Byte The App: Must See Apps Of The Week 8/18

The app stores are teeming with new releases, but who has time to go through them all? We do. Bringing you a selection of the most interesting, creative, and innovative apps each week. Submit your suggestions for next week in the comments below.

Björk: Biophilia – Virus [iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad]
This is the latest in-app release from Bjork’s much discussed Biophilia app, in collaboration with artist Scott Snibbe and M/M (Paris). As the name suggests, the app centers around a virus which expands and grows in this interactive audiovisual artwork, which, incidentally, also lays claim to being an “educational animation”. It has two modes: song mode, where you can watch the life cycle of a virus while hearing the track, and instrument mode, which lets you create music. The unfolding of the song and the dynamics of the virus are intricately linked, and the cell nuclei can be touched to create sounds.

Romplr: Remix [Android]
This app has been in the iTunes Store for a good while but now it’s finally making its Android debut. So Android users can now remix songs from such pop cash cows as Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Rihanna and plenty more. Lucky you! You get 25 free tracks but will have to buy any extras, however, it does give you social features that include global high-score tables, so your mix has the potential to be heard by the app’s manifold users (if they deem it good enough). And it means you can interact with—rather than just listen to—the latest releases.

Otomata [iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad]
This generative music game was an addictive application when it was released on the web, and now it can continue its hold over your free time when you’re on the move with this iOS version. The generative sequencer allows you to make ambient electronic sounds in a very simple way. By clicking on a square in a 9 × 9 grid, you can select the direction you want it to travel, when it hits the side, it generates a sound. Tap another block and off that goes too, creating harmonies when the blocks strike together, tap more to create an ever-more complex network of blocks and sounds.

NASA App [Android]
With the space shuttle program now canned, NASA needs all the financial help it can get. It won’t come from this free app though, but it might be good PR to get people interested in star gazing and all things cosmic. You won’t have trouble getting engrossed either, as it’s very in-depth, utilizing NASA’s extensive archives to their full potential—giving you access to videos and thousands of images, the NASA Twitter feed, an ISS and earth orbiting satellite tracker, along with letting you live stream the NASA TV channel, while also telling you about their current missions with launch information and countdown clocks.

Localmind[Android]
Harvest the hivemind with this crowd-sourced, location-based app. It lets you pose questions to people in real-world places, finding them through Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places, so you can ask them whatever you want about bars/restaurants/cafes and get an answer in real-time. It also has a gaming element, giving you karma points for answering questions and revealing your knowledge. Becoming the guru of your area will afford you more points so you can climb to the heady status of Localmind Expert.