Top 5 Budget Headphones!

For this weeks Appy Friday we’re giving you a list of our top 5 best headphones on a budget. Whether you want some headphones for going to the gym or need some for travelling with. There is a range of different types of headphones in here, depending on what you need them for.

Affordable earbuds:
RHA S500
Price: £29.95
These affordable earbuds have great quality all-around balanced audio with great bass. The earbuds themselves include a remote and microphone for voice control through Google Assistant and Siri. Also included in this price is 3 years warranty and 7 extra noise isolating silicone ear tips and clothing clips for when you’re at the gym or doing sports. Overall these are a great set of earphones for the price.

Affordable wireless earbuds:
Anker Bluetooth Headphones
Price: £22.99
The Anker Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for small, wireless earphones and they last up to 7 hours from a single charge. These earphones have a great lightweight design but also have customisable EarTips and InEar-Hooks making them a more comfortable fit for you. These earphones are also water-resistant, having both a IPX5 water-resistant shell and internal nano-coating so there is a double layer of protection. For this price, you get 4 different size EarTips, 3 different types of InEar-Hooks, a FitClip, Shirt Clip, Micro USB Cable, Travel Pouch and 18-month warranty. So, you definitely get a lot for your money with these earphones.

Affordable noise cancelling headphones:
CB3 HUSH Noise Cancelling Headphones
Price: £69.99
Noise cancelling headphones can come with quite a hefty price tag however these CB3 HUSH headphones have a pretty reasonable price tag compared to other similar headphones. Another great thing about these headphones is that they are wireless as well as noise cancelling so there are no wires to get in the way. However, also included in the price is an aux-cable so it’s up to your personal preference. There is also a little built-in microphone on these headphones. Overall these headphones are great quality for the price as they include the headphones, a carrying pouch, a micro USB, audio cable and an in-flight adapter for aeroplanes too.

Affordable on-ear headphones:
Skullcandy Grind Headphones
Price: £21.99
These are the most affordable headphones on this list and the most bass heavy on here. These headphones do have a built-in microphone, but unfortunately no sound controls. That’s a shame, but for the price, this may be as expected. The Skullcandy headphones are very light but strong so a good option for travelling.

Affordable on-ear wireless headphones:
Creative Sound Blaster JAM
Price: £38.90
These Creative Sound Blaster JAM are very lightweight with great sound quality. However, they seem a little bit fragile and apparently don’t have very good noise cancelling properties as they do let noise in from your surroundings. However, these may be great in an office environment where there may not be too much background noise.

So, there's this weeks Appy Friday. Personally, I think the best on this list is the Anker Bluetooth Headphones as I think that for the price these are the best quality and the easiest for travelling with. Let us know if you have any of these headphones!

Top 5 Apps For Summer 2018!

For this weeks Appy Friday, we’re giving you our top 5 apps for the summer, from finding things to do this summer, to finding out when is best for your skin type to be in the sun without you burning. There are many apps on this list to help you have the best summer and make the most of the weather!

Eventbrite
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
The Eventbrite app helps you to discover events near you. The app can give you personalised recommendations for events that you may enjoy. You can also see what events your friends are going to. Once you have booked your events you can access all your information for the event via the app. Another thing that is great about this app is that you don’t need any paper tickets as your tickets come through via the app so there’s no more losing or forgetting your tickets.

GetYourGuide
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
The GetYourGuide app is great for if your going somewhere new and aren’t sure what to do or see, or even in the place you live there may be things that you have never done/ never thought of doing. That’s what makes this app so helpful is that for on those days where you feel stuck for things to do and have just run out of ideas then this app comes in so handy, especially with the summer holidays just starting!

Bandsintown
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
This app is another great one for finding concerts and gigs in your area. You can even follow the bands and artists you are interested in, and then the app will send you a notification if the band or artists announce any shows near you.

Wolfram
Platform: iOS
Cost: £0.99
The Wolfram app is very clever and is a great app to have in these high temperatures. The app learns your skin type and then tells you when you should stay out of the sun. And when you will be most likely to get burnt depending on your skin type. The app also tells you how long it’s safe for you to stay outside for, and what the UV forecast is for your area. This app also works in many different places so is very useful if you are going on holiday.

TripIt
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
The TripIt app helps you to keep all your plans in one place. Once you book something you simply forward on it on to the app and it puts together an easy to follow itinerary. This makes it a lot easier to see everything you have going on this summer. It can also store the confirmation emails that you may need to use to get into some of your plans so that you don’t have to rummage through your email inbox for the emails for each thing.

So, that’s this weeks Appy Friday. My personal favourite apps are the Eventbrite app and TripIt as they are both just so useful. The Eventbrite app is so great for finding things to do, and the TripIt app is also so helpful for keeping all your information for trips in one place. Let us know if you use any of these apps and which ones are your favourite!

How To Record the Screen on Your iPhone, Android phone, PC, or Mac!

For this weeks Appy Friday, we’re giving you a quick how-to guide on screen recording for Apple devices, Android devices, on Windows PC’s, and Mac’s too. Screen recording is so helpful when you’re trying to explain something to someone, and you don’t want to write it out in a lot of wordy text.

Recording the Screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod)

1. First, go to Settings then to the Control Center and click Customise Controls. Scroll down the page to find the Screen Recording option and tap the little green plus next to it.
2. Then open the Control Center.
3. In order to record sound with the screen recording, press with pressure on the white filled in circle and then tap Microphone Audio On.
4. Then tap the circle symbol again and wait for the 3-second countdown.
5. Finally, to stop the recording open the Control Center again and tap the red circle, or tap the red bar at the top of the screen and then tap stop.

Recording the screen on your Android device

1. Firstly, download the AZ Recorder app and tap on the icon once downloaded.
2. Once the app has opened you should then see some icons at the bottom of your screen. When you are ready to record in the bottom left corner there is a shutter icon, tap that. The overlay will disappear when you start recording, then when you are finished and want to stop recording, drag down the overlay and then you can either stop or pause your recording.
3. Also in this app, there are some editing tools. There is also a photo icon on the overlay, this option will let you cut and edit the video as well as crop the screen.

Recording the screen on your Windows PC

1. To screen record on the desktop open up the ‘Use Loom’ website.
2. Continue by either selecting to use your Google account to log in or your Slack account to log in. Then install the extension.
3. Once you have done this, there will be a small icon in the top right-hand corner on the toolbar on your browser. Then a pop-up box will appear in which there are a few options, the first being to record both the screen and through your camera, then there is just screen or just the camera. Once you have selected which you want to record press the start recording button.
4. Then to stop recording in the bottom left-hand corner there are some icons, the green tick will allow you to stop recording.
   

Recording the screen on your Apple Mac

1. To screen record on a Mac, open Quicktime. You can do this by holding command and space in order to bring up Spotlight search then begin typing QuickTime.
2. Next, right click on the QuickTime icon, and then choose New Screen Recording from the menu. Once you have pressed this a screen recording box will open on your screen.
3. Next, to the record button on the pop-up screen recording box there is a small white down arrow, press this to see more options like choosing if you want to record the audio also and other options like this.
4. When you are ready to record you can select whether you want to record part of your screen or all of it. If you only want to record part of the screen, click the record button and then a message will pop up telling you to drag the marque across the part you want to record, once you have done this click the record button again. If you wish to record the whole screen then just click the record button and then click anywhere on the screen to start recording.
5. To stop the recording right click on the QuickTime icon again and choose stop recording from the menu.
   

So, that was this weeks Appy Friday. I find screen recording so helpful when you’re trying to explain something technical, as it takes away so many of the complications of explaining how to do something. Let us know if you have any other apps that you use for screen recording that you find useful.

A Decent Smartphone For Just £99?

For this weeks Appy Friday, we are letting you know about the newest affordable smartphone on the market. Honor has released their cheapest phone yet, the Honor 7S, which is only £99 so great for anyone on a budget. So what do you get for your money? Read on to find out...

If you're in the market for a budget smartphone this year, then this new release from Honor may just be the answer. You may not have heard of Honor, but they’re a subsidiary brand of Huawei, the largest telecoms manufacturer in the world. The Honor company aim to provide cheap devices for smartphone users and the 7S has been no exception to this as it is on sale for just £99! Even the highest quality phone from Honor retails for only £445. The aim of the Honor 7S is to just provide the essentials of what people want from a smartphone.

The 7S’s price is a shock when you read some of its features. There is a 13MP rear camera with PDAF fast focusing technology and a 5MP front camera with LED selfie light. Perfect for capturing images even in low lit areas. Along with this, the phone has a great receiver so that you can make clear sounding phone calls even if you’re in a loud area. There is also space for 2 SIMs and a microSD and a smart managed battery.

The 7S has a 5.45-inch screen with a 1440 x 720 resolution and can record 1080p videos. The phone also has a decent size battery with the capacity of 3,020mAh. The 7S also runs on Android 8.1 (currently the very latest version) and has a 1.5Ghz quad-core processor. There is also the generic 3.5mm headphone jack on the top.

Overall, the 7S sounds like it’ll be the best phone for its price point as it has all the essentials that you need on a smartphone. This phone would be perfect for all those people who don’t have £1000+ to spend on a phone. Although it’s a basic, it would be perfect for anyone who isn’t in need of an all singing all dancing phone, as this has no frills but is great at what it does.

So, that was this weeks Appy Friday. I think this phone is so different from any of the other really cheap phones on the market and is actually pretty decent quality. This phone will be great if you aren’t really in need of a phone that can do it all, just one that can do the essentials. Let us know if you will be trying the new Honor phone! We’ll be getting one shortly at Appware HQ so will let you know how we get on with it.

Everything You Need To Know About Nintendo At E3 2018!

For this weeks Appy Friday, we’re giving you a rundown on everything that Nintendo introduced at E3 last week. E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo which is a trade event for the gaming industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). There were a lot of highly anticipated games presented. There were also some interesting ideas for the Switch and how it will be used in these new games, making for some great announcements to get excited about when released this year.

The E3 conference was last week and there was a lot announced, Microsoft showed around 50 new titles which incorporated 15 exclusives. Sony went for a different approach, as they only announced a few new titles. However, they went into a more depth with each of them. They featured real gameplay footage and much more information on the games.

However, in this blog, we’re going to concentrate on what Nintendo had to say.

The main thing that people were interested in, is that Nintendo announced was Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The new game will feature every single fighter from all Smash games they have ever produced, making this an impressive one. It was described by Nintendo as ‘the biggest crossover in gaming history’ so it’s definitely one to try when it’s released! Also set to make a return in this game, is 8 player battles. The Super Smash Bros game will work with the GameCube controller, and they have introduced a new challenger which has been requested for a long time, Metroidbeast.

There was also news of a few highly anticipated games like Fortnite and Hollow Knight along with a few indie sequels being announced. But mainly the conference revolved around the Super Smash Bros game for Nintendo. However, the trailer for the Super Mario Party game was rather interesting as it showed 4 people laying 2 Nintendo switches on a table and then rearranging them to use both screens, which is an interesting idea.

There were also mentions of both Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee both being released on November 16th, accompanied by a PokeBall plus accessory. Also mentioned was a version on Killer Queen coming to the Switch later on this year and being called Killer Queen Black. Also coming to Switch this year is Overcooked 2, DragonBall FighterZ, SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy and Octopath Traveler which is out in July.

So, that’s this weeks Appy Friday. There were so many announcements from E3 this year, it’s got a lot of people very excited for the upcoming releases, especially Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Let us know which games your most excited about and if you’ll be getting any when they’re released.

Top 5 Bits Of Tech You Can Buy Right Now!

For this week’s Appy Friday we are letting you know about 5 bits of top tech that you can buy right now. It ranges from phones and TVs to VR headsets so there’s something on this list for everyone to try, with a wide range of prices.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Smartphone
Price: £929
This is one of the best (if not the best) smartphones on the market at the moment as it comes with everything you could want. Great performance, and an especially good camera so you can always capture a great photo. This phone has a lovely 6.2-inch screen, with decent battery life so is a great phone to try this year.

Samsung Q9FN QLED TV
Price: From £2,499.00
This TV has the full works, it’s huge (from 55 to a whopping 75-inch screen!) with great well-rounded sound, and has incredible HDR picture quality. However, this TV does come with a hefty price tag, although the TV is incredibly high quality and you definitely get what you pay for with this device. This Samsung TV uses a FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) panel in conjunction with QLED Quantum Dots to create a brighter and more colourful picture.

Moov Now Fitness Tracker
Price: £47
This small fitness tracker is a great alternative to a FitBit, as it has a great 6-month battery life so there’ll be no batteries cutting out and dying. With this device, you can track your steps, sleep, fitness, and running technique. Along with many other features, you can use it to help you keep on top of your health and fitness this year.

HTC Vive VR Headset
Price: £499
If you’re into VR, then this could be the perfect headset for you. The HTC Vive claims to be the best VR headset on the market. The resolution is of the highest quality with a 1080p screen per eye. Although the headset comes with a rather high price tag (and you also need a high spec computer too), if you're in the market for a VR headset then this is the best one on the market to try this year.

Sennheiser Momentum Wireless Headphones
Price: £272.50
This pair of headphones is a pretty good all-rounder as it has wireless capabilities, great battery life and a nice sleek look. As everyone looks for something slightly different in headphones (whether that be ones to go to the gym in or just headphones for watching things on the go), these are the best all-rounders with them being both wireless and having great high sound quality.

So, there is this week’s Appy Friday. Personally, the one gadget that I would like to try this year is the Momentum Wireless Headphones or the HTC Vive as the Vive is such an innovative high-quality product which is the best in its field. Let us know if you’ll be trying any of these devices this year!

All You Need To Know From WWDC 2018!

For this weeks Appy Friday, we’re giving you all you need to know from this years WWDC (Apple's World Wide Developers Conference) 2018 in California. At the event, Apple announced a range of things starting with the updated iOS 12, Apple Watch updates and a few more handy new features.

The main announcement from WWDC 2018 from Apple was the next generation of iPhone operating system, iOS 12. The iOS update comes with a range of new features including group FaceTime, improvements to Siri and new Animoji. Another thing that Apple will be rolling out in 2018 is the ARKit 2.0, which is the next generation of augmented reality on iPhone. The ARKit 2.0 showed 3D object detection, improved face tracking and shared experiences.

Last year Apple introduced Bitmoji’s and at this year’s Apple event they brought Animoji. The new version introduces a way to create custom avatars to look like you. Also, the announcement of group FaceTime calls is massively welcomed as you can now FaceTime with up to 32 people with the iOS 12 update.

Apple also showed the new features that will appear in the Apple Watch with the updated operating system. One being that there are new workout types added, like hiking and yoga as well as with Siri shortcuts. As well as this, you can now talk to your watch like a walkie-talkie.

Another interesting feature that Apple introduced, are options to track your usage on specific apps and you can now set time limits to spend on apps so that you don’t get too distracted by your phone. There are also improved parental control features taking phone usage much more seriously.

In the Mac world Apple announced the new operating system, Mojave is the latest update which has a ‘dark mode’ which dims the screen, great for when your working at night. They have also introduced a new way of viewing documents in Finder.

The final thing that Apple announced was that you can now create custom Siri commands. You can do this by piecing together a few activities and questions within Siri which gives users the chance to respond to voice commands.

So, that's is this weeks Appy Friday. I think the most useful new feature will be the all-new group FaceTime which is going to be very useful when you’re trying to organise something with a group of people. As usually, it's near impossible to arrange something that everyone can attend. Let us know what feature you are most looking forward too?

Top 5 Camera Apps!

For this week’s Appy Friday we’re giving you our top 5 camera apps. These range from helping improve your camera’s zoom, to giving you more control over the lighting and sizing of the images. This helps you make them look that little bit more professional, even though they are taken on your phone.

Camera+

Platform: iOS

Cost: FREE

The Camera + app is a great all-rounder camera app. It has editable exposure and focus so that you can control how light or dark your images come out. Another thing this app has is alternative shooting modes. For example, there is a stabilizer to steady your phone to achieve the best quality photos. There is also a digital zoom, front flash, horizon level and the innovative Lightbox feature which lets you quickly skim through all your images to get rid of bad shots quickly.

ProCam 5

Platform: iOS

Cost: £5.99

The ProCam 5 app is a great tool to help your phone photography. Although it’s £5.99 the app covers all areas of photography with its 8 shooting modes, including night mode and slow shutter. It also features 4 shutter release options so you can get some really interesting shots. The ProCam app has the most varied features to help you achieve the best images.

Open Camera

Platform: Android

Cost: FREE

The open camera app is one of the best on Android as it allows you to auto-stabilize your camera at the perfect level. There is also support for focus modes, scene modes, colour effects, white balance, ISO, exposure compensation and face detection. The app also features different remote controls for setting timers and an auto-repeat mode. As well as this, the app has a clever feature where you can take photos remotely by making a noise, whether that be by voice command or whistle.

VSCO Cam

Platform: iOS and Android

Cost: FREE

The VSCO Cam app is a much more social media based app. It turns the camera app into something similar to Instagram, in that you can post the images you take and edit within that app. You can then share all your creations with followers that you can build up in the app. You can also get inspiration from other creators by following their work.

Camera ZOOM FX

Platform: Android

Cost: FREE

This camera app for Android devices has full manual DSLR controls. You can set ISO, focus distance, exposure and shutter speed. The app also gives you the ability to combine shooting modes like a timer, HDR, stable and timelapse.

So that’s this week’s Appy Friday. My personal favourite is the VSCO Cam app and the Camera + app as these are great all-rounders. They just take great images and have editing capabilities built into them, so you can take the image, edit it, and post it all through the same app. Let us know if you use any of these apps!

Nintendo Labo!

For this week’s Appy Friday we are giving you a rundown on the Nintendo Labo. It’s a range of DIY toys to make the accessories for the best selling Nintendo Switch. Whether you’re a lover of music and want to make the cardboard piano or want to build your own robot, the Nintendo Labo range allows you to create anything.

The Nintendo Switch was a huge success for Nintendo when it was released in March 2017 and sold over 10 million units within the first 10 months of it being available which made it the fastest-selling console of US history.

Now Nintendo has produced the Labo which was announced in early 2018. Labo is a line of DIY toys that can be connected to the Switch or Joy-Con controller which opens up a new range of games on the Switch. The Labo acts like the extra accessories you could buy for the Nintendo Wii. Accessories like a steering wheel for Mario Kart, but with Labo, you make your own accessories out of the cardboard pieces.

When you buy one of the accessories from Labo it comes in a small kit. In the kit there are multiple pieces of pre-cut cardboard, specifically cut to create your own little constructions that Nintendo call Toy-Cons. Also in the kit, is the digital manual to guide you through building the toys on the Switch itself. The hope of the Nintendo Labo is to get people interested in the engineering of devices, design and gaming.

There are many toys available to create; a fishing rod to play the fishing game, you can make a piano, you can even build a robot suit that has a visor and backpack to turn you into a real-life robot! And you can even put together a small car to drive around your house. There are two main Labo kits, the first being the ‘Variety Kit’ which comes with several toys to make and costs £59.99, the second being the robot kit which allows you to build the robot suit and it costs £69.99 which was released April 27th, 2018.

On the Joy-Con controllers, there is an embedded camera and the console has a touchscreen. This means that if you have the piano Toy-Con, it can actually watch the piano keys to see which you are pressing and see how well you are doing. The Nintendo Labo has endless opportunities to make new and innovative creations. This makes the games more exciting and interactive, getting people involved in creating the toys themselves.

So, that’s this weeks Appy Friday. I think the idea of creating your own accessories is so innovative. It makes the idea of the Switch so much more ingenious, as no matter what your age, you can enjoy building the Toy-Cons. It’s very different from anything any of the console manufacturers have done before. Let us know if you would try the Labo or already have some of the kits!

Top 5 Travel Apps Of 2018!

For this weeks Appy Friday, we’re giving you the top 5 apps you need if you’re going away this year or travel regularly. This list contains a range of different apps that can help you find cheap flights or last minute hotels so there’s something on here to help you no matter where you’re going.

Skyscanner
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
This app is great for searching for cheap flights if you fly regularly. It allows you to compare what the cheapest days and months are to fly with their colour coded calendar charts. A great thing about this app is that there are no extra fees as they don’t charge any booking fees, so there are no hidden costs. If you do travel regularly then you can build frequent flyer miles by booking through the app.

Airbnb
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
Airbnb is great for finding places to stay, organising day trips and experiences. The app has over 4 million holiday home rentals across 191+ countries. You can sort through these with filters of price, neighbourhood, amenities and more so you can find the perfect place for you to stay. Within the app, you can book the rentals for just a few nights or months depending on your needs, so if you’re going travelling for a long period of time this app is great. Through the app, you can also try out new local experiences by native experts.

Hotel Tonight
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
This app is great for last minute bookings or long term bookings. You can book hotels for tonight, tomorrow, next week or months in advance. The Hotel Tonight app is great for those spontaneous trips and visits that you can sometimes struggle to get hotels booked in time. This app helps to avoid those difficulties. There is also a range of different filters to help you find the best possible hotel for you.

Packpoint
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
This app tries to stop you forgetting something when you go away, as it builds a customised packing list depending on what you’ll be doing, and where you are travelling to. As you are packing you can then tick off the things on the list, ensuring you have all the things you’ll need for your trip.

XE Currency
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
If you travel regularly this app is great for you. It shows the latest exchange rates, and stores them from when you last had Wi-Fi, so you can view them even when you don’t have any internet. The app can monitor up to 10 currencies all at once, along with the live rates being refreshed each minute for every world currency.

So, there’s this week's Appy Friday. My favourite of these is a tie between the Packpoint app and Airbnb as the Packpoint app helps me make sure I don’t forget anything and the Airbnb app is just so handy for finding alternative places to stay. Let us know if you use any of these apps!

Is This The Best New Budget Smartphone On The Market?

This week for Appy Friday we’re giving you a great budget alternative smartphone, seeing as not all of us can justify the £1000 Samsung and Apple devices. The new Motorola devices have the potential to be the best budget smartphones on the market. So we’re going to give you a rundown of what makes these devices so great for the price.

The first two phones from Motorola are the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play. Both of these are due for release in the UK on May 9th 2018. The most expensive of the four new phones from Motorola is the Moto G6 which is £219. There is also a slightly upgraded version of this exclusive to Amazon with more RAM (4GB rather than 3GB) and more internal memory (64GB rather than 32GB) for just £20 more. The G6 has a premium feel with a curved 3D glass design similar to the old Moto X4. The G6 has a 5.7-inch screen with 1080p full HD resolution, there is also an oval shape finger sensor on the phone, to help it keep up to date with the latest more expensive devices. The camera on this phone also keeps up to date with Samsung and Apple as it has dual rear cameras (12MP and 5MP) and an 8MP front camera. The camera also has some great features using AI where you can point your camera at a landmark and it will provide information about it. There’s also another camera mode which allows you to scan text and select only the parts you want to copy.

The Moto G6 Play is fairly similar to the original G6 however it’s a little be cheaper at £169.99. This device has the same size screen as 18:9 with a 5.7-inch HD+ screen so it’s identical to the more expensive version. The camera on this device is a single 13MP rear and an 8MP front camera. So overall there isn’t much difference between the two Moto G6 variations.

The next two budget phones from Motorola are the E5’s, there is the E5 Plus and the E5 Play (though not in the UK). The Moto E5 will cost £119 in the UK, while the Moto E5 Plus is an additional £30 at £149. Both of these phones are due for release during June in the UK.The E5 Plus has an 18:9 6-inch HD+ screen along with a 12MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera like the other two Motorola smartphones. The E5 Plus also has the largest battery out of all the new Motorola devices.

So, there’s this weeks Appy Friday. I think these devices are a great alternative to the £1000+ smartphones, the Moto G6, in particular, is a great device with a good camera and features which make it the best budget phone available at the moment. Let us know if you’re going to try one of these devices!

Top 5 Apps You Should Have!

This week for Appy Friday, we’re letting you know all the apps you should have on your phone. There really is something on here for everyone to try from genius alarm clock apps to the best ways to take notes efficiently. So why not give one a go?

Evernote

Platform: iOS and Android

Cost: FREE

The Evernote app helps you to stay organised effortlessly with notebooks, checklists and to-do lists. You can also take notes in various different forms. For example; text, sketches, photo’s, audio, video, PDF’s and web clippings to make the best notes for you. The app allows you to scan and digitise your paper documents, handwritten notes and drawings.

Overcast

Platform: iOS

Cost: FREE

Overcast is a podcast app which allows you to find new podcasts and see recommendations via Twitter, from there you can then create playlists of your favourite podcasts to listen to. The app will also send you notifications when a new episode of your favourite podcast is released. There is also a feature where you can download the podcasts so you can listen to or watch them on the go.

Camera+

Platform: iOS

Cost: £2.99

This is a great app to take and edit incredible photos. The app has features which let you remove red-eye issues, change shooting modes, adjust clarity, add effects, and digitally zoom so there’s something on there to help everyone.

Sleep Cycle

Platform: iOS

Cost: FREE

This app is quite possibly one of the best alarm clock apps on the market, as it doesn’t just sound out your alarm at a certain time, but it gets to know you and your sleeping patterns so that it can analyse when is the best time for you to be woken up. It aims to wake up in your lightest sleep phase within a 30-minute window that you set for you to be woken up in, it is said to therefore, make it much easier to wake up feeling relaxed and rested.

Grammarly Keyboard

Platform: iOS and Android

Cost: FREE

Grammarly is a great thing to have ticking over in the background of your keyboard on your phones to help get rid of any of those embarrassing spelling errors in messages and posts. This app looks for grammatical errors, contextual errors, and has advanced punctuation correction built in.

So, there are this weeks top 5 apps you need to try this year. My personal favourite is the Grammarly keyboard as it helps to avoid any awkward spelling or grammar errors at all times. Let us know if you have any of these apps already or if you’re going to try any of these!

New Apple Mac Pro In 2019?

For Appy Friday this week, we’re giving you all we know on the Apple Mac Pro. With it being rumoured to be released in 2019, there are lots of rumours going around about what this new desktop will contain and look like as it’s highly anticipated. So, here’s all we know about the price, spec, look and release dates.

It’s been many years since the release of the last Mac Pro, Apple hinted about a Mac Pro upgrade last year. Then later on in December 2017, they had a press release for the new iMac Pro sale so from then on it was clear that the new Mac was in active development.

The new Apple dedicated desktop is set for release in early 2019 and it’s more than likely that is will cost roughly the same as the current models if not slightly more.

The 2013 Mac Pro computer was first seen at the 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2013 and was then released for sale in December 2013. That being the case it is still possible for the new desktop to be teased at the WWDC 2018, however, it’s unlikely that the computer will make it into the public's hands before early 2019. If it doesn’t make an appearance there, however, it could be seen at the latest in October/ November time after the September iPhone launch.

Apple said that the new Mac Pro would be designed for the pro customers as it will be designed to the highest level of performance and design. The system also will have a new high-end display. There were some rumours in September that it would have an 8K resolution screen with a 32-inch display.

Something that you don’t have to wait for though is the release of the Product (RED) iPhone 8 and 8 Plus which is released on 13th April. Apple released the Product (RED) iPhone 7 at a similar time last year with some of the proceeds going to fighting HIV and AIDS in Africa.

So, there’s all we know about the 2019 release of the new Mac Pro. Also the new Product (RED) iPhone 8 and 8 Plus release today, let us know if you’ll be buying the red iPhone or if you’re waiting to buy the Mac Pro in 2019.

Top 5 Tech Gifts Under £20

With Christmas right around the corner, we are starting out with Christmas tech gifts under £20 so that you can buy people cool tech gifts on a budget. Not only this but these are great gifts to get for people when you don't know what to get them. So for your first instalment of Appware's Christmas here's a rundown of our top 5 tech gifts under £20, ranging from cheaper stocking filler gifts to stand alone cool tech gifts suitable for anyone.

1. Mrice E300 Earbuds (Amazon- £19.03)

For those who don't want to splash out on expensive earphones that will most likely end up lost. These are the perfect gift for those who are always either losing their earphones or always borrowing yours, not only is the price tag nice they also have a great sound quality.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MRICE-E300-BL-Premium-Earbuds-Black/dp/B01DY8G5NK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1510665154&sr=8-2&keywords=Mrice+E300+Earbuds

2. Branch Earphone Splitter (Amazon- £9.37)

A branch earphone splitter is a great stocking filler for all those music lovers and are great for times when you're with friends and want to listen to the same music, they always come in handy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kikkerland-US005-W-White-Branch-Splitter/dp/B0042RVAD8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510665192&sr=1-1&keywords=Branch+Earphone+Splitter

3.Volport Magnetic 360 Degree Smartphone Mount (Amazon- £8.99)

This is also a great stocking filler, especially for those who travel a lot. Not only is it great for using in your car but also your desk/ bedside table so your phone is always at the right angle. This mount is also compatible with both Apple and Android devices.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnetic-Rotatable-Smartphone-Universal-Microsoft/dp/B01DKDRT9I/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510665225&sr=1-1&keywords=Volport+Magnetic+360+Degree+Smartphone+Mount

4. Poweradd Pilot X7 20,000mAh Portable Universal External Power Bank (Amazon- £19.99)

This is a great gift for anyone with a mobile as there are always those times when you need to leave but your phone is only on 10% battery and you need a power bank. A power bank always comes in very handy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poweradd-Portable-Universal-External-Red-Black/dp/B00XVTJKCQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510665263&sr=1-1&keywords=Poweradd+Pilot+X7+20%2C000mAh+Portable+Universal+External+Power+Bank

5. Fizz Plug and Play JoyPad Arcade Game (ASOS- £14.99)

This retro joypad comes with 200 games built in, it's a fun gift for any tech or gaming lover. This fun little game is a great stocking filler or main gift for anyone who's a child at heart and is also a great time passer.

http://www.asos.com/fizz-creations/fizz-plug-play-joy-pad-arcade-game/prd/8101757

So, there's our list of top 5 tech gifts under £20. One that I have actually bought for someone this year is the Fizz Plug and Play JoyPad Arcade Game from ASOS as it's an affordable gift for those who enjoy games and you aren't sure what to get them. Let us know what tech gifts you'll be buying for your friends and family this year. We hope this has helped your Christmas present shopping this year.

Thanks,

Emily.