With so many mobile (Android or iPhone) apps being released in such a short period of time, designers need to really create apps that stand out. In this roundup we’re sharing 50 beautiful mobile app designs with excellent UI experience in mind. Also at the end of the post you’ll find some more resources to follow top mobile app design trends.

Mobile apps are even changing the way we design anything nowadays! Everybody is pushing to higher resolution with new retina displays (iPad3) and I believe whole web will get super beautiful and sleek soon enough!

But before it happens we can inspire from these high quality inspirational mobile app designs. It doesn’t matter for which platform you create a design; you can transfer experience from mobile to web, from web to tablets!  As you can see even print and web is not so different now. Big typography, textures, images are used everywhere!

Only one big difference in my opinion is touch screens – for mobile and tablets you need to put big attention in UX, usability. Make sure buttons are easy to click; you effectively use touch controls to swipe, expand, minimize with your fingers.

If you are designing mobile apps yourself, I would strongly encourage to download a lot of these apps on your mobile, tablet and play with them!

1WD is passionate about helping the community by sharing information and resources that will make you become a better web design professional. This post is no different as we present you various UI design concepts for mobile screens we have gathered from Behance.

It is no surprise why everyone is going mobile since responsive design has been in the forefront and design isn’t exclusively for the web anymore. Take a look at these different mobile design concepts to give you inspiration and more knowledge of UI design, especially for mobile devices.

Even if you are just designer not developer, you need to plan whole experience with your design.

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Table of Contents:

1. 10 Best Mobile App Design Collection For Inspiration
2. 7 Crucial Mobile App Design Tips To Create The Best Mobile App Design
3. 45+ Most Popular and Useful iPhone Apps For Inspiration
4. History In Mobile UI World:  40 Best Mobile Design Apps From 2012
5. 26 More Android Applications You Mustn’t Miss This Year
6. 8 Fascinating UI Kits for Mobile App Designers
7. Why Should You Design for Mobile?
8. Learn Fast with These 15 Apple Swift Tutorials
9. 8 Tips to Follow for iPad App Designers

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10 Best Mobile App Design Collection For Inspiration

OK, now off to the inspirational part – enjoy this mobile UI inspiration with best mobile application designs in one place!

Which is your favorite mobile app by design and usability? Leave your feedback in comments.

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1. Arles Festival App Design Concept

Clarity is one of the essential elements of a good UI design.  It should not confuse your users nor give them a hard time figuring out how to use your interface.

And you can find that in this app designed especially for the Arles Festival, which has around a hundred thousand recorded visitors annually since its inception.

Angelique Calmon and Juliette Lima collaborated to create this mobile app design with a simple and straightforward interface which leads you only to the most important information about the festival.

Clicking each category leads you to more information. However, it does not give too much, just enough overview to let users know what they are. Even the information for each artist and exhibit doesn’t overload on they whys and whats, just a few sentences to help your users decide whether they want to see it or not.

2. Eda.ua – Food Delivery iPhone App

This mobile design version for an existing website is designed by a group of designers from Ukraine. The app has both an iOS and Android version with a very friendly UI designed especially for the food delivery business.

In order to meet usability standards, the designers conducted an intensive market research and took note of various offbeat ideas. Then, they created and tested an interactive prototype with over 100 wireframes to ensure that the app design meets needs of the client’s business.

The mobile app contains hundreds of restaurants all over Ukraine, so the developers put flexible filters and smart searches to enable users to find what they want in restaurants.

To make it much easier to order food, users are guided into 5 easy steps which include: searching restaurants around the city, checking their menu, looking more specifically into the dishes  before placing the order, confirming their order and proceeding with payment and delivery options.

With these steps, the users are saved the hassle of worrying what type of dish they ordered and the ingredients that go into each dish. This is especially helpful for those who have some specific dietary requirements.

3. Workout Book Mobile Design

The Workout Book was designed by Yalantis Mobile and Vitaly Rubstov out of their desire to find a workout app with no frills. Unlike other workout apps, the Workout Book easily records your workouts and lets you see all the necessary information at a glance right on the home screen.

Create your own workout with just a flick of your fingers and press save. Customize, set the day, and the targeted area you want to work on. Each workout has a color tag so you can easily look over them and monitor what you have missed.

After you have finished your workout, just do a few taps and you will be able to see the summary of your workout including the weight you’ve carried and the reps you’ve done for each targeted area.

What makes the Workout Book’s UI stand out is its use of common mobile patterns making even first-time users feel at home. Despite the commonness, the designers translated their own creativity into the app matching users’ expectations.

4. Fantasy Leagues App Design

Whether it’s soccer, basketball, hockey, or American football, you can be sure to find fans – from kids to adults – engaging in fantasy leagues and creating their own dream teams. In fact, fantasy leagues have generated billions of revenue all over the world.

The rules are pretty simple, and all you have to do is an app which allows you to navigate and monitor your score and stats easily.

The Fantasy Leagues app shows a promising future in the world of sports app because of its simple and easy to understand interface. Swipe between pages to build a team, adjust your line-up, and view game stats.

The app has news feeds for both teams and specific players. The information on each page is short but concise  providing you with the latest news and updates.

Another feature allows you to see how your current game fares well as well as team and player standings. In case, you are not happy with your line-up, you can easily swipe and sort players. Placing them in categories according to their positions makes it easier for you to put “who” in “where.”

There’s also a trash talk feature which works like a Facebook status. Write what you think or feel about a certain player and post it for others to see.

5. Change – Help Make It iPhone App Design

Change is a simple app designed by Linus Lang with an ambitious mission – to help bring change in your community, specifically the people who live in it.

To me it looks like one of the best designed apps from the collection. Read on.

It tells you the exact location and distance of a person who needed help from your location. The choices are simple and easy – a pop-up will appear and you can choose to view or cancel.

If you choose “View,” you will be directed a more detailed profile of that person. If you want to help, you can click “Donate” and type the amount you want to give. Then you can share it on your Facebook profile to inform and encourage your friends to help as well.

You can also track how many people you’ve helped, the amount you’ve given, and the money available in your virtual wallet which you can give as donations.

6. Public Transportation iPhone App

The Public Transportation iPhone user interface app is designed by Docagan Ese Altunsu to specifically help tourists and citizens of Izmir to easily navigate the public transportation of the city.

It shows the shortest route where you want to go in Izmir as well as the approximate arrival time of a public transport – bus, ferry, or metro – near your area.

7. Squiryl Social Loyalty App Design

Designed by DHHN Creative Agency, this is a social loyalty mobile app design which allows you to accumulate points every time you shop and dine at participating stores and restaurants.

With this app, you can use redeem vouchers and freebies as well as swap them with your friends. It is a good tool for businesses that wants to connect more to their customers to establish loyalty.

8. Swing iPhone Music App Design Concept

Swing is an iPhone music app designed by Enis Danis with a simple and easy to use interface with only four, big navigation keys – News, Listen, Artist, Video. The “News” section has bigger windows than the “Listen” category. The news is displayed with their headlines and arranged according to their dates.

If you want to listen to music, your playlist appears and you can scroll down to search for more songs. Then, start listening by tapping the “Play” icon. Your “videos,” on the other hand, will display on a full screen.

9. Lift – Self Improvement iPhone App Design

Lift is a self-improvement and coaching app of Lift.do, now Coach.me. Designed by Leigh Taylor, it is geared especially for people who are goal-driven or for anyone who wants to be more productive.

The app’s main page has an indicator to show how much of your goals for the day have been achieved.

As you tick each finished task, the indicator shows it until you achieve Inbox Zero – goals accomplished. Aside from that, you can also check what your friends are doing and be encouraged if they are doing well, or you can encourage them if they need one.

You can also get tips how to achieve your goals. The app also flashes some encouragement to lift your spirits in order to keep going.

10. Weather Tile App

The Weather Tile is an iOS app which got its inspiration from Windows 8 apps so when you glance for the first time, you might think it is a Windows phone. Navigating the app is simple and interesting because of its pastel colors.

See, we saved the best for last, hope you will find fresh inspiration to design your own mobile app after going through this article!

On the main page, you can find your current location and the weather as well as the key cities in the country making it easier to navigate between locations.

If you click a tile, you will get an overview of the weather for the whole week. You can favorite the location so it appears on your main screen.

The icons automatically change as the weather in that location changes. You can also share it immediately on your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Mobile has become the choice of many people when performing their online activities. Therefore, it is advisable that you should consider getting a mobile version of your website. You can get inspiration from these examples or some tips how to create one.

Presenting.. 1stWebDesigner Flat Web UI Kit  ($9)

Based on your feedback we also created web UI kit especially for 1WD readers. We also ensured it’s very affordable, so you can start creating awesome web, mobile and UI designs and concepts today! Check it out!

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7 Crucial Mobile App Design Tips To Create The Best Mobile App Design

Mobile application design and development has been ‘the thing’ as of late. With the growing prominence of smartphones, more and more applications are developed. It’s like, we have an app for everything, right?

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What makes it even more amazing is that this year, the projected number of smartphone users will be 1.75 billion. This staggering number resulted into 2.6 million apps in app-stores (iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows phones combined).

If there is one thing certain about these huge statistics, it would be that mobile application development and design is a big and newly-discovered gold mine to plow. There are a lot of opportunities waiting for developers as mobile apps continue on growing as the age of smartphones conquer the market.

Having said so, we go to the topic of the day. You may have raised your eyebrows when I said that app development is still a relatively new and untapped gold mine. You may have thought of going to the app design and development battlefield.

But, before going to the war, let me brief you with some of the things you should avoid doing.

While you’re at it, you might want to look into previous articles:

• Ten Things to Think About When Designing Your iPad App

• App Design Do’s and Don’ts: What to Keep in Mind When Designing for a Global Audience

• 8 UX Pitfalls to Avoid in Mobile App Design

1. Cramming Too Many Items within the Screen

This is a friendly reminder to app designers. You are designing for a smartphone screen, not a 1366 x 768 desktop monitor. It only means that you have limited spaces to put content.

Do not try to put everything in one place. Trying to compress information within a small screen will be tantamount to suicide. You need to understand how to use elements properly  to your advantage.

7 Tips to Keep Mobile UI Clean in Your Mobile Design

• When in doubt, page it out. Use swipe-able pages to put all the content you want without cramming the pages.
• Make sure elements are tappable. Reserve enough spacing for the user to interact with the element. Remember, you are dealing with non-tactile devices most of the times, so using small elements is a no-no.

• Facilitate focus by elevating important content or functions. The most important items should be placed on the upper left half (for left to right cultures) of the screen.
• Apply balance and visual weight to make readers understand the hierarchy of element importance. Larger elements are perceived to be more important than smaller ones. You may also want to enlarge CTAs and buttons so that the users can understand that they are tappable.
• Align elements properly. It makes your app look classy and professional.
• Use relative sizes. Texts shouldn’t be scrolled horizontally and images that are of utmost importance should be large enough so that the user won’t go into troubles of zooming.
• Be consistent. Preserve one brand of design in your app. You wouldn’t want to confuse the users, right?

2. Using Illegible Fonts In Your Mobile Apps

Legibility of texts supersedes other concerns. If you create an app that nobody can read, it will be worthless. Typography has always been a major concern in any field of digital design. Make sure that fonts and the text can be understood properly.

3. Mobile App Design Readability

When we speak of ‘being understood properly’, we mean that the texts should always be readable.

• Proper use of proper font faces, sizes, colors
• Use of understandable words, good grammar and superb copywriting

A lot of apps sometimes disregard texts, but mind you, they are important because they are the main delivery agents of the messages of your apps.

7 Mobile App Design Tips to Improve Readability in Your UI Design:

• Always prioritize the content when tending to text-size adjustments. Not every text falls into the hierarchy of importance. Normally, when users select a large text size, they to make the content easier to read. However, they don’t want everything in the app to be larger.
• Make sure that all fonts are legible. If you can’t read it, don’t use it.
• Never use a font size lower than 11pt. Always put in mind that users may adjust the accessibility text sizes and app font-size should still be 11pt or higher even if they do.
• Headlines and Body texts can use the same size. You can add some distinction on the font weight.
• Use only two weights, regular or medium. Never use bold or light-font weights.
• Use simple words. Never add fancy and highfalutin words. Follow basic app copywriting guidelines.
• Be sure to be direct in instructions. Users don’t want to read your novel, buddy.

4. Be Careful With Colors When Designing Your Mobile App

Colors play an important role in app design. Some app designers tend to just choose the color they want and then design the app. That is a wrong practice. Colors should always help and enhance interactivity and visual continuity in every app.

When choosing the colors for your app, make sure that they jive together. Here is one article which can help you with color combinations.

Focus on color contrasts in different circumstances. Some inexperienced app designers usually make mistakes by not putting enough contrast in the navigation bar background and the bar button tiles. This makes the buttons difficult to distinguish.

4 Tips For Picking Good Colors When Designing a Mobile App :

• Use colors with at least 50% contrast differences. Then test the results on a device under different lighting conditions such as indoors and outdoors.
•  Try looking at the app in grayscale (or desaturated) form. If you have difficulties in differentiating the interactive and the non-interactive elements, then, you need to increase the contrast between them.
• Never use the same color in both tappable and non-tappable elements. You should always keep in mind that UI elements that need interaction should always be different from elements that don’t. Make your users know where to tap.
•  Colors should always enhance the flow of information. Never use it as a distraction.

5. Bad Ad Placements In Mobile App Design

Now, let’s talk about ads. As developers and designers, we would love ads. They make our apps earn without sending the burden to the users. But for regular users who have no idea about mobile app design and development, ads can be very irritating bugs in the UI. Some ads just pop out and shazam!, you’re redirected to the App Store. Now, this is common mistake for new app creators. So, what do you do?

•  Never use pop-out ads. These are the advertisements that just pop over the entire page. This disturbs the proper flow of information and could distract with the user tapping on the interactive CTAs.
•  Place ads on creative places. Usually, ads are placed in the least important part of the screen. Normally, a small portion of the lower part of the screen is set for ads. You may want to free up a small space there.
•  Some ads, especially in games, give bonuses to the players. I guess this, too, is creative.

6. Making the User Wait On Your App

Nobody wants to wait. But some apps need a few moments to load. But you have to be careful about this. Splash screens are risky elements to place in your app.

They are normally annoying because you are accessing the content while someone is waiting for you or the device. If you place a splash screen, make it is short as possible. While you’re on it, make it creative.

7. Too Many Mobile App Notifications

As the designer, you want your app to be noticed and used by people, right? So you might think that you should always remind them that you haven’t used the app in a while? Right? Have you thought of this?

Well, if you are thinking about even doing this, don’t. Notifications, unless they are essential to the users, turn the latter away from your app.

Think of t like this: no matter how nice you try to be, there’s always this one guy who thinks you’re best friends and sends you emails about his life every single hour. Do you even like that random guy? Hell no, right? Then if you don’t like annoying people constantly reminding you, begging for your attention, don’t put them in your apps.

4 Good Tips For App Notifications

• If your app is a game, provide bonuses for users who regularly check your app out.
• Try to design a better app. Improve your errors; make it more exciting.
• Be nice with the ads. Don’t clutter the pages.
• And lastly, follow the guidelines stated in this article.

Or else, you might end up falling prey to this app-blocker setting.

Final Thoughts On Designing A Mobile App

App design is not a walk in the park. Like web design, it has its pitfalls. If you continue to keep on committing these mistakes and not even learning from them at all, then you won’t be any good at all. Remember that you should learn from these mistakes and create a better app next time. Happy designing!

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45+ Most Popular and Useful iPhone Apps  For New Mobile Design App Inspiration

iPhone has gained popularity rapidly and is a must have gadget for nearly everyone now. Even I, an old clumsy Nokia owner, have finally realized it. iPhone is not your typical phone you pull out only to make a call. It can do much more than that. And with over 350 000 apps it would be silly not to fully use the potential this phone’s offering. But which apps to choose and which are worth the money? It can be rather frustrating to pick the right ones for you in all that mess.

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This article is here to help you and presents 45+ of the most useful, efficient and awesome apps to keep you on top of the edge every time you use your iPhone – be as productive as possible wherever you go. The apps collected in this article range from advanced bookmarking services to simple photo effect tools. These fantastic apps will help you increase your productivity greatly and get the best from your iPhone. You might ask if you can afford all that? Don’t worry, most of these apps are actually free or at a ridiculously low price for the value you get.

Organizing iPhone Mobile Apps

These apps will help you to organize your notes, photos, bookmarks and synchronize them across your computer and other compatible devices. The USB flash era is over – DropBox is the new ultimate service for transferring files quickly and efficiently.

1. Evernote (free)

Evernote for iPhone lets you create notes, snap photos, and record voice memos that you can then access any time from your iPhone, computer, or the web.

2. ZooTool ($1.99)

Zootool for iPhone makes it easy to bookmark, organize and share your favorite images, videos, documents and links from all over the web.

3. Dropbox (free)

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your iPhone and iPad and even the Dropbox website! With the Dropbox app, you can take everything that matters to you on the go.

4. inClass (free)

inClass, the amazing student organizer, is here to help you survive school. No matter how complex your school schedule is inClass will help you keep track of all your courses and even alert you before class so that you are never late again. Not only that, but it will help you keep track of your tasks by reminding you that one is due soon, so no more procrastination.

Business iPhone Mobile Apps

Take your business with you in your phone. These apps will help you track, manage and take care of your finances and business.

1. Mint (free)

Personal finance tools from Mint. Track, budget and manage your money on-the-go. Sign up for a Mint account, add your online banking accounts and access your personal finances — all from your iPhone. Get started for free.

2. Billings Touch (free)

Billings Touch takes the Apple Design Award winning time tracking and invoicing experience from the Mac and puts it in your pocket.

3. Outpost 2 ($19.99)

If you use Basecamp, you use it because you want to be productive. You use it because you want a simple solution to what once was a big problem for you. Now, you can use Basecamp on your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad just as you’ve always wanted to.

4. MiniBooks for FreshBooks ($14.99)

MiniBooks puts the popular web invoicing software FreshBooks in the palm of your hand. Manage your clients, send invoices, run timers, and record payments, all while on the go. Plus, MiniBooks fully synchronizes with your FreshBooks account, so you have access to your account even when you’re off the grid. All this for less than FreshBooks’ monthly subscription fee.

5. Scanner Pro ($6.99)

Scanner Pro transforms iPhone into portable scanner in your pocket. It lets you scan multipage documents, email them and even upload to Dropbox, MobileMe iDisk or any other WebDAV enabled server. Evernote integration is there too.

Task Management Mobile iPhone Apps

To-do lists, RSS readers, project management, brainstorming – keep track of your everyday life in your pocket. These amazing apps will help to get things done right.

1. 42tasks (free)

42tasks is a tasks management and collaboration app, with cloud synchronization. The 42tasks app will boost your productivity. You can organize your to-do lists and tasks, assign them to other people, share projects and view custom reports.

2. Remember The Milk (free)

Take your to-do list anywhere with this feature-packed app; never forget the milk (or anything else) again. Remember The Milk (RTM) for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad connects with the popular online service of the same name. With millions of users worldwide, Remember The Milk is everywhere you are: from mobile to the web to apps including Outlook, iCal, Gmail, Google Calendar, Twitter, and more. Learn more at www.rememberthemilk.com

3. Springpad (free)

Springpad is a free application that lets you quickly and easily save ideas and information you want to remember on the web, on your iPhone and on your iPad.

4. Instapaper ($4.99)

Save web pages for later offline reading, optimized for readability on your iPhone or iPod touch’s screen. Featured by Apple and critically acclaimed by top blogs, newspapers, and magazines.

5. Things ($9.99)

Things is a beautifully focused and amazingly intuitive task manager. Other to-do applications either oversimplify or are too difficult to use. Either way you are not getting stuff done. Things instead has the right balance between ease of use and powerful features.

6. Quickie to Do ($1.99)

Fastest to-do list in the store, perfect for ad-hoc, spur of the moment lists. Simple and efficient, a pleasure to use.

7. LocationMinder ($1.99)

LocationMinder allows you to set reminder alarms that trigger based on location. Even when the app is not running, you will receive the reminders when you reach the area. Designed specifically to work with a new technology in the iPhone 4 for very low power consumption and high accuracy.

8. Wunderlist (free)

Wunderlist makes it downright simple to organize your daily life. Just create a list and start filling it with things that need to be completed. Keep track of your more important tasks with reminders and notifications.

9. Reeder ($2.99)

Google Reader client with dozens of useful features.

10. MobileRSS (free)

MobileRSS is a fully-featured Google Reader client for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. We’ve built a ton of powerful and exclusive features onto an elegant and familiar design platform which makes reading the news fun again. We think you’ll like it! This free version of MobileRSS has ads which can be removed by upgrading to the ad-free MobileRSS.

Most Useful Designer Mobile iPhone Apps

Are you an author on Envato marketplace or just need quick access to your FTP server? These apps will suit designers, developers and other creatives who just love to paint on their phone.

1. cliqcliq Colors (free)

Colors is an easy-to-use color picker for discovering, converting, and managing colors and palettes.

2. WhatTheFont (free)

Ever seen a great font in a magazine ad, poster, or on the web and wondered what font it is? Whip out your iPhone and snap a photo, and WhatTheFont will identify that font in seconds.

3. Leaflet ($1.99)

Leaflet is an iPhone app designed for Envato marketplace publishers. Keep track of all of your account related information including comments, earnings breakdown, statement list and receive push notifications for both new sales and comments. You can also respond to comments and view individual statement entries all in one beautifully designed interface.

4. FTP On The Go (1,59 €)

An FTP client for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.

5. Zen Brush ($2.99)

Zen Brush is an app that allows you to easily enjoy the feeling of using an ink brush to write or to paint. It allows anyone to easily perform fluent strokes while not compromising on the fascinating texture of a real ink brush. Create works that radiate the right atmosphere by choosing the best background template from our large collection.

Photography iPhone Apps

Picture can save a thousand words. These apps will help to keep your memorable pictures safe, share them with your friends and enhance them with cool effects right in your phone.

1. Instagram (free)

3.75 Million users love Instagram! It’s a free, fun, and simple way to make and share gorgeous photos on your iPhone.

2. Adobe Photoshop Express (free)

Adobe Photoshop Express software lets you use simple gestures to quickly edit and share photos from your mobile device. Enjoy having your photo and video library right in your hand — without wasting your device’s valuable storage space.

3. Photopod ($0.99)

Take all your photos from Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, Tumblr and Dropbox everywhere you go, on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Find the photos you want to see in seconds, edit and crop them or instantly upload the photos you just took with your iPhone to multiple networks without the need to open a new account.

4. PhotoSync ($1.99)

PhotoSync will transform your photo handling forever. It‘s the first app that makes wireless transfer of your photos/videos from or to your computer and other i-Devices – a breeze. PhotoSync also transfers to Dropbox, Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, SmugMug and FTP. You need never use a cable again.

5. QuickShot with Dropbox ($0.99)

QuickShot simplifies the process of uploading photos to Dropbox. Every picture you take is immediately uploaded without the need for any additional actions. It has all the familiar camera features found in other apps, plus a few not found anywhere else. Queue multiple photos, upload photos in the background, and access all of the standard camera functionality from QuickShot’s simple interface.

6. Camera Plus (free)

Camera Plus is a free camera app for your iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G and iPod touch to capture photos instantly with some great controls, add cool effects and share them with your Facebook, Twitter or Flickr friends on-the-fly!.

Social iPhone Apps

Twitter and Facebook aren’t the only social networks out there. Play photo games, write diary, listen to thousands of mixes straight away from your phone.

1. Piictu (free)

Part photo game, part social camera, piictu is a fun + simple way to talk and play with piics from your mobile phone.

2. Momento ($2.99)

Momento is a unique diary/journal writing application which provides a quick and easy way to privately record moments throughout your day. Connect with popular web services, such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Foursquare, Gowalla, YouTube, Vimeo, Digg and Last.fm, to collect and display your online activity as part of your diary.

3. 8tracks Radio (free)

8tracks is handcrafted internet radio — a “social” alternative to Pandora. Featuring hundreds of thousands of mixes created by people who know and love music, the 8tracks iPhone app gives you easy, free and mobile access to the best collection of playlists on the web.

4. Skype (free)

Call, video call and instant message anyone else on Skype for free with Skype for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

5. Path (free)

Path is the simple and private way to share life with close friends & family.

6. GroupMe (free)

Free group messaging with anyone you know. Works on any phone.Now works over data—no text plan required.

7. Spout ($0.99)

Introducing Spout, the newest way to enjoy news, messages, tweets and comments; delivered to your screen as a beautifully rendered up-to-the-second display of social content.

8. Bump (free)

Bump makes sharing with people as simple as bumping two phones together. Just pick what you want to send, then hold your phones and gently bump hands with another Bump user. And now, you can message with your friends who aren’t near you – just add them as a friend inside of Bump and start messaging immediately — it’s kind of like a long-distance “virtual bump”.

Other & Misc iPhone Apps

All the other fantastic apps that doesn’t fit in any other category. Check out Ben the Bodyguard trailer to find out what I’m talking about.

1. Fast ($1.99)

Fast is an innovative writing system that will save you time when typing your sms, mail, or more generally any text. The feature that differentiates Fast from other writing systems is that Fast learns from what you write, and updates itself by drawing from your vocabulary.

2. Ben the Bodyguard (3,99 €)

Ben protects photos, contacts, passwords and other sensitive stuff on your iPhone or iPod touch. He’s your own personal security expert. Peace of mind on the go with a distinct attitude and opinion. Ben’s guarantee — “Your secrets are safe with me.”

3. Gas Cubby ($4.99)

Gas Cubby is the ultimate tool for tracking gas mileage and vehicle maintenance. Whether you’re a hypermiler, or just want a reminder to change the oil, Gas Cubby will save you money and keep your vehicle operating at its peak.

4. blip.me (free)

blip.me is a fun, useful, and free way to turn your mobile phone into a push-to-talk walkie-talkie.

5. Find My iPhone (free)

Find My iPhone is free for anyone with an iPhone 4, iPad, or 4th generation iPod touch (iOS 4.2 or later required).* Just sign in with your Apple ID on your qualifying device and turn on Find My iPhone to allow you to locate it. Then use the same Apple ID to turn on Find My iPhone on your other iOS 4.2 (or later) devices including iPhone 3G, 3GS, or iPod touch (2nd generation or later). Find My iPhone is also included with a MobileMe subscription.

6. Rowmote Pro ($4.99)

Rowmote Pro is the ultimate wireless remote, trackpad, and keyboard. A gorgeous universal app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, with everything from a multitouch trackpad to full extended keyboard support, and with no-configuration control of dozens of the best Mac applications, it is a must-have for any home media center or presentation.

7. Free Full Screen Private Browsing (free)

Finally, you can view all your websites privately and in full screen for free. This is the simple, no frills web browser you’ve been waiting for.

8. Where (free)

Join more than 4 million people who rely on Where everyday to answer the question, ‘Where should I go next?’

9. quiQR ($1.99)

quiQR iPhone app is a Real-time QR code reader and creator.

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History In Mobile UI World:  40 Best Mobile Design Apps From 2012

Since we updated this article recently, we still have some mobile app designs left from 2012. Check how the mobile app design world looked in 2012. Look how far have we come in just a few years!

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1. Camera Genius

Camera Genius is a camera iPhone mobile application that significantly increases standard functionality. It has separate focus and exposure areas, picture editing tools and effects, social network sharing features and more. Great idea to blend SLR with phone and the UI design is nice and clean.

2. Istid

Overview of the shops selling good quality ice cream. The usability and typography are great.

3. Jauntly

Mobile website of Jauntly – a simple goal setting web application. Simple design with a beautiful color scheme.

4. ChowNow Tip

Tip screen for the forthcoming ChowNow mobile ordering platform. Crisp design with a gentle touch of texture.

5. Wieden + Kennedy BlackBook

Browse employees alphabetically. Awesome contact list.

6. Nike Fuel+ App Concept

A new concept for Nike Fuel+ app. Fine contrast and vibrant colors.

7. Moodswings

Moodswings helps you add and track your daily mood through time and location. Check how people in your neighborhood are feeling and understand the reasons behind your mood swings. Good concept brought to life with a beautiful design.

8. MemoCards

MemoCards is the ultimate flashcard app for language learners. Excellent design that combines both usability and creativity.

9. Grocery List

Make shopping easier with ordered lists.

10. Quote Roller

Quote Roller for iPhone lets you access your QuoteRoller account from wherever you are. Lucid and neat web app’s transfer to mobile.

11. AirCasette

AirCassette is a unique cassette player application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Creative design but the functionality lacks a bit.

12. Meernotes

Another to-do list app yet this one really feels like a notebook in your pocket.

13. Mingle

Mingle is the new, fun way for professionals to network anywhere they are. Modern and glossy interface which might not go with the app’s goals.

14. Sudoku

The best sudoko app for iPhone. Tough game but at least you have a beautiful interface.

15. I Do Lists

I Do Lists is a list creating app. But it’s for lists of things that “I do” rather than things “to do”. It combines good graphic design with ease of use.

16. RaceSplitter

RaceSplitter is an easy-to-use, yet powerful race timer, that allows you to time a race or training session, and get splits and relative standings while out on the course. Clean interface and great functionality.

17. Billings Touch

Billings Touch is a part of a unique time tracking and invoicing solution called Billings Pro. Clean and crisp design makes it easy to keep an eye on your money and projects.

18. Ogorod Stuff

Ogorod Stuff is a great way to share pictures of your clothes, gadgets, vehicles and all the other stuff that you use everyday. I don’t see the point of this app but you got to admit that the design is neat and refined.

19. TV App

TV Show tracker app idea with glazed and pixel-perfect interface.

20. WoooBee

WoooBee is a location based service, where you can share the hottest spots in town with your friends and receive discounts. Beautiful color scheme with pixel-perfect elements, yet it looks like the functionality of the app won’t be that great.

21. Probki.tv

Blogging app for those who are unlucky enough to spend their lives in traffic jams. Clean interface with a touch of retro.

22. Arla Köket

A cooking app with trendy design and great color accents.

23. Air Dictate

An iPhone app that uses Siri’s speech to text to dictate text to your Mac. Luxurious look with a nice touch of texture.

24. iPhone Restaurant App

A restaurant app concept with a warm and cozy look.

25. Jet Lag

Suffering from jet lag? Flying between timezones may cause your biological clock to run amok making you feel tired and disoriented. Jetlag App helps combat these feelings so you can enjoy your trip and be alert all day long. Minimal design with a nice color scheme.

26. Italian Challenge

Deepen your knowledge of Italy by answering more than 1000 questions that this app offers. Attractive design with cool illustrations.

27. UN News App

The UN News Reader is a free mobile news application for quick and easy access to all stories from the UN News Centre. Perfectly aligned elements and plain design.

28. redpepper

Mobile website of an advertising agency. Bold and engaging design, a great transfer from the web version.

29. Bosquet

Your new favorite Forrst app? The appealing design might help make it.

30. My Seeen

A movie app concept with clean, pixel-perfect, detailed design.

31. tmn wallet

With this service customers can purchase products in vending machines, catering spaces and custom food delivery services using just their mobile phones. Clear and bold.

32. Mountain High

The official Mountain High app for your next ski and snowboard experience. Bright and rich interface with bold accents.

33. Readability

Readability turns any web page into a clean view for reading now or later on your computer, iPhone or iPad. It’s all about simplicity and the reading experience.

34. Red Stamp

Email, text, tweet, facebook, and paper mail personalized photo cards, notes, invitations + announcements right from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The app itself is very simple but those photo card designs are awesome.

35. Snapguide

Snapguide is a simple, beautiful way to share and view step-by-step how to guides. The good looking design and usability makes creating a guide fun.

36. crouwelclock

Clock made from kick-ass typography.

37. Calvetica

A super simple calendar app using Helvetica typography that looks worlds better than inbuilt.

38. robick

Robick is an audio player for listening to music deeply. change and visualize the way you listen to music.

39. eBoy FixPix

Tilt your iPhone to explore eBoy’s mind-boggling art and find the right angle to solve the puzzle. Graphics by the Eboy artists.

40. SKTCH

SKTCH is a generative drawing application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Instead of adopting traditional “brush” based drawing, SKTCH is about presets, created by a number of digital artists around the globe. In this app, you’re the designer.

Want more?

app.itize.us

app.itize.us is a painstakingly curated presentation of the best produced and designed iPhone and iPad applications available for download via the App Store.

They Make Apps

Home of the finest mobile app makers.

Meer.li

Meer.li is a place where exceptional mobile designers connect, show off their designs and promote themselves.

What’s your process when you design mobile app? How do you go from creation to release stages? Mobile application design is not easy, but very rewarding. Best of luck!

Aware of some more awesome mobile apps? Share with us in the comments!

Now let’s look at some great Android apps you should be aware of if you use Android Phone.

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26 More Android Applications You Mustn’t Miss This Year

With powerful smart phones and tablets releasing every year, more and more tools are coming to help out developers and designers in their work. The thing which makes all these devices useful for the developers is their compatibility with the Android apps.

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However, with thousands of Android apps available to download, it can be very hard to choose the most useful one for you. To help you out, we have collected 26 Android apps that you shouldn’t miss out as a designer, developer or freelancer.

1. Adobe Photoshop Express

This is a free Android app for your smart phones and tablets. It is a very proficient image editor for making quick edits. Many of its features include:

• On-the-go photo editing
• One-touch adjustment for contrast
• One-touch filters
• Snap. Edit. Share. Smile. Photo magic.

2. Color Mood Designer

This app helps you to find the right color combinations.

• Quickly finds the best color combination for your design
• Brings multiple color swatch books to your meetings without carrying laptop
• Compatible with all android devices

The app can be downloaded as demo version for free and the full version can be purchased for US$3.00.

3. iFont(Expert of Fonts)

This is a free app which is designed to install beautiful fonts on your phone. It allows you to download hundreds of fonts directly to your phone. You can choose from a large list of fonts, preview them and even compare them to get the best one.

4. DroidEdit Pro (code editor)

This app is a text and source code editor for mobile phones and tablets. It is useful for the new generation tablets that have external keyboards. Many of its features include:

• Syntax highlighting for several languages
• Several color themes
• Configurable shortcuts
• Dropbox support

The app is available for US$2.94.

5. Toggl Time Tracker

This app is a simple and convenient time tracking on the go. For all the freelancers that work by hour, this is the best app to download. Track your daily routine and know how much time you spend on each task. The app is free to download.

6. Evernote

Evernote is a very handy app for the freelancers.

• Save notes at any times during the day
• Save pictures and voice recordings as notes and annotations
• Sync all of your notes across your computers and devices

The app can be freely downloaded from the Google Play Store.

7. WordPress

With WordPress on your phone and tablets, you have the power to publish. The app makes it very easy to create and consume content. You can write, edit and publish posts to your websites. You can download this app for free.

8. Image Shrink Lite (Resizer)

This app is very helpful for designers in quickly resizing the images. You can also share and send the images through it. Many of its features include:

• Automatic rotation according to Exif tag
• Batch resizing of multiple photos (for full version)
• One click deletion of resized photos created before

9. Programmer Keyboard

Programming can be very hard for many developers if done on phones.

• Has a full QWERTY keyboard and code completion
• Includes many important keys that our phones don’t support such as: CTRL, ALT, and Arrow keys

You can download this app for free.

10. Syntax Highlighted Code Editor

This is one of the favorite apps for developers and programmers who like to work through the phone.

• You can edit HTML, CSS, PHP, C/C++, and JavaScript.
• You can create a whole website from your phone or tablet.
• It gives you the advantage of not having to deal with an FTP server all the time.

The app is free to download.

11. Fontest

Fontest is a free developers and typography tool that allows you to quickly preview your favorite fonts rendered on the Android. Many of its features include:

• 6 high quality free fonts
• Support for adding your own TTF and OTF fonts
• One-tap switch between uppercase and lowercase

12. Fresco Paint Pro

Fresco is a very easy-to-use painting app that features filters, layers and more.

• You can create digital artwork on your phone or tablet.
• With tons of brushes, Fresco brings a real drawing experience to your Android devices.

The app is available to download for US$3.55.

13. Skitch – Snap. Mark up. Send.

If you see something that gives you an idea, use Skitch to snap it, mark it up with simple tools and send it quickly. You can share your thoughts with others instantly. You can use Skitch for many reasons such as: Events, School, Home and for Fun. The app is free to download for your devices.

14. Skype

Skype is very useful for all freelancers. Millions of people use Skype to stay in touch with the people that matter the most. If you are working with other freelancers that are living on the other side of country or even world, Skype makes phone calls very cheap. The app is free to download.

15. TweetCaster for Twitter

When you want to stay update with the most expert designs and topics from around the world regarding the Web, TweetCaster for Twitter is the app for it. You can use multiple Twitter accounts and post simultaneously on Facebook and Twitter. The app is free to download for your mobiles and tablets.

16. Typomapp – Navigate Typography

Discover new things about typography or organize your knowledge in the field of letters. Typomapp is a great approach to learning the art of typography. The app is updated continuously so that you can read new facts and figures about typography. The app is available to download for US$1.45.

17. HTML5 Guru

This app is especially designed for the beginners that are curious about learning the latest technology related to HTML5. The app also includes syntax with all the details and explanations regarding tags. The app is free to download for your Android devices.

18. Photo Illusion

This is a picture app that allows you to edit photos with filters and effects.

• You can easily apply filters and many other effects on high-definition images
• It allows to you crop and rotate photos without losing the quality

The app is free to download; however, the Pro version is also available with many more features and no ads.

19. Google Analytics

With this app, you can access all your Google Analytics Web and app reporting profiles through your Android devices. Get access to your analytical data from anywhere. Download the latest version of this app for free and keep an eye on your summary statistics from your home or office.

20. Adobe Edge Inspect CC

This app is purely for the web designers and developers who are looking to target mobile browsers. The app has many features including:

• Wireless pair multiple Android and IOS devices to your computer
• Sync browser with your computer
• Target a device for debugging, select an element in the DOM and make changes to your HTML markup

21. Color Touch Effects

The app allows you to recolor images and apply cool effects to them. Select any image, turn it to gray or any other color that you want. Its features include:

• Easy to paint
• Two fingers zoom
• Splash various colors to your pictures with vivid colors

22. FxCamera – a free camera app

FxCamera is an easy and creative camera app for your Android devices.

• It has more than 30 filters to choose from.
• Share your photos among your friends and interact with people from all around the world.
• Instantly share your photos on the Twitter and Facebook.

The app is free to download.

23. AndFTP (Your FTP client)

AndFTP is a FTP, FTPS, SCP, SFTP client. It can manage several FTP configurations. It can be used with both device and FTP file browser. It allows you to download, upload, sync, and share with resume support as well. The app is free to install on your devices.

24. Mindjet Maps for Android

Mindjet is the best way to visually capture and organize information.

• Brainstorm your ideas, take down notes and track tasks from the convenience of your Android device.
• You can take your work with you and access it from your Android devices.
• You can also use keywords to organize and sort your Mindjet files.

The app is free to download for your Android mobiles and tablets.

25. TED

This is a must app for you, whether you are a designer or a developer. It presents talks from the most fascinating people around the world. The app is totally free to download and the talks include:

• Education
• Designing
• Business
• Music
• Medical

26. Creative Portfolio

This is a perfect app for all the freelancers, designers and developers who wish to showcase their work to anyone without having any Internet connection. It allows you to customize your portfolio and decide what work you want to show and how you want to show it to the people. The app is free to download for your Android devices.

So, this was the list for the 26 Android apps that you shouldn’t miss. All these apps are a must for designers, developers and freelancers. The list can go as far as you can imagine; however, I tried to present you the best apps that you should use.

If you have an app that you use daily but I have missed here or there is any app that shouldn’t be in the list? Please share your thoughts about it in the below comment section. I would love to hear it!

We promised resources, so here they are.

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8 Fascinating UI Kits for Mobile App Designers

UI kits are a boon for mobile app designers and it is no rocket science to guess the reasons. As a designer using these kits, you get to experiment with styles, create customized interfaces and most importantly, save your time.

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There are a number of ready-to-use UI kits available, which are immensely handy for designing mockups. Additionally, it is not just the expert designers who can use these kits to their advantage, but also rookie designers, who are looking forward to learning the ropes fast.

Here is a roundup of some of the most fascinating UI kits for mobile app designers, which will make app design a breeze and also give you a new perspective and inspire you to put your best foot forward.

1. Free Material UI Kit

Free Material UI Kit is the best tool for exploring the basics of Material Design – the minimalistic design language by Google. Packed with many Material Design UI elements such as – profile, statistics, graphs, buttons, navigation menu etc., the app is a delight for UI designers who want to give their app a modern look and feel. Pick and choose from over 40 UI Elements and Templates, more than 30 icons and 7 application categories for the next big project that comes your way.

2. Winter UI Kit

Ardent Game of Thrones fans, this is your chance to step into Ned Stark’s shoes and say “Winter Is Coming”!! No, Winter UI Kit doesn’t have anything to do with the show; it just has a fantastic winter-themed design, which is quite evident from the color palette. With more than 50 UI elements and icons supplied as 100% scalable vectors, this kit is worth trying out at least once. The app comes with a commercial use license as well.

3. Do

Just like its short and to-the-point name, clean design is one of the mainstays of Do UI Kit. The official website claims that Do is “THE MOST VERSATILE TO-DO APP UI KIT YOU’VE EVER SEEN” and I won’t counter that claim because it does have features that allow you to build different varieties of apps. Loaded with as many as 130 screens, 10 unique themes, and more than 250 UI elements, the kit helps you organize elements in UI in a structured way. Get the UI kit free for Photoshop and Sketch.

4. WOHOO: Free Mobile App UI Kit

Wohoo is a well-crafted UI kit for latest iOS – the iOS 8. The PSD files in this kit have 100% vector-based layers and are Retina HD ready. The kit is quite useful if you have app ideas in mind for three iPhone models – iPhone 5, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S. It would be unfair on my part to skip the mention of fully editable components, which provides ample scope for you to experiment with the UI design.

5. Elven iPhone App UI Kit

If you are specifically looking for a UI kit for iPhone, Elven iPhone App UI Kit is one of the best options that you can have. The app provides some basic elements using which you can design the UI of your app. Optimized specially for the smartphone’s Retina Display, it has elements that are built on layer styles as well as vector shapes, giving you the option to view them on 2x zoom without affecting its scalability. To use this kit, you need to have Photoshop version CS4 or above.

6. CafeGrapp

CafeGrapp – a UI kit for iOS 8 looks promising enough with its aesthetic, flat design. It offers an engaging interface with perfect placement of objects. The UI kit offers 7 PSDs – Splash, Login, My Profile, Flavors, Flavors Maps, Go and Side. Even with a limited number of PSDs, it doesn’t fail to deliver the best results and leave a great impression on you. Even the color palette is different and gives a fresh look and feel to your mockup. Give CafeGrapp a try and you will be stunned with the result for sure!

7. Apple Watch GUI Kit

The next UI Kit on our list is specifically for the Apple Watch as you must have already guessed from the name. The kit has more than 270 templates across 6 categories, which indicates that it provides scope for designing numerous UI mockups. It also hints at the fact that you can use this resource to save your time for designing any kind of app for the 38 mm and 42 mm wearable from Apple.

The UI kit uses a version of San Francisco font, which is Apple’s new system. Alternatively, you can also settle for Roboto font, which is similar to San Francisco. The UI kit has unbelievable details to create UI for the wearable, which is like a dream come true for designers. The kit adheres to Apple guidelines, which makes it a must-have for each and every aspiring UI designer.

8. Otrion Mobile UI Kit

Otiron Mobile UI Kit is completely based on Flat Design standards. From the fonts to the layout and the color scheme, everything points towards a flat design. The kit has as many as 24 highly customizable PSD Files, Smart Objects and many elements such as free Google and icon fonts and has True-Retina Display is what makes the kit advanced and your mockups look a lot like the final deliverable. Even the color styles are changeable in this kit. A well-documented Help file is also included in the kit, which comes in handy for beginners trying their hand at it.

Conclusion

Creating UI mockups for a mobile app is an arduous and time-consuming task for designers, who already have a number of other tasks on their plate. This is where these fantastic UI kits come to their rescue. So, take your pick from these kits and design apps with beautiful UI using Retina-ready, Flat/Material Design templates and design mobile app UI in a short timeframe.

What other UI Kits do you think needs to be on this list? Share your opinions with us via comments.

About the Author:

Jaykishan Panchal is a content marketer at MoveoApps, an android app development company. He enjoys writing about Technology, marketing & industry trends. He is a tech enthusiast and love to explore new stuff. You can follow him on Twitter @jaypanchal8.

Now we are going to talk about why you should definitely design for mobile.

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Why Should You Design for Mobile?