5 can't-miss apps: Kiwi for Gmail, Disney Gif, Medium and more

5 can't-miss apps: Kiwi for Gmail, Disney Gif, Medium and more

Between iTunes showcasing LGBT pride and Facebook's rainbow-filtered profile photos, you may have missed some of this week's best new apps.

SEE ALSO: Breakup app delivers the ugly truth so you don't have to

Luckily, each weekend, we round up a few of our favorite new and updated apps. This week's list includes a GIF keyboard app from Disney, a new Gmail app for Mac, Dropbox's redesigned Android app and more.

Check out the gallery, below, to see our top picks. If you're looking for more, take a look at ourlast roundup of can't-miss apps.

• 

  Disney Gif

  Disney now has a way for you to easily find animated GIFs from all your favorite Disney and Pixar titles, including Star Wars. Disney Gif puts some of Disney’s best moments right on your keyboard.

  Keep an eye on: The app, along with the vast majority of its GIFs, are free, though there are some additional GIFs available through in-app purchases from the main Disney GIF app.

  Pro-tip: Like all iOS keyboard apps, you have to enable Disney Gif through your device’s settings menu. To preview an individual GIF, hold down on a thumbnail to see the full version play out.

  Free: iOS

  IMAGE: DISNEY

• 

  Dropbox

  Dropbox’s Android app got a major overhaul this week, with a new update that brings the app in line with Google’s Material Design language. The latest version of the app has also improved its search and made it easier to navigate between files.

  Keep an eye on: The app now lets you snap photos from within the app and it automatically saves the image to that folder.

  Pro-tip: The app’s search function also allows you to search within the text of documents stored on your account.

  Free: iOS and Android

  IMAGE: DROPBOX, INC.

• 

  Kiwi for Gmail

  The Kickstarter-backed desktop Gmail client finally landed on the Mac App Store this week. With support for multiple email accounts (including Google Apps), notifications, Hangouts, Google Drive attachments, it comes pretty darn close to feeling like a native app from Google itself.

  Keep an eye on: The company says it will be adding support for popular Gmail extensions like Boomerang in a future update.

  Pro-tip: For when you want to get away from your inbox for a bit, the “Zen” switch helps you tune it all out by disabling notifications and email accounts to reduce distraction.

  $9.99: Mac (Lite version; free)

  IMAGE: ZIVE, INC.

• 

  Medium

  Medium has finally released the official version of its Android app. It allows you to browse posts published on the platform, check out your reading list and write and publish new posts of your own.

  Keep an eye on: Your regular reading list is still available within the app and you can search for new content, though right now search is limited to specific stories, though Medium says it’s working on new options.

  Pro-tip: Drafts you write in the app can’t be viewed or published from the web so make sure to fine tune your text within the app as much as possible.

  Free: iOS and Android

  IMAGE: A MEDIUM CORPORATION

• 

  Stack Heroes

  Part Jenga, part physics game, the goal of Stack heroes is to perfectly place the falling blocks into a perfect stack.

  Keep an eye on: As the game progresses, blocks fall faster and faster and become much more difficult to control.

  Pro-tip: Knocking over a few blocks at a time can sometimes work in your favor: A well-placed block can sometimes knock over problematic areas of the structure.

  Free: iOS

  IMAGE: CALLPIX SAS

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5 can't-miss apps: Dark Sky, Elevate and more

5 can't-miss apps: Dark Sky, Elevate and more

With all the new drool-worthy games coming out of E3 and news of Samsung's massive security vulnerability surfacing, you may have missed some of this week's best new apps.

SEE ALSO: Mashable's best games of E3 2015

Luckily, each weekend, we round up a few of our favorite new and updated apps. This week's list includes Vimeo's new video editing apps, a big update to Dark Sky and a new game from Disney based on Inside Out.

Check out the gallery, below, to see our top picks. If you're looking for more, take a look at ourlast roundup of can't-miss apps.

• 

  Cameo

  Vimeo completely overhauled its video editing app this week. The new app makes it much easier to cut up videos with simple gesture-based controls and removes the previous app’s two-minute time limit.

  Keep an eye on: The app’s soundtracks and color themes, which the company says will be updated regularly, help give videos a more polished look.

  Pro-tip: Unlike some video apps, Cameo is just for editing, you can pull clips into the app from your library but you can’t shoot new ones from the app.

  Free: iOS

  IMAGE: VIMEO, LLC

• 

  Dark Sky

  The extremely popular Dark Sky, which began as a successful Kickstarter, got a big update this week. The app has completely stepped up its crowdsourcing with new features that allows users to submit a weather report from their current location at any time.

  Keep an eye on: While previous versions of the app emphasized the weather for the next hour, the new Dark Sky emphasizes the next 24 hours, with a detailed look at the forecast for the coming day.

  Pro-tip: Users can now set customized alerts for specific weather conditions (rain, heat, wind, etc.) in their area. The app also now has a “severe weather” alert option which notifies you based on government weather alerts.

  $3.99: iOS

  IMAGE: THE DARK SKY COMPANY, LLC.

• 

  Elevate

  The brain training app that won Apple’s award for best app of 2014 got what the company says is its biggest update yet. The app specializes in short games meant to improve cognitive skills like concentration, listening, writing and other skills over time.

  Keep an eye on: The new version of the app has a new study section that includes flashcards, diagrams, reading material and other resources to help users improve specific skills.

  Pro-tip: The latest update revamped the app’s performance tracking stats, which now gives users a much more detailed look at their progress over time as well as areas in which they need to improve.

  Free: iOS and Android

  IMAGE: ELEVATE, INC.

• 

  GivingTales

  Giving Tales takes classic fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen like The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Princess and the Pea and puts a modern spin on the classics with new illustrations and updated language.

  Keep an eye on: Each story is narrated by famous actors like Sir Roger Moore, Stephen Fry and Ewan McGregor, who make the fairy tale classics even more engaging.

  Pro-tip: The app is free, comes with one story for free and each title costs an additional $3.99 to download. Additionally, 30% of the app’s profits go toward Unicef UK.

  Free: iOS and Android and Windows Phone

  IMAGE: GIVINGTALES KFT.

• 

  Inside Out Thought Bubbles

  This is Disney’s latest game and it goes along with Pixar’s new movie Inside Out. The game is a “shoot and math” style game that relies heavily on the movie’s characters and their signature emotions to advance the gameplay.

  Keep an eye on: The app’s tutorials look like diagrams from the movie's “mind manual.” Many of them have Easter eggs referencing other Disney and Pixar movies and characters.

  Pro-tip: Take advantage of the character power-ups a much as possible — certain bubbles will charge character power-ups faster, which could help you get two big boosts per level rather than just one.

  Free: iOS and iOS and Android

  IMAGE: DISNEY

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