In what was another fantastic year in the world of iOS apps & games, we are here to bring you the fifty titles that we, the staff of 148Apps, thought were the best of the year. Here are the app titles 16 – 25 in our Best Apps of 2011:
iMovie- Video editing on the iPhone is revolutionary enough, but the extra screen space on the iPad makes this activity truly useful. Making movies is fun again, thanks in no small part to Apple’s attention to detail in this flagship app.
Facebook – The wait was long for the iPad version but between its iconic look and intuitive menus systems, the official Facebook Universal app renders the competition obsolete. It’s fantastic to have this in both flavors, for checking on the go or on the couch.
Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Social Networking
FX Photo Studio HD – Offering a plethora (194 at last count) of different photo effects without forgetting the bare essentials like crop and rotate, FX Photo Studio is a one stop shop for everything anyone might need in a photo editing app.
Released: 2009-04-28 :: Category: Photography
Dolphin Browser – With gesture based controls and a speed dial system of visiting regularly used sites, Dolphin has made my browsing experience so much faster this year. Safari continues to dominate as the default browser, but Dolphin Browser does so much more so much better.
Released: 2011-08-30 :: Category: Productivity
Daedalus Touch – When we’re writing complex, thoughtful pieces of journalism, we like to be undistracted by the cruft of modern computing, like Facebook, or ads. Daedalus Touch makes this possible but doesn’t forget to include useful features like iCloud and Dropbox support.
GroupMe – We use this app all the darn time to chat amongst ourselves, even when we have nothing much to say. For private team meetings, SMS integration, and just plain great usability, GroupMe is our go to app. It’s also accessible via the web, so no matter where we are, we can join in the conversation.
Released: 2010-09-25 :: Category: Social Networking
Stitcher – We love podcasts, and we love Universal apps. Stitcher has both! Using iTunes to download and listen to podcasts is so last year; Stitcher allows us to grab our favorites while on the go, and even provides curated lists for those of us craving that something new we haven’t heard before.
Free Time – What can we say? Time-management is very important to us and this app makes it much easier than it used to be. Instead of the standard question of “where do we need to be,” Free Time answers the much more subtle – yet equally important, “when do we not need to be anywhere?” This allows us to take that downtime when we can find it, or at least know we’re not double booking ourselves. What? Like you’ve never done that.
Released: 2011-05-27 :: Category: Productivity
Voice Actions – It’s not exactly something that we NEED to get through our day, but we’re still impressed by just how comprehensive this app is. It also allows us to satisfy our Siri envy until we all get a 4S phone to use. Use Voice Actions to call, text, search the internet, and even bring up favorite apps all with your voice, on any iOS device.
7Notes Premium HD – Need a note taking app with just a bit more to it? 7Notes Premium is a fantastic blend of handwriting recognition, note taking facility, and Evernote compatibility that makes something greater than the sum of its parts. While we’d love a Universal app, there is a version for both the iPad and the smaller devices, so most folks can use this one.
Released: 2011-08-04 :: Category: Productivity
Dolphin Browser version 2.0 was released for iOS and is now available for download on the App Store. Similar to the company’s recent Android update, the mobile browser for the iPhone and iPad now features Dolphin Connect, which enables the user to sync all of their important bookmarks across platforms. For instance, iPad owners who have an Android mobile phone are good to go with the latest update. This should make for a consistent user experience regardless of mobile platform.
:: BROWSE BY DOODLE
Having tried out Dolphin Browser for a time, the app feels like a much more fully fledged browser than Safari. There’s ‘proper’ tabbed browsing just like on a desktop, a bookmark folder that’s as easy to access as on any PC or Mac. Auto-completing of URLs is fast and efficient too. For even faster access, a speed dial system ensures that users can consult their favorite websites at the tap of one button for maximum ease.
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