Apps of the Week: LocalScope, Pick ‘n’ Roll, and Play by Play

It’s Friday, and that means it’s time to take a look at some awesome apps for each platform: iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS. Today, we’re focusing on geo-location services and Dribbble.

Ready? Let’s begin.

iPhone/iPod touch:

LocalScope: This app is by far the best location browser for iOS. It allows you to search for areas of interest using services like Foursquare, Wikimapia, Bing, Google, and much more. When you launch the app, it asks for whether you want to search or discover. By choosing search, you can look for something specific and filter your results by category (café, bank, gas, gym, hotel, etc.). However, the fun really kicks into gear when you choose Discover. This bad boy can go all augmented reality on you. Select a.r., hold your phone perpendicular to the ground, and see where things/places actually are. From Instagram shots, to tweets, Facebook status updates, YouTube videos, and the list goes on.

Not to forget, this app also serves as a navigator. After you’ve finished playing around with the augmented reality feature for an hour, select the place you want to go to and LocalScope will give you turn-by-turn directions on how to get there using services like TomTom, MotionX GPS, and the built-in map app. In other words, this app should have come pre-installed on your iPhone.

Get the download link below

iPad:

Pick ‘n’ Roll: This is an attractive and creative Dribbble client for the iPad. Finally, a great way to view those awesome shots from the comfort of your slim tablet. With all the main features of the site (minus uploading of course), this app doesn’t strip away one bit of the experience. Navigate through the shots by just pinching with two fingers to zoom in or out and see more or less shots simultaneously. Swipe right on the shot with one finger and it will appear in Favorites. Not to mention, the app, in comparison to its competitors, works well with big GIF shots. This app works for both drafted and un-drafted folks once they’ve made a Dribbble account. For a free app, this is definitely worth the download.

Get the download link below

Mac:

Play by Play: This app just works. Think of everything we just said for the Pick ‘n’ Roll iPad app, then translate that to the Mac, plus more. Play by Play is your Mac court-side announcer for Dribbble. In the words of its creator, David Keegan, “the app gives you a play-by-play of all the action with customizable notifications. Browse shots by players you follow, popular shots, shots from everyone, debuts, and your activity stream. Play by Play keeps track of which shots and activities you’ve already seen making it easy to stay on top of all the action.” So what are you waiting for? Love Dribbble? Then get Play by Play.

Get the download link below

Well, that’s it for this week folks! Like the apps we mentioned? Share the post with your friends. Have any suggestions? Email me at jerondu@macgasm.net or ping me @jarederondu and I’ll check them out. Until next Friday, have a great weekend.

Jared is a web designer with a passion for writing. Co-founded, The Industry & Evomail. Editor at teamtreehouse.com.