Best Apps of the Week: Giant Boulder of Death, Vert, SayIt, Terraria, and more

By AJ Dellinger September 15, 2013

Best apps of the week 09_15_2013 main — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s no surprise that the big news from this week was the announcement of the iPhone 5S and 5C. Apple announcements seem to have a way of getting everyone’s attention, whether you care about the company or not. With iOS 7 and its major redesign on its way and the iPhone 5S bringing 64-bit processing to mobile, its clear the platform will be undergoing some changes – especially for Apple users. But you know what doesn’t change? The fact that great apps are coming out every week. We’ve collected all our favorites of this week for you to download and enjoy.

Vert, iOS ($1)

Quick, how many feet in a yard? That one is pretty easy, how about how many light nanoseconds in a fathom? Vert can tell you that and much more. It’s packed with over 700 units from thirty different categories and will convert almost anything with precision up to seven decimals. Vert is the easy, accurate, and quick–especially compared to how long it’d take you to do in your head – way to find out any conversion, including currency for different countries, clothing sizes, and pretty anything else you can think of.

Pouch update, Windows Phone ($1)

It doesn’t matter what device you use, it’s always nice to be able to get some reading done during your down time. Unfortunately, there’s not always support from some of the best reading apps around for every mobile OS. Pouch saw that problem for Windows Phone and make a Pocket (formerly Read it Later) app of its very own. In the latest update to Pouch, users will get a tutorial the first time they log in. A new reading theme has also been added, as well as the ability to limit articles downloaded for offline reading.

Giant Boulder of Death, iOS (free)

One might look at Giant Boulder of Death and expect to play as a person running from the boulder as it rolls down a hill, trying to continue as long as possible until the rock catches up. Nope. You play as the boulder and it’s up to you to destroy everything in your path. That means villages, animals roaming the countryside, people – everything must be crushed. You’ll get upgrades to your boulder along the way – in case a normal giant rock wasn’t enough, how about one with giants spikes on it – and can see a full gallery of all your victims. It sounds a little morbid, but it’s a lot of fun.

Human, iOS (free)

It doesn’t matter where you go to get your health and fitness advice, you’re going to be told that exercising for 30 minutes a day is a necessity. It seems like it’s going to be grueling in theory, but in practice it doesn’t have to be all that bad. Human aims to prove that for you. This app keeps track of your activity over the course of the day and tells you when you’ve hit 30 minutes of movement. It notifies you when you’ve achieved your goal, keeps track of the details of every day, and make sure you keep moving.

Roku update, Android (free)

Have you ever been watching a video on your phone and told your friend to come watch it? The two of you watching the same screen makes others wonder what’s going on, and before you know it you’ve got a full group of people hunched over a small screen trying to figure out what’s happening. With the latest update to Roku for Android, you can beam the videos from your phone to your Roku box on your TV so you can put the video on a screen that everyone can see.

Heroes of Loot, iOS ($2) and Android ($2)

Heroes of Loot invokes the old school style game that had players crawling through dungeons, unsure of what was coming at them next. But Heroes of Loot gets the benefit of a modern twist: The dungeons change every time you play, giving the game tons of replay value. It also gets harder and more dangerous the further you make it, but you can’t let that stop you from finding your way into all of the secret rooms and snatching every last item you can get your hands on.

Music Maker Jam, Android and Windows Tablets (free)

Music Maker Jam can make you and your friends into musicians. The app is packed with tons of professional quality loops from different instruments and different genres. You have eight slots on your mixing board to put these loops to use and find a combination with the sound you’re looking for. Add effects by turning or shaking your device to manipulate the music. Once you’re done, export it and send it off to your friend so they can listen and make their own mix to match yours. You can start a dance party while on the go.

SayIt update, BlackBerry ($5)

BlackBerry may not have Siri or Google Now, but it does have SayIt, a voice-based search app built specifically for the OS. SayIt recently was updated to include even more capabilities to its arsenal. Highlighting this list of new search features is the ability to search for music by song title, artist name, or album name, and have SayIt find and stream a song for you. The update also brings improved results to weather searches and has improved overall performance by reducing the response time after each query.

Terraria, iOS ($5) and Android (free)

Terraria is a popular as an indie game for the PC, but there’s no reason for it to be limited to just that platform. It’s a game that should be in as many hands as possible, which is why the makers of Terraria built the game from the ground up for iOS and Android. Now mobile players can experience the award-winning sandbox-style adventure game and all of its beautiful pixel art. Every part of the game that was addictive and enjoyable on the PC is present in the mobile game. If you can’t get enough of Terraria and its hundreds of crafting items, enemies, and block types, why not take it with you on the go?