Kicking off this week’s must-have apps roundup is a new web browser from Yahoo! called Axis, which hopes to redefine web searching on desktops and iOS devices. We’ve also got a terrific app for web editors, one that’ll help you monitor which apps are accessing your personal data, and two new apps from Facebook.
Yahoo! Axis — Universal (Free)
Yahoo! Axis is a new web browser that “redefines what it means to search and browse the web on your iPhone, iPad, and even your desktop.” It promises to give you smarter, faster search results, and allows you to explore new content without interruption. It allows you to add bookmarks and provides quick access to your recently visited pages, but best of all, it offers a “connected experience” that allows you to switch between iPhone, iPad, and desktop and pick up right where you left off.
You can personalize the Axis home page to suit you, adding your favorite sites, your “read later” saves, and more. If you’re always searching the web rather than just browsing it, Yahoo! Axis is definitely worth a look.
Diet Coda — iPad ($19.99)
Diet Coda certainly isn’t the cheapest of iPad apps at just under $20, but for some of you, it could be the best. If you’re a web designer who’s always on the move, this feature-packed web editor must be installed on your iPad. It offers remote editing, powerful FTP and SFTP file management, Syntax highlighting, a contextual keyboard, a built-in terminal, and lots, lots more.
It’s got a beautifully simple user interface, optimized for the iPad’s touchscreen, that allows you to work in a focused environment away from distractions. Furthermore, it’s from the guys at Panic who make Coda for Mac OS X, so you know it’s good.
Clueful — iPhone ($0.99)
Clueful is a unique iPhone app that provides an insight into the way in which each of your iOS apps access and handle your personal data. You can see exactly which data each application is tracking — such as location data, contacts, app usage, and more — and other useful info like which apps may be draining your battery. According to developers BitDefender, Clueful is “the only way to really understand apps, how they use your data and treat your privacy.”
Clueful does have a few teething problems, like it sometimes displays apps you’ve never installed, and some users have reported that it frequently crashes (I’ve personally never experienced the latter). However, it is — right now — a “one-of-a-kind” app that offers features no other iOS app can offer. If you’re worried about the way in which iOS apps handle your data, Clueful gives you peace of mind.
Facebook Pages Manger — iPhone (Free)
If you administrate a Facebook Page, the Facebook Pages Manager is the best way to keep up with it on your iPhone. You can view post updates and photos, receive notifications for new activity, and respond to comments and posts while you’re on the go. Best of all, the app allows you to monitor your latest page insights in real time.
It supports multiple pages, too, so you can control everything in one place.
Facebook Camera — iPhone (Free)
That’s right — Facebook has not one but two apps in this week’s roundup, and this one is certainly the best of the two. Facebook is clearly putting its new Instagram team to good use with a fantastic photography app that allows you to upload images to your profile faster than ever before.
You can upload multiple images at once, see the latest photos uploaded by your friends all in one place, apply filters and effects to your images, and tag friends or add captions. Furthermore, it won’t cost you a penny, because like all Facebook apps, this one’s free.
Google Search — Universal (Free)
Google Search has been available in the App Store for as long as I can remember, and I’ve never really paid much attention to it. Sure, I’ve tried it out, but I always found Google searching within mobile Safari was a better experience. Until the app’s latest update, which introduces stacks of awesome new features.
Some of the changes include:
- Complete redesign
- Major speed improvements
- Auto full screen: scroll down to hide controls, scroll up to reveal
- Beautiful full-screen image search
- Swipe away webpages to quickly return to search results
- Search within a webpage using the built-in text finder
- Easily switch between images, places, news, and more
- Fast access to Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Docs and more all from one place
If you haven’t tried Google Search before, or, like me, you tried it and quickly stopped using it. Now is a great time to give it another go.
What’s Your Favorite?
So that concludes our list of this week’s must-have iOS apps. If you’ve picked up something that you think we should have included, be sure to let us know about it in the comments.
