6 apps that made me say ‘wow’ in ’16
From camera apps to gaming apps to ones that improve your videos, here are my faves
An app that knows where I’m going and where I’m staying and suggests what to do when I’m on vacation, without me even inputting one word into the application. Sounds creepy, but I was sold.
This new 2016 app — Google Trips — is one of six that made me say “wow” in 2016.
If you haven’t checked out Google Trips, go download it now. It’s free. The app works best if you’re a Google user, because Google taps into your email primarily to put together all your travel info in one place.
It knows, for instance, that I’m planning a visit to Zion National Park in January, when I’m arriving and where I’m staying. That’s great. I don’t have to search through Gmail to find the reservation info.
It also offers suggestions on things to do and where to eat while there and lets me download the info to the phone, to save for reading when offline.
For those who think Google is too pervasive in our lives, I have a simple retort: Don’t bother downloading Google Trips. But for those of us who don’t mind Google’s peering eyes, I say, “Wow.”
Here are five other new apps I loved in 2016:
Quik, from action camera maker GoPro, takes your smartphone video clips and turns them automatically into rad looking mini-movies, with minimal involvement from yourself. I’m usually not a fan of automatically generated edits, but this app does it so well, it made me say, “Wow.”
The most popular new app of the year, Pokémon Go, was a national craze, using augmented reality to insert characters from the Pokemon universe into real life. I don’t have to tell you how cool it is. You probably remember all those throngs of people running around cities this summer, hunting Pokémon.
The Detour app took a great idea, audio tours of fantastic places, and brought them to the smartphone generation, using great narrators and the ability to sync the tour with others so groups could enjoy them together. Areas of interest include Venice Beach, the Brooklyn Bridge and downtown Chicago.
Another app I love is Switcher Go. I love making Facebook Live broadcasts, but let’s face it — my face on the screen for 15 minutes with nothing else to look at can get boring.
Switcher Go (iOS only) solved that problem by letting us insert up to four video clips during the broadcast, turning the amateur hour into something that looks way more professional. (You just pull four photos or videos from your Camera Roll and have them ready to switch to during the broadcast.)
Finally, the best camera app of the year, Prisma, which turns your photos into artwork. Just snap the photo and watch it morph into the style of the masters.
Now that’s a big “wow.”