Parking, a weathercat, and other awesome apps of the week

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Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apparently some kind of sportsball contest is going on this weekend, but that’s no reason to put your phone down — we still have plenty of cool stuff for you to try out in our apps of the week roundup.

Whether you’re looking to organize your daily thoughts, start your day off with a cartoonish weather forecast, or really feel like paying for parking with your Apple Watch, we have you covered. And maybe we have something about football, too. Who knows?

Only one way to find out.

Poncho: Wake Up Weather

Poncho-weathercat apps of the week
Poncho has all of the morning energy you don’t.
Photo: Poncho

We have mixed feelings about a happy, cartoon cat waking us up to tell us if it’s going to rain or not, but Poncho: Wake Up Weather has won us over with its charm, presentation, and hilariously random multimedia elements. In the course of delivering the important meteorological news, Poncho uses gifs, random facts, and cute drawings to soften the blow (or just make it more fun).

So if you can stand something this unbearably and relentlessly cute first thing in the morning — and throughout your day — Poncho‘s one of the most adorable ways we’ve seen to get the forecast.

Available for: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iPod Touch
Cost: Free
Get it from: App Store

Day One 2

Day-One-2 apps of the week
Time to put your thoughts in order.
Photo: Bloom Built, LLC

Several Cult of Mac writers have enjoyed using the original Day One to track their thoughts, feelings, and that time that Jimmy totally ralphed during home room. And they’re likewise pumped about the sequel that came out this week. They aren’t super pumped about the name, though.

Day One 2 lets you add up to 10 photos for each entry, and you can filter your posts based on tags and location to group them however you see fit. You can even go all Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks and keep multiple journals in case you want one to be all sexy and mysterious. Or if you just need one to keep track of your exercise and diet or whatever.

Available for: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iPod Touch
Cost: $4.99 (limited-time price; usually $9.99)
Get it from: App Store

MobileNow

MobileNow apps of the week
You may never have to dig through your car’s cup holder for change again. Unless you want to.
Photo: Now Innovations

So technically, the name of the app is MobileNOW!, but we just can’t muster that much excitement about parking.

What we do like, however, is its added Apple Watch compatibility, which lets you pay for parking and plug the virtual meter from your wrist. It’s only available in about 60 locations so far, but we’re looking forward to this and similar services expanding so that we can all avoid a few alleged fistfights with parking-meter attendants.

Available for: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iPod Touch
Cost: Free
Get it from: App Store

Road to 50

Road-to-50 apps of the week
Okay, fine. Here’s some football.
Photo: NFL Enterprises

If you’re in town for the big game, odds are you’ve already heard of and downloaded Road to 50. It’s a hub for all of the celebrations and events going on in the lead-up to the coin-toss. And if you aren’t in town and just want to see what the superfans are up to, Road to 50 is more or less Envy: The App.

People in attendance can collect badges to unlock bonus content. But it’s not all games; they can also get hours and ticketing info on the cool stuff they might want to see.

Available for: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Cost: Free
Get it from: App Store

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