Flipflop Solitaire, Notcho, and other awesome apps of the week

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

A surprisingly absolutely brilliant mobile version of the classic card game Solitaire is just of one of the choices we’ve made for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”

In addition, we’ve got an app which works to eliminate the sensor-filled notch from the iPhone X, a destruction-filled endless runner starring a freaking giant dragon, and an augmented reality update to a popular Apple video app. Check out our picks below.

Notcho

Notcho nixes the notch, nicely.
Notcho nixes the notch, nicely.
Photo: Cromulent Labs

The notch on the new iPhone X has caused mixed reactions from fans. Some claim it’s barely noticeable after just a few hours of using the new handset, while others suggest that it’s an unforgivably ugly piece of design compromise.

If you fall into this latter category, you might want to check out Notcho, a free app which creates wallpapers that hide the black camera-and-sensor array on the iPhone X, making it look like a black bezel instead.

While it’s not a perfect solution, since the wallpapers aren’t displayed in apps, the results still look good. If the notch is driving you nuts, it’s definitely worth a download.

Available for: iPhone X
Cost: Free
Get it from: App Store

Flipflop Solitaire

solitaire
A great new version of the classic and game.
Photo: Zach Gage

As one of the standard games bundled with Windows, you might think that there’s very little more that can be done with digital Solitaire as a game. However, developer Zach Gage thinks differently — and, based on his new Flipflop Solitaire game, he’s right on the money to feel that way.

The game is a variation on Spider Solitaire, a tweaked version of the original game in which you have to place cards in 10 stacks, with the goal being to convert them into four piles in sequential order. In his version, there are only five stacks to begin with, while cards can be placed in either ascending or descending order.

From that seemingly tiny change comes a whole new way of playing, which also happens to work perfectly on a mobile display. Whether you’re a seasoned Solitaire player, someone totally new to the game, or even a person who never much liked the Windows version and has wrongly concluded Solitaire is not for them, this is 100 percent worth checking out.

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: Free (with $2.99 in-app purchase to unlock the entire game)
Get it from: App Store

Clips

Clips
Clips 2.0 makes Apple’s video app even better.
Photo: Apple

Our second iPhone X-focused app is an update to Apple’s Clips, an app which makes it easy to create expressive videos on iOS, adding fun effects like comic book filters, speech bubbles, shapes, and posters.

The Clips 2.0 update includes an all-new feature called “Selfie Scenes” that takes advantage of the iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera to create augmented reality scenes and stages behind the user. With the Selfie Scenes feature, you can move around and interact with the digital background. It’s essentially like an advanced version of the green screen.

Available for: iPhone X
Cost: Free
Get it from: App Store

Dragon Hills 2

Dragon Hills 2 actually came out last month, but I’ve only just picked it up and… well, it’s so much absolutely bonkers fun that I just had to include it.

Its plot has something to do with a zombie apocalypse, but really the fun of this endless runner game is getting to control a dragon as it smashes through scenery, leaving an enormous trail of destruction in its wake.

If you want an arcade-style game to perfectly counterbalance the cerebral thrills of our aforementioned Flipflop Solitaire, Dragon Hills 2 may just be it. And I mean that as a massive compliment.

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: $2.99
Get it from: App Store

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