entertainment book: Apps of the week: Readkit, iStat Menus, Pivvot and more!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Apps of the week: Readkit, iStat Menus, Pivvot and more!

It's the weekend again, and that means time for the iMore editorial team to come together once more and share with you a selection of our most used apps. As always, we've got a good spread that covers Mac and iOS, gaming, productivity and reading. Let's jump in and take a look!

Readkit for Mac - Ally Kazmucha

I've been trying to hold out for the update to Reeder for Mac that would allow me to continue using it after Google Reader's demise. Well that day came and went and I have still been patiently, or rather impatiently waiting, for an update to Reeder. The iPhone version was updated but the iPad and Mac versions were pulled until updated versions could be released.

I decided I couldn't wait any longer and decided to give ReadKit a try at the recommendation of one of our editors. I'm super glad I did. It's a lot faster than I remember Reeder for Mac ever being and integrated with Newsblur, Feedly, Feedbin, and more. It can also pull in all your Pocket or Instapaper articles for easy reading all in one place. It's customizable enough font and reading wise that most users can find a setting that suits them. I actually enjoy the way it's laid out even better than I ever did Reeder.

If you're still looking for an RSS option for Mac, I'd highly recommend checking out Readkit.

$4.99 - Download Now

iStat Menus - Peter Cohen

There are only a few apps that I absolutely have to install when I first set up a new Mac. One of them is Bjango's iStat Menus. The software installs in your Mac's menu bar and gives you comprehensive information about every subsystem under the hood of your Mac - from how your memory is being used to how much disk space is being used, how hard your CPU is getting hammered and what sort of shape your battery is in. You'll also get comprehensive data about how those systems have been working for the past day and past week. You can even get information about the ambient temperature of specific chips on the motherboard and how fast the fans are spinning.

Admittedly, 99 percent of users never need this sort of detail, but if you're the kind of shadetree mechanic who wants to know what's going on under the hood of your Mac, there's absolutely no substitute for iStat Menus. It stands along in how it works, its elegant interface, and its extraordinary customizability. It's also just really cool looking. iStat Menus costs $15 to register but you can download a time-limited 14-day demo if you want to kick the tires before hand.

$15 - Download now

Pivvot - Simon Sage

Pivvot is a deceptively simple abstract game where players are pulled along a track and have to move out of the way from incoming obstacles. A central dot is actually what's following the track, but you control a second dot that orbits it clockwise or counterclockwise at a fixed radius, depending which side of the screen you tap. That's the dot you have to keep clear. It's a long track to get through, but luckily there are plenty of waypoints to respawn from, and the solid soundtrack will (hopefully) keep you in a good mood throughout.