From internet-free voice-calling apps to Foursquare spin-offs, we covered a lot of ground with new iOS apps in May. So by way of a quick recap, here’s our pick of the best from the past month.
Ringo
While many apps have been challenging Skype’s throne in recent times, Ringo launched this month with a fresh take on what a mobile calling app can look like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro26Qu9or3A
Interestingly, Ringo doesn’t require an internet connection to make calls – it routes them in the same way a regular carrier does, so “calls are not affected by fluctuations in internet connectivity that often lead to audio delays, loss of quality and dropped calls,” the company says.
➤ Ringo
Vhoto
Rather than taking lots of photos, what if you could simply shoot a video and choose from a series of the best stills from it? That’s the basic idea behind Vhoto, a free social photo-sharing app that launched this month.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsELdVAlaU4
You can shoot directly from the app or import video from your camera roll. The unique aspect of Vhoto is that still images are always sourced from video, therefore not forcing users to pre-choose how to capture an event.
➤ Vhoto
Swarm (Foursquare)
Foursquare was founded upon the concept of ‘checking in’, letting you announce your location to friends and strangers alike.
In May, the company launched a new standalone app called Swarm, as it strives to redefine the Foursquare check-in to help you meet friends nearby.
➤ Swarm
Medium
Popular publishing platform Medium introduced a read-only iOS app back in March, but it wasn’t until May it came optimized for iPad.
Unfortunately, it remains a read-only affair, but this month’s refresh now lets you follow other users from within the app, as well as adding a note when you recommend content from your device.
➤ Medium
Videohance
While there’s no shortage of video-editing and shooting apps for iOS, Videohance delivers a compelling, simple experience that should appeal to a myriad of users.
You can shoot within the app, either with a 1 x 1 square or 16 x 9 HD aspect ratio, or you can carry out post-production work on any video already on your camera roll. You can also use the app to construct still photo slideshows with the same special effects available to the videos.
Beats Music (US-only)
Beats Music, the now Apple-owned music-streaming service, introduced support for iPad this month.
While the iOS app always worked on iPad via the blown-up iPhone incarnation, Dr. Dre’s service now caters specifically for Apple’s tablet.
Moju
Moju straddles a somewhat awkward bridge between photos and videos. In our review last week, we called it a self-styled Instagram on steroids.
Moju lets you create animated still images – hologram-style – comprising of up to 24 individual shots that can be viewed in any angle or order by twisting your phone back and forth.
➤ Moju
Adobe Voice
Adobe introduced a new multimedia iPad app this month called Voice, a free app “that puts the creation of narrative, animated videos directly into consumers’ hands,” as we wrote at the time.
Voice features real-time motion graphics, audio sweetening, and HD video output with minimal photo, video or design required. Aimed at SMEs, educators and students, it’s designed to enhance and even replace PowerPoint-style deck presentations, by placing emphasis on the audio and visual elements.
Yahoo News Digest
Yahoo launched its News Digest app globally this month, having previously been restricted to the US and UK.
Based on Summly’s technology, a company Yahoo acquired last year, News Digest delivers roundups twice a day. It’s available in four editions: the US, UK, Canada and ‘rest of the world’
TwoDots
Dots, the Betaworks-developed that took both the iOS and Android words by storm last year, returned with a follow-up this month.
As with the original title, which notched up an impressive 20 million downloads, the object of TwoDots is to find as many vertical and horizontal lines of same colored dots on the grid. Rather than just playing games by yourself or against others, TwoDots is level-based with each one getting progressively tougher.
➤ TwoDots
Roomer
Roomer lets you buy and sell your unwanted, non-refundable hotel reservations.
The first iteration of the mobile app, which launched this month, only lets travelers search and book discounted hotel rooms, rather than selling non-refundable hotel rooms. So you’ll need to use the Web version if you’re trying to shift an unwanted reservation.
➤ Roomer
If you’re on the hunt for more iOS apps, check out some of the best ones from April, or put your feet up and peruse our pick of the bunch from the whole of 2013. Alternatively, you can check out some of the best Android apps from May too.
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