2. Indispensible Apps

Pixelate iPhone - $2.59 If you're looking to breathe new life into your living room by painting the walls a different colour, but can't quite see the result in your mind's eye, then search the app store for 'Pixelate'. What you'll find is an app that lets you immediately visualise how a new colour would look on your wall. The app's recently been upgraded too, so users can also try out different colour schemes on clothes, furniture, cars or anything else you might want to give a fresh lick of paint. Once you've downloaded the app all you do is select a colour from a photo that you want to change and select the colour you'd like to see it replaced by. A new feature for version 2.0 is the ability to email your touched-up pics from the app and view then on a bigger screen on your home computer. Subway iPhone, Android, Windows 7 Free Fastfood retail chain Subway has released an updated version of its sandwich-ordering app that now allows loyalty card holders to check their balance on their smartphones. Subway says this is a first of its kind in New Zealand but you can expect others to follow if it proves to be a hit. If you have an iPhone, Android phone or Windows 7 Phone, the enhanced version of the app also functions as a Subcard (loyalty card). That means you'll be able to check your loyalty points, access gifts and rewards as well as receive special offers direct to your phone. Qik Most devices supported Basic version free / premium version $4.19 While the Qik app has been available on hundreds of mobile devices for some time, it's only just become available for iPhone and iPod touch. In a nutshell the app lets you stream live video from your device to a unique URL that can be sent out to your friends and family or shared via Twitter and Facebook. You can also upload pre-recorded videos. The app comes in two forms; Qik Video Connect for free and Qik Video Connect Plus for $4.19. Both versions of the app enable live video chat over 3G or wi-fi between iPhones and iPod Touches with built-in cameras. Qik is also integrated with your phone's contact list and you can send a private video mail through email or SMS. You can make all your videos private too, just in case you were worried about someone stumbling across your live stream or library of previously uploaded videos. PlayStation Official App Free Android/iPhone If you're mad about PlayStation and want to be able to access your PlayStation Network account on the go, then this is the app for you. After launching in 2010 in the US and UK, Sony has finally got round to giving New Zealand gamers some loving. The PlayStation Official App (version 1.05) is now available as a free download for Android devices as well as iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The application enables the user to access their PlayStation Network account, browse their online trophies, view the online status of their friends and read the latest PlayStation news via Sony's PlayStation blog.