Google Opinion Rewards, The Talos Principle, and other awesome apps

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A Google app which lets you earn real money for basically no work is just one of the picks we’ve made for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week” roundup.

In addition, we’ve got a great artificial intelligence-themed puzzle game, a nifty email app update, and a camera app which lets you double the number of videos you can store on your iOS device. Check out our selections for the week’s most notable apps below.

Google Opinion Rewards

Google Opinion Rewards
Google Opinion Rewards pays real cash for your opinion.
Photo: Google

Google Opinion Rewards, the search giant’s most underrated app, finally landed on iOS this week. In contrast to the majority of apps, which are content to take your money, Google Opinion Rewards gives you the chance to earn real cash incredibly easily by answering surveys.

Google sends out more than 3 million surveys every week from a range of companies. You get the chance to answer some of them and are paid up to $1 per time for your efforts. Nearly all surveys take less than 30 seconds to answer, and are based on a range of topics from hit TV shows to retail stores you visit regularly. Cash is then paid directly into your PayPal account for you to spend on whatever you would like.

Right now, it’s only available in the U.S., although the Android app is available in additional countries, so hopefully this will follow soon.

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

The Talos Principle

Described as a “philosophical puzzler” by its creators, The Talos Principle is an iOS port of a brilliant game which first landed on macOS and Windows back in December 2014.

The game takes place from either first or third-person perspectives, as you play a robot with an artificial consciousness exploring a range of different environments in the form of different puzzle rooms. You’ll need a newer iOS device to run it, but this is good, mind-expanding fun with an intriguing narrative.

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: $4.99
Get it from: App Store

Filmic Pro

iPhone filmmakers get HEVC support in Filmic Pro update.
iPhone filmmakers get HEVC support in Filmic Pro update.
Photo: Filmic

Filmic Pro, the gold standard iPhone app which has been used by professional moviemakers and mobile journalists, received an update this week. The update adds support for the new HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding) format in iOS 11, letting you reduce the file size of videos while retaining much of the quality.

In essence, it means that you can now store twice the number of videos on your iPhones or iPad Pros — providing you’re using an iOS device with the A10 chip or later. In addition, Filmic Pro also offers greater levels of control over the iPhone video camera and features a number of professional settings not standard with the native camera app. A great tool for mobile videographers.

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: $14.99
Get it from: App Store

Spark

spark header
Spark works everywhere.
Photo: Readdle

Readdle’s excellent email app for iOS and macOS this week received an update allowing you to choose to schedule an email for sending later. As my colleague Charlie Sorrel writes in his great overview of the app, this is perfect for late-night insomniac email sessions, where you want to line up emails to be fired off at a more reasonable hour, or during work hours so it won’t be buried under tons of other newer messages in a person’s inbox.

In addition, Spark includes plenty of other nifty features, including plenty of integration with third-party apps and services. If you find yourself unsatisfied with Apple’s built-in Mail app, this should be first on your list as an alternative.

Available for: iPhone, iPad, Mac
Cost: Free
Get it from: App Store (iOS), App Store (macOS)

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