Today's Best Apps: Loop And Night Sky 2
Loop - Social Polling by Nquiry, LLC (Free, 4.6 MB): Whether silly or serious, this poll-based social-networking app makes it fun and easy to get the opinions of others. The minimalistic UI encompassing a list of text, inline photos, as well as simple selection and navigation buttons will feel comfortably familiar to those utilizing other new social apps, such as Vine. In fact, the functionality and usability of the app and service is just as efficient and painless. Simply tap the "+" at the bottom of the screen, then adding the question and possible answer or opting for a basic "Yes / No" response. Exploring and voting, which can be done as a guest, involves browsing questions from only your friends or checking out what's on everyone's mind in the full feed. Beyond voting, there's a comments section plus a statistics panel featuring age and gender data. The app allows sign-up through email, Twitter, or Facebook.
Universal:Night Sky 2 by iCandi Apps ($0.99, 134.2 MB): A seemingly lightyear leap ahead of its predecessor, this stargazing app may help thin your astronomy toolbox. In the distance and on the surface there are even more detailed graphics and pleasant background gradients. Speaking of delightful, what's that wonderful sound you now hear? Yes, it is a brand new soundtrack with seven instrumental pieces that can be enabled and disabled as desired. Getting back to the visuals, at the forefront of your view sits a streamlined user interface. Along with cleanliness, the UI contains some new features, including search function access in the top-left corner, a night mode toggle within the view and sound options menu at the bottom-left, as well as the ability to see more information by double tapping on objects. Next, let's have a quick overview of three new sections. Offering easier planning, the built-in weather report area has essential data and color-coded sky viewing quality rank indicators and optional push notifications. As a related bonus, the app also has an integrated moon phase calendar. Especially useful to new stargazers, the members-only Night Sky Community provides suggestions and insight, such as light pollution data, for choosing the perfect viewing site. Community subscriptions range from $2.99 per month to $20.99 for two years of access.