and browsing features, commercial-free, and an offline mode.

Slacker Radio – you can listen to what it thinks you will like, try-out human curated stations, or select a hyper specific playlist

Songkick Concerts – scans your music collection and lets you know when your favorite artists will be playing near you. Also allows for the purchase of concert tickets in app.

Instagram – photo editing and picture sharing social media network

Pixlr Express – create photo collages and use tons of effects / adjustments on your photos

SnapSeed – photo editor and filter app, allows for more control than Instagram (but very similar)

Vine – 6 second videos, see how creative people can be with so short a time period

YouTube – all kinds of videos, it can be a great tool to learn how to do something or learn, and it can

                    give you hours of entertainment

Flickr – gives you a terabyte of photo storage, you can automatically store all your pictures in one place and it has a nice interface

Flava – keep a private journal you can lock with a PIN. It allows you to record sound, pictures, and video. You can tag or use icons for your entries. Search by icon, keyword, mood, tag, or weather.

SketchBook Mobile Express – use your finger as a pen, pencil, or brush to create a masterpiece. Artists will enjoy the advanced features that will allow them to play with layers.

Adobe Photoshop Express 2.0 – filters, fine adjustments, great interface, and easily connects to other services for sharing or storage