Best Apps For iPhone and iPad
From Fitness to Photography, the Best iPhone Apps of the Year
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Get your thumbs ready! Apple picked its top apps of 2014 — and the winners are destined to make your iPhone and/or iPad better than ever. Android users, you should take a look too, because a lot of these apps aren't exclusive to iOS.
Consider this winner's circle a checklist of all the apps you need to download to your mobile device immediately. From fitness to photography, take a look at the best of what the App Store has to offer in every category.
Source: POPSUGAR Photography
Best App of the Year
Winner: Elevate (free, iOS and Android) — Apple's big winner calls itself "the personal brain trainer." Elevate helps you hone communication skills like speaking, writing, and reading, as well as mental math ability like quick conversion. We love using it to improve our vocabulary! It also doesn't hurt that it's a stunning app, full of whimsical animations.
Runner-up: Hyperlapse (free, iOS) — Instagram's app allows mobile videographers to shoot beautiful time-lapse videos from their phones. Stabilization technology makes every shot look smooth and cinematic.
Best Game of the Year
Winner: Threes ($2, iOS, Android, Amazon Apps, Xbox One) — Many, many hours have been dedicated to this "tiny game." Threes is a seemingly simple, deceptively complicated game in which players combine numbers in a grid to make larger numbers. The larger the numbers, the higher your score! Get ready to get hooked.
Runner-up: Leo's Fortune ($5, iOS, Android, and Amazon apps) — In this handcrafted adventure game, retrieve your gold from the thief who stole it! With the round and fuzzy Leopold as your protagonist, you will fall in love with this game very quickly.
More of the Best Apps of the Year
Human (free, iOS) — This may be the most beautiful fitness app we've ever seen. Keep track of activity and calories and get inspired to move 30 minutes or more every day.
Spring (free, iOS) — A shopping app with an Instagram-like interface that makes it easier than ever to peruse and purchase the latest fashions.
120 Sports (free, iOS and Android) — Real-time highlights and interactive data cards make this app more than just a sports video provider.
Waterlogue ($3) — Turn your photos into watercolor creations.
Camu (free, iOS) — Swipe left and right for live filters and up and down to change each filter's intensity.
BuzzFeed (free, iOS) — Get cats, LOLs, and serious news with the site's redesigned native app.
NYT Now (free, iOS) — For $2 a week, get 40 top stories from The New York Times.
Toca Lab ($3, iOS, Android, Amazon apps) — Science is made fun in this adorable educational chemistry app.
SwiftKey (free, iOS and Android) — This smart keyboard replaces the default keyboard with intelligent autocorrect and the ability to type without lifting a finger. The app is even helping Stephen Hawking communicate faster than ever.
Yahoo News Digest (free, iOS and Android) — Stay on the top of the most important news with quick summaries of the hottest headlines.
1Password (free, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows) — Protect your online identity with the app's strong password generator. Enter in just one master password to autofill forms in your desktop or mobile browser with your new unique passkey.
Storehouse (free, iOS) — Create and share embeddable stories by combining photos, videos, and text in beautiful, customizable layouts.
Camera+ ($3, iOS) — This Photoshop-grade editing app puts photo studio tools in the palm of your hand with over 30 photos, 16 scene modes, and more to make your pictures look great. Also, check out our gift guide with the app's founder, Lisa Bettany!
