‘Tis the time to be thankful, and we are certainly thankful over here at MotionMobs. This past year has been amazing for us, adding two new team members and taking on some really exciting projects.
We are connoisseurs of technology by nature, and we wanted to share with you some of the apps for which we are most thankful. Even though we’re app developers, this list does not include any of our own apps. We wanted to express our gratitude for the work of other great developers out there. See if any of your favorites are on the list, or download some new apps. Happy Thanksgiving!
7 Little Words (Android and iOS – Free, in-app purchases)
The free daily word puzzle is an excellent way to get your brain started in the morning. It’s like the daily newspaper’s crossword, word search and word jumble all in one game. Just seven little words should be easy, right? Good luck!
Airbnb (Android and iOS – Free)
Personal Favorite of President Taylor W
“We list our beach condo on Airbnb and it helps us find people to stay there when we can’t. It’s great for browsing, too. I have a list of tons of properties I’d like visit, even though I’ll never have the time to visit them all. It’s just so easy to use, and I love how it encourages people to travel.”
Automatic (Android and iOS – Free, requires bluetooth accessory for $99.95)
On the wish list for CTO Matt Clark
Make any car into a smart car. Automatic connects your car to your smartphone through a Bluetooth device that plugs into your vehicle’s data port. The accessory can read data from your car’s internal computer to provide you with information about gas mileage, Check Engine errors and get emergency assistance in the event of a crash. We love how it can provide peace of mind when a light shows up on the dashboard or if an accident occurs and you’re unable to get to your phone. It even now offers a coaching feature for a teen learning to drive.
Dark Sky (iOS only – $3.99)
Personal favorite of Marketing Strategist Emily
“Beautiful graphics and to-the-minute forecasts make Dark Sky one of my favorite ways to know how long before the rain starts. It displays how many minutes away you are from a downpour so you know whether or not you can make it to the office, gym, store or anywhere else without your umbrella. I also love how it will tell me how many more minutes of heavy rain there are going to be, so if I get stuck somewhere in the rain, I know whether it’s worth my time to wait it out or just go for it. There’s no denying that its radar is also the prettiest one I’ve seen.”
Dropbox (Android, iOS and Desktop – Free, paid options available)
Personal favorite of User Experience Designer Chris
“All my files, no matter where I am. Period. It couldn’t get any easier. Dropbox knocked this app out of the park. From Touch ID integration, to the quick access of the notification center extension, it’s the fastest way to access all of my documents on the go.”
Hipchat (Android, iOS and Desktop – Free, paid options)
MotionMobs recently switched to Hipchat for our internal communications, and it’s been great. It helps us keep in touch with the others in the office better than any other tool we’ve tried so far. The offline functionality and reliability give great peace of mind. And who doesn’t love a business tool with meme integration?
Houzz (Android and iOS – Free)
We love and appreciate beautiful spaces to work and live in, and Houzz helps inspire us to create the best spaces we can. The app is really well designed to help you get inspiration for the perfect bathroom, kitchen or garden space that you’re looking to make improvements to. Whether you’re in the middle of a remodel or just browsing, it’s sure to inspire you to improve your space!
Overcast (iOS only – Free, in-app purchases)
Personal Favorite of iOS Developer Taylor S
“I’ve become a huge fan of podcasts in the past few years. Music is useful when I’m working, but in the car and at other times, I’ll favor podcasts as my audio of choice. Gaining some knowledge or insight into a particular topic (there’s a podcast for everything, it seems), is a great way to make morning/evening commutes less of a headache. Overcast has some fantastic features that other podcast apps don’t include, such as a great adaptive speed control, “Smart Speed,” that adjusts the playback to skip over breaks of dead air. After using Apple’s free podcast app for years, this app has found ways to fix a lot of the issues I found there while providing some new solutions to problems I didn’t know I had.”
Spotify (Android, iOS and Desktop – Free download, subscription fees)
Personal Favorite of CEO Robert
“I think Spotify is hands down the best streaming music service around. I pay $10/month and have nearly everything I want immediately available to me…and it’s legal to boot. The catalog isn’t perfect but it’s ten times better than anything else out there and the quality is excellent. I’m happy to give them my money.”
VSCO Cam (Android and iOS – Free, in-app purchases)
VSCO Cam has gotten a lot of attention lately and for a good reason. In a world where photo filters are easily overdone and quickly look fake, VSCO offers beautiful filters to turn a snapshot into artwork. It also offers manual camera controls so you can capture the photo you want in the first place.