We're in the final stretch! Thing 22 is the last Thing that involves trying out apps (23 is a final thoughts/evaluation post) and this one was all about continuing to discover new apps, even after 23 Mobile Things MN wraps up!
The app I decided to try for this is Apps Gone Free, which is available for Apple only. The idea of this app is it finds other apps that are usually paid but happen to be free for the day (I mentioned Ticket To Ride, a game app, frequently has sales on post 20-this app might be a good way to watch for it to go on sale!). When you find an app you like you can click on it and you will be linked to that app in the App Store, where you can then download it. I've seen at least 6-7 free apps each day I've used the app so far. Another nice feature is that it also indicates, right on the main page listing all the apps of the day, whether the app is universal, for iPhone or for iPad only. I've actually already downloaded 2 new apps using Apps Gone Free. Both have been hobby type apps (one a game and one an audio app), and apps that I would have never bothered to buy, but if they're free, why not?!
I also tried out Quixey.com, an online search engine for apps. First, choose your platform (Android, iPad, iPhone, etc) then type in your search query. It does show example search queries if you click on the search box but don't immediate type something (some I saw included "make a photo collage," "manage files," "shop online," and "improve battery life"). Once you start to type something in, it will offer suggestions based on what you are typing as well. On the results page you can see the cost, a brief description, and ratings or click into an app title to see screenshots and a full description, much like you would in the App Store. You can also limit results to free apps only, which is nice. Also included are options to see trending apps or just browse apps by category (play, work, live, learn) and subcategory, so that even if you don't have something specific in mind you might still find new apps. Overall a really well designed site! I wish I had known about this and Apps Gone Free years ago when I first got my iPhone!
The other way I had discovered new apps in the past is just periodically checking in the Apple App Store. Once you enter the app store, you can click on "Top Charts" to see listings of the most popular free and paid apps, either in general or by category. Categories are numerous and include things like News, Education, Reference, Games, Photo & Video, Travel and more. The downside to this, though, is that once an app has reached the Top Charts, it tends to stay there for a while so unless you are willing to click though a lot of top apps, you won't see new things too frequently.
Whoa. So...that's it. Those are all the Things. Stay tuned for my final post, wrapping up my 23 Things experience!
No comments:
Post a Comment