Best new apps of the week: Simple Machines and Sleep Science HQ
Every week, our staff will handpick an app from the past two weeks that we believe is a must-have 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!
Simple Machines
Have fun teaching kids about physics with our App of the Week.
Do you have small children and want them to learn physics in a fun and creative way? Then you should check out our App of the Week, Simple Machines by Tinybop.
In the latest educational app from the developer, kids can explore the fun and playful side of physics with different types of machinery. Simple Machines features six machines: levers, pulleys, inclined planes, wedges, wheels and axels, and screws. All of these can be integrated with real-world physics principles, such as force, motion, action, and reactions.
To add to the learning experience, parents or teachers can download a free handbook that has a number of activities that go well with the app itself.
Of course, kids won’t want to learn if it’s boring, so Tinybop features beautiful and bright visuals that are sure to delight the little ones. And coming from a design aesthetic, everything in this app is simple and clean — only the bare essentials are shown, not extra fluff.
Our staff members who have children have used the other titles from Tinybop before, and they have worked well, so we are happy to see Simple Machines from them as well. If you want to teach your kids the basics of physics, then Simple Machines is a great way to do so. You can find Simple Machines on the App Store as a universal download for $2.99.
For more about Simple Machines, check out our original article.
Honorable Mention
Sleep Science HQ
Get your sleep and wake up to soothing sounds and analyze your sleep pattern with our Honorable Mention this week.
Ever wish you could monitor your sleep, but don’t want to get a fitness tracker that does so? Don’t worry — all you need is your iPhone, and it’s all possible with Sleep Science HQ by Phase4 Mobile, our Honorable Mention pick for the week.
The app itself features a gorgeous, clean look to it that you will appreciate going to sleep and waking up to, as the background indicates the current time of the day. Visuals are sharp and the typography is legible, even when you are half-awake in the morning. The sounds in Sleep Science are just as you’d expect: soothing and gentle.
So what is Sleep Science HQ? It’s an alarm clock app that has the ability to analyze your sleep patterns and you can log in dream or sleep notes within the app itself. Over time, the app will learn your habits, which lead to showing you important trends and graph out your movements during the night.
The alarm part of Sleep Science HQ works by playing soft sounds that gradually get louder, eventually waking you up in a streamlined fashion. However, for those who prefer loud, sudden alarms, the app has those covered as well, since there are over 750 sounds to choose from.
We’ve been using Sleep Science HQ for the past few days and have been enjoying learning about our own sleeping patterns each night. Plus, waking up with soothing sounds means we’re less cranky when we get up. If you need an app that has white noise, calming or loud alarm noises, and can analyze your sleeping patterns, we recommend giving this one a try. You can find Sleep Science HQ on the iPhone App Store for $0.99. There is also a free version to try before you buy.
Mentioned apps
