1. Endomondo Sports Tracker
Price: Free.
Phone: Apple, Android, Windows, BlackBerry,
While Endomondo isn’t new in 2012, this
feels like the year when it has become the must-have download for runners,
walkers and cyclists. Naturally, it tracks your movements via GPS, but what
makes it special is that your Facebook friends can follow your progress and
send you live audio messages to give you that little extra encouragement. You
also receive the “benefit” of an audio coach telling you how you’re doing every
mile or kilometre.
Endomondo
Sports Tracker
2. ViewRanger Outdoors GPS
Price: Free.
Phone: Apple, Android
Tablet: Apple, Android, BlackBerry
ViewRanger is an outdoor navigation app to
take you off the beaten track. Global open source map data is streamed over 3G
or cached for offline use, and paid-for upgrades add the ability to download
Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 maps. You can plot walks and record your
progress with speed, distance and elevation data; there’s also a dynamic ETA.
The BuddyBeacon feature, which tracks friends’ GPS locations in real-time, is a
potential life-saver, too.
3. Nike+
Price: Free.
Phone: Apple, Android
Everybody knows Nike+, but with accessories
launching all the time and a personalized training suite for Microsoft Kinect
on the way before the end of the year it’s one of the most comprehensive
fitness solutions there is. We’re still not sure we’d buy the trainers, but you
needn’t do anything that drastic to take part.
4. Strava
Price: Free
Phone: Apple, Android
Strava
Whether you’re a reluctant runner or an
adrenaline junkie, Strava turns your phone into a sports computer. You can
record bike rides or runs, including the distance covered, speed and estimated
calorie consumption, and the results are automatically uploaded to your account
and plotted on Google Maps. As a training tool, it’s invaluable. With the
ability to compete against other users’ timed segments on disciplines ranging
from cross-country running to downhill mountain-biking and even the daily cycle
commute, Strava is as addictive as exercise apps get.
5. St John Ambulance First Aid
Price: Free
Phone: Apple, Android
Recently released for Android phones, the
St John Ambulance guide to simple first aid is an app that should be in every
pocket. With pictures and simple instructions for a wide range of health
issues, it isn’t a replacement for proper training, but it might just make the
difference until an ambulance arrives.
6. Foodspotting
Price: Free
Phone: Apple, Android, Windows, BlackBerry
Forget apps that let you rate and share restaurants
Food spotting goes a step further by focusing on the dishes themselves. Next time
you’re munching on a curry, take a snap of the dish and rate it; with a growing
community doing the same, the best dishes in an area will rise to the top. A
social network style profile and activity log mean it’s crowdsourcing for
specific meals, so you can see if the Italian down the road cooks a mean
calzone.
7. Koubachi
Price: Free
Phone: Apple
It’s an app that helps you to care for your
plants. Even if you don’t invest in the Wi-Fi sensor, the free app gives a
watering and feeding schedule based on its species database, and can nudge you
with notifications.
8. Paprika
Price: $4.5
Phone: Apple, Android
Tablet: Apple, Android
Paprika
There are many recipe apps, but Paprika is
more than that. It’s a search engine for meals, and results can be clipped into
a personal and editable recipe book that syncs across mobile devices and your
Mac. You can control which sites are included in searches from a long list of
sources, and you can search by ingredients too. The recipe layout is perfect
for a tablet propped up on a kitchen counter. Paprika is also a weekly meal
scheduler and grocery list maker, cleverly importing any ingredients you don’t
have in your fridge directly from your chosen recipes.
9. Cocktail Flow
Price: Free.
Phone: Apple, Android
Tablet: Android
This cocktail app makes a fine transition
from smartphones into the Windows 8 Store. Select recipes by name, type or
colour, or we like this part select the spirits, mixers and liqueurs you
have at home and the My Bar section will scan its database for cocktails
it can create from them. Alas, it isn’t yet daring enough to create something
out of eggnog, champagne and beer.
10. CAMRA Good Beer Guide Mobile
Price: $7.5/ 1yr
Phone: Apple, Android
Tablet: Apple, Android
With the latest Good Beer Guide, the best
real-ale pubs in the UK are only a few prods away. You can search by nearest
tube station, and brief reviews give a flavour of each establishment and its
facilities, providing essential information such as when food is served and
whether there’s a covered smoking area or pub garden. A list of the UK’s
breweries is also included, with potted histories and contact details for
arranging visits.
