This week’s best iOS apps are very chatty! Our lead app, TED, is an update for the TED Talks app featuring over 1,400 different talks on many subjects. Our other apps this week include a Pandora-esque app for music and talk radio streaming, an app to stream HBO, another to read the news, and one that will make your donut purchases more streamlined than ever.
TED (Free)
TED is back. No, not the foul-mouthed stuffed bear, just the collection of academic talks that the Internet buzzes about every so often. The TED app update adds cool features, including subtitles for 90 different languages and translations so you can browse TED in your language of choice. Otherwise the app remains the same – you can still check out over 1,400 different talks via either the iPad or iPhone. Whether you’re looking for an inspirational speech or just looking to dip a toe into the academic speaking tour world, TED should satisfy all curiosities.
HBO GO (Free)
HBO GO now includes AirPlay support for any iOS devices running 6.0 or higher and AppleTV’s running update 5.1.1 or later. But what is HBO GO? It is just like the name suggests, HBO on the go, wherever you are. The app lets you view almost the entire catalogue of HBO TV shows – including new episodes of Girls and Enlightened – alongside its current selection of movies. Users can create customized watch lists to keep track of programs or set season passes to automatically add new episodes.
Thirst (Free)
Tired of skipping through stories in the regular newspaper? Do you even know what a newspaper is? Thirst offers up a collection of stories in a personalized newspaper outline all tailored to the individual user. Articles can then be shared with friends and comments can be exchanged over the web, making Thirst a fairly interactive example of a newspaper. Thirst features stories on politics, music, sports and pop culture, and the more you use it, the more individually tailored stories will become.
Dunkin’ Donuts (Free)
Dunkin’ Donuts latest update offers a major energy boost to customers who can’t figure out what to do with Passbook. The app now supports Passbook, and users can purchase virtual cards via the app, then add them to the passbook to pay for their donuts and coffee. While that’s the app’s biggest updated feature, the latest update also includes support for iPhone 5’s increased screen resolution and a link directly to the Dunkin’ satisfaction survey.
Slacker Radio (Free)
If you haven’t checked out Slacker Radio yet, perhaps its latest update featuring a complete redesign will give you enough reason to give it a look. Slacker Radio plays like a mix of Pandora and Spotify, offering up music, news, talk and sports stations on demand while also providing users with great control over the songs. Whether it could actually replace Pandora in your app list remains to be seen, but it’s worth a closer look at least.
