Ok, on to apps. This fortnight we’re back to productivity apps. From new and interesting ways to note taking to reading documents to third-party keyboard apps that might not suck.
1. Paper for iPhone
Paper was one of the foremost apps that made me buy the iPad. Now, the Paper app has arrived on the iPhone. And now it makes me want to leave my dingy iPhone 5 behind and upgrade to a 6 or the new 6s. Such is life. Paper, if you’re not aware, is an amazing drawing app. It’s a great addition for the creative types. But lately, it has introduced tools that make drawing graphs and charts easy for anyone – even for me. And I have zero drawing skills.
The iPhone app takes it even further. It went from a creative app on the iPad to a productivity focused creativity app for the iPhone. Here, you create “spaces”, take notes, make lists and of course, draw. A lot. Draw on pictures you clicked, or downloaded. Annotate. Make charts. Doodle your heart out. And everything looks pretty, of course. And organized. Next time you’re working on a home project or brainstorming that big idea, just pull out your iPhone, open Paper and dump your brain out.
2. Input
iPhone pro users will be aware of Drafts, the versatile and amazingly powerful note taking app with a butt load of integrations for all the cloud services you can think of. Input is like that, but created in a way that’s more easier to use.
The free app lets you connect 2 services. You can add 3 more for $1.99. Connect any of the services like Gmail, Slack, Todoist, Twitter and more. Now when you open the app, you’ll be presented with the keyboard. Type in the app’s name first and then the command or a task. Press the Go button and that’s it. Above you’ll see a log of all the stuff you’ve typed and where it was filed away. Input can be a great way to quickly add a task to Todoist or Wunderlist or send a quick email to someone. Input lets you skip complicated menus and lets you do stuff. Command line fans will appreciate Input.
3. LiquidText
My favorite PDF reading app on the iPad is GoodReader. But that might just change based on how the next couple of weeks go with LiquidText. LiquidText is a flexible and easy to use document reading and annotation app. You can import any document from cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive.
And then you understand where LiquidText’s name came from. This is one of few apps that makes manipulating rigid text, as easy as water. You’ll understand what I mean when you follow the short onboarding tutorial. Once you’ve highlighted some text, you can just drag it to the side bar to save it there. Or you can comment on highlighted text and this will show up in the sidebar as well. You can tap and move stuff around. Comments and highlights will latch with each other and they show sticky quality when you move them around – you know, like a sticky liquid.
4. The Daily Drop
The Daily Drop is a curation website dedicated to EDM music. If you’re looking for new and popular EDM tracks, just go to the site and hit the Play button.
Now they have an iOS app and if you’re an EDM fan, this is the one you should check out. The app provides all of that great free content right on your iPhone.
5. Camera+ Free
Camera+ has been one of the most popular camera apps for iPhone. Now it’s gone free. Yup, I just saved you three whole dollars. The catch? There’s no catch right now. Currently, Camera+ Free has the same features of the paid app. All the great features. But that might change with future updates. The paid app though will keep getting special new features.
The current free version comes with a Notification Center widget. Other than that, you can expect all the easy to use features of Camera+ that made the app popular.
From The Web
Adblock Browser For iOS: We wrote about Adblock Plus browser when it was released as a beta on Android. Now it’s a finished product and is also available on iOS. If you’re looking for an ad-free experience, check out the app. What’s peculiar about it is that the app launched just days before iOS 9, which will support content blockers (basically ad blockers) right in Safari. Next Keyboard: I’ve given up on third party keyboards. They just don’t work well. But if anyone’s got an honest shot at being your primary third party keyboard, it’s Next ($3.99). From what I read, it’s actually not that bad to use. Try it out for yourself. Reboard: Productivity apps are a thing of the past. Productivity keyboards are the hot new thing. Reboard ($0.99) brings productivity-focused tasks and apps right to your keyboard.
