This week we check on our parcel deliveries by asking Siri, we shine a light on meditative iOS gaming, and reinvent the phone call with Flash.
NotePlan — Markdown Calendar (version 2.0)
NotePlan is a unique iOS app that mixes text notes and your calendar. The idea is that you use your calendar to organize your time, as usual, but with the addition of Markdown or plain text notes. These can be lists, links, notes — anything you like.
Version 2.0 of NotePlan, in beta now and due out this month, brings extras. You can now create new reminders and calendar entries, as well as edit existing ones. The app is still a little confusing. For example, there’s a section for notes, but you can also make notes on a page associated with the date you’re currently viewing in the calendar. It’s a popular app, though, so if it clicks with the way you work, you’ll love the update.
Price: $14.99
Download: NotePlan from the App Store (iOS)
Flash: Send pics in caller ID
Screenshot: Flash App
Sponsored: New app Flash brings back phone calls, but with a twist — it lets you choose the caller ID photo that shows up on your friend’s home screen when they receive your call.
It’s a neat mashup of apps like WhatsApp and SnapChat. You pick a photo, edit it with text and emojis, and then pick one of your contacts to call. When their phone rings, they see the picture you just created. You can also just send pics without making a call, so you don’t always need to talk to someone just to show them a photo.
Your friends will need to install the free app, which is available on iPhone and Android.
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Download: Flash from the App Store (iOS)
Deliveries: A package tracker
Deliveries, the best iOS and Mac parcel-tracking service, just added Siri Shortcuts. That means you can add new deliveries or check on the progress of an incoming parcel just by asking.
To be honest, though, this is just icing. Deliveries is already so good, you should just buy it. I don’t care much for the Siri support, but I do like having it sit in my Today view, telling me about any changes to my delivery status.
Price: $4.99
Download: Deliveries from the App Store (iOS)
Shine: Journey of light
Image: Fox and Sheep
In Shine, you guide an orb of light through assorted caves, magical woods and underwater labyrinths. It’s a calming experience as much as it is a game, in the mold of Monument Valley or Alto’s Odyssey
The goal is ostensibly to find other glowing orbs which, combined, will help light up the stars in the sky. But really this is just about chilling out, with just enough of a goal — and a challenge to keep you coming back.
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Download: Shine from the App Store (iOS)
