You probably really love the apps that you frequently use either because you love the features or all of your friends are also using it (or for both reasons). But as with everything else, there’s always room for improvement of course so every update is something that you look forward to. Well, as long as the update is for the better and not something radically different that people would not actually enjoy. Three apps with huge followings are bringing new updates to their users: Talon’s Material Design version is now open source, Gratus gets a new and prettier interface, while the Calm app adds Bob Ross’ voice to their roster.
Talon is probably one of the most popular third-party apps for Twitter ever since it was released back in 2014. Even if it’s a paid app, it looks like people were not afraid to spend for it. This year, the developer released a fully-revamped Material Design version of the app and now he’s making it open source, a move that is quite unusual for paid apps. For users, nothing much would change on the surface but when developers finally start tinkering with what more can be done for Talon, then we’ll be able to see contributions, ideas, and hopefully, new features that should make the app even better. So if you’re a developer, go ahead and take a look at the codes of this popular app.
We talked about the Gratus app previously and how such a simple concept, remembering things you should be thankful for and recording them on an app for posterity, is actually pretty relevant for such a time like this. Continuing with his goal of promoting good vibes and positivity, the XDA Recognized Developers has now redesigned the app to fit with the Material Design concept and also to make it prettier to use. He uses the adjectives “bold, cohesive, fluid, and frankly beautiful” to describe what he has done with version 3. It still doesn’t have so many bells and whistles and we like it that way, but visually, this looks so much better. One new feature is that you have the option to display your positive notes in lists or grids, whichever works for you.
If you want to start meditating to calm your nerves or become more focused, you cannot go wrong with one of the most popular apps around, which of course is called Calm. And the latest addition to their app, which already has hundreds of content available for you, is Sleep Stories by art legend Bob Ross. His painting videos, which you can find a lot of on YouTube, is just him not just showing art but also sharing his wisdom about life. So Calm actually licensed his show called The Joy of Painting and now you can listen to the audio stream of this on your Calm app. Just a reminder though that premium subscription to the app is a bit steep at $12.99/month but you’ll get a lot more than just the free content there.
