iOS, Android: I’m pretty sure Alarmy is evil, but perfect, because a good alarm clock should be two-parts irritating, one-part useful. You don’t want to hate your alarm clock whenever it wakes you up each morning, but a great alarm app shouldn’t be very easy to turn off (tempting you to you go back to bed).

iOS: There are plenty of incredible password managers out there — 1Password and LastPass come to mind — but Mozilla has password-management aspirations of its own. The company just released two new new mobile apps as part of its Test Pilot program and one, Firefox Lockbox, is a pretty convenient way to pull up your passwords on your iPhone and iPad.

iOS: Throughout the day, I always know I should be doing things to better my health and overall disposition: Standing at regular intervals, drinking a lot of water, telling my friends they are great and we should hang out, and so on. And while these thoughts hit me on occasion, they're never enough to create a regular lifestyle pattern. Thankfully, the free iOS app Aloe Bud is happy to help out.

Android/iOS: What's on your network? You can always pull up your router's web interface to get a sense of which devices are connected, but you're probably just going to get a list of MAC addresses and assigned IPs - not very helpful. The app Fing - Network Scanner is a great, free way to get a better idea of all the devices your router has to deal with.

iOS: For Apple enthusiasts, game developer Zach Gage is practically a household name. Not only does Apple love to feature the indie developer - and his games - on the App Store, but he's won Apple's Palme d'Or of apps, a coveted Design Award, as well as numerous other industry recognitions for his fun creations. You might know a few by name: Ridiculous Fishing, Sage Solitaire, Spelltower and the ever-frustrating Really Bad Chess. Or perhaps you've seen his latest creation: Pocket-Run Pool.

iOS/Android: Philips has released a major update to its Hue app that actually makes it worth using. And I'm not being over the top when I say that; prior to this update, the Hue app was a mess. It felt like it took forever to load; the user interface was challenging, to put it nicely; and it made me set off on a hunt for the best third-party apps I could use to control my fancy Hue lights without the headache and stress of the official Hue app.

Google News is pretty much a household phrase nowadays, and the company just release a big update to its Android and iOS apps that adds in a lot of machine learning. Presumably, this will help you get more relevant and interesting news to read within the app.

iOS: Some people become karaoke gods the minute they pick up a microphone, leaving us mere mortals to wonder how they managed to summon Freddie Mercury from an astral plane. Others... need a little practice. While there isn't one app that will make you the next Australian Idol overnight, Tone (iOS, free) is a great app for practising basic note recognition and tricky intervals.

iOS: I love to read, I do. When I was a kid, I was that kid who would go to the library and — no joke — check out a huge stack of books in one sitting (mainly Choose Your Own Adventure titles, which I loved). I wish I had more time to read nowadays, but I'm confident that applying a little geekery to my literary pursuits might help.