Like BlackBerry's smartphone ambitions, 2015 is on its last legs as we move into December. That means there's just weeks to go until Christmas, so why not treat yourself to a few early presents of the digital kind by snagging the best gifts the app stores have to offer?
There's been some great new additions this week too, and we're here to help you harvest the cream of the crop. From a service that wants to organise your photos and a VR app from Google that lets you step right into them, there's plenty to keep your thumbs busy well beyond the weekend.
1. PlayTime
Available on: Android
With Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and more all jostling for streaming supremacy, do we really need another one of these services? When it's absolutely free, the answer is a resounding yes.
PlayTime is able to hand out free subscriptions because everything it brings to your ear is sourced from one of the world's radio stations - more than 50,000 of them.
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The idea is that the song you're after is probably playing somewhere in the world, so you can track it down via the app's search engine.
Price: Free, Publisher: Handy Apps, Release date: out now
2. Everalbum
Available on: iOS
With so many apps and services badgering you to feed them your photos, it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of where your favourite snaps are stored.
Are those great shots from whatshisface's wedding on Dropbox or OneDrive? Or did just you end up uploading them to Facebook? With Everalbum installed on your iOS device, you'll never have to ask that question again.
It's a simple idea, really - pooling together all of your photographs from every social network you're signed up to and every cloud storage service you use. You can even share the albums you've compiled with friends, regardless of whether they use the app.
And for its intuitive interface and the fact that it makes our digital lives much easier, Everalbum is our latest app of the week.
Price: Free, Publisher: Everalbum Corp, Release date: Out now
3. LinkedIn
LinkedIn means business with its new app for iOS and Android. This isn't just an update to the existing application, it's an all-new mobile experience for users of the social network for professionals.
As well as a complete visual overhaul, the way users communicate with each other and potential employers has been reworked from the ground up, with WhatsApp-esque direct messaging replacing the email feel of old.
Research suggests that employers are increasingly turning to social media to find new recruits; so if you're actively seeking work, there's no reason not to download LinkedIn's latest apps now that the firm has stopped its email carpet bombing.
Price: Free, Publisher: LinkedIn, Release date: Out now
4. Top Music Deal
Available on: iOS
Warner Music's Top Music Deal is an app for music lovers with an eye for a bargain. Each week, it flags up songs and albums that are on offer for a limited time.
Albums of the day are on offer for £4.99 or lower for 24 hours and all tracks can be sampled before you hit that buy button.
Obviously the app only highlights deals for artists on Warner Music's books, but given that the label has everyone from Ed Sheeran to Metallica, you're bound to find something you'll like.
Price: Free, Publisher: Warner Music Group, Release date: Out now
5. HappyID
Available on: Android
Here we have an essential download for anyone who uses their Android smartphone for business, the kind of business that involves speaking to a lot of people on the blower.
The app serves you with at-a-glance info about the person you're talking to, drip feeding sticky notes that include details such as the contact's date of birth and where they work.
It even syncs with Evernote so your contact information is stored in the cloud. How handy.
Price: Free, Publisher: Andrey Nikanorov, Release date: Out now
6. Morning Rituals
Available on: iOS
The quality of your morning determines the rest of your day, according to the folks behind the Morning Rituals app for iOS devices.
Even if you don't believe that's strictly true, you might well benefit from more structure and routine in your life - and this application offers plenty of that.
Morning Rituals will help you get the most out of your AM by building and managing a productive schedule around good habits and helping you put time aside for each task. Or you could just hit snooze a couple of times on your alarm clock. Either one is good.
Price: £2.29, Publisher: Ubicolor, Release date: Out now
7. Pintasking
Available on: Android
Pintasking takes a creative approach to multitasking and is ideal for anyone who misses good old-fashioned taskbars when they're away from their desktop.
It lets you place your most-used apps inside floating bubbles that can be popped open very quickly, from any screen. The app even plays nice with your web browser.
Pintasking is free to download with support for two pins, unless you unlock the unlimited Pro version for £2.99.
Price: Free (with in-app purchases), Publisher: PhinxApps, Release date: Out now
8. Join
Available on: Android
If you're looking for a way to bridge the gap between between your PC and Android device so you can do things like send SMS messages from your desktop or paste your computer's clipboard onto your smartphone, Join is worth looking into.
It essentially does what Pushbullet used to do for free before the service put up a paywall, but it's only available in beta right now.
This means it is still a work in progress and is a little more complicated to install than tapping a link on Google Play, but it's worth the effort if you're a disgruntled Pushbullet user who refuses to pay for cross-platform features.
Price: Free Publisher: Joaoapps, Release date: Out now in beta
9. Cardboard Camera
Available on: Android
It sounds like something Blue Peter might teach you how to make, but Cardboard Camera is actually a virtual reality-optimised photo app for Android devices.
You need a Google Cardboard headset for it to work, but this one will turn your photos into 3D-like panoramas that you'll feel like you've stepped right into.
It's not a true virtual reality experience, but you can turn your head to take in more of the scene. Suddenly, Live Photos on the iPhone 6S are looking less impressive.
Price: Free, Publisher: Google, Release date: out now on Android, TBC on iOS
