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IN THE
SPOT-
LIGHTThis month’s mobile must-downloads
1 Speed Dating
for Ghosts
£2.99 / iOS
If dating ever makes you wish you
were dead, imagine how people
who are actually dead feel. In this
game, you get the chance to find
out by chatting with ghouls.4 Summer Catchers
£4.09 / Android O £3.99 / iOS
This endless runner dispenses with
tap-to-leap larks. Instead, you kit
out a ramshackle cart and trigger
power-ups at optimum moments,
aiming to reach sunnier climes – and
avoid death by monster.7 iOrnament Pro
£6.99 / iPad
Remember the Spirograph? This
app is a digital take, but with layers,
sparkly bits, and the means to wrap
your creation around a globe like
a bonkers handcrafted Day-Glo
planet. Look at all the shiny!2 Socratic
£free / Android, iOS
Want help with something the kids
are studying? Socratic points you
towards examples that can teach
them about relevant concepts. No
more copying Wikipedia and getting
found out!5 Our Galaxy
£2.99 / iOS
We’re not sure if holding the galaxy
in your mitts makes you feel like a
god or an ant. Either way, this app
gives you an interactive 3D view for
understanding the vastness of our
galactic neighbourhood.8 It’s Literally
Just Mowing
£free / Android, iOS
Actually, this one’s not literally just
mowing – there’s a load of IAP too.
A pity, since the zone-out mowing
is nice. Oh, for the halcyon days of
Sunday Lawn or Hover Bovver...3 Powercut, Inc.
£2.59 / Android
Power consumption in offices is
a problem. This game’s solution
is a tad extreme, as you manually
toggle power to each room. Staff
can’t work or even go for a coffee
without you flicking a switch.6 Orc Heist
£free / Android, iOS
If you ask us, lowering a beloved
pet on a rope to nab treasure that
an orc has carefully balanced on
its lip is just asking for trouble. Your
thumb becomes the difference
between riches and carnage.9 Muviz Edge
£free (IAPs) / Android
Music visualisers might seem old
hat, but Muviz has no truck with
bouncing level meters or glowing
1990s abstract nonsense – it’s a
swish slash of animated colour at
the edges of your display.TOT POCKET
£19.99 / iOS
A tonic to the
countless doc
editors and
note-taking
apps, Tot Pocket
is an elegant
way to gather
copied text and
links in one
place. It has
a simple
single-window
design and uses
a colour-coded
dot system to
keep your notes
organised.
Helpfully, it
also syncs
seamlessly
across iOS and
macOS... but
why is it free on
Mac and 20 quid
on iPhones and
iPads? Greedy
developers?
In truth, no. App
stores have
trained users to
expect endless
updates for
nothing, but it’s
just not realistic.
Sustainable
pricing is the
only option if we
want nice things
to stick around...
and that includes
Tot Pocket.