Saintel Daily’s List of the Best Apple Watch Apps: Entertainment (Part 4)

In my previous post, I made it sound like I was all work and no play.  Well, in this post, I am going to dispell that rumor.  In the final part of this series, I will walk you through some of our favorite entertainment apps.

Twitterrific

Twitterific offers a smart take on Twitter.  While the Apple Watch is a great device, the screen is kind of small, so you don’t want to have to scroll through your Twitter feed on that screen.  Instead, it concentrates on notifications.  The notifications can be activated individually on your iPhone app.  Which means you will get a notification on your wrist when something that you consider important happens.  Maybe it’s a new direct message or a new follower.  Or, if you’re like me, you might be obsessed with certain people’s tweets and you want to be notified when they say something profound. All of that happens with this Apple Watch app.

BBC News

What I like about the BBC News app is that it just gives me the headlines.  It just gives me the information that I need to know.  The only downside?  I get a notification on my wrist telling me about something awful that has happened in the world.  I might think it’s an iMessage from my boyfriend, but instead, it’s telling me of a massive earthquake, or some awful world event. (As I’m writing this, I got a notification that Winnie Mandela died. So when I say it can be distracting, and not in a good way – this is what I am referring to) I can be sensitive to this kind of information, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great app.

Shazam

The iPhone version of Shazam is kind of outdated now.  But that doesn’t mean that it’s still not a great app.  It’s a lot of fun, and now it’s available on your wrist.  You can also use Handoff to buy the track that you’re listening to in your iTunes account on your iPhone. How’s that for interoperability?

Watch Player

Overcast is still our favorite iOS podcast player, it is lacking the ability to listen to an entire podcast on your Apple Watch.  Watch Player allows you to leave your iPhone at home, and still listen to your favorite podcasts.  Once you’ve transferred them, you’ll still need to use Watch Player on your iPhone to send the podcasts to your Apple Watch.

Night Sky

Night Sky is one of those apps that I find incredibly calming.  And having it available on my wrist makes it that much better.  What it does is allows you to have a look at the night sky. It’s that simple.  Once you load the app, you’ll have to align your Watch’s display with the moon.  Prod the moon to confirm, and then it’s replaced with a map of the night sky.  Constellations are auto-selected as you move.  This does give you a whole host of other things you can do, but that’s sort of the long and short of it.

Lifeline…

Lifeline… makes me miss being a kid and reading the Choose Your Own Adventure series.  Lifeline… replaces the books.  It puts a stranded astronaut’s survival on your wrist.  At different points in the narrative, you get to make decisions.  For example, should they sleep by an engine that is possibly spewing radiation, or risk a night under an alien moon?  This game might seem simplistic, but it is fun and will definitely curb your craving for the nostalgia of days gone by.

Rules!

If you’re anything like me, you love rules.  But that’s not really what this is, which makes the name kind of deceiving.  Rules! is a devious, tightly focused memory test ideal for waking up your brain on your morning commute.  But only if you’re not the one driving.  Over ten rounds, you’re given rules to apply to the tiles.  Like – tap blue if you see red.  The fun part about this is that previous rules are being referred to by number.  When you get to round eight, but told to apply rule number three, it’s easier to lose track of things and mess up.  That said, this is still a fun game, but definitely challenging.

Trivia Crack

This asynchronous multiplayer quiz game is like Trivial Pursuit minus the board. Spin the wheel to pick a category, and then answer a multiple-choice question. Get enough answers right and you can win a crown. Six of those wins you the game. The game’s straightforward nature and speed make it ideal for Apple Watch. Also, you’re playing against real people, and the huge number of questions means you’re unlikely to see duplicates for a long while.

Tiny Armies

This game might be a stretch to play on your Apple Watch, but hear me out for a moment.  Tiny Armies is a strategy game, that typically requires a large display.  That said, it’s surprisingly great with it’s stripped-back, lightning-fast battles on the little checkerboard arena.  The AI isn’t as good as it is in some other apps, but if you’re looking for some fun on your wrist, this is the way to go.