Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers make paid apps free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money, and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

Alarm Clock

Alarm Clock turns your iPhone into a beautiful nightstand clock. Don’t fiddle around with the default alarm app — use this elegant version instead.

Available on:

iOS

VisualSignals

Display great and easily visible signal effects on your iPhone with VisualSignals. No more gesticulating wildly to get someone’s attention — just hold up your phone instead.

Available on:

iOS

Recapify

Recapify is a mobile collaboration app that allows users to elegantly recap, communicate, organize, save, and measure high value meeting results, all in two minutes or less.

Available on:

iOS

Easy Translation

Easy Translation, as its name suggests, is an easy to use yet powerful full-text translation tool for iPhone users. With support of around 32 languages, this top-of-the-line app, offers the best possible translation for your text.

Available on:

iOS

ThemeKit

Get access to custom Live Wallpapers that will animate your lock screen and bring it to life. Select a Live Wallpaper from our catalog, and when you 3D Touch your screen it will start animating.

Available on:

iOS

Write for iPhone

This app features automatic Dropbox syncing so you can jot down whatever is on your mind, and rest assured it’ll be safely stored for later use.

Available on:

iOS

Learn to write like a tech-savvy caveman with this Emoji dictionary

Human linguistics began with pictograms. At some point, a particularly enterprising Cro-Magnon decided to dip his finger into the ashes of a smoldering fire — ouch! — and wipe it against the cave wall; thus, language was born. Soon, this new form of communication (a step up from the previous method of indecipherable grunts) began to evolve alongside the creatures that had invented it; in Asia and Mesopotamia, crude drawings of animals soon progressed into logograms and hieroglyphs, and eventually into fully realized alphabets.

Language is always moving forward; venerable institutions like Oxford and Merriam-Webster consistently update their dictionaries to include new words and turns of phrase — for example, this February’s edition of the Merrian-Webster dictionary includes “net neutrality,” “binge-watch,” and “truther”). Recently, though, a funny trend has appeared: Language is also moving backwards. Emoticons, popularized in Japan in the 1980s, use computer-generated punctuation marks to express emotions. As computing devices — specifically, smartphones — became more powerful, a more complex set of pictograms arose, called “Emojis.”

Emojis are tiny, colorful images, made to represent specific objects, emotions, or concepts. Currently, the standard Emoji library (supported on several mobile and desktop operating systems) consists of more than 1,000 different emoticons. Some of these emoticons look extremely similar, especially for those new to the concept, or for those with impaired vision. To that end, we’ve decided to put together a short Emoji dictionary, so you’ll never have to wonder exactly what the younger generation is trying to convey.

Emojis look different depending upon which platform you’re using; since iOS and Android are the most prevalent, we’ve chosen to include images for those two. Visit Emojipedia for a full list of Emojis by platform (links located at the bottom).

Faces

Apple/iOS

Description

Google/Android

This Emoji is smiling. It’s happy!


This Emoji is also happy, and possibly excited.


This Emoji is even happier than the happy Emojis preceding it.


This Emoji appears to be smiling for a photograph, perhaps?


This Emoji is laughing.


This Emoji is laughing so hard that a bead of sweat is rolling down its face. Perhaps it’s a bit awkward now.


This Emoji is either laughing extremely hard or crying tears of joy. Possibly both.


This Emoji is rolling on the floor laughing (ROFL).


This Emoji is smiling; the iOS version seems to imply contentedness, though the Google version isn’t as detailed.


This Emoji is also happy and contented, despite the mysterious disappearance of its eyebrows.


 This Emoji has a halo. Maybe it’s in heaven? Maybe it just performed a good deed. Who knows?


 This Emoji is smiling, but deep down it’s not so sure.


This Emoji is smiling upside down. Use this Emoji only while riding roller coasters.


This Emoji only has one eye.
Or it’s winking.


This Emoji is… asleep? Relieved? Concerned because it’s starting to rain?


This Emoji is in love — probably with the CoCo.


This Emoji is actually eating one of the heart-eyes of the Emoji above, in hopes that its missing eye grows back. Metal.


This Emoji is making a reference to Rick and Morty. Emoji references are always out of control.


This Emoji is pretending to be a duck. QUACK!


This Emoji fell asleep while pretending to be a duck.


This Emoji smells something delicious and mouthwatering.


This Emoji is paralyzed on one side of his body. It’s very sad.


This Emoji is in the middle of a KISS cover band performance.


This Emoji is obviously a dog. [Pant. Pant.]


 This is a premium Emoji. Download it for just $1.99!


 This Emoji loves doing jazz hands. Jazz hands!


This Emoji represents Michael “Squints” Palledorous from The Sandlot.

This Emoji is blind, but still loving life.


This Emoji is a clown. In case you need to freak people out.


This Emoji is a cowboy. It only works if your phone senses that you’re on horseback.


This Emoji thinks it’s smooth.


This Emoji does not think the above Emoji is smooth.


This Emoji is sad, because its eyebrows disappeared — again.


This Emoji got into the trash while you were out of the house. Shame on you, Emoji!


This Emoji just saw something horrifying. Or it’s sleepishly lazy.


This Emoji is tired of hearing about your Crossfit regimen.


This Emoji is unhappy.


This Emoji is even more unhappy.


This Emoji is unhappy, because it has boomerangs for eyes.


 This Emoji is about to cry. Aw.


This Emoji has been traumatized. Treat it with care.


This Emoji is extremely frustrated, because he can’t figure out what all the other Emojis mean.


This Emoji is so mad that he’s blowing steam out of nonexistent nostrils.


This Emoji is gathering energy to activate Super Sayian 2. Stay tuned for several more episodes.


Emoji MAD. Emoji SMASH!


 That’s not an Emoji. It’s a pig’s nose.


 A software update is available for EmojiBot. Restart now?


This Emoji means “no comment.” Or, it means Iron Man. Either way.


This Emoji is surprised.


This Emoji is surprised and a little bit dismayed.


This Emoji just caught its significant other in bed with an ASCII face, and it feels betrayed.


This Emoji is singing. Probably Coldplay’s Yellow.


This Emoji is drunk. Go home, Emoji.


This Emoji is unconscious. Take it to an Emoji Center to have it revived.


You don’t want to know what this Emoji was doing before you walked in.


This Emoji is getting the Violet Bauregarde treatment.


Everything is blue for this Emoji, and himself, and everybody around. Cause he ain’t got nobody to listen.


This Emoji is nervous.


This Emoji is crying.


This Emoji is… crying harder?


This Emoji is drooling. Maybe it smelled some food?


This Emoji is crying even harder than the other crying Emojis. Life must be hard when you have no body and no limbs.


This Emoji is either sweating or getting rained on.


This Emoji is blowing snot bubbles in its sleep. That’s not a joke.


 This Emoji is also asleep, but has the common courtesy to keep its snot to itself.


 This Emoji is worried about a safe falling on its head, Looney Tunes-style.


This Emoji is deep in contemplative thought.


This Emoji definitely doesn’t think that dress makes your butt look big!


This Emoji is grimacing. Not smiling. Stop using it to represent a smile — that’s confusing.


This Emoji had an unfortunate encounter with Jigsaw.


This Emoji is about to throw up.


This Emoji is frustrated because his nose is a ghost.


This Emoji is visiting Beijing.


This Emoji has a fever, and the only prescription is… more cowbell.


This Emoji is slowly becoming a mummy. How scary!

Eat up! Insects may truly be the sustainable food source of the future

Why it matters to you

By cutting back on beef and eating more (yummy?) insects, you can limit your carbon footprint.

We may prefer to squish them in the West but insects are a staple food source in many cultures around the world. They’re cheap, nutritious, some say delicious, and they’re exceptionally sustainable, according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen.

“A lot has been said about the ‘sustainability’ of eating insects, but in reality, there is little research to support these claims,” Afton Halloran, lead author and entomophagy advocate, told Digital Trends.

Cricket farming has taken off in Thailand over the past two decades, with around 20,000 small farms spread throughout the country. Companies have now emerged in Europe and the United States specializing in edible insects. With this in mind, Halloran and her team wanted to test claims that cricket farming could be a sustainable alternative to traditional livestock operations, which have a been shown to negatively impact the environment.

“More consciousness about the environmental impacts of livestock production has been created, and there are many people who are looking for alternative production systems,” Halloran said. “Insect farming has a huge potential and it is only just starting.”

University of Copenhagen

Using data about fifteen different environmental impacts (from global warming potential to resource depletion), the researchers compared chicken farming in Thailand with broiler chicken farming, a process that Halloran said is already relatively efficient and environmentally friendly compared to beef or lamb. The study showed that cricket farming indeed earns its sustainable title.

“That being said, cricket production systems in Thailand are relatively new compared to broiler farming,” Halloran said. “So we believe that cricket farming still has the potential to be optimized both to the benefit of the environment and rural communities in low- and middle-income countries.”

Sustainability is a big plus but it won’t necessarily make crickets catch on with consumers. “Hands down it needs to taste good,” she said. “There is an overabundance of food in the West, and we select the foods that give us pleasure and that we think are delicious.” That shouldn’t be a problem though — Seattle Mariners fans certainly enjoyed them, devouring over 18,000 crickets in three days at Safeco Field in April.

A paper detailing the study was published this week in the Journal Cleaner Production.

Snap TV to host short-form, original content from major networks

Why it matters to you

Snap is readying a platform that’s designed to complement — not compete with — traditional television.

The future of television might be on Snapchat. According to the Wall Street Journal, Snap, Snapchat’s parent company, is in talks with NBCUniversal, Vice Media, and ESPN to produce original, short-form shows for its upcoming streaming service, Snap TV.

Unlike Twitter’s recently announced TV platform, which focuses on live videos, Snap TV will serve up curated, short-form content that will complement traditional television. It will consist of “two to three episodes” of three-to-five-minute original programming from Turner, A&E, ABC, Fox, Discovery, Vice Media, the NFL, and others when it launches in the coming months. The content will stream each day from Snapchat’s Stories section, which currently shows photos and videos from media companies and other Snapchat users.

Snap is reportedly being choosy about the pitches it’s approving, going so far as to give guidance to studio executives. It wants “true original content” instead of promotions, the Wall Street Journal Reports, including scripted dramas, animated series, and daily news shows.

Dennizn / 123RF

NBCUniversal was a test case. A Snapchat spin-off of The Voice tasked users with submitting a 10-second audition clip, which was judged, and the winner went on to make an appearance on the live TV version of The Voice. 

Snap won’t pay for the material upfront. Instead, it will give content creators a cut of the ad revenue — up to 70 percent if they sell the ads themselves, and a a 50-50 split if Snapchat does it for them.

Snap TV is a win-win for Snapchat and content creators. More eyeballs on Snap’s videos (and its ads, by extension) means more revenue to justify the startup’s $25 billion valuation. And Snap’s media partners are betting Snapchat’s more frequent users — the roughly 158 million people who spend about 30 minute using the app daily — will help spread the word.

Nielson reports that media companies that publish Snapchat content see “notable audience growth” on TV and other platforms, and that the app delivered a 16-percent boost to the average monthly reach.

Despite the renewed attention on video content, though, Snap is not abandoning its core strengths anytime soon. In April, it launched Word Lens, which adds augmented reality text, graphics, and animations to real-world scenes. And in May, it debuted a universal search feature that makes it easier for users to find friends, users, emojis, and stories.

See your friends and family in a whole new light with Google Contacts 2.0

Why it matters to you

Organizing your contacts can be tough for someone as popular as you are. Luckily, a revamped Google Contacts is here to help.

Keeping tabs on your contacts is getting a little easier — that is, if you have an Android phone.

After a big update back in August of 2016, Google Contacts for Android is being revamped once again, with Version 2.0 of the mobile app rolling out to users eager to clean up their address books. A number of changes are present in the latest iteration of the app, like an improved account switcher and a new design for your people view.

Perhaps the most obvious change between 2.0 and the previous version of Google Contacts is in the display of individual contacts. Once you click into a name, you’ll no longer be greeted with an edge-to-edge square profile photo. Instead, you’ll see a small circular picture, much like Apple’s Contacts app. Information field are also in a new order, with the phone number first, then email addresses. Once again, this mirrors Apple’s design.

There’s also a newly designed navigation drawer that takes after Android’s standard account switcher. If you tap the drawer, you’ll see a drop-down of accounts with the number of contacts associated in each account. As for moving contacts among accounts, that’s gotten a little easier too, as Google has introduced a “Move” tool to save and transfer contacts.

Otherwise, things haven’t changed all that much. The main list view now features an overflow menu that will let you select multiple contacts at once to share, delete, move, or apply labels to. And there is a new Floating Action Button (FAB) to help you make edits to various contacts. Overall, Google Contacts 2.0 is a bit less colorful than the previous iteration — gone are the colored status bars and icons. Instead, the whole thing looks a bit more streamlined.

You can go ahead and download the newest version of Google Contacts (2.0.7) by heading over to the Play Store. Note that the app is currently only supported on Nexus, Android One, and Google Play Edition devices running Android Lollipop and above.

Huawei Mate 9 gets two new colors in China

New ‘Agate Red’ and ‘Topaz Blue’ hues make the Mate 9 more colorful.

Huawei’s Mate 9, now six months old, has stood the test of time well, continuing to rank among the best big-screened Android phones you can buy. Today the Chinese firm has launched two new Mate 9 colors in its home market — Agate Red and Topaz Blue. It’s not unusual for Huawei to roll out new colors to refresh a product mid-cycle, and the push towards more vibrant hues echoes what we’ve seen from the P10, which has its own broad color palette.

The new colors join six existing options: Ceramic White, Champagne Gold, Mocha Brown, Moonlight Silver, Obsidian Black and Space Gray. And both are reportedly only available in the standard 4GB + 64GB configuration, not the higher-specced 6G + 128GB.

It’s unclear whether the new colors might eventually expand their reach beyond China, however an upcoming Huawei press conference in Berlin, where we’re expecting to see new Nova 2 phones would be a natural place to introduce the refreshed Mate 9 to a wider audience.

In China, sales of the new colors kick off this Sunday, May 14.

Huawei Mate 9

• Huawei Mate 9 review
• Huawei Mate 9 specs
• Where to buy the Mate 9 in the U.S.
• Porsche Design Mate 9 unboxing
• All Huawei Mate 9 news
• Join the discussion in the forums

Jet.com
Amazon

Everything you need to know about Injustice 2 on Android

A proper fighting game befitting a powerful mobile OS!

Injustice 2, Warner Bros’ big DC Universe fighting game, is coming to both consoles and mobile. We recently got a chance to play the mobile version and interview Ray McCaffrey, Associate Producer at NetherRealm Studios, the game developer, to bring you this detailed preview!

The Injustice 2 story comes to mobile

Although the original mobile Injustice game boasted impressive visuals that closely resembled those of the console version, it didn’t retain its big brother’s impressive story mode. That changes with Injustice 2. The new game’s story will be delivered episodically over time, but we’ll eventually get the full narrative on mobile.

NetherRealm took the actual models from the console game (which look fantastic, a few strange costume designs aside) and optimized them for mobile devices.

That raises some concerns about storage space, given that Injustice 2 features a complex narrative with lots of fully voiced cinematics. The first chapter of the story (which features Batman) will simply be built into the game at launch, but future chapters could potentially eat up a lot your phone or tablet’s storage. NetherRealm is currently debated whether to make new chapters available as optional downloads or via streaming. Whatever they decide, players won’t be forced to download the full story just to play the game.

What will the story be like? Injustice 2’s expansive story mode takes place shortly after the last game. Having defeated the evil High Chancellor, Batman and his team of heroes continue fighting to rebuild the Injustice world. Meanwhile, Gorilla Grodd (an evil, super-intelligent gorilla and nemesis of The Flash) forms a team of supervillains called The Society in an attempt to take over this war-torn world.

Grodd’s Society is only the first menace our heroes face. Eventually, both sides must cease hostilities to face a greater threat: Brainiac, the extraterrestrial android bent on capturing or eliminating all life in the universe. Soon Supergirl, also an alien, becomes embroiled in the conflict. She plays a key part in the new story, NetherRealm tells us.

Characters

The mobile version of Injustice 2 will feature most of the characters from the console version at launch, with each character coming in a regular version as well as 1-2 elite versions with different outfits and stats.

NetherRealm took the actual models from the console game (which look fantastic, a few strange costume designs aside) and optimized them for mobile devices. The result is characters that feature an amazing level of detail for a mobile game. Playing the preview build on a tablet, I certainly couldn’t spot any obvious visual downgrades to the characters.

You’ll have to collect and upgrade your character list to get to where the console versions begin.

Unlike the console version, in which the full roster is unlocked from the start, here you’ll collect and upgrade characters – just like in the last mobile Injustice. Characters are broken down into shards that you’ll receive by completing fights and objectives in the various modes. Collect enough shards and you unlock the character to use in battle. Additional shards can be used to level the character up.

Characters also have classes in this version, such as Superman and Wonder Woman falling into the Might class. Some classes have advantages over others, creating a paper-rock-scissors dynamic.

Although NetherRealm hasn’t announced the full mobile lineup, the following characters were unlocked in the preview build:

• Batman
• Catwoman
• Cyborg
• Deadshot: An assassin who never misses a shot, as well as the lead character in the Suicide Squad movie.
• Flash
• Gorilla Grodd: As seen on TV’s The Flash!
• Green Lantern
• Harley Quinn
• Scarecrow: This Batman villain wields a chain-and-sickle.
• Superman
• Wonder Woman

Gameplay

Injustice 2 plays much like the first game did on mobile. Controls have been drastically simplified compared to the console game, but they still offer a decent array of options during combat.

Swiping left and right moves your fighter; up jumps and down ducks. Tap the screen to perform a punch or kick. One corner of the screen has a block button, whereas the other corner has three buttons to perform special moves. It’s quick and easy to learn.

Super moves, Injustice’s version of the X-ray moves from Mortal Kombat, return in a big way. Every character has a unique super move that can only be performed when their super meter (the button in the bottom-center of the screen) has completely filled. Catch the opponent with your super, and you’ll enjoy a cinematic beatdown on a massive scale. Witness Batman’s Batwing jet blasting Gorilla Grodd through the sky in the screenshot above.

Like the first mobile game, fights are three-on-three instead of one-on-one. You can select teammates to complement each other or simply pick your highest-level fighters. Tap a character’s face to tag them in. Tagging out a character allows him or her to regain health while not in use.

Gear and elite characters

Like the console version, Injustice 2 features a gear system. Each fighter can now equip five different pieces of gear, including items for the head, chest, arms, legs, and accessories. This equipment not only allows you to customize a character’s appearance, it also provides stat boosts. Thus gear of higher rarities will provide better bonuses than common gear.

In the mobile version, each piece of gear can be leveled up independently. If you fully level up all five pieces of a character’s gear, the character model and card art changes to the elite version of that character. Elite characters look different and are more powerful than regular fighters. A few elites we saw include Speed Force Flash, Emerald Green Lantern, and Horrific Scarecrow.

Modes

The mobile version of Injustice 2 features a variety of modes to play:

• Campaign: Play through a series of increasingly tough battles, winning gear and character shards.
• Training missions: Daily rotating mission that give class XP (Might class on Mondays, etc.).
• Operations: Send characters out on missions for a specific period of time.
• Arena: Asynchronous player-versus-player battles.
• Challenges: A series of rotating events, similar to Multiverse mode in the console versions. Challenges last for a few days and offer characters as rewards.
• Leagues: Form leagues with friends and team up to take on raids and other league-specific content.
• Story: Experience the same story as the console versions as heroes and villains are forced to team up to stop Brainiac from destroying the world.

Free to play elements

Injustice 2 is free to play on mobile. Like many free to play games, it will feature two currencies: credits (soft currency earned from battles) and gems (premium currency). All characters and gear can be earned without buying premium currency, NetherRealm tells us. But buying gems will certainly speed things along, allowing you to buy XP boosters, character shards, and other items.

The game will also use an energy system. We’re not sure whether all fights use energy or just fights you lose – hopefully energy isn’t so limited that it hurts the fun factor.

An epic superhero battle approaches

The Android version of Injustice 2 looks like it will be a fine sequel to the original Injustice. The first game’s addictive character collection element returns, this time enhanced with a gear system that lets you unlock elite characters. The controls are still fast and simple, and the graphics look better than ever. And the story mode will provide even more reason to keep playing beyond simply collecting characters.

A big part of the appeal in these games is the roster of fighters, but we only saw eleven characters in the preview build. Hopefully the final roster of characters will include more of the console version’s new characters like Swamp Thing, Firestorm, and Captain Cold. If NetherRealm squeezes in more characters and balances the energy system fairly, Injustice 2 could become one of the best mobile fighting games around.

Injustice 2 is set to arrive on Android and iOS alongside the console versions on May 16. The mobile versions will be free to play. Preregister now to get Catwoman as a playable character when the game launches!

Disclosure: Our travel to the Injustice 2 preview event was provided by Warner Bros. Studios.

T-Mobile is doing a Galaxy S8 BOGO offer for Mother’s Day

T-Mo has BOGO fever for Mother’s Day!

T-Mobile has a pretty rad offer for Mother’s Day: buy a Galaxy S8 on a T-Mobile One plan and get the second one free, or free-ish, with the start of another line. Let’s break it down.

The deal is pretty simple: if you buy a Galaxy S8 or S8+ on T-Mo’s Equipment Installment Plan (0% financing over 24 months) on the company’s Unlimited Plan (which we rated the best in the U.S. right now), you get a $750 prepaid credit card to cover the cost of a second Galaxy S8 as long as you sign up for a second line with T-Mobile One. If you buy a Galaxy S8+, you’ll need to put down an extra $100 up front.

There are a couple catches: you’ll have to put money down on the second S8 at the time of purchase, and pay taxes on the full $750 cost, and T-Mobile will issue a rebate, through a prepaid card, within eight weeks. And if you cancel service before the card is issued, you obviously don’t get the card and have to pay full price on the second phone.

Interested? Let us know in the comments!

See at T-Mobile

How to 3D Print anything created in VR

You can go from VR art to physical creation in hours.

Most of the demonstrations you see for VR are games, because they’re exciting and fun and don’t require a lot of skill or understanding to jump in and out. The same can not be said for VR art software, which is being used by artists all around the world to create anything and everything in a truly unique way. When the canvas is space itself, and you can manipulate the scale of the thing you’re creating, in the hands of a creative individual the end results are often amazing.

This ability to view your creations as an almost physical thing is a big deal, and with the right software you can go the next step and actually print your designs in a 3D Printer.

Read more at VR Heads!

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