by With the new iPad mini a hot commodity, we mustn’t forget about all of the amazing app developers hot on its tail, producing fantastic apps that highlight the mini’s features.Here are five of our newest apps we love and why we love ‘em.
ShopShop
Get it here from iTunes; Free
A simple, basic shopping list that helps you organize what you need to get without any frills. It easily works alongside Dropbox; just set up an account to share with your family members or roommates, and you can access the same list and see it while you’re at the store. You can make multiple lists that are easy to find since they are labelled alphabetically, and sync between lists via Dropbox.
HuffPost Live
Get it here from iTunes; Free
With HuffPost Live, you can live-stream a video network that uses stories on The Huffington Post website (from politics to health to lifestyle) as the jumping-off point for real-time conversations and commentary. It allows viewers to join the discussion as on-air guests. They say, “Don’t just watch the news, be part of shaping it”, which is a neat way to really get involved while you watch it stream live.
Endomondo Sports Tracker
Get it here from iTunes; Free
This GPS-based app lets you track any outdoor sport for its duration, distance, speed, and calories burnt. You get audio feedback on miles and kilometers, and can manually enter workouts that are stationary, such as treadmill running, spinning, or strength training. You can also keep up with your friends via a newsfeed and friend lists. There are options for tracking your heartrate, exploring local routes, and customization features. Users can also choose to upgrade to Endomondo Sports Tracker PRO if you also want interval training, graphs, the ability to race against yourself, and time and calorie goal functionality.
Ladybird Classic Me Books
Get it here from iTunes; $2.99
Though this app isn’t free, if you have kids, it’s worth its weight in gold. Ladybird Classic Me Books is an app that takes classic Ladybird books and shares them via iOS devices. Unlike a conventional story book, each book in the app is packed with hidden hotspots that, when touched, trigger narration, funny character voices and sound effects from celebrities. Users can also create their own interactive hotspots by drawing with their finger and recording their own voice or sounds using the device’s microphone–a feature that really makes your child a part of the story.
My First Orchestra App HD
Get it here from iTunes; £2.99
Another fantastic kid-driven app, My First Orchestra creates a guide to help each kids of instruments of the orchestra. Led by a little green troll called Tormod, users need to help him find his way home while he shows them the orchestra. Each instrument has its own page, with a young performer playing a solo. Tormod, too, in a fun way, also tries out the instruments. The app is completely interactive; tapping any words or pictures delivers narrated text, music excerpts, and sound effects. A full album of music includes over 30 classic orchestral works.
