Best of 2012: iOS Apps
Apps make the world go ’round. Everyone loves a good app — they make our lives better or easier, or just improve our workflow. This year, there were a handful of really stand out apps and I would like to take some time to highlight the best iOS apps of 2012.
In order to qualify for this list, the app needed to be originally released in 2012 or have a significantly new and improved version released in 2012. So without further ado…
Clear
Clear was released in early 2012, but it’s not an easy app to forget. Making its debut on February 6, Clear has been my go to to do list app since the first day I used it. Perfect for both business and personal use, Clear really makes remembering to get stuff done easier.
Its modern and clutter-free UI really takes advantage of the iPhone’s touch screen too, the entire app is completely navigated via multi-touch gestures. Additionally, with Clear there are no buttons or anything in the app to distract you from the task at hand.
Whether you need to make a to do list, shopping list, or an app to take quick notes, Clear is an excellent choice.
Clear is available in the App Store for $1.99.
Formerly known as Read It Later, Pocket was released on April 17, as a major update. Pocket acts as a place (an infinite pocket if you will) for you to store articles, videos, or pretty much anything you find online so you can easily go back to it later.
The really nice thing about Pocket is that it has an iOS app (for iPhone and iPad) and also a Mac version of the app, so you can use Pocket anywhere. It keeps itself up-to-date no matter what device you’re on, too.
You can download Pocket in the App Store for free.
Gmail 2.0
Gmail isn’t a new iOS app, however, when version 2.0 was released earlier this month, it really turned some heads — mine included. In fact, Gmail 2.0 is so good, I’m now using it over Mail.app.
The new update to the Gmail iOS app sports a brand new user interface, which is super sleek, and a bunch of new features including support for multiple accounts, user profile pictures are included in message threads (for those who have uploaded one), search auto-complete, and the ability to accept event invitations and interact with Google+ posts (+1 or comment) without having to leave the Gmail app.
Overall, Gmail 2.0 is a great update to an app I barely used before and is worth checking out.
You can download Gmail 2.0 from the App Store for free.
Facebook 5.0
Over the summer, Facebook released version 5.0 of its iOS app. Prior to the release of Facebook 5.0 on August 23, I would say the Facebook app on iOS was essentially unusable. It was slow, clunky, took forever to load posts and images — it was just flat out bad and everyone knew it.
The update to the Facebook iOS app was a complete re-write from the ground up. Facebook 5.0 is a completely native iOS app, meaning it’s no longer just a web view of Facebook in a nice wrapper — it’s a full fledging iOS app. On top of that, it’s one Facebook updates very regularly making it better and better. And just to give you an idea of how regularly they update it: on November 27, Facebook released version 5.2.2.
Grab the Facebook app for iOS from the App Store for free.
Letterpress
The return of atebits to iOS development, signaled something awesome was coming. And that something awesome was Letterpress. It’s an amazingly fun and addicting word game for iOS. If you don’t believe me, download it and try it for yourself — you’ll be hooked.
You can download Letterpress from the App Store for free.
Do you have an app you think should have made the list? Leave a comment!