Washington - If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an animated GIF has to be worth close to a million. Animated GIFs, for the uninitiated, are short videos often with humorous captions (or attempts at ones). They've become yet another language of the Web. Facebook became the latest platform to support them. But for many, the process of making GIFs is a bit of a mystery.
GifLab aims to make it as simple as shooting a video on your phone. You can record a clip within the app, or pull a video from your gallery. From there, just trim the shot, add a filter, write a caption and share easily over iMessage or any social media sites you have enabled.
The app isn't fancy, but it's fun and easy to use. If users want more fonts and filters, they can buy them. But you don't need those extras - even with the free version, you'll be ready the next time you want to capture a funny moment.
Free for iOS devices.
Does the hot weather have your brain fried? If you want a mental pick-me-up, Lumosity has an assortment of fun brainteasers to try this summer. The app provides a small but free sampling of the mind-training company's larger program.
Its handful of games are designed as daily exercises to improve your memory and your ability to focus. The app also tracks your performance over time, so you can see whether you're improving.
The science is still out on whether the claims by Lumosity and other brain-training games that they improve cognition are true, so go in with your eyes open - particularly before you consider buying the premium program, which gives you access to more games and other features for $12 (about R240) per month.
That said, the app is worth a download if you're a puzzle fan.
Free for iOS and Androidbc-tech-scan
Washington Post