At Applesfera, we never stop recommending apps, both free and paid. But sometimes you might wonder:What applications do Applesfera editors use?, beyond the recommendations? This is something we have revealed in the past, but time changes our habits.
Therefore, after asking, I will show you these free applications that we would miss too much if they disappeared. Each of us has different hobbies, which are reflected in 17 different favorite iOS apps.
Notion, Unsplash and ChatGPT, Álvaro García’s essential applications
The applications that Álvaro García dedicates to us are entirely dedicated to his work environment. But with the first, Notion, you can also organize your personal projects:
If I think of a free app that I couldn’t live without, I automatically think of “Notion.” It’s true that I use it more on Mac, but on iPhone it also does essential work as an all-terrain calendar. It not only serves as management panel for my work, but I also keep my personal notes there, which range from simple wish lists of products that I want to buy in the medium-long term, up to important data that I can possibly refer to (see the CUTS of the electric meter in My home). Besides, I also use it as a standard notes app for quick notes.
If this has ever interested you, you will know that “Notion” offers payment options. However, they are not necessary in all cases. I would even say that In the vast majority, the free option is sufficient. I’ve been using it this way for a year with heavy usage and haven’t felt the need to upgrade to a payment plan. Of course, it has one significant drawback: it doesn’t work offline.
On Unsplash, Álvaro combines the usefulness of this image bank to find covers that adorn his articles or wallpapers for his iPhone:
This is an image bank generally better known for its web version. There are photographs by authors of all kinds, many of which are royalty-free. So this serves me as resource to illustrate some of my articles. However, it ends up being in its iOS app where I get the most use out of it. I’m a maniac about changing the wallpaper and adjusting it almost every day to my mood or the time of year and in the ‘Unsplash’ app I always find dozens of background options screens that look great on my iPhone, even vertically.
Finally, Álvaro mentions ChatGPT as the essential AI application that is increasingly present on more and more iPhones. Not only to consult information, but also to entertain the little ones in the house:
Even if Microsoft tempts me with its “Copilot” application recently arrived on iPhone, the “ChatGPT” application continues to be my great ally on iPhone. I set up a shortcut to resolve requests via Siri and I use it for a multitude of problems. Whether it’s learning more about a specific historical character or event, or making slightly more complex requests, such as solving math problems.
Now, there is one element of ChatGPT that completely appeals to me: its conversational mode. It’s not perfect, although it’s very passable even with that certain American accent when speaking Spanish (in my opinion, that doesn’t take away from its naturalness). I use it recreationally and notice that it is addictive.. I started using it to entertain my nephews with personalized stories, but I invented it thanks to AI and ended up having normal conversations that seem so real it’s scary. Fortunately, I didn’t cross the finish line to fall in love with the “Elle” robot.
Javier Lacort: Artifact AI and the know-how of Pocket Casts
Javier hosts our daily podcast “Loop Infinito,” and if anyone thinks carefully about which apps to use, it’s him. Two stand out: Artifact and Pocket Casts:
I really like Artefact discover interesting articles, is very good at knowing your tastes and revealing related content from discreet media and blogs. No one has managed to reproduce this formula, for example common with YouTube in the world of textual content, and it is time. It is perhaps Artifact which takes the lead, it started very well.
Pocket Casts is another essential, a podcast consumer’s life is better with. Much better than the native one, it is made with care, with the seal of a company like Automattic, which understands the Internet in a way that has become a minority, which gives it even more value.
Pedro Aznar: the vice of MAME and the quality of the package
The oldest member and one of the founders of this media, Pedro Aznar, is clear about his preferences. The first, Parcel, to transform the shipment tracking experience into something enjoyable. The second is intended for leisure with MAME, the arcade emulator. Pedro never strays far from the video games that accompanied him during his childhood.
On this occasion, I will recommend Parcel. It’s an application to do tracking shipments with a very good interface, with just the options we need to be informed, widgets and it works wonderfully. It even allows you to link your Amazon account and shipments automatically appear in the app when we buy something from the popular portal. All this with the free version, the paid version at only $4.99 also activates shipping notifications and allows you to control more than 3 packages at a time.
As for the second, there is a slightly atypical one: MAME. It is an application that cannot exist in the App Store according to Apple emulator rules, but at Applesfera we have a fantastic step-by-step guide to install MAME for free on the iPhone. With this we can remember the good old days in the arcades. Also very nice if you have a physical controller that you can use with the phone.
My current favorite free apps: MacTracker and Ice Cubes
Finally I end with the applications that I recommend myself. I start with Mactracker, an application that serves as a database to consult Technical specifications of all Apple products that the company has launched since its creation. Not only does this help me query my item data, but it also helps me see if my customers’ Macs can be updated to certain versions of macOS. For me, essential.
And I finish with Ice Cubes, a completely free Mastodon client developed in open source. Ivory may have a more polished interface, I admit, but Ice Cubes comes very close and it’s completely free. I particularly like it because it allows me to hide the elements of Mastodon that don’t interest me, and makes this a federated social network into something much healthier than the Twitter we have today. Yes, I still refuse to call him X.
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