AppAdvice App Of The Week For June 22, 2012

Every week, our staff will handpick an app from the past seven days that we believe is a must-download for your iPhone or iPad. These apps will always be from various categories, but they are chosen because our own staff members love it and have been using them daily. So here are this week’s picks! Enjoy!

This week, our pick aims to help you be more productive with your iPhone. Launch Center Pro will be your one-stop hub for launching apps and actions.

While the original Launch Center was a great app for getting quick access to apps, it got a bit messy when you had over nine app shortcuts, since it utilized a list format. LCP uses a grid format that is very similar to that of the iPhone’s home screen, so it’s easier to recognize where your actions are, and launch them quickly.

Once you get used to using LCP, it will feel like a second home screen on your device. Launch it, and it will have a main screen filled with whatever apps and actions you want. Additionally, it now supports groups, so you can organize shortcuts for calling and messaging your favorite contacts, have a subgroup of your most-used apps, and even have bookmarks for websites. The possibilities are endless.

Groups and app actions can be customized as well, with a myriad of icons and subtle tile backgrounds. LCP is also geared specifically towards app actions, rather than just apps, as the original LC was. This means quick access to searching Google, adding new items to OmniFocus, launching right into the camera function in Instagram, searching Yelp, and much more.

Launch Center Pro is available for the introductory price of only $2.99 (it will be back up to $4.99 after), and it’s definitely earned a spot on my iPhone’s dock, as well as many of the other staff members here on AppAdvice. Give it a try and see how much easier using your iPhone can be with it.

Check out my original, in-depth review of Launch Center Pro here.

Our Honorable Mention this week will be great for those that have kids. Reading Rainbow, the popular children’s television series with LeVar Burton that ran from 1983 to 2006, is now back as an iPad app. Yep, that’s right — now you can have Burton be a host right on your iPad!

For those that are unfamiliar with Reading Rainbow, it encourages children to read, while providing book reviews and recommendations.

With Reading Rainbow on iPad, children will be able to travel to a series of themed islands to discover brand new fiction and non-fiction books, with audio storytelling from various celebrities, including Burton himself. These stories are sure to entertain children, since they feature light, interactive animations and activities that will strengthen the overall reading experience. Children can feel free to read them on their own too.

There is definitely enough content in here to entertain children for a while, with over 150 interactive books to read. Updates are promised to expand the library, and there are even a few video field trips, with more coming in the future. A dashboard will provide parents with information on their child’s progress.

The app is free, though you are limited to a single book and introductory videos. There are subscriptions available for access to more, which start at $9.99 a month or a six-month recurring subscription for $29.99.

Make sure to check out our original article here.

For video coverage of these apps, don’t miss Robin’s AppAdvice Daily below!

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