New apps for every platform

JAMES O’CONNOR REVIEWS THE MOST INTERESTING NEW APPS FOR iOS AND ANDROID.

Mighty – Self Defence Fitness THE GOOD FIGHT. Free/ $18.99 per month sub / N/A

Full disclosure: this app is designed for women, and as a man I am not the ideal person to review it. But it’s my job to, at least, speak on its evident qualities after trying these workouts. Mighty is a fitness app focused on self-defence, designed to teach women techniques that will help them defend themselves. There are free lessons in here, although to get the most out of the app you’ll want the subscription. Thankfully the free lessons are a good introduction. The inherent issue with an app like this is that there are naturally some defence techniques it simply cannot teach, because they’re simply too violent for an app like this; but as a way to get fit and build some skills, Mighty has a solid offering. The instructional videos are clear, with good verbal instructions alongside the videos, and a scheduling system that lets you ease yourself into more intense exercise over time. The subscription is pricey, but the exercises are easy to follow, the questions and stat-trackers are not intrusive, and it shows practical applications for its lessons.

Hyperspektiv RESPEKT. Free/$4.49 per month for premium/ https://www.hyperspektiv.com/

Hyperspektiv recently enjoyed a significant 2.0 update, which has essentially rebooted the app for modern phones with superior cameras and screens. It’s yet another photo manipulation and editing app, and these things are a dime a dozen, but it’s easy to appreciate how simple and intuitive this one makes the whole process. You can apply multiple filters (several of them are paywalled behind a monthly fee, as is the option for HD videos and photos, but the free selection is strong too), and each one allows you to edit the various effects that are working underneath it. It’s a fun way to mess around with your photos and apply weird effects that make them look like something out of a haunted 90s VHS, or an Xbox 360 cyperpunk game with too much lens flare. Hyperspektiv’s aesthetic is somewhat played out, though, and while it’s a good version of this sort of thing it doesn’t necessarily do anything truly new. Still, it’s fun to take a selfie and then weird it up as much as you can.

Soulja Boy Official NOT WORTH CRANKING. Free / N/A

Soulja Boy’s new official app comes on the back of several failed game console launches (which were pulled from sale following lawsuits by Nintendo) and a career that has seen… numerous controversies. When Facebook and Instagram went down for a half a day recently, Soulja Boy made headlines – and worked his way onto these pages – by announcing that everyone should use their spare time that day to check out his new app. But let’s forget all that for a moment and examine the app on its own merits. Surprise – it’s bad! The UI is astonishingly ugly, with bad art and unclear menus that take a while to load, and the actual features in it are extremely limited. It very much wants you to connect your social media accounts to it, and its links to iTunes and Android music’s listings for the artist are perfunctory at best. The weird little chatroom function is largely people advertising their own raps so far, as are the reviews in the app store. If you’re a fan, stick to his music.

Ready To Roll ACCESSIBLE DICE. $2.99/ https://www. blindsparrowinteractive.com/

Ready to Roll is a dice app designed for people with vision problems. It’s designed with simple, intuitive controls to make it easy to navigate, and, most importantly, there are audio prompts and explanations throughout the device. Every time you swipe or tap the app will tell you what is on the screen. You can roll dice from D4 through to D100, as well as modifiers, and the app will tell you exactly what the roll worked out to. You can set custom dice rolls for quick access, letting you put together any combination for more complex rolls during RPG campaigns. Navigating through the guide and controls could be a little difficult at first for someone with visual impairment, but the basics of selecting and then rolling dice are easy enough. While Ready to Roll’s vision impairment options are its main draw, it’s a fine option for all users who need digital dice. It’s a simple app, but it’s also one that means that you’ll be prepared for anyone who wants to play.

Big Bang AR MORE THAN A THEORY. Free/ https://experiments.withgoogle. com/bigbang-ar

Big Bang AR, created by Google Arts & Culture Lab in collaboration with CERN, is one of the best AR apps we’ve seen yet. It’s more or less what it sounds like – an AR recreation of the birth of the universe, one that speeds through a greatest hits package of how everything came to be. It starts by examining the opening seconds of existence, as the first particles come together and matter forms, before accelerating, eventually showing millions of years passing in seconds as it explains how stars formed and the universe came together. It’s quite lovely, and narrated by the silver-tongued Tilda Swinton. It’s about on par with what some museums are doing with AR now, but it’s easily accessible from your home – lying on the couch and zooming through creation, occasionally tapping on the ‘chapter’ button at the bottom of the screen to get more information, is a great reminder of the transportive potential of AR. Running through everything the app offers won’t take long, but as a free download, Big Bang AR is essential.

PS4 Remote Play DUAL SHOCK NOT REQUIRED. Free/ playstation.com

The PS4 Remote Play app feels more like a way of future-proofing Sony’s flagship console, and to test streaming technologies, than something anyone is actually likely to want or need right now. By logging into your PlayStation account, you can stream your console to your phone, letting you, theoretically, game on the go. It’s a cool thing to be able to do, but don’t throw out your Switch just yet. To stream from a console, you’re going to need a very strong Wi-Fi connection for it to really work properly, and here in Australia there’s a good chance you won’t have access to the best connection when you’re away from your home console. I was able to stream in my own home but found that the picture quality dropped noticeably. Even if you just want to play Tetris Effect in bed, away from the TV, you’re going to have to do so with virtual buttons and sticks, mapped all over your phone screen. Game streaming will inevitably grow bigger, but right now there’s a lot to be desired here.