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5 apps worth downloading this week

Featuring advanced listening, specific volume control and not cracking eggs.

EACH WEEK, WE highlight five apps that are worth downloading for your smartphone and tablet. There are a lot of apps released on a daily basis, but not all of them are worth paying attention to.

This week features advanced listening, specific volume control and not cracking eggs.

HEAR – Advanced Listening
For: iOS
Cost: Free

An app that makes your surroundings sound more pleasant (and a little trippy). Put on your headphones, choose a scene and let the app work for you. Some of them are practical like one that helps you hear those talking better while others can drown out office sounds so you can focus.

You will have to tweak the settings a little to get the right settings first but give it a bit of time and it will become useful.

2Q== Hear / App Store Hear / App Store / App Store

App Volume Control
For: Android
Cost: Free

Exactly as it sounds, App Volume Control gives you complete control of sound for all your apps and services. Not only can you control the sound on your speaker but also for your headphones and Bluetooth speakers too.

You won’t need this for every app but if you find yourself adjusting the volume anytime you start or finish playing a game, this can save you some time.

app volume adjuster App Volume Control / Google Play App Volume Control / Google Play / Google Play

Thoughts
For: iOS
Cost: Free

A note-taking app that doesn’t require writing, Thoughts is a very simple app that only lets you draw. It can be distracting or it can be a way for you to remember stuff, either way, you get to draw stuff. What else do you want?

9k= Thoughts / App Store Thoughts / App Store / App Store

Google Spaces
For: iOS, Android
Cost: Free

Another social attempt from Google, but this time for smaller groups. Spaces lets you share links, pages, YouTube videos, photos and posts with specific friends. It’s not quite WhatsApp, but it’s not quite Facebook either, falling somewhere in the middle instead.

Google’s own search expertise means you can find anything on it pretty quickly with the search feature, but you may need to convince your friends to take up another sharing app to find it useful.

Google Spaces Google Spaces / Google Play Google Spaces / Google Play / Google Play

EGZ
For: iOS, Android
Cost: €3.99

A weird cartoon platformer/golfing game, EGZ (pronounced ‘eggs’) has you flinging an egg character around some bright and colourful worlds. Filled with charm, including the way each level begins with a squeaky “ready, jump!” announcement, the challenge comes from not just navigating levels, but making sure your Egz doesn’t break.

You gain experience so you can improve its health, jump and resistance, but the potentially frustrating part is if it breaks, you have to resurrect it with experience points. Combine that with losing points when you quit early or die, which will happen during later levels, and it makes a great game unnecessary frustrating at times.

It’s a blip but maybe a future update will help fix things as it’s a fantastic game with lots to offer.

Egz / YouTube

Read: 5 apps worth downloading this week – 14th May >

Read: Grand Theft Auto V is part of an exclusive club but who else is in it? >

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