BOOMERANG
Instagram’s latest spin-off app is Boomerang, a tool for creating “mini videos” from 10 photos taken in a fast burst, which then loop. File alongside animated gifs and Vine clips, with plenty of potential for creativity – or plain silliness.
PAUSE
Mindfulness is all the rage in tech circles and beyond. Pause aims to bring the art of relaxation to the smartphone. Based on tai chi, it gets you gently rubbing your finger on the screen for a few minutes: a useful reminder to take a break in the day.
CAMRA
Android/iOS
Another photography app: this one aimed at anyone running out of space to store shots on their smartphone. This promises you 100GB of space on Camra’s servers, plus features to share pics privately with contacts. Flickr and Google Photos will be stiff competition though.
DNA PLAY
On the surface, DNA Play is a fun, cartoonish monster-making app for children. However, it has serious intent: this is aiming to introduce kids to the science of genetics. They’re encouraged to experiment by playing the DNA-based puzzles to make different beasts.
VIDKU
With so many ways to share videos with friends, from Snapchat to Instagram, is there space for a new one? Vidku hopes so. It’s an app for creating and sharing 17-second clips with private groups, switching between your back and front cameras mid-video.
ARROW LAUNCHER
This Android app is the work of Microsoft: the latest addition to the “launcher” genre of apps that help you quickly launch your most-used apps. It’s simple and easy to set up and use, whether it’s apps, favourite people or reminders that you’re using.
COMMUTELONDON
If you travel on the train to London for work, CommuteLondon could make your journeys much more bearable. It keeps you posted on delays, warns you of inclement weather, and will even help you pinpoint quieter trains when you’re more likely to get a seat.
RUDIMENTAL
If you follow a band on Twitter and Facebook, the case for downloading their app may be slim. Rudimental’s is interesting though: it promises exclusive content, ticket pre-sales and other goodies direct from the band.
ASSEMBLY
Subtitled “graphic design for everyone”, this is a neat and very clever tool for creating your own designs using more than 180 pre-supplied shapes. Whatever you create – from a logo to a T-shirt design – can be exported, printed and shared.
METER
Finally, an Android experiment from Google’s “Creative Lab”, which acts as a live wallpaper for your smartphone. It shows your remaining battery life, mobile signal and other notifications in a simple, stylish and visual way.
GAMES
MINECRAFT STORY MODE
This is Minecraft, but not as you know it: the blocky sandbox forms the backdrop to a narrative adventure, due to be released over several episodes. Although aimed at all ages, children in particular will love exploring a story in the digital world they love.
SHOOTY SKIES
From the developer that made Crossy Road, this shoot ’em up shares many of its graphical touches. Thankfully, it’s just as fun: a colourful, bullet-strewn shooter that’s tough, but never so frustrating you don’t want to have another go.
LOVE ROCKS
Love Rocks is the latest gem-swapping puzzle game hoping to take mobile devices by storm. This one has a star too: musician Shakira. Its drop-three gameplay adds some neat twists to a familiar genre, and on Android, you can even unlock free albums to download.
BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO SONS
This game received huge critical acclaim on consoles, and it’s made the leap to iPhone and iPad intact. It’s a beautiful, narrative-driven story of two brothers trying to save their father’s life, with you controlling them both. A wonderful game.
TRIVIA CRACK KINGDOMS
Quiz game Trivia Crack has been a global hit, and its developer wasted no time in launching a sequel. This time, the questions are arranged in themed channels, with an emphasis on challenging friends on their (or your) pet subjects for bragging rights.
MINIONS PARADISE
From box-office fame to small-screen stardom: this is actually the second Minions mobile game: a resource-management strategy game that takes the genre popularised by FarmVille and pumps it full of doozy yellow critters. Lots of fun for fans of the film.
LUMINO CITY
Another beautiful adventure ported to mobile, with its handmade scenery giving it a look a world away from the average game. The gameplay matches the visuals for quality, though: an absorbing collection of mechanical puzzles that works marvellously on touchscreens.
THE WALKING DEAD: NO MAN’S LAND
There have been several Walking Dead mobile games already, but this one has legs – even if they’re dropping off. It’s a tactical battle game with zombies galore, and all the characters and settings fans of the TV show will recognise.
MAGIC FLUTE: PUZZLE ADVENTURE
Yes, that Magic Flute: this is a well-crafted puzzle game based on Mozart’s famous opera, which looks and plays as well as it sounds. You work your way through its 32 puzzles at your own pace: if you loved games like Monument Valley, it’s for you.
MOS SPEEDRUN 2
Platform games traditionally work best with a physical controller, but Mos Speedrun 2 proves touchscreens can handle the genre. It’s a finely tuned game where you can blaze through levels to beat your friends’ best times, or take it slower and explore its secrets.
