New iPhone apps worth downloading: Hipjot update, Humming Timing, simian.interface

Need a faster note-taking app? You might want to check out today’s first app worth downloading, Hipjot, which comes with a speedy interface in the form of a slide-based keyboard, which its developers claim can get two-thumbed mobile typists up to as many as 90 words per minute. We’ve also got Humming Timing, an app that turns your device into a timer using your music, rather than a silent countdown and an annoying buzzer. Last but not least is simian.interface, a spacial reasoning puzzle that requires players to tilt their devices in order to align shapes.

Hipjot update ($1.99)

What’s it about? Note-taking app Hipjot’s claim to fame is its slide-action keyboard, allowing users to type words quickly when using two thumbs – supposedly hitting speeds of as high as 90 words per minute.

What’s cool? Taking down notes with your iPhone can be tough, because even adept virtual typists generally aren’t as fast as those taking notes longhand or typing on a traditional keyboard. Hipjot is a note-taking app that looks to make the typing part a bit easier with its gesture-controlled slide keyboard – instead of individually tapping letters, you slide between them, and the keyboard is smart enough to interpret your actions as words. You can also create folders to organize your notes, add voice recordings, tag your notes to make them easier to search, and share your notes and export your lists so that they can be sent to other users. Hipjot’s latest update adds the ability to save photos along with your notes, and better sound recording support and the ability to tag sound files for better searching.

Who’s it for? Users looking for a fast note-taking app with a quick interface should give Hipjot a look.

What’s it like? You’ll find more useful note-taking solutions in Evernote and Notability.

Humming Timing (Free)

What’s it about? Use your music library to create timers set to when certain songs end using Humming Timing.

What’s cool? Humming Timing seems to be built on the principle that alarms are irritating. The app provides users with a timer alternative to a countdown that ends with a buzzer or some other notification sound, and instead utilizes the music you’ve got on your device to create timers that end with the ends of songs. Humming Timing lets you set the timer and keeps a countdown on the screen for your benefit, and also lets you know which song’s ending is the end of your timer. It also supports music from iCloud in addition to what’s on your device’s hard drive.

Who’s it for? If you’re someone who frequently uses their iPhone or iPad as a timer, grab Humming Timing for an alternative to the usual alarms.

What’s it like? Other alternative timer apps include @Timer and Timer+.

simian.interface ($0.99)

What’s it about? Puzzler simian.interface tasks players with carefully tilting and manipulating their iOS devices to align figures on the screen in each of the game’s levels.

What’s cool? Simian.interface is one of those puzzle games that seems overly simple at first glance, but makes great use of mobile hardware to challenge how players think. The game has one mechanic: in each level, you’re presented with objects that you need to align on the screen to make them solid. Tilting your iOS device moves the figures around in different ways, so the idea is to figure out just how to move the device, and how much, to bring the figures into alignment. More and more complex puzzles show up over time, and simian.interface tells an interesting, abstract story as it goes along, as well.

Who’s it for? Fans of puzzle games with interesting mechanics and which work with spacial reasoning skills should try simian.interface.

What’s it like? Find more interesting tilting-based puzzles in Neon Zone.

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