Extra, Extra! The latest apps of the week have arrived with a little surprise. Caught up in the hoopla for the new iPad’s Retina display, we lead off with an iPad app that is sure to see a nice boost in appearance with the beefed-up display. The rest of our top apps of the week are all iPhone specific and include new ways to check email, find fun activities in your neighborhood, get your prescriptions filled and keep up with the latest news.
ABC Player (Free)
With the new iPad getting full Retina display support, a number of apps are going to get nice visual updates in the coming weeks. One in particular that’ll be great for TV junkies is the ABC Player. The app already let you stream ABC shows for free on your iPad, and with Retina support that streaming should really pop. ABC Player lets you see a full schedule of the ABC broadcast schedule. Select episodes also include support for closed captioning.
Roamz (Free)
Roamz gives you the low-down on the hot activities that are happening in your area. Whereas other location-based apps focus on what restaurants or shops were nearby, Roamz takes a look at things like local fairs, sporting events or live music happening around you. Roamz also makes suggestions based on the things it thinks you might enjoy checking out. As you use the app, Roamz develops a more complex profile, enabling it to hone-in on exactly the sort of activities it thinks you’ll enjoy.
Sparrow ($2.99)
Sparrow might have an uphill battle getting people off the iPhone’s default mail app, but it has a few features that make it worth looking into. For starters, being able to attach photos to an email without having to select them from your camera roll before you even begin the email seems like an obvious inclusion, I’m glad it’s finally in an app. Swiping through different mailboxes with a single tap of a menu bar is also excitingly efficient. I’m not sure these features alone make switching apps worth it, but Sparrow is slowly making a case that there are better ways to do iPhone email.
Walgreens (Free)
The Walgreens app recently received a nice update that should make life easier for anyone who frequents the pharmacy giant. If you associate Walgreens with your prescriptions, you’ll enjoy that you can now set pill reminders within the app so you always remember to take your medicine. What’s more, users can send their photos from their iPhone to get printed at a Walgreens location without leaving their home, or the app, for that matter. The update also lets you refill prescriptions right from the app.
Aurality (Free)
Aurality lets you grab stories from the web and turn them into audio clips to listen to at your leisure. If you don’t want to take the time to read a long article, you can plug it into the app and hear the audio version of the same story. If you’re not particularly picky you can check out one of the app’s pre-made stations to get all the latest news. Aurality also lets you create custom radio stations filled with only the news sources and topics you’re interested in, making this app ideal for people on-the-go who don’t have time to sit and read printed news stories.
