15 most anticipated Apple Watch apps
-
Tess Danielson Staff Writer
The Apple Watch was released into the wild on April 24, and iFans are just as eager as ever to get their hands on it.
Apple’s introduction of a smart watch has flooded the App Store with, by WatchAware’s count, 2,433 approved apps as of launch day.
Rather than leave you to wade through the mess, the Monitor has compiled a list of the 15 most anticipated apps for your Apple Watch. If we overlooked any, let us know about your favorites in the comments below.
Fitness:
Runkeeper (free) by FitnessKeeper.
Description: Runkeeper is a popular fitness app on many reviewers’ lists. It allows you to track run pace, measure workout distance, chart weight loss, see training goals, and more. Unlike Apple’s Health application, Runkeeper displays detailed information about your walks, hikes, or runs on the watch. It also can display maps of your favorite workout routes and assist in finding the best training routine for you.
Strava (free) by Strava.
Description: Strava is a fitness application for those who enjoy biking as well as running. The app will display real-time stats of your varying exercise data including elevation gain, average speed, distance, and heart rate. Strava also allows you to split your workouts into different sections to provide you with more detailed view of the amount of personal progress you’ve made, a feature designed to keep users motivated. You can even earn a virtual trophy when you set a personal record.
Music:
Shazam (free) by Shazam Entertainment.
Description: Shazam is an app that can hear and identify a song, and while the watch version doesn’t appear to do anything special, there’s probably more than one person out there who will appreciate not needing to fumble through pockets to get to it. It's likely the image of an individual holding their watch up to a speaker will become a new norm.
News:
Flipboard (free) by Flipboard
Description: Everyone from The New York Times to The Guardian to the AP has their own Apple Watch app, but Flipboard was a clear favorite among many reviewers as the best news application. As with your regular Flipboard app, you will get your 10 Top Stories with a summary for the day, and using Apple's new feature Force Touch will allow you to save an article or send it to a friend.
Travel/Weather:
Citymapper (free) by Citymapper Limited
Description: Citymapper is an app that helps you navigate your city’s public transit. The watch version of the app will offer quick views of the best route to take and notify you when the next bus or train is arriving. Once you board your transportation, the app will even tap your wrist to inform you when your stop is coming up. It should be noted that Citymapper is only available in a handful of cities, but you can petition to get your town added to its roster by voting in the app to become the “NEXT CITY."
Uber (free) by Uber Technologies
Description: The alternative taxi company Uber now offers an app for the Apple Watch, which allows you to locate, book, and track a cab from your wrist.
Dark Sky ($3.99) by Jackadam
Description: This weather app, which is more of a weather predictor, can provide you a 24-hour timeline of weather conditions for today, tomorrow, or later in the week. It will also notify you based on your location with a tap if it is about to rain or snow up to an hour in advanced.
Work/Productivity:
Slack (free) by Slack Technologies
Description: It seems no best-of list is complete without Slack. It is a highly praised communication app for remotely based teams. Slack supports real-time messaging, file sharing, one-on-one and group conversations, leading some to dub it “the e-mail killer.”
Evernote (free) by Evernote
Description: Evernote, a tool for organizing and archiving all your digital information, believes in Apple’s dream for its smart watch, writing on its blog, “An app on a watch doesn’t replace an app on the phone, it complements it. That’s how Apple Watch is designed, and it’s exactly what Evernote for Apple Watch is all about.”
Finance:
Mint (free) by Mint.com
Description: While there are many, many options for financing applications, Mint was a standout. This new Mint money management app was created by Intuit, the makers of TurboTax and QuickBooks, and it will keep track your personal checking, savings, and credit card accounts. It will assist in setting up bill reminders and alerts, managing budgets, and review spending habits.
Games:
Rules! ($2.99) by TheCodingMonkeys
Description: While BoxPop and Letterpad were incredibly popular as early Apple Watch games, Rules! is widely considered one of the best games for the new smart watch. Rules! is an app with daily mini-games meant to act as a brain workout. The phone version was even voted as one of the best apps of 2014 in the App Store.
Entertainment:
Twitter (free) by Twitter
Description: How could any smart device be complete without Twitter? The Apple Watch app makes it easier to check in on the most interesting posts in your timeline. Some new features will allow for you to Tweet a song that is currently playing; provide “actionable notifications,” which will let you follow people back or just say hello to new followers; and quickly see top trends.
Instagram (free) by Instagram
Description: Why pull out your phone, when Instagram images can be on your wrist? Tag, comment, and like photos without ever needing to touch your iPhone.
Home:
Green Kitchen ($4.99/$5.99 bundle) by Amazing Applications
Description: Green Kitchen is an app that provides step-by-step guides to popular, healthy recipes on your wrist. The app will even keep track of timed steps and give you details about your food, such as “Your quinoa should have little tails by now,” as it listed as an example on its website.
Alarm.com (free) by Alarm.com
Description: Alarm.com is a full home-monitoring system you can now take on the go. If you use smart home hardware, it links with your abode's heating, lighting, AC, and even compatible door locks. Now, if someone needs to get into your house, you can unlock your front door from your wrist.
