by Stuart Dredge
It’s time for weekly roundup of brand new iPhone and iPad apps released in the last seven days, from music, mapping and children’s drawing apps through to time management, time-telling and crispy chicken promotions.
The Rolling Stones Official App (Free)
Just in time for their 50th anniversary gigs, the Rolling Stones have launched an official iPhone app. And while it contains the usual band stuff – news, tweets, song clips with iTunes links etc – it’s also touting a premium tier where, for 69p, you can access exclusive interviews and video performances. iPhone
HERE Maps (Free)
The teeming demand for an excellent native iOS mapping app is creating high expectations for the likes of Nokia and Google. We’re still waiting for the latter’s Google Maps to get a native release on the App Store, but Nokia’s HERE Maps is now available. It promises maps with live traffic data, data on lots of places and points of interest, and voice-guided pedestrian navigation. Oh, and maps that work, which is always a bonus.iPhone / iPad
Night Zookeeper Drawing Torch (Free)
This children’s drawing app has been developed by a startup in the UK which has its roots in running creative workshops for kids. Based around a fictional zoo full of magical animals, it sets children a series of drawing missions designed to stretch their imaginations. It’s rather marvellous.iPad
My London Story (Free)
This app, based on the website of the same name, is all about non-fiction longform stories about London, with 10 new stories published every couple of months. The app brings them to iOS devices, with each story pinpointed to a specific location in the city.iPhone / iPad
Lili.fm (Free)
Social music apps are ten-a-penny on the App Store in 2012 (and many don’t even charge a penny, come to think of it). Lili.fm is an interesting twist on the genre though, with neat design and a focus on one-to-one sharing. The idea: you connect to a friend at a time to build playlists from music on YouTube, SoundCloud, Bandcamp and other sources.iPhone
Todoist (Free)
This is the latest sleek list-making app, although “service” would be a better word, since it runs across iOS/Android, web and within Gmail. The free version enables you to add and manage tasks, sort them into projects and save it all to the Todoist cloud, while an in-app purchase upgrades to the premium version for cross-device synchronisation, notification reminders and other features to keep you organised.iPhone
Magic Town Stories (Free)
Magic Town launched earlier in 2012 as a reading-focused website for children, before making the jump to an iPad app. Now it’s on iPhone too. The idea: parents pay a monthly subscription of £2.49 for unlimited access to more than 80 digital picture-books, although free stories are also available. Children can read at their own pace, or have the books automatically run.iPhone
This Day in Classic Rock (£1.99)
The developers behind the This Day In series of music apps have already done Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Now they’re taking on classic rock, or rather Classic Rock, because this app is a partnership with the magazine of the same name. It’s a compendium of rock facts for every day of the year, taking in album releases, artist birthdays, festivals and the fact that “guitarist Steve Vai keeps bees as a hobby”.iPhone / iPad
Usborne Sticker Dolly Princesses (£2.99)
Children’s book publisher Usborne has a new creative app for any kids who are fond of big dresses and glittery tiaras. Based on the book of the same name, it sees them dragging and dropping cartoon princesses onto scenes including a masked ball, royal carriage and magical forest, before saving, printing or emailing the results.iPad
Mylo Xyloto Live (£4.99)
Not, as such, an app. Instead, this is an enhanced e-book being released through Apple’s iBooks store, but with features that make it pretty appy. Based on Coldplay’s latest world tour, the e-book includes live videos and behind-the-scenes footage, an interactive tour map with “high-resolution audience panoramas” (i.e. try to spot yourself bellowing along to Yellow), lyrics and audio interviews.iPad
Batman Stickers with Sounds (£0.69)
More digital stickering for children here – the benefit for parents being no sticky residues all over the furniture, appliances, pets etc. This time it’s Batman, Robin and a parade of supervillains providing the source material, with children again able to construct scenes then save them for sharing. And if Batman isn’t to your tastes, developer Night & Day Studios just released similar apps for Superman and DC Super Friends.iPad
FourChords HD (Free)
Billing itself as “the ultimate guitar karaoke”, this has already been a hit in its native Finland, but is now available in more markets. It breaks famous songs down into four guitar chords at a time, with the aim of making them easier for novice guitarists to play. Meanwhile, the app provides lyrics, backing tracks and the ability to share your recordings on Facebook and YouTube.iPhone / iPad
Angel’s Great Escape A Christmas Story (£1.99)
This festive-themed book-app for children has a famous voice-narrator in tow: gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh. The App Store listing promises that his narration is “cosy” too. The story itself focuses on a Christmas tree angel and her decoration friends, trying to get to a warm home. Expect music, interactivity and characterful illustrations.iPhone / iPad
NARR8 (Free)
Here’s an intriguing app for comic-book fans, offering a range of graphic novels and motion comics with animation, audio and interactivity thrown in. Several series are currently featured, taking in sci-fi, fantasy and anime among other genres. iPad
Smize Yourself! (£1.49)
It’s that kind of slow-releases week when a novelty celebrity photo-sharing app can be one of the most interesting new iOS apps. In this case, the celebrity is supermodel Tyra Banks, who wants to teach people to smize (“smile with your eyes” apparently) and then share the results on Twitter and Facebook. iPhone / iPad
Nando’s – Crackalaka Boom (Free)
Yeah, you read that right. Nando’s. The popular chicken-nosherie has a brand new app “bringing the fun of cracker pulling to your iPhone, with a PERi-PERi twist”. As you do. The idea being a Bluetooth-pulled virtual cracker with additional festive photo-sharing.iPhone
The Guardian News
