My App Smart column this week was about a subject very close to home: Finding apps. Specifically it concerns the type of app that helps you to discover the best, or perhaps cheapest, among the hundreds of thousands of other apps out there for your device.
One of the simplest and most useful app-finder apps I've used for a long time is Apps Gone Free, free on iOS. The app has recently had an overhaul, and is now a universal one that also runs on iPad. The makers of the app select 10 iOS apps a day that are freshly available at no cost, and they summarize each one with a handy paragraph that is part informative, part review. There's a new Bump feature too, in which you can nominate a favorite app that you would like to see go free. The makers of Apps Gone Free say they will then approach some of these other developers in hopes of a deal.
For a super-simple app-finder app on Android, try Best Finder App. It costs nothing, and promises to have no ads. Split into tw o columns, “This Week's Top†and “This Month's Top,†it basically just lists the most popular apps within these time scales. A tap on each app listed takes you to Google Play so you can read more about it and download it if it appeals to you. This means you will have to do a bit more hands-on hunting than with other app finders, but that's not a bad thing.
App-finder apps from Appsfire are very popular, and the company even makes an app for a special category of user: children. Apps For Kids, free on Android, serves the same purpose as the bigger Appsfire app, but with a focus on children's apps for fun, creativity or education. Though its user interface is heavy on the cute factor, it is probably best used by an adult. That is because it is ultimately about helping choose, and perhaps buy and download apps.
Try these out, and enjoy dabbling with more apps than you ever have before.
