“Everybody’s working for the weekend!” That’s right, it’s the weekend people, and you know what that means—it’s time for another Apps of the Week roundup! This week we have some great picks for you, including an AI-infused transcription app, a digital fidget toy, and a habit-tracker with a virtual life coach. And as always, we’ve selected a fun game for you to check out.
Voice Pen: Speech to Text AI
Voice Pen is, surprise, a voice recording and transcribing app. It utilizes OpenAi’s Whisper tech to provide perfect transcriptions, and then you can have AI rewrite the recorded text to add context or make it more understandable for a new audience. I know there are a bunch of voice-to-text apps out there, and it’s even built into iOS to some degree, but we are talking about a cross-platform solution here (including Apple Vision), and it has a ton of features. It supports Siri voice commands, Lock and Home Screen widgets, and more than 50 languages. So yeah, if you are at all in the market for transcription software, this seems worth checking out.
Fidgetable: Haptic Fidget Toy
Imagine explaining to someone 50+ years ago that in the future people would have instant, unlimited access to all the information ever in existence, and also, people would get bored enough and anxious enough that there would be a sizable market for fidget apps and devices. Anyway, here’s Fidgetable, an app that features several interactive interfaces that respond to touch and movement with satisfying visual and haptic feedback. It’s hard to explain—you really just have to try it out for yourself. My favorite interface is the rotate-your-phone one. It has a subtle vibration, and if your hand is big enough or your phone is small enough, it really does create a sort of fidget spinner-like effect.
Summit: AI Life Coach
Sure, let’s put AI in charge of our lives. “What could possibly go wrong?” – the developers. Jokes aside, Summit is essentially a habit tracker with a built-in AI chatbot that will help keep you accountable. You can customize your coach’s personality to be more of a drill sergeant or an empathetic friend, depending on what you respond to best, and the goals you want to achieve. Time will tell if this is just another cheap AI gimmick, or if there is really something to having a [virtual] friend check in with you every day to see if you are making progress.
Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist
Here is a fun game with charming graphics and unique gameplay. It’s Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist, and in it, you play Passpartout, a once-renowned artist who was just evicted and looking to get back on his feet. You arrive in the puppet town of Phenix, where you offer commissions to the citizens to help them with their art-related needs. In return they give you art supplies, or cash so that you can go to the art store to buy your own, and you essentially are working your way up to fame and fortune again. It’s worth pointing out that it’s just the demo version that’s free, so if you like it, you’ll have to pay up for the full game. But hey, doodling your way around a puppet town sounds like a great way to spend the weekend!