Apps
Best 5 Apple Watch apps you must have – paid and free
I’m sure that many of our readers are either jonesing for an Apple Watch or already have one of their own. I do hope that you guys didn’t splurge on any of the Apple Watch Edition units, but if you did, congrats for having the cash to support such a purchase! Most of you most likely went for the Apple Watch Sport, though and that’s great, because in my opinion, we shouldn’t spend too much on first edition devices like the Apple Watch and instead wait for the second generation to be launched, as that will definitely be perfected. The Apple Watch already has hundreds of apps that you can choose from, and I’m sure many of you have already spent an hour or two on the dedicated app store page to find the perfect apps for the Apple Watch. We thought we would help out with 5 of our best Apple Watch apps that you guys might find useful while enjoying your new gadget.
These five apps are the ones that we found to be most relevant and necessary to any Apple Watch user. Where the apps is paid, we will offer an alternative free solution so that those of you who don’t want to spend additionally on making your Apple Watch as personal as possible can do so without too much hassle. Also, we recommend spending some time in the store and checking out the free apps that you can access, because you might be surprised at how many hidden gems there already are in there. Good luck and enjoy your Apple Watch!
Dark Sky – Best Apple Watch weather app
The Apple Watch comes with a Weather app, we know, but most of you guys were not entirely satisfied with the native app and many called it cluttered and not very user-friendly. That’s why we did some digging and found that a certain weather app for the Apple Watch, Dark Sky was beginning to become really popular in the app store. Upon checking it out, we understood why: it’s simple, easy to use and gives you just the right information that you need. Dark Sky gives you the basics when it comes to weather: temperature, basic forecast and rainfall prediction. That’s what most Apple Watch users look for when glancing at their watch, so that’s what Dark Sky gives them. You can get it from the app store for $4. That’s a bit expensive, but it’s definitely worth it. In case you don’t feel like buying a weather app of all things, the best free weather app for the Apple Watch is AccuWeather, one of my personal favorites on all platforms, for that matter.
Things – Best Apple Watch to-do app
One of the things that smart watch users really enjoy is having a to-do list on their wrists. As such, we thought that the Apple Watch would be in need of an equally exquisite to-do list, one that’s not Evernote. We came across Things, a rather expensive to-do app for the Apple Watch which you can get for a whopping $10 from the app store. Although we usually don’t deal with expensive apps that have free counterparts, Things is actually quite impressive. Its interface matches that of the Apple Watch perfectly and many of its users are very happy with its functions. It’s easy to use and you can add to do items directly from the Apple Watch using Siri, which is neat. Also, you can organize your to-do list however you want to with the help of categories and can have notifications and reminders straight on your wrist. The free alternative to Things would be Wunderlist which you can get here.
Runtastic – Best Apple Watch fitness app
Runtastic is all over the Apple Watch, Android Wear, Android and iOS and it’s one of the most popular fitness apps on any platform you can think. Coming to the Apple Watch, for free, was a great choice and people seem to be enjoying it so far. Runtastic is free in the app store, but it does have in-app purchases, which can get annoying after a while. Nonetheless, Runtastic on the Apple Watch does everything you need it to do: access workouts, create your own workouts, monitor your progress and much more, all without too much swiping and tapping. To get all the features of Runtastic Six Pack, you’re going to have to pay about $5, though.
TheScore – Best Apple Watch score and sports monitoring app
Many Apple Watch Sport users are sports fans and having game results straight on your wrist can be a good feature for such fans. As such, TheScore comes in with all the games that you would like to know about and displays all the relevant information about each game that you want it to. You can get game scores, play times and team news straight on the Watch. Before diving into the app, you’re going to have to select your favorite teams on the iPhone app, but that’s all you need to do. Once that step is done, you can enjoy all the scores from your watch, without a hassle. Moreover, you can also get game breakdowns if you’re interested. Naturally, the best part is that TheScore is free in the app store.
Rules – Best Apple Watch game
Gaming on a smart watch sounds absurd, I know, but Rules manages to do it just right on the Apple Watch. You might be familiar with Rules, as it’s not a new game, just the game’s toned-down version for the Apple Watch. In Rules, you’re going to have to follow some rules, which sounds very simple. Trouble is, it’s actually not. You’ll find yourself annoyed, feeling stupid, screaming and shouting at your wrist, but during those fits, you’ll be having guaranteed fun. This one’s not a freebie, as it costs $3 in the app store, but there’s no free alternative for it this time around. We would like to have one, but that’s life. My favorite part of Rules is the characters, and they’re truly fun to see on the Apple Watch, too.
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Well, that’s it folks! These are the best 5 Apple Watch apps that we’ve come across and we tried finding good free alternatives to the paid ones. Let me know if you have any favorite apps for your new wearable so that we can try them out for ourselves. Don’t forget to share with friends and comment below to let us know which of these apps you’ve used, which you liked, which you disliked and if you would replace one with a personal recommendation.
Android
Google Chrome now has a ‘picture-in-picture’ feature
Google is getting ready to make a big change to how its Chrome browser works. This is because new browsers from startups like Arc are making the market more competitive. The company said on Wednesday that it will be adding a new feature called “Minimized Custom Tabs” that will let users tap to switch between a native app and their web content. When you do this, the Custom Tab turns into a small window that floats above the content of the native app.
The new feature is all about using Custom Tabs, which is a feature in Android browsers that lets app developers make their own browser experience right in their app. Users don’t have to open their browser or a WebView, which doesn’t support all of the web platform’s features. Custom tabs let users stay in their app while browsing. Custom tabs can help developers keep users in their apps longer and keep them from leaving and never coming back.
If you make the Custom Tab into a picture-in-picture window, switching to the web view might feel more natural, like you’re still in the native app. People who send their customers to a website to sign up for accounts or subscriptions might also find this change useful, since it makes it easier for users to switch between the website and the native app.
After being shrunk down to the picture-in-picture window, the Custom Tab can be pushed to the side of the screen. Users can tap on a down arrow to bring the page back to the picture-in-picture window when it is full screen.
The new web experience comes at a time when Google is making it easier for Android users to connect to the web. People can find their way to the web with AI-powered features like Circle to Search and other integrations that let them do things like circle or highlight items.
The change is coming to the newest version of Chrome (M124), and developers who already use Chrome’s Custom Tabs will see it automatically. Google says that the change only affects Chrome browsers, but it hopes that other browser makers will add changes like these.
Apps
Threads finally starts its own program to check facts
Meta’s latest social network, Threads, is launching its own fact-checking initiative after leveraging Instagram and Facebook’s networks for a brief period.
Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, stated that the company has recently implemented a feature that allows fact-checkers to assess and label false content on threads. Nevertheless, Mosseri refrained from providing specific information regarding the exact timing of the program’s implementation and whether it was restricted to certain geographical regions.
The fact-checking partners for Threads—which organizations are affiliated with Meta—are not clearly specified. We have requested additional information from the company and will revise the story accordingly upon receiving a response.
The upcoming U.S. elections appear to be the main driving force behind the decision. India is currently in the midst of its general elections. However, it is improbable that a social network would implement a fact-checking program specifically during an election cycle rather than initiating the project prior to the elections.
In December, Meta announced its intention to implement the fact-checking program on Threads.
“At present, we align the fact-check ratings from Facebook or Instagram with Threads. However, our objective is to empower fact-checking partners to evaluate and assign ratings to misinformation on the application,” Mosseri stated in a post during that period.
Apps
Mark Zuckerberg reports that Threads has a total of 150 million users who engage with the app on a monthly basis
Threads, Meta’s alternative to Twitter and X, is experiencing consistent and steady growth. During the Q1 2024 earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg stated that the social network currently has over 150 million monthly active members, which is an increase from 130 million in February.
Threads made significant progress in integrating with ActivityPub, the decentralized protocol that powers networks such as Mastodon, during the last quarterly earnings conference. In March, the firm granted U.S.-based users who are 18 years of age or older the ability to link their accounts to the Fediverse, enabling their posts to be seen on other servers.
By June, the business intends to make its API available to a broad range of developers, enabling them to create experiences centered on the social network. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether Threads will enable developers to create comprehensive third-party clients.
Meta just introduced their AI chatbot on various platforms like Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Threads was conspicuously omitted from this list, perhaps because of its lack of built-in direct messaging capabilities.
Threads introduced a new test feature on Wednesday that allows users to automatically archive their posts after a certain length of time. Additionally, users have the ability to store or remove specific postings from an archive and make them accessible to the public.
Threads is around nine months old, and Meta has consistently expanded its readership. Nevertheless, Threads cannot be considered a viable substitute for X, as Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, explicitly stated in October that Threads will not “amplify news on the platform.” However, Meta’s social network continues to grow in popularity. According to app analytics company Apptopia, Threads now has more daily active users in the U.S. than X, as Business Insider reported earlier this week.
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