APP-LICIOUS

What’s on the smartphone agenda for September?

PicsArt

Point, click and share: smartphones have sparked an explosion in photography and sharing of moments on social media platforms. Where the default camera apps and options from Android, Apple and Microsoft continue to improve with every software update, all these are complemented by a rising swell of apps for shooting, editing and sharing. With the world opening and travel getting easier, you should consider PicsArt to retouch your photographs and selfies. When you talk to people who are serious about their mobile photography PicsArt often comes up early in the conversation. Yes, it has filters, like most social photo apps, but its editing tools pack more power than the herd. It provides a lot of creative control, over the top image-editing tools and a diverse range of attractive filters. In addition, you can select or create fun stickers in no time, combine pictures into highly customisable collages, add artistic text and share. The full-featured camera module includes pre-capture effects and photo tools. You can also use Remix Chat to share and collaboratively edit photos with the other PicsArt users or only with your friends.

Minimalist

It’s back to school with blended learning and many would require a time management app or tools to strategically divide their day whilst keeping their focus. Some Pomodoro Apps are straightforward time management tools — giving you a digital way to track 25 minutes, followed by a five-minute break. Various other apps offer customisation, including a sound library for you to play ambient noise or music while you’re on task. Try Minimalist — a Pomodoro timer app — designed for people who prefer a sleek interface. When you open the app, you’re taken to a blank white screen. From there, you can swipe down to add new tasks. You can assign due dates to each task and also give the task a priority, from low to high. High priority tasks are raised up to the top of your screen. Then you can click on the task and Minimalist takes you to another mostly white screen with a thin black circle that works as your timer. So, with Minimalist you can specify the daily tasks, prioritise them with alarms and divide them with a timer. Easy management!