Castro 3, Gemini Photos, Pocket Run Pool and other apps of the week

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

This week we take lots of photos with the new manual camera app Obscura 2, then we delete them again with the duplicate and junk-finding app, Gemini Photo. And while we’re waiting for those duplicate photos to get scanned, we waste a bit of our lives playing Pocket Run Pool.

Castro Podcasts 3

The Castro Podcasts app adds a subscription model in version 3.
Castro Podcasts adds a subscription model in version 3.
Screenshot: Supertop Software

The Castro Podcasts player is best for folks who subscribe to a ton of podcasts they don’t want to listen to. It has triage tools that let you whittle down a busy inbox, and then queue the leftovers. New in v3 are the ability to chop out silence, to mix stereo podcasts to mono, and to skip a set number off seconds at the start of each episode, to avoid annoying intros and the like. Most of the new features require the $8.99 annual subscription.

Price: Free with in-app purchases

Download: Castro Podcasts from the App Store (iOS)

1Password 7

1Password 7 collects a zillion little improvements into one big update.
1Password 7 collects a zillion little improvements into one big update.
Screenshot: AgileBits

1Password 7 adds a ton of new features for managing your password, from the nerdy (Markdown support in notes), to password vetting, which checks to see if any of your passwords have been compromised. It also gets a big redesign to help organize your passwords. And here’s where I mention that you can also use Dashlane, which is the official password manager of Cult of Mac.

Price: Free with in-app purchases

Download: 1Password 7 from the App Store (iOS)

Gemini Photos

Gemini Photo
Gemini Photos makes cleaning your library a breeze.
Photo: MacPaw

Gemini Photos scans your iOS photo library and weeds out “unneeded photos.” These include duplicates, similar images taken at the same time, pictures of paper notes, screenshots, and blurred images. It does a pretty good job, although manually reviewing its choices when it finds many thousands of “unneeded” images is daunting.

Price: $14.99

Download: Gemini Photos from the App Store (iOS)

Pocket Run Pool

Pocket Run Pool is the latest game from Zach Gaga, the genius behind Really Bad Chess and Flip Flop Solitaire. It’s a super-simple, and super-fun, pool game with a twist. Different pockets multiply your score when you pot a ball in them. It’s pretty great, and it lets you play tactically. It’s a great way to waste a few minutes, if you still think that your life will last forever.

Price: Free with in-app purchase

Download: Pocket Run Pool from the App Store (iOS)

Obscura 2

Obscura 2 photo app adds advanced capabilities to your iPhone camera.
Obscura 2 adds advanced capabilities to your iPhone camera.
Screenshot: Ben McCarthy

The internet’s favorite manual camera app has been updated to version 2. The main difference in Obscura 2 is an interface redesign, which makes the app much easier to use. You can manually control all aspects of your photo capture, from ISO to focus, and the app even has some very handy features like focus peaking. It also comes with a bunch of neat filters that you can apply to any image.

Price: $4.99

Download: Obscura 2 from the App Store (iOS)

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