The Fourth of July fell on a Thursday this year, which means most of you have probably figured out some sort of scheme to get yourselves out of work to spend a four day weekend. Not that anyone can blame you. After all, isn’t that what makes America great? So kick back, relax, and celebrate in the way that any mobile tech obsessed person with a bit of extra free time has: By loading up your mobile device with all of the best apps and updates from this past week.
Limbo (iOS, $5)
The hit indie title that started on the Xbox Marketplace and spread to every platform imaginable has finally made its way to iOS. Limbo is a simple and stunningly beautiful game that requires players to solve puzzles while also keeping their cool in the chilling ambience of the Limbo universe. Help the game’s protagonist bring back his sister by making your way through the spooky, challenging environments. If you haven’t played this game on any other platform, your iOS device will give you a great introduction.NBA Jam (BlackBerry 10, $3)
Your BlackBerry 10 device may be about as far from the arcade as one could imagine, but that doesn’t mean you can still enjoy the same fun that you had pumping quarters into machine slots years ago. NBA Jam, the hit basketball game known for its ridiculous, over-the-top style of play, is now available for BlackBerry 10 users. Take to the court with the best players from your favorite NBA squad and see how many backflips you can do before slamming home a dunk.
Quell Momento (Android, $3)
Quell Memento challenges you to “forget the world” by presenting you with over 140 puzzles to get lost in. Centered around a story that tasks the player with recovering the memories of the last occupant of an abandoned house, Quell Memento aims to give players a brain tease and spark some introspective exploration. Labeled a “zen puzzler,” the game is full of levels that will keep you guessing to find an answer while using its unique soundtrack and atmosphere to keep you feeling calm.Meanings (iOS, $0.99)
If you’re used to doing your reading on a tablet or eReader and you’re now picking up a physical book but still want the same features that an eBook has, Meanings is here to bridge the gap. Hold up your mobile device’s camera to a page of text, then tap on a word on screen and Meanings will give you a definition for it. It utilizes a form of augmented reality to find the word, then allows you to pull up information from your source of choice or even copy the word to your clipboard.Anchor (iOS, free)
Sometimes the most crucial parts of working with a group of people have nothing do with what you’re actually working on. Anchor by Tomfoolery turns your work partners into social partners as well. To do this, it combines tools to accomplish tasks and ones to socialize and interact with your team members. No matter if your goal is getting through the first draft of a presentation together or figuring out what everyone wants for lunch, Anchor aims to give you a platform to accomplish it.Noom Walk (Android, free)
You probably have your phone on you all day, and it’s capable of telling you many things. Noom Walk expands the list of things your phone tracks by turning it into a pedometer. Using various censors within your device, Noom Walk is able to track your every step without draining your battery. It runs quietly in the background, requires zero extra accessories, and has a social element that lets you see how many steps you’re taking each day compared to your friends.Digg (iOS update, free)
Digg is no longer the site that you probably remember it being. Instead of a competitor with Reddit it as it was in its previous iterations, Digg is now a curated content site that provides users with the best of the web. With an update to version 5.0 for iOS devices (Android update coming soon), we now have Digg Reader. Just in time to replace Google Reader, Digg Reader lets you subscribe to your favorite blogs and websites within the Digg app. You can even import your Google Reader information to make for an easy and seamless transition.Vine (iOS and Android update, free)
Instagram starting to encroach into Vine territory with its last update by adding a video feature, and some people thought the Facebook owned app may have even passed Vine in functionality. The newest update to Vine would like to challenge that perception. Making its debut in this update is a new Channels feature, which will help categorize videos. You can discover new Vines with the On the Rise menu, and new capture tools will help you focus and add new styles to your captures. Plus, now you can “ReVine” videos, just like retweeting tweets.OneNote (iOS and Android update, free)
Microsoft seems to be set on improving its offerings for non-Windows based devices at the moment. The latest in that movement is an update to its OneNote app for iOS and Android. Included in the jump to version 2.0 is an updated navigation that will make it easier to find and view your notes, improved formatting options that will hold across various devices, ink annotation and viewable rich text formatting, SkyDrive syncing options, and more little fixes to bugs and whatnot.
