App title: One Shot
What is it? Version 3.0 of an already-excellent camera app.
Why we love it? This photo-taking-and-editing app gets better and better with each iteration. OneShot 3.0 brings us more preset camera modes, auto- and live-straightening of shots to align your subject with the horizon (neat!), new sharing modes (it hooks up with 6tag) and a 1:1 capture resolution mode for Instgram shots—again, 6tag would be a good addition to your portfolio as well, here.
Who it’s perfect for: photographers of all abilities
App title: Reaper
What is it? An RPG game
Why we love it? It’s just so darn cute… But it also makes excellent uses of your WP’s touch-screen gestures; the controls are responsive and intuitive as you watch your little hero leap, slash and bash his way to glory. You can play for a while for free, but after you ascend to Level 10, you’ll need an in-app purchase to carry on (different packages are available). It’s a beautiful game, though, and we think you’ll be hooked enough to want to shell out.
Who it’s perfect for: gamers of all ages
App title: Songza
What is it? a music app
Why we love it? Needless to say if you’re a music lover, then Nokia Music with it’s 22 million free tracks should be your first port of call. However, if you want to complement it with something a little different Songza is worth a listen, mainly thanks to its playlists. Songza’s virtual mixtapes are tailored according to the time of day, the activity you’re doing, the tempo you’re after, the mood you’re in, the day of the week… The options and the curatorial thought that has gone into this one has blown our minds! So: Friday morning, we’ve woken up happy, and the DJ’s playing Start Me Up by the Stones. Not bad!
Who it’s perfect for: music fans who like a theme to their tracklists.
App title: Tetris Blitz
What is it? Tetris! Or, for the young ‘uns, a highly addictive cascade game where you stack different shaped blocks to earn points…
Why we love it? It’s got retro graphics that remind us of our youth. Unlike the marathon that is regular Tetris, the Blitz variant is a two-minute race against the clock to accumulate points, so it’s great for mobile gaming. While it’s not as smooth to operate as old-school joystick control, EA have come up with a set of touch-screen buttons that are very workable and only take a little getting used to. Build up reward coins and buy power-ups; and buy more of these with in-app purchases. It’s fun even without spending, though, so don’t worry if your budget’s tight.
Who it’s perfect for: old and new Tetris fanatics.
App title: adidas miCoach
What is it? a fitness app
Why we love it? It’s easy to use and it’s packed full of features. The voice couch, for instance, is star-studded: you can get encouragement and instructions from the likes of Jessica Ennis, Andy Murray and Omar Gonzalez! It works with Adidas’s already existing online coaching service, but it’s got a few Lumia exclusive features (like coach Gonzales!), Nokia Music is integrated so you’ve got access to kicking tunes as you sweat, as is HERE Maps, so you don’t get lost; it’s got Bluetooth for heart-rate monitoring, and it has Live Tile and Lockscreen integration when you’re not actually in the app. A reasonable range of workout types are included for free (running, cycling, etc). And you can run the initial assessment workout whe you first begin, so the coach knows where you’re at, fitness-wise. Comprehensive, or what>
Who it’s perfect for: athletes
That’s our five of the best new and updated apps, but what about yours? If you’ve unearthed any gems we’d love to hear about them in the comments below.