Sound Of Music For lovers of classical music, entire compositions have their own apps on the App Store. Take Vivaldi's Four Seasons, a symphonic poem loved even by those otherwise unfamiliar with classical music. This legendary and lively composition has an app in which you can attend two performances of Four Seasons: a purely classic take by the English Concert under Trevor Pinnock and a recomposed version by the German composer Max Richter. As you watch you can see the musical score scroll by and a "beat map" pulsing out the music. You can also see the orchestra performing and there's a detailed commentary so that you get to know it intimately.
Another app by the same developer is available for Beethoven's world famous Ninth Symphony.
The Four Seasons app costs Rs 600.
Revel In Visual StorytellingYou can literally lose yourself in this Storehouse, a gorgeous app for the iPad, though available on the iPhone as well. It's one of those visual treats that seems made just for the iPad — and the kind of thing for which the iPad was made. It's all about taps and swipes and all you have to do to enjoy it, is lean back and let a lazy finger do the job. You browse through stories, like photo magazines. Marvelously, they can contain videos, even as the magazine cover. You can create your own story using your own photos and movies and some minimal text. These can be shared on social networks. When you bring in the social angle, it means you can follow people for their stories. You'll find photographers in plenty.
A warning about low res pictures — these won't look particularly good. Storehouse is free.
Don't Be Stuck ForeverAlmost everyone's been through it. A period of abject unproductivity when you know you should be getting something done, but you don't because you feel stuck. Some go through a stuck period for alarmingly long or frustratingly often. Unstuck aims to help you out of that trough.
First you download the app. It's free on iOS. Then launch, and follow the steps recommended.
Unstuck isn't a frivolous tool and works by helping you diagnose the problem through methodical questions. You go deeper and deeper into analysis as you explore your feelings and the obstacles you have to contend with. Then you have a bunch of suggested actions to get unstuck.
You get a thorough analysis and can save that, as people often go through the same problems again.
(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 09-02-2015)
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Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
