From mobile games to productivity apps, here are five free and paid Android/iOS apps from NextPit this week. We publish this pick every week, and you can also see the top 5 apps from the previous week. Pull the world from the brink of nuclear annihilation with Sigma Theory! It’s a paid game, but it should be worth every penny.
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Mind Notes (Android)
If anything, self-organization should be a mandatory life skill taught to everyone. Also, having a program to present ideas to others in an orderly manner makes life easier for everyone. Unfortunately, I don’t think everyone shares my point of view, so it’s a good thing to have MindNotes, a note-taking app. This app allows you to type all your ideas and store them for posterity in an organized manner.
I love how there are so many different fonts and fonts available to the user. In fact, you can spend hours tweaking it to your liking, which could probably be used in a more clever way. You can also choose to include free downloads as attachments, which is often considered a feature in other apps that require a subscription.
While you can get the free version of the app, I highly recommend going for the pro upgrade as it allows syncing with the cloud and other compatible devices. It’s an internet connection. Oh yes, the automatic backup in the pro version is also useful.
It is suitable for beginners and power users. We hope that the developer will continue to support this app in the long run by including more features like more markup options and auto-correction. Other than that, having a sticky notes widget on my home screen makes sure I don’t forget any tasks for the upcoming week, and my life feels a little more organized and streamlined.
- Price: free / Notice: yes / In-App Purchases: yes / Account: Not required (but recommended)
Organize your thoughts using mental notes, you definitely won’t regret it! / © NextPit
Duet Display (iOS and Android)
They say having a secondary monitor can slow down your productivity by leaps and bounds and I disagree! During the pandemic, many people, including myself, were forced to work from home under the new normal, and the limitations of one screen quickly became apparent.
A global silicon shortage didn’t help matters, as new monitors and computers delayed shipments for a number of reasons. How about breathing new life into your old equipment that you don’t use as a daily driver? That’s where Duet Display comes in, turning your mobile device into a second display on both Mac and PC platforms.
It does it with zero lag, in this case I highly recommend a wired solution. Best of all, your multitasking will be easier with another display and you can make sure you’re productive on the go. It’s easy to use, just plug your tablet into your desktop or laptop via the charging cable and turn that device into a high-performance touchscreen display. No more struggling with invisible Wi-Fi connections or performance issues, and no more remembering bad network passwords.
Supported touchscreen gestures include two-finger scrolling, panning, and zooming. In fact, the new update adds the Touch Bar to any iPad, benefiting Mac users even more. If you’re a graphic designer, you’ll find the Duet Display useful as it can turn your iPad and Apple Pencil into a professional graphics tablet — but only if you decide to subscribe to Duet Pro as an in-app purchase.
Additional features unlocked with that subscription are pressure and tilt sensitivity, hover and palm rejection. However, as a basic secondary monitor, this app will work more or less flawlessly if you only experience word processing and spreadsheets.
- Price: $9.99 / advertisement: No / In-App Purchases: yes / Account: It is not mandatory
Breathe new life into your old tablets with Duet Display. / © NextPit
Fortune City (iOS and Android)
If you’re having trouble managing your finances, maybe tracking them is a good way to start. Forget the old school pen and paper to achieve this goal. Fortune City brings an element of gamification that makes everything plain fun! The graphics are amazing when you play the role of mayor, and you create and build your own metropolis by dividing your expenses into different categories. This will also help you choose good budgeting practices when tracking your income and expenses! While an account is not mandatory, having one makes it easier to perform automatic backups.
Each item spent and distributed will see your city change. For example, when rising food costs built a food stand, my city got a city hard drive while I was buying new consumer electronics. As your city grows, new people want to move in. It’s easy to track your spending and break down each transaction, and you can see where your spending is going with easy-to-understand pie charts and bar charts.
With over 100 different building styles and different transportation options, it’s fun to watch your city grow. There is only one major problem I see with this game – I might want to build the city I want by looking for different things to buy in real life so that I can enter the correct transaction!
- Price: free / advertisement: yes / In-App Purchases: yes/ Account: Not required (but recommended)
Tracking your expenses has never been this fun! / © NextPit
Infinite Flight Simulator (iOS and Android)
It is considered one of the most complex and realistic flight simulation experiences on mobile devices, and will appeal to both the curious novice and the seasoned pilot. You’ll enjoy high-quality views from around the world and can choose to fly at different times of the day and in different aircraft weight configurations. There is a real atmosphere in the game including the weather and it would be good to know the instructions before you set off because it took me several tries to crash my environment just because I was too shy to do it.
The game also has realistic sound effects that will definitely put you in the mood. Of course, once you’re up, there’s a sense of joy and satisfaction as you explore the sky like a bird.
Note that this is not an offline game, so you need an internet connection to play it, which can be quite difficult, especially since the fun of flying a digital plane while in a real plane is new! Still, it offers amazing graphics that are sure to make you a hit. Flying Multiplayer requires a Pro subscription, which includes dozens of additional aircraft, additional live streaming, realistic flight models, animated cockpits, and more than 20,000 airports. It’s expensive, so you might want to get a real flight simulator on your desktop instead.
- Price: free / advertisement: No / In-App Purchases: Yes ($4.99-$79.99) / Account: It is not mandatory
Take to the skies in this beautifully designed game. / © NextPit
Monopoly – Classic Board Game (iOS & Android)
Imagine a game that has been around for decades and continues to entertain millions of people around the world at every moment. Monopoly is really a classic take on capitalism, where the main objective is to become the richest man in town by cultivating the land you own. You no longer have to worry about missing dice, missing title cards, and missing chance and community chest cards. Plus, things get a lot more interesting without any markings on these cards! There’s even a quick mode, which lets you finish the game faster than ever, compared to the long, drawn-out sessions that most people enjoy these days.
There are new themed boards exclusive to the mobile game. You can choose from 9 different boards, and one more will remain uncovered, which means that each session will always be interesting and fresh. Imagine diving into an alternate universe called LA Monstropolis alternate universe or scare your pants off in Transylvania! How about seeing what the future looks like when you throw yourself in the middle of New York 2121? A variety of new player pieces, assets, and chance cards unique to each theme make it even more fun.
For those who want to play with friends and family far away, you now have the option of multiplayer gaming via video chat. This requires you to create a free account, add other friends to your list, and start a new game from a group chat. This allows you to see each other’s expressions, adding an extra human touch while playing realistically. Of course, nothing beats playing board games in person, but technology has helped bridge the gap. Of course, you can play multiplayer under one roof via Wi-Fi, so that’s another unique trick.
- Price: $2.49 (Android) and $3.99 (iOS) / advertisement: no / In-app purchasesYes ($1.99 to $34.99) / Account: Required
