Airbnb

Web start-up Airbnb has just launched its app and it’s quite a beauty. This elegant app gives users full access to Airbnb’s rental services while on the go.

Airbnb provides an online marketplace for finding a place to crash for the night. This can be anything from a couch in a dorm to a mansion in L.A., depending on your budget. Property owners can easily list their space on the site for free, Airbnb just takes a three percent cut out of each transaction. Transactions and communication between buyer and seller are handled through the site, keeping things as easy as possible for customers.

The new Airbnb app lets users browse the properties based on location, collections curated by Airbnb, or deals. Places are loaded as high-res images of the property with price and location that are easy to scroll through to quickly find a place to stay. Places can be booked and hosts can be contacted from right within the app, streamlining the entire booking process. The app also provides a handy feature, “Help! I need a place, tonight!,” that loads a map of nearby places that can be grabbed for the night. Hosts are covered in the app as well with features like “What’s my Place Worth?” and the ability to post from the app. “What’s my Place Worth” gives hosts an estimate of the value of their property, adding incentive to list unused space and start earning some extra cash.

Airbnb has been growing in popularity lately for its easy-to-use service and adding this app to their product lineup is huge in continuing the growth of the company. Check out the app and start browsing as you plan your winter vacations!

–Tim

Steinway Metronome

This one is for all you musicians out there. Steinway & Sons has branded a metronome app with a beautiful interface. It has everything you would expect, including a wheel to set the tempo, a play/pause button, a mute button in case you want to just see the tempo and a menu to set your favorite time signature.

The app also has some cool extras. My favorite is tap mode, where you tap on the screen and it tells you what tempo you are tapping at. You can also choose what kind of wood you want your metronome to be detailed with.

The app is free, functional and gorgeous. What else could you ask for?

–Isaac

Fruit Ninja

Fruit Ninja is an oldie but goodie featuring simple gameplay and high replay value. Try to slash all the fruit while avoiding bombs. Miss three fruit or hit a bomb and you’re gone. There are two other game modes: arcade, where you have 60 seconds, bombs reduce your fruit camp and power ups help you, and zen, where you have 90 seconds and no bombs. You can also play against your friends in multiplayer mode.

—Isaac