A road-trip companion, a new kind of shopping and a tribute to Apple Stores [Awesome Apps]

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iphone on desk with headphones
The never-ending stream of apps truly never ends. And we’ve found a few more that might be worth your time.
Photo: Unsplash

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, there’s a good chance you’ll have some down time on the way. Whether you’re planning a trip to see family, doing some shopping, or just want to flex your Apple knowledge, this week we have some Awesome Apps to infuse some tech into your holiday week.

Awesome Apps of the Week

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Weather on the Way

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My family is all about road trips. Whether we’re going to visit family, taking a vacation or just heading out for a day trip, we’re always driving to get there. One challenge, especially for those longer trips, is knowing how to dress for the ride. With Weather on the Way, you get a forecast for your route, based on when you’ll be there.

By pairing a GPS app and a weather app, Weather on the Way shows checkpoints along the route based on forecast changes. This can help you plan whether you’ll want to have a jacket accessible when you visit a rest stop, or warn you about unexpected snow or rain on your way to grandma’s house. It can also be helpful if you’re trying to see how much longer on your drive you might be stuck in a downpour (we’ve all been there, right?).

What makes Weather on the Way even better is that it supports CarPlay — it’s the first weather app to make it to Apple’s in-car platform.  That means it can show you those key temperature or condition changes along your route. If you’re anything like me, and you find yourself taking even the occasional road trip, Weather on the Way is well worth having on your phone (and on CarPlay).

Price: $4.99/month or $24.99/year (or get a lifetime license for $84.99)

Download from: App Store

Tryo

Tryo Virtual Try On: Is the virtual fitting room the future of shopping? With Tryo, you can find your fit from the comfort of your own home.
Is the virtual fitting room the future of shopping? With Tryo, you can find your fit from the comfort of your own home.
Screenshots: App Store

Sponsored: I enjoy shopping. Probably not as much as my wife, but I still enjoy getting a new pair of kicks, a ball cap or some trendy sunglasses. What I don’t love about the experience is the runaround for the things I’m shopping for. With Tryo, you can virtually try on (and buy) a multitude of different shoes, shades, watches, hats and more.

Tryo, in the simplest of terms, is an online shopping aggregator. Pulling products from dozens of retailers, you can shop across brands like Nike, Converse, Balenciaga, Ray-Ban and Rolex. What makes Tryo unique, however, is its AR try-on experience.

By using your iPhone or iPad’s front-facing TrueDepth camera (or the LiDAR Scanner on the back of Pro models), Tryo turns shopping into a Snapchat-inspired experience. Want to see how a hat or sunglasses look on you? No problem, just choose the style you like and see it in real time. Curious if you can pull off Jordan 1s? Point your camera at your feet and see them for real.

Once you’ve found your preferred fits, a few quick taps and you’re on the retailer’s website, ready to load up your cart and check out. No more running around to different malls, only to be disappointed by how something looks in person. The future of shopping is (probably) AR, and Tryo is already here to make it a reality.

Price: Free

Download from: App Store

Facades

Facades app: Think you’re an Apple encyclopedia? Do you know when the Chicago Apple Store originally opened? Didn’t think so...
Think you’re an Apple encyclopedia? Do you know when the Chicago Apple Store originally opened? Didn’t think so …
Screenshots: App Store

Like many of our readers, I have a useless collection of Apple trivia and history rattling around in my brain. One thing I’ve never been good about remembering, though, is where various Apple Stores are or which retail outlets have received the Jony Ive/Angela Ahrendts refresh since 2015. The new Facades app is designed to fill that knowledge gap.

With an entry for every Apple Store on earth, Facades displays Apple’s official photo of the store, along with the store number (indicating when it was built/planned to be completed). Each store profile also shows the store’s current design style, major features, address and opening date. For stores that relocated (or shuttered completely), it also shows the date the store moved or closed.

While the audience for Facades consists only of the most die-hard of Apple fans, the app is an excellent time capsule of Apple history and a fun way to explore the 20-plus years of history of Apple retail stores. The only thing missing is more photos.

Price: Free

Download from: App Store

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