Best Apps of the Week: Tide, Canabalt HD, Asphalt 8 Airborne, and more

By AJ Dellinger August 25, 2013

Best apps of the week 08_21_2013 header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

This summer was a great one to get your hands on a new phone or tablet. Some impressive devices were released and a few more will be making their way to market before we officially head into fall. If you started a summer relationship with a new mobile device, it doesn’t have to end with the season, though. We’ve gathered the best new releases and updates to come out this week for you to refuel your love affair. Fire up your mobile marketplace of choice and download these great apps.

Editorial (iOS, $5.00)

Typing on an iPad isn’t the most convenient of ways to work with text. You can’t get the speed that you’re used to with a traditional keyboard. Editorial presents a new way to turn your iPad into a serviceable method for typing. It is loaded with amazing automation tools that cut your time spent typing in two. It’s fully scriptable with Python so adding macros and automated functions is easy. Additionally, inline markup preview makes it ideal for Web editing; its flexible enough to work with almost any workflow; and its in-app keyboard is made to work with markup.

Carrot Alarm (iOS, $0.99)

It can be hard to wake up in the morning. Maybe its the start of a day filled with tasks you don’t want to do or maybe your bed is just far too comfortable to leave. No matter the reason, we’ve all had that “just five more minutes” moment. Carrot Alarm is having none of your protesting. This app is a “sentient” alarm clock that will make sure that you get up when you’re supposed to thanks to its particularly cruel artificial intelligence. Set when you want to wake in the morning and the app will greet you with threats like kitten murder if you hit the snooze button. You’ll be up in no time.

Avast! Mobile Backup (Android, free)

Most people know the importance of backing up their files on their computer, but it can often be an afterthought for mobile devices. As phones and tablets become more useable as a primary device, though, you’ll trust it with more data that you won’t want to lose. To make sure that even in case of a crisis all your important information is safe, grab Avast Mobile Backup. The service comes from a leader in online security and will make sure everything on your phone, from contacts to texts and call logs to photos, are all saved off site so you can recover them if they are ever lost.

Tide (Windows, free)

It’s still summer for a little bit, and if you’re lucky enough to live in one of those sunny year round states, it feels like summer all the time. Either way, you should have no excuse for not finding the nearest body of water and shredding it up on a surfboard. Tide is a must have app for any potential wave rider. It will tell you what the whether will be like along with what you can expect from the waves once you hit the water. You can check things like surf height, swell rating, and primary swell before stepping foot on your board.

YouTube update (Android & iOS, free)

Youtube has kept all of us from getting things done. It’s the ultimate visual distraction that draws you in with the promise of hilarious cat videos and then keeps suggesting more and more cat videos that you can’t not watch. If only you could watch multiple video at once, maybe you could blow through them faster and get back to the things that matter. With the YouTube update for iOS and Android, you can do that. A picture-in-picture feature allows you to search for your next video while watching your current one. Plus you can play all videos in a playlist now. Come to think of it, this may cost us even more productivity.

Yahoo! Sports update (Android & iOS, free)

Though Yahoo! as a company seems to have a serious identity crisis, its sports department has always been on point. They have great coverage of tons of sports, and with the most recent update to its mobile apps, it’s expanding even further. Now the mobile version of their sports site features reporting and results from the rapidly growing world of MMA, WNBA news and standings, more in-depth football coverage, and more. What Yahoo! Sports already does well, it’s about to do better and for more sports.

Canabalt HD (BlackBerry, $2)

Anyone familiar with mobile games knows the Canabalt franchise. It’s one of the most recognizable games from the never-ending runner genre. Its distinct visual style and simple but addictive gameplay has never looked better than it does in Canabalt HD. The remastered version of the game allows users to switch between 2D or 3D views, track your top performances, and check your standing against the world with online leader boards.

Middle Manager of Justice (Android, free)

Double Fine Productions is best known for the quirky games its produced for game consoles and PCs. But recently, it’s been trying its hand at mobile titles. So far so good as most of its mobile offerings have been well received. Middle Manager of Justice looks like its primed to carry on the company’s tradition of goofy games that are just plain good. Available for iOS last year, the game made its Android debut this week. Build up your company, add new employees to your roster, manage your squad, and fight crime in the most bureaucratic ways possible.

Asphalt 8: Airborne (Android & iOS, $0.99)

Eight games into the series, we’re pretty sure the team behind Asphalt knows what its doing. The racing game has just been getting better since its debut, and Asphalt 8: Airborne promises to give players the best of what Asphalt has to offer. It’s packed with 47 cars licensed from top car manufacturers, and you can take any one of them for a spin around 9 different environments. Living up to the Airborne part of its title, now you can hit ramps and take off above the track, completing stunts as you fly through the air.