Best Apps for Android Phones and Tablets

Here are some of the best apps for android Phones and Tables which 2013 got to see. If in case I've missed out an app which you feel deserved to make the list, do leave it in the comments section below.

1. Hangouts
   Google rolled out its Hangouts central messaging hub in 2013, which replaced the old Google Talk chat app. Now your Google+ conversations, text and video chats, and SMS (Android KitKat 4.4) are all integrated in one place.
   
   
2. Google Keep
   Google's note-taking Evernote rival, Keep, is fast, simple and tied to your Google Drive account. 2013 saw Google adding in features such as Reminders, pics, etc.
   
   
3. AnyDo
   AnyDo makes keeping track of your to-do list a little less painful by giving it a beautiful design and easy, quick entry options. The best feature is called "Moment," a daily triage of your tasks that actually manages to feel empowering.

4. SwiftKey 4 Keyboard
   Android's keyboard has gotten better over the years, but the vagaries of custom manufacturer skins can still make typing a pain. Swiftkey's latest version makes for a great replacement, which improved correction, prediction, and gesture-typing. You can also chose various themes, and patterns which suit your keyboard needs.

5. Swype Keyboard
   The Swype trace keyboard has been around for years, but in 2013 it finally exited beta and hit Google Play. It even comes pre-installed with some of the Android devices.
   
   
6. Fleksy Keyboard
   It isn't for everyone, but Fleksy is another alternative keyboard that has a gorgeous layout and boasts of accurate auto-correction – even if you aren't looking at your phone. Fleksy even has an invisible keyboard option, for the truly brave souls.

7. 1Password
   You'll have to sign up and wait for an invite, but AgileBits' popular password storage client for iOS, Mac, and Windows is finally getting a full-fledged Android client.

8. Photoshop Touch
   It isn't full-blown Photoshop, but it's the closest you'll get on a smartphone. About the only downside here is that owners of Photoshop Touch for Tablets will have to make another purchase to enjoy it on their phones.

9. Dashclock
   Now that Android allows you to put widgets on your lock screen, you could spend hours hunting down the one that shows exactly the information you want. Don't. Just install Dashclock, which gives you the time, weather, and customizable notifications.
   
   
10. Buy me Pie
    Grocery apps may not be the sexiest category of apps, but they can be extremely handy for families keeping their shopping requests in sync. Buy Me a Pie is a simple and user-friendly grocery app that made its way over from iOS.
    
    
11. Pocket
    There are two big, popular "read it later" apps: Instapaper and Pocket. On Android, at least, Pocket gets the nod for more frequent updates and support for video. Articles are synced automatically and saved offline, with options to adjust the layout to your liking.
    
    
12. Snapseed
    As a photo editor, the app moves well beyond basic filters into the kinds of changes usually reserved for the desktop. With a set of simple tools the app makes even complex photo adjustments understandable and accessible.

13. Slice
    Slice, is a super clever service app, that automatically watches your inbox for emails from big-name merchants and shipping companies. Why would you risk giving that access? To get automated package tracking, deal alerts, and price-drop notices. So useful, it's creepy.
    
    
14. Nova launcher
    All too often the stock home screens on Android phones either get boring or are terrible. Nova Launcher makes it better, with cleaner designs and plenty of customization and theming options. You can pony up for premium versions that offer more features, too.

15. VSCO Cam
    A longtime favorite on the iPhone, VSCO Cam is finally available on Android and it works really well. You’ll get photo filters that aren’t as heavy-handed as Instagram’s along with the ability to quickly revert the image if you don’t like how it turned out.
    
    
16. Dynamic Notifications
    An Android app called DynamicNotifications arrived in Google Play that wakes up the screen by plugging into the notification listener or accessibility options (pre-4.3 devices) to put your notifications on the screen. If you're on Android 4.3 or higher, you can even dismiss all the notifications right from that interface. It supports DashClock extensions too.
    
    
17. Push Bullet
    Google used to offer an app called ChromeToPhone, but has since moved on to offering a less powerful (but reliable) tab syncing solution for Chrome. However, early in 2013 a neat app called PushBullet hit Google Play and I've made sure to have it installed ever since. This app lets you push text and files across devices using the cloud, and it keeps adding new and interesting features. This app is free, and definitely one of the best things from 2013.

18. Timely
    Timely has a ton of useful features and it is stunningly beautiful.The app is split into three tabs that you can swipe between. The left panel is for your alarms, the middle is the clock, and the right is a stopwatch and timer. To set new alarms, just drag in from the left of the screen and move up and down to set the time. You can then add repetition, various sounds, and dismissal challenges to make sure you're awake. ne of the coolest parts of Timely is the way it syncs between devices.
    
    
19. Aviate
    Although it's still in beta, Aviate is one of the coolest makeovers you can give to your phone. This home screen is based around predicting what you're going to need before you need it. Aviate does this by tracking the time and your location to group apps and settings. It's usually at least partially right, and you can tweak it as needed to make it more right. It's sort of like Google Now for your home screen.

20. Riptide GP2
    This game uses Google Play Games for achievements, multiplayer, and (most importantly) cloud saves. I wish all developers would make use of this feature, but very few do. When you install Riptide GP2 on a device and log into Play Games, it asks if you want to download the cloud game data. You never have to worry about losing your progress again. The visuals in Riptide GP2 are almost worth the price of admission alone.

Source: Gizmag.com, theverge.com, tested.com

Best iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch apps of 2013

With hundreds of apps on the Apps store for social netwroking, travel, news, photography, productivity and more, here is a list of the 20 best apps which are available for your iPhone 5S, iPhone SC, iPod Touch and iPad.

1. Facebook
   The world's biggest social network brings a tightly honed experience to the iPhone and iPod touch, but nonetheless still enables you to access your contacts, feeds and other important information. This sense of focus makes it in many ways superior to using Facebook via a desktop browser.
   
   
2. PhotoSynth
   PhotoSynth is a really great panorama app; it's user-friendly and fun to use, especially when watching your panoramas take shape while you capture them. (The iOS Camera app also has a panorama mode, but PhotoSynth's more flexible and works with older devices.)
   
   
3. RunKeeper
   RunKeeper has been touted as better than Nike+ and unbelievably also provides a free version. Previously split into 'pro' and 'free' versions, the developer now generously includes all the features in one free app. That means you can spend no money, yet use your iPhone's GPS capabilities to track your jogging and cycling routes, and examine mapping and details of your pace and calories burned. Activities can be shared online, and treadmill runs and other exercise details can be entered manually.

4. TonePad
   Virtual pianos and guitars are all very well, but purely digital musical toys are more suited to Apple handhelds. TonePad, is the best of them, using a grid-based interface that enables you to turn notes on and off and compose pleasing and harmonious loops; your creations can be edited, saved and uploaded to share with other users.

5. Comics
   The app might be a little awkward, while using it on an iPhone. But this app is free, with loads of free downloadable comics. Also many more are available, if you're ready to pay for it. Reading works on a frame-by-frame automated 'zoom' basis, and is surprisingly usable.

6. Evernote
   Evernote is multi-platform software service designed for note taking and archiving. A “note” can be a simple piece of formatted text, an image, webpage excerpt, a voice memo, or a handwritten note. It is available in free and paid version, with a few restrictions in the free version.

7. AroundMe
   The app figures out where you are and lists local stuff - banks, bars, petrol stations and, er, Apple Retail Stores. The app's reliance on Google Maps info means there are gaps, but it's nonetheless handy to have installed when in unfamiliar surroundings, and the 'augmented reality' landscape mode is amusing, if flaky.
   
   
8. Dictionary.com
   Over two million definitions, synonyms and antonyms are available in the palm of your hand with this free, offline dictionary and thesaurus app. The app is fast and efficient, includes phonetic and audio pronunciation of words, and its interface seems perfectly suited to the iPhone.

9. Adobe Photoshop Express
   The Adobe Photoshop Express doesn't have half the power of its Photoshop desktop application. However, if you're after a quick, free, highly usable tool for making edits to your iPhone photos, Adobe's app is ideal. Use it for cropping, straightening, exposure adjustments, colour effects, sharpening and more.
   
   
10. Pocket
    The service formerly known as Read It Later enables you to save pages from websites, to read them later, bereft of the advertising and other junk on the original page. The service is free, which downloads your articles, so that you can digest them without a web connection.
    
    
11. AfterLight
    Games aren't the only apps that can be addicting, and dedicated iPhone photographers may find Afterlight just as hard to put down. Just like Photoshop Express this app also allows users to do the basics, like crop and rotate photos, but it also has an expansive collection of filters, borders and textures to turn your iPhone photo into an iPhone masterpiece. Of course, the app also allows users to share the edited photos to their social media accounts. Put these added features come at a price as this is a paid app.

12. Duolingo
    Apple selected Duolingo as the company's top iPhone app of the year -- and it's pretty clear why. Duolingo helps users learn a new language from their iPhones with both visual and verbal lessons. Learners are rewarded with experience points, which they can use to buy perks within the app. Perhaps the best part: it's free. Right now the app offers five languages, including Spanish, German, French, Portuguese and Italian.

13. Phot Light Meter
    If you are an avid photographer, Photo Light Meter is the real deal. The app provides photographers with a functioning, quality light meter that tests the intensity and exposure of the photography subject. Light meters cost anywhere from $15 to $200 at the store and online. The iPhone app is free, plus you won't need to carry around an extra gadget with you at all times.
    
    
14. Over
    A picture says a thousand words, but sometimes you need to add a few more of your own. Over allows users to overlay text onto the images that they take with their smartphone. The messages can turn routine smartphone pictures into e-cards, or simply provide a fun way to spruce up your photos before sharing them to social sites such as Instagram or Twitter.

15. Venmo
    Nothing says "you'll never see that $5 again" quite like a friend saying, "I'll pay you back later" after you buy him a beer. Enter Venmo. The app allows friends (or roommates, or siblings, or couples) to pay one another via iPhone at the touch of a button. Simply connect your checking account to your Venmo app and settle debts (no matter how small), without paying any processing fee to send payments or cash out back to your bank account. Users can also use the app to "charge" others -- a gentle reminder to send along the money when possible.

16. Temple Run 2
    Jump. Slide. Jump. Turn. Argggghh!
    If you've ever played Temple Run, you know this feeling. Thankfully, gut-wrenching failure doesn't stop us from playing the game. Temple Run 2 turned out to be a great sequel to its predecessor, which set lofty standards. For starters, the new game has much better graphics. Plus, there are more characters to choose from and new terrains to conquer. All of this added up for iPhone users -- the app was the third most downloaded iPhone app in 2013, behind only Candy Crush Saga and YouTube.
    
    
17. ThirdLove
    The biggest danger of buying clothes online? The risk they won't actually fit when they arrive in the mail. That's the problem ThirdLove aims to solve. The app allows women to send in iPhone photographs that can be analyzed to determine the proper bra size (the company also designs the lingerie). This is a good example of an app actually using advanced technology to solve a real-world problem.

18. Vine
    The six-second video sharing app came out in January, and was the fourth most downloaded iPhone app from the past year. The video length is short enough to keep things interesting, and the free app has just enough editing control to give users flexibility to create unique content.
    
    
19. Proust
    Think of the game Marry, Date or Dump. Now add two more options, and change the categories to anything your heart desires. That's the idea behind Proust, a game that allows users to create their own Marry, Date or Dump scenarios with any items they choose. You can write in your own choices, or the app will generate random ones for you, and you can send your list to your friends to see which topics they deem most important. It's a simple game, but you can learn a lot about your friends (which we realize isn't always a good thing).

20. Mextures
    Mextures is another great photo editing app for iPhone. Users can save setting packages for use on other photos in the future, and the app has more than 70 pre-loaded textures. Users can blend, layer, or simply adjust lighting levels.

The best apps from 2013 for iPhones, iPod Touch and the iPad have been listed above, if in case you feel, an app should have made the list above, but has been missed, do leave a comment, so that it can be added.

Move over Apple and Samsung; make way for the new phone on the block

With Motorola revealing that its modular phone prototype is almost ready, the dawn of the fully customizable smart phone might not be too far away 

The Phonebloks concept has the ability to switch out the handset’s components and replace them with whichever component the user wants. With Motorola backing this project, it may soon become the dream phone of millions of mobile phone users around the world. Motorola, has called this as “Project Ara”, and is working with Dave Hakkens, the creator of Phonebloks, on building an endoskeleton and the modules. The company has already done a lot of technical work in opening the process up to the volunteers’ community (known as Ara Scouts) to design the hardware modules. Their goal is to develop a third-party eco-system, with low barriers to entry, which will help increase the speed of innovation, and help compress development timelines.  The various modules which have been suggested currently are the CPU, display, extra Battery, external sensors, and anything that a human mind can think of.  The modular phone is being hailed as the phone which can never get obsolete, since every module can be taken out and replaced with an upgraded module.

The CEO of Motorola, Dennis Woodside in an interview with Marquees Brownlee on YouTube said,
“The idea is to have a skeleton that holds together a set of components and the components slide in and out. If we have the interfaces and the protocols that enable the speaker to speak directly to the CPU then this would all be possible”. He also dropped hints that once completed, the modular smartphones and its components will be sold on the Moto Maker customization website. He further added, “Moto Maker was the beginning of a more exciting and longer term story which is how do we involve consumers and give them more choice”.  “Ara is much further out but you can see how those two things tie together and how as we introduce new materials into Moto Maker we’re going to pursue that theme across our product line going forward. What we’d like to eventually get to is customizing functionality within the device and that’s where Project Ara and Moto Maker may converge”.

The Moto X will offer custom colour schemes, materials, backplates, and Project Ara will take those directions to a whole new level for the tech enthusiasts.