Apps
2023 Apple App Store Award winners unveiled
The best apps and games for 2023
Apple has announced the winners of the 2023 App Store Awards. It recognized 14 apps and games that empowered users to unleash their creativity and discovery a new world of adventures throughout the year.
The winners were chosen by the App Store’s Editorial team from a list of nearly 40 finalists based on technical innovation, user experience, and design.
2023 App Store Award winners — Apps
AllTrails, a fitness and travel app designed for outdoor recreational activities, bagged the iPhone App of the Year citation.
Prêt-à-Makeup took home the iPad App of the Year award with its offering of a true-to-life makeup sketchpad on iPad for both professionals and casual users.
Photomator and its machine learning-powered tools that make editing tasks seamless earned it the Mac App of the Year.
Meanwhile, MUBI, an app highlighting exceptional indie films and international documentaries, shone as the Apple TV App of the Year.
Rounding out the list for apps is SmartGym, an app that offers users a comprehensive list of exercises, routines, and fitness reports, as the Apple Watch App of the Year.
2023 App Store Award winners — Games
In the gaming category, miHoYo’s hit role-playing game Honkai: Star Rail has officially won iPhone Game of the Year.
On the other hand, Lost in Play, a point-and-click adventure game launched in 2022 that features unique puzzles and mini-games, took home the iPad Game of the Year plum.
For PC, Lies of P won the Mac Game of the Year award. The single-player action-RPG puts a darker spin on the classic tale Pinocchio. The game is challenging and is considered a “S0uls-like” comparing its difficulty level to FromSoftware games.
Lastly, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is the Apple Arcade Game of the Year, thanks to its quirky gameplay that sees players embark on an adventure to restore an abandoned island to its former glory.
Cultural Impact Winners
In addition to the best apps and games, the App Store selected five Cultural Impact winners. These were recognized for their ability to drive positive change through apps and games:
- Pok Pok (Pok Pok)
- Proloquo (AssistiveWare)
- Too Good To Go (Too Good To Go)
- Unpacking (Humble Bundle)
- Finding Hannah (Fein Games GmbH)
Apps
Firefox ad reunites all your favorite memes from decades ago
The Numa Numa Guy, Annoying Orange, and Chocolate Rain are back!
Before Tung Tung Tung Sahur and Skibidi Toilet, the early internet was populated by charismatic personalities looking to make their presences felt in a land that didn’t have a lot of rules yet. As early users, we danced to “Dragostea din tei,” belted out “Chocolate Rain,” and copied “Shoes” word-for-word. Today, Firefox is bringing all those good memories back for a grand reunion.
In a new ad, the web browser featured ten of the biggest stars of the early internet including the aforementioned Numa Numa Guy, Tay Zonday, and Shoes’ Kelly. You can also see Annoying Orange, Chuck Testa, Overly Attached Girlfriend, Bad Luck Brian, Where the Hell is Matt?, the Apparently Kid, and the Success Kid.
Now, this isn’t just a reunion. The ad has a clear message about today’s most concerning issue: AI. Everything has “built-in AI, always asking, asking, asking,” as the Annoying Orange said.
“They make money by following us, and somehow, I’m the creepy one?” the Overly Attached Girlfriend asked.
All these famous personalities are asking what happened to the internet today. Obviously, the big takeaway is that we should all go back to Firefox.
Compared to other browsers, Firefox has a lot of built-in features that offer a lot of control for users. For one, it has its own VPN for privacy. Secondly, reflecting the ad’s message against AI, the browser has a toggle to minimize AI features.
SEE ALSO: Google illegally destroys 250,000 trees for a single AI data center
Apps
Salesforce introduces Slack Frontline for deskless workers
Simple, secure, mobile-first way for deskless teams across retail, healthcare, manufacturing, field service
Salesforce is bridging the massive divide between corporate headquarters and deskless workers with the launch of Slack Frontline.
This new solution is designed specifically for retail associates, healthcare providers, factory workers, and field crews.
The mobile-first workspace brings communication, data, role-specific tools, and AI together in a single clutter-free app.
While frontline employees make up about 80 percent of the global workforce, they have historically been left out of workplace transformation, often relying on paper checklists, group texts, and broken communication loops.
Slack Frontline addresses these challenges by giving mobile workers up to 10 role-relevant channels, instant Huddles with headquarters, on-demand AI agents, and automated workflows.
Backed by Salesforce data and enterprise-grade security, the platform lets IT teams govern the entire workforce under one secure layer with employee ID sign-ins, multifactor authentication, and compliance configurations like HIPAA.
This ensures that critical updates, training materials, and shift handoffs reach workers directly in their pockets without needing corporate email addresses or shared terminals.
Moreover, the platform is tailored to transform operations across multiple industries, including retail, home healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, and field services.
For instance, retail teams can instantly sync promotions and monitor inventory, while healthcare professionals can securely review patient histories and coordinate care on the go.
Manufacturing and hospitality teams benefit from drastically reduced downtime and faster issue resolution, cutting response times significantly.
Slack Frontline is available now as an add-on for businesses on the Slack Enterprise+ plan.
Apple Music is getting a revamp. In one of the tamer things going on with the brand today, Apple has introduced a new design language for its native music streaming platform.
In the midst of all the hubbub surrounding the iPhone Duo, Apple released a change in the visual identity of Apple Music. Rather than a static logo, the platform’s newest evolution offers a dynamic look that melds Liquid Glass and the power of sound together.
Confirmed through a behind-the-scenes video, Apple says that the new aesthetic was made with practical effects. Music producer Fred Again and NEST Acoustics submerged the platform’s logo in a tank of mineral oil and creating ripples with sound. The new language matches well with the chrome aesthetic typical of today’s trends and… well, Liquid Glass, of course.
Apple says that the more ripple-filled version will play before longer content like concert recordings (similar to Netflix’s startup stinger). Meanwhile, a black-and-white version will replace the app’s icon currently colored red and white. Current previews show off a simple logo, but it’s unknown whether Apple is adding a but more elements when the final version drops.
The updated version will debut for users after next week’s iOS 27.2 and macOS 27.2 updates.
SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone Duo Unboxing and Hands-on
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