In this month's selection of the very best Android apps, Agent Cruickshank brings you the most accurate weather app we've ever seen, a GIF keyboard that'll have your friends rolling with laughter – and even a fantastic selection of recipes!
Weather Underground
Weather Underground
Free
Summer is rapidly approaching – so what better recommendation can we give than an accurate weather forecaster? Weather Underground is my personal favourite this season, due to its high accuracy and great customisation features!
This powerful little app owes its accuracy to its data sources. By pulling weather information from 'hyper-local' weather sources like high schools and backyard weather enthusiasts, it gives a much more precise report of your local weather than most apps!
Weather Underground also provides accurate weather predictions for the upcoming week, interesting information on the movements and positions of the sun and moon, as well as air quality, UV index and even flu activity, if you're in the United States!
This is very useful information – and as it's pulled from local sources, it's usually more accurate than the more generalised reports you're likely to get from other services.
The app is optimised for both phones and tablets – and what I like most about it is the persistent notification, which allows you to check the current temperature from any screen on your phone. A quick peek at the pull-down notification area shows the current high and low temperatures, the chance of precipitation and an icon to show what type of weather you can currently expect. Tap on the notification and you'll be taken to the full app, where detailed additional information can be found.
If you're looking for more accurate weather predictions this summer, give Weather Underground a go – and plan your barbecues accordingly!
Giphy
Giphy, Inc
Free
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a GIF must be worth a library. What better way to express your emotions and feelings over the internet than with an animated picture of your favourite film or TV character expressing your feelings for you?
One of the best sources for top-quality gifs is Giphy – a website and smartphone app with access to the world's biggest GIF collection, all nicely tagged for easy searching!
Browse from a variety of categories – from memes to emotions, actions to reactions, and much more besides. Once you've found the right GIF for you, you can share it with your friends over your favourite social networks like Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
I like Giphy because it works nicely with many of the messaging and social apps I also use, and also has a massive collection of different images to browse through – so you'll be able to pick just the right GIF to match your mood.
Now the only thing you need to worry about is whether the recipient will understand the reference! Install Giphy and browse their extensive GIF library today.
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Group
£2.35
Wolfram Alpha is a powerful 'computational knowledge engine'. Unlike other search engines, which supply a list of websites which may contain an answer to a given question, Wolfram Alpha tries to provide specific answers to questions asked.
You can ask a multitude of different question types – ranging from maths problems to movie quotes – and you can see each question answered within the app, without having to open your web browser!
As you can imagine, the possibilities of such a search engine are nearly limitless – and many people already use Wolfram Alpha in their day-to-day routines. If you can't imagine what you'd use Wolfram Alpha for, check out the list of examples, which shows a great assortment of different uses – whether it's to see step-by-step solutions to problems, or simply to dig up and compare information and statistics on famous literature, art or celebrities.
There's a lot to discover in Wolfram Alpha, and it can take some time to get used to the way questions should be phrased – which is where the real value of the examples come in to play. You'll find out how to structure your mathematical questions correctly, and which words you can use to get different types of answer. Indeed, it's well worth exploring the examples section in detail to fully understand exactly how much this app can do for you.
If you have a thirst for knowledge that hasn't been met by other apps, try Wolfram Alpha today and push it to the limits!
Kitchen Stories
Kitchen Stories
Free
Looking for some great recipe ideas to liven up mealtimes? Look no further than Kitchen Stories for your Android device. Packed full of recipes to suit any diet, this handy foodie app has a huge selection of categories – from 20-minute dishes, weeknight dinners and comfort food to desserts, grills and smoothies.
Usefully, if a recipe takes your fancy, you can add it to your in-app shopping list and take it with you on your next trip to the supermarket, where you can tick off items as you buy them – an easy way to keep organised as you prepare for your meal!
I particularly love Kitchen Stories asit offers a very clean interface, with little distraction from the recipes it's sharing with you. Many use a combination of text, video and photos to explain the recipe in detail – so no matter what your preference or level of experience, there's a recipe type to suit you. For some recipes, you're even treated to nutritional information – as well as recommended drinks to accompany it!
This is a very versatile app, no matter what occasion you're cooking for – so check out Kitchen Stories and cook up a storm.
That's it for May's pick of the very best Android apps – but if you've got a little space left on your smartphone, why not check out this month's selection of the best games for your Android device? And for more great articles straight from our Agents to your inbox, get your name down below for the monthly Geek Squad newsletter!