‘Smart TVs’ Are Next Bet for Makers as Sales Languish

Crisp, high-definition TVs as big as 50 diagonal inches can be had for a few hundred dollars. Why bother upgrading or paying more for a fancy new one? Many people don’t. And if you spend much of your time watching streaming video on a tablet or phone, paying for a better TV seems even more pointless. So for several years now, TV sales have been lackluster.

Electronics manufacturers, though, are not losing hope. And at the 47th International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, scheduled to open on Monday, they will show how they intend to attract more customers. In many cases, it will be by offering so-called smart TVs that can connect to the Internet and run apps.

“Consumers are telling us they’re more interested in connected” televisions, said Benjamin Arnold, an analyst at the NPD Group, the research firm.

For example, at the show, Roku, the manufacturer known for making set-top boxes that include Netflix streaming, will announce designs for integrating its streaming media service directly into television sets. Two Chinese manufacturers, Hisense and TCL, will make the first products based on the designs. Roku, which is based in Saratoga, Calif., will show six television set models at the show with its service built in, said Anthony Wood, the company’s chief executive.

Mr. Wood says Roku is in a position to make a smarter television than others in the industry. He said most TV set makers do not have the resources to make smart televisions with a broad selection of content, partly because many media companies do not want to create versions of their apps for all the different smart TVs on the market. By contrast, there are already more than 1,200 apps available for Roku, including HBO Go, Netflix, Vudu and others, he said.

“Our strategy is to be the dominant platform on the big screen,” Mr. Wood said in an interview.

Samsung, the No. 1 TV manufacturer in the world, is also bullish about Internet-connected TVs. This year more than 75 percent of Samsung TVs will be smart TVs, said Joe Stinziano, an executive vice president for home entertainment at Samsung Electronics America.

But Samsung, like other television makers, is covering its bases by also trying to grab consumers’ attention with flashy new features for the old-fashioned set. The manufacturers have been introducing these kinds of features for a while now to little avail; last year’s crop of sets offered the ability to watch content in 3-D and included screens with quadruple the pixels. Yet shipments of sets last year were down, and with little content to watch, 3-D TVs are a failure so far.

In the United States, sales of Ultra HD TVs in the 12 months that ended in November accounted for less than 1 percent of overall sales of televisions 40 inches or larger. Nonetheless, this year, Samsung is emphasizing curved high-definition TVs, including a high-end 105-inch Ultra HD TV with a curved display.

The slightly concave screen cuts down on reflections from ambient lighting, like the ceiling lights in a living room, for example. It also allows people who are sitting off to the sides, away from the central sweet spot, to get a better viewing experience, Mr. Stinziano said.

“Your eye is curved and this TV is also curved,” he said. “It’s a much more natural feeling.”

Other TV makers like LG, Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba and Sony will also showcase their big-screen Ultra HD TVs at the electronics show this week.

Out of all the TV makers’ tricks, smart TVs appear to be gaining some traction. In the year that ended in November, 22 percent of televisions sold in the United States were Internet-connected TVs, compared with 11 percent in the previous year, according to NPD.

App Smart: Basic Apps for Your New Smartphone or Tablet

Don’t panic. Here’s a selection of great, basic apps to get you going.

Let’s start with some games. Sky Gamblers: Cold War from Atypical Games has 3-D graphics so impressive that it is almost as if you have a game console in a device you can put in your pocket. This $5 iPhone or iPad game puts you in the cockpit of a number of aircraft from the Cold War era. You steer by turning your device in the air, and control various systems and weapons by tapping on icons or swiping on the screen. The game has dramatic missions, and is great fun. It’s also an ideal app to show off the power of your new device to a friend.

On Android a similar game is Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy, from the makers Namco-Bandai. It also has good graphics and the same sort of complex gameplay. It’s free, although it costs up to $3 to unlock different missions and aircraft. There also is Air Supremacy on iOS for $1, but I feel the Cold War version is better.

For an alternative to a war-themed game, try Infinity Blade 3 on iOS and Dragonslayer on Android. These are fantasy games with amazing 3-D graphics that place you on an adventure in a mystical land with just your wits and sword skills to save you. Infinity Blade 3, which is also perhaps the most graphically wonderful game you’ll see on an iOS device, costs $3. Dragonslayer is free on Android.

You probably have heard of Angry Birds, a wonderfully odd puzzle game where you catapult moody avians to destroy buildings made by evil pigs. The latest, Angry Birds Star Wars 2, is free on both iOS and Android and is hilarious to play. Its puzzles and hidden levels have kept me amused for too many hours to count. There is a Windows 8 version too that will cost you a dollar.

For a different puzzler, check out Candy Crush Saga, which has been downloaded half a billion times. It’s a bit like the classic Tetris, with cute graphics and simple but addictive gameplay. It’s free on iOS and Android.

With social networking apps you can experience the thrill of sharing news or photos or even video about what you’re up to with the world in real time. Twitter (free on iOS, Android, Windows Phone), Facebook (free on iOS, Android and Windows) and Instagram (free on iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8) are all worth checking out. Again, these apps come with a warning — you may use them much more than you expected.

But don’t forget that smartphones and tablets have more uses than merely to gossip or play games. How about using them to get you from A to B? Waze is a powerful GPS app to try. It replaces that old device that you used to suction onto your car’s windshield with a modern mapping system that is constantly improved by its community of users.

As well as the usual tricks of showing a map and speaking turn-by-turn directions, Waze offers real-time traffic data and alerts for incidents like traffic jams or accidents. The app has some quirks, like requiring a network connection for live data, thus eating up your mobile data allowance, and its cutesy graphics may not tickle your fancy. But it is free, and available on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

For more real-time data for the world around you, download Layar or Junaio to tap into some of the same “augmented reality” vibe that Google’s Glass headset is championing. These apps turn your device into a digital window.

You hold your device up and the screen will show a view through the camera’s lens. Superimposed on top of this view is all sorts of additional data you select from a library of different “layers,” including information like the identity of boats you can see on the ocean, or photos that Twitter users nearby have shared.

Layar (iOS, Android) and Junaio (iOS, Android) are free and may amaze you with the amount of location information you can find within moments. But this technology is quite new, so be prepared for a bit of a learning curve with the apps and occasionally unreliable performance.

Finally, check out the amazing power of Shazam. This app listens to music you hear in public, as you sit in a coffee shop, for example, and automatically identifies the tune for you. It’s magical to see in action, and it even offers links to buy the music if you really like it. Shazam is free on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

These, of course, are just the beginning. There are many thousands more out there — many free. Do some of your own exploring, and you’ll find apps for everything. Just be careful about spending surprising amounts of money on in-app purchases, particularly in games.

QUICK CALL

Cut the Rope 2, the sequel to the first runaway hit, is new for $1 on iOS. It’s a sort of puzzle game with timing and physics-based elements, and it’s great.

App Smart: Using the Masses to Improve Apps

Weather apps, for example, sometimes have data only for cities or towns far from a specific location. The Weathermob app, free on iOS, tackles that by sourcing weather reports from people who are exactly at the spot you are interested in visiting or knowing more about. Users submit weather information from their location, as well as other data, like their mood or what they’re doing.

As I write this, for example, some users in the app’s “nearby” page have shared photos from a beach not far away where it is 70 degrees and sunny, and they’ve added a smiley tag to the photos. There is also an option for adding comments, which means those beach partyers could add information, like “Come and visit here — a band is playing in an hour.”

This aspect of the app is entertaining but not particularly useful — I can take a step outside and get most of that information. But the app is searchable for information on other locations. When I looked up a town that I would be visiting, for example, Weathermob users reported that it was 66 degrees, and the app’s detailed forecast page reported an 11 percent chance of rain the next day.

Entering your own weather report is easy. You dial through a rotating list of weather icons to one that matches what you see. Then you select a mood and an icon from the “it’s weather for...” list, which includes oddities like a sea gull or a cricket bat. You can also add a comment, photo or video. It’s fun to use, but the app depends on users’ actively taking part to deliver meaningful information — and that’s not necessarily going to cover every location.

Weathersignal, a free Android app, takes crowdsourced weather reporting one step further by using sensors in your phone or tablet to assess the local weather conditions. Your device effectively becomes a miniature weather station. The makers stress that the app is experimental and that not every Android device has the right sensors. With the right device the app can collect data like air pressure, ambient temperature and even brightness. But even then, Weathersignal is quite basic and has a few quirks — like telling me my Nexus 7 is sitting in 37-degree Fahrenheit weather, when it’s plainly a warm day.

But as more people use the app, the team should be able to refine the algorithms to make better calculations and predictions about current and future weather. For now, this app as something amusing to contribute to, not a reliable weather app based on crowdsourced data.

If you are trying to learn a new language, it is worth trying Duolingo, a great example of a crowdsource app. The app is like many that teach languages, with guided lessons on vocabulary, verb use and pronunciation. It’s graphically very attractive, with straightforward menus. There is also a rewards scheme that makes learning a new language a gamelike experience.

But where other apps simply test your new language skills on preset examples, Duolingo takes another approach. As you move through the lessons, either in the app or on the complementary Web site, you may find yourself being asked to translate other Web sites or documents. This means that you’re part of a crowdsourced translation engine — a point of pride when you get something right, and probably no harm done if you get it wrong, since the app will rely on the wisdom of the crowd. The apps, on iOS and Android, are free, but at the moment available only for students of French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and English.

Find it difficult to make a decision? Then you might want to download Seesaw, a crowdsource app that is all about decision making. If you’re undecided on something, Seesaw can poll your social network friends with a simple click-to-vote mechanism.

If you’re considering a new haircut, for example, you could put photos of four different haircuts into a status update on Seesaw and submit a question like “Which one is best?” Your Seesaw friends, added from your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account, can click on the picture they like best. They can also add a comment, if so inclined. It’s simple and easy to use, and you may be surprised by the answers. The app is photo-centric, though, so it may not suit all types of questions. It’s free on iOS.

Finally, check out the crowdsource video app Pixorial Krowds on iOS and Android, an app for sharing video of an event or location. The idea is that if you’re attending something like a music festival you can see what’s going on from other attendees’ perspectives. The interface is a little confusing, but the app is free.

Crowdsourcing apps are most useful when you actively take part and share data. But do check the apps’ privacy policies to be certain that you’re comfortable sharing the information that you are submitting.

Quick Call

Yahoo’s Fantasy Football apps have just been updated with a valuable new feature: They can now connect users to a live draft and even set up mock drafts. If you’ve never played fantasy sports, now is a great time to try out Yahoo’s free app on iOS and Android.

App Smart: Smartphone Tools Have Their Place in the Wild

Planning a camping trip can be complex because there are so many different things you may need to take with you. The Camping List Pro, $2 for iOS, can help. It’s a list-making and organizing app specially set up for camping, with categories from shelter to personal hygiene. You can add your own things to the list as well. It’s easy to use and attractively designed, and its preloaded lists may help you remember to pack some useful items you may have overlooked, like air pumps and Ziploc bags.

Camping Trip Planner, $1 for Android, is similar. Simpler than Camping List Pro and graphically more spartan, it may suit your tastes. A list-based interface is straightforward, though I wish for a button on the main display to add entries rather than having to tap through the menu first. The app doesn’t suggest items for you, but it does have a model list with over 200 useful camping items to jog your memory.

After you’ve planned your trip, the next step is finding a campsite. On iOS and Android, the popular Camp and RV app is packed with comprehensive information for campsites across the United States and Canada — nearly 25,000 of them, from private sites to military campgrounds.

The app is based on a map interface. You search for a campsite or simply navigate to the region you’re interested in exploring, and see what icons pop up on the map. Tapping one of the icons brings up a message with more information on that site.

From there, you can bring up an information page that includes data like a Web site URL, contact details and even photographs. The $10 price tag is high, but it is kept current by its developers and will work offline, which may be really useful if you’re on the road. You can also opt for just the Camp and Tent version or the RV version, depending on your needs, and they’re just $5 each.

If you’re planning some sightseeing walks on your trip, then Columbia’s GPS Pal, from the Columbia Sportswear Company, may become your best outdoor digital friend. Using the GPS technology in your phone, it automatically logs your trek, including elevation data, so you can see later where you went. You can also add notes, photos and video to specific GPS location tags to record something memorable. It’s on iOS and Android and is free, which is impressive. But there’s one important issue common to all GPS apps: using them will eat up your battery life. That’s something to remember if you’re planning to use them to find your way back to where you started.

Knots are always handy to know, whether or not you’re camping — I even put my old Scouts knot training to use the other day while putting up a hammock. Many apps can help you learn knots, but a great one on iOS is What Knot to Do, also from Columbia Sportswear. It’s free and no-nonsense, listing 70 knots sorted by category, including knots like hitches or “stoppers.” The app includes a short description of each knot category and what individual knots are useful for, and you can save your favorites for easy reference later.

It walks you step by step, with images, through tying each knot. But if you’re a complete novice, you may get a bit lost among all the options and knotty jargon, with phrases like “a loop on the bight” and “fair the knot.”

The Android app Knots Guide is a great alternative, with a simple interface that divides knots into categories like “fishing” or “decorative.” It’s not the best-looking app ever, and the knot-tying diagrams sometimes need close examination. But it is free.

Compass apps are useful for trekking, or even pitching your tent relative to prevailing wind directions. Commander Compass on iOS is a graphically attractive compass that also packs in an inclinometer, GPS tracker and speedometer. If its $4 price is too much for you, you might try Apple’s simpler built-in compass app instead. On Android, the Compass app from Catch.com is a rough equivalent to Commander Compass and it’s free.

When you are out in the countryside, remember to use these and other apps only when you need them. The view of the real world around you is probably far better than the one on your touch screen.

Quick Call

Crayon Physics Deluxe has long been a big hit on iOS, thanks to its clever physics-based game and cute graphics that make your on-screen crayon drawings come to life to solve puzzles. It has finally been released as an Android app on Google Play, costing $3.

App Smart: Phone Timer Apps Help You Stay on Schedule

You know that awful moment, while watching television, when you suddenly remember you left something on the stove? I know it well because I’m terrible at remembering things I need to do in, say, four or five minutes. But with a timer app on my phone, I could avoid burning dinner and keep track of any number of other events at the same time.

One of the most elegant timers on Apple’s iOS platform is Timeless, priced at $1. Its interface has large panels with clear typography and straightforward control icons. The main countdown timer screen, for example, is dominated by big white numerals in the center of a large blue display above a small icon bar.

Timeless is controlled by screen gestures. The first time you start it, the app explains how to swipe the screen or rotate the phone to switch displays. For example, swiping left and right on the main timer screen calls up different timers you have set, or lets you create a new one.

Setting up a new timer is simple: the app displays two columns of numerals, one for hours and one for minutes. Swipe these columns up and down to select the time interval you want, then start the countdown by tapping on the play icon in the icon bar. A bell icon selects which audio alarm is associated with the countdown.

The app can run numerous timers simultaneously; to see them, either swipe the timers one by one or turn the phone sideways to view them all in a list. You can even add a label to each timer so you know exactly what it’s for — like “boiled egg” or “important phone call.”

The app can also run multiple stopwatch timers that count up rather than down. You start a stopwatch by setting a new timer to 00:00 and pressing “play.”

The app does have some limitations. For example, the countdown timers count only whole hours and minutes — not seconds — and the stopwatch function has no option for split-timing laps.

An equivalent app for Android devices with similarly high design values is the $1 app Timer. The app is simple to use: to set a new countdown timer, you tap the little “+” icon, and up pops a setting for hours, minutes and seconds.

To set the seconds, you move your finger around a circular dial, then tap on hours or minutes if you need them. You can start the countdown straightaway or save it for easy access later.

Many timers can run concurrently — handy if, for example, you are cooking several dishes for a dinner party — and the app has clear controls for pausing, ending or deleting timers.

One slight irritation with this app is its method for setting labels on timers: you have to “long press” them in the list of running or saved timers, and that can be easy to forget.

You also cannot set different reminder tones for different timers — which means that if you have a group of timers running concurrently, you will have to check your phone to see which one the alarm is referring to.

Simpler timing needs may be met with the Ovo Timer, a free app on Android. Its clever design reduces countdown timing to a minimum.

The app’s screen is dominated by the time you have set, which is done by tapping on the screen and circling your finger clockwise or counterclockwise. There is also an option to have the time you want spoken.

The countdown begins automatically; you can pause it by touching the numerals. A colorful arc surrounds the countdown, disappearing gradually as the time ticks away. The app is simple and it’s free, but it can run only one timer at a time and cannot handle countdowns longer than an hour.

If you are interested in stopwatch timing rather than countdown timing, you may find it simpler to use a dedicated stopwatch app. Apple’s iOS has a useful stopwatch built into the Clock app.

You can also try the Stopwatch+ app, $1 on iTunes, a slightly more sophisticated timer that records lap events in detail and even lets you e-mail your list of times. The Ultimate Stopwatch app on Android features a clean and easy-to-use design, and includes all the basic stopwatch features. And it’s free.

And that smoke from your kitchen probably means you burned the toast while reading this.

Quick Call

The popular book Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America has been turned into a “pocket” edition app for iOS. Called Peterson Birds Pocket Edition, it is just $1, and comes with illustrations, data and bird song recordings to help identify birds you’ve heard, if not seen.

App Smart: Workout Apps That Keep Track of Your Fitness Regimen

My favorite is Nike Training Club, free on Android and iOS. It has a simple, clean interface, so you can exercise without distractions. The home page has a summary of your training performance and a menu bar that takes you to pages with more details on your previous workouts. There’s also a rewards page where you can earn digital badges for completing workouts.

To start exercising, you click the Get Workouts button, or pick Quick Start and choose the workout you did previously. Workouts vary, depending on whether you want a leaner body or a stronger one, for example. When you choose an activity the app inquires about your experience level (beginner to expert) and offers a list of different exercise styles. As an example, the beginner level’s Get Lean workout has a 30-minute “sweat and shape” and a harder 45-minute “crunch and burn” workout.

Before you begin, the app lists the activities it will ask you to do. You can click on these to get step-by-step advice, with images, to help you do them correctly. Or you can watch a professional demonstrate the moves in a short video.

When you begin a workout, the app gives you a spoken summary of what’s ahead, and then starts a large on-screen clock. While you’re exercising, the app speaks aloud at key moments to give you tips or let you know how much time remains in the exercise. In the Straight Leg Kicks exercise, it reminds you to “roll up on the ball of the standing foot when you kick.” You can exercise to this voice alone, or listen to music from your device library with the coaching voice superimposed over your music.

The app has a huge list of different workouts and includes examples from famous athletes like Gabby Douglas. Its one drawback may be that it requires you to sign up for a free Nike account or connect through your Facebook account.

A great alternative app is Gain Fitness Cross Trainer, free on iOS. While its design is less glossy, it may suit serious exercisers. The app has prebuilt workouts like Torso Rush and Full Bod Livelong, but you can also add workouts customized to your needs. The app can suggest exercise programs based on your goals and where you exercise, at home or on the go. You can also choose a workout time and which part of your body you want to concentrate on (for example, full body or just legs and abs).

When the workout starts, an overview describes the different exercises it’s going to run through. For fun or for motivation, you can e-mail this list or share it through Twitter or Facebook. Tapping on the little information icon pauses the exercise and shows a list of text-based tips on how to carry it out.

While the workout is running, the app shows you an animated image of the current exercise. Beneath this image, a large progress bar shows you how much time is left for each exercise; below that is a smaller progress bar for the entire workout. At the bottom are controls for stopping the workout, skipping or repeating a particular exercise and controlling the sound.

The app uses audio encouragements like, “Nice,” and reminds you of time limits, but the words are spoken in a very neutral voice and can get repetitive. This may not necessarily inspire you to athletic heights.

Workout Trainer is a similar free Android app, with simple animations of each exercise and voice cues to help you with the timing. Its clean and simple visual design shouldn’t distract you as you work up a sweat. But the trainer voices on the free version are electronic and may grate on your nerves.

While there’s a sizable selection of workouts to choose from, many more require a $15-a-year subscription. Subscribers do benefit from human audio recordings and high-definition videos of the exercises, though.

Quick Call

The BBC has released an Android version of its Sports app, free on Google Play. Available internationally, the app has articles and breaking news on soccer, cricket, tennis and other sports.

App Smart: Home Design Apps Let You Experiment With Colors and Décor

Home Design 3D ($7 on iOS) is one of the better ones. It turns a two-dimensional view of your home into a three-dimensional graphic that you can view from any angle and even walk around as if inside. It is so sophisticated you could use it as a starting point for designing a house, rather than just tweaking your interior design.

You start in two-dimensional construction mode, adding rooms and adjusting their size and shape to match your place. You can add measurements and drop in items from a database, like a water fountain or a grand piano. There’s a host of options for doorways, windows and other openings, and you can choose to color walls or floors with textures that look like wallpaper, carpet or wood or simply a uniform color.

When your design is done, you click on the 3-D button to turn it into a 3-D version. While the app tries to be as intuitive as possible, with clear icons for control and some attractively designed screens, it has a steep learning curve. The fact that you have to pay for access to some textures and pieces of furniture might also frustrate you.

Build App Pro is a similar Android app that costs $6. The app also has a plan-view design mode that lets you set out the layout of rooms and furniture items, plus a 3-D graphical view. Like Home Design 3D, the app tries to make design simple — it uses icon-driven menus and easy-to-learn gestures.

But it has a small number of 3-D furniture models and a tendency to crash.

A far simpler app is Houzz Interior Design Ideas, free on Android and iOS, which will probably be more useful in the early stages of any redesign plans. The app’s main feature is an extensive catalog of photos, listed by categories like Family Room, Wine Cellar and Exterior. Tap on a category, select a subcategory like Modern or Tropical and scroll through the photos. You can bookmark designs you like in your own idea book, or export them to Twitter or through e-mail. The app also has lists of products for sale and professionals who can help you realize your design.

If you’re just thinking about changing the color of your furniture or walls, there are many apps to help. The best-known color matching system is Pantone, and it has an official MyPantone app for iOS.

The app’s main feature is a representation of the famous Pantone color swatches. Scroll through the rainbow of options by dragging and then tapping on a color you like. This brings up a new page of data on that color, including its official Pantone code number and a tab for “harmonies.” This tab takes you to a graphical display of colors that complement your initial choice. If you are inspired by a color you see in real life, you can snap a photo of it and have the app recommend the closest Pantone color. You can save your favorite colors for a visit to a store to find matching paint. The downside is that the app costs a steep $10.

Quick Call

Swype has been a popular alternative text-entry system for Android. It speeds typing on an on-screen keyboard because you simply glide your finger to the next letter in the word you want to type. Now the app has come out of its beta test mode, and has hit Google’s Play store for the first time, priced at $1.

App Smart: Dictionary Apps for Smartphones and Tablets

But before your fingers close on that printed book and flick through its alphabetically indexed pages, consider this: There are many dictionary apps that could help you do the job more speedily. They may also have features that will teach you new words. And they might even be fun.

Dictionary.com Dictionary and Thesaurus is a free iOS and Android app that comes from one of the best-known dictionary Web sites. Unlike the Web site, the app has the advantage that many of its features work offline. This app’s home page is colorful with icons and is topped by a search bar where you enter words you want to look up. As soon as you begin to type in this bar, the app begins to suggest words that may match, so you don’t always have to type in the whole word. If you’re unsure of a word’s spelling, you can tap on the microphone icon and speak your word instead.

When you see the word you’re looking for in the search list, a single tap takes you to its main dictionary entry. Here you’ll find the usual definitions you’d get in a paper dictionary, including a guide to pronunciation, word origin description, various meanings and related word forms. You can hear the word spoken aloud by tapping on the loudspeaker icon, or add the word to a favorites list. The app also has a built-in thesaurus, which you can get to via a tab in the search bar. On the iPhone, the app can translate a word into several languages.

It’s functional as a dictionary, but the app also has entertaining extras. It can show you which words people are searching for most right now, for example, and even what people near you are searching for.

The app is visually cluttered, though, and some features, like voice recognition and pronunciation guides, work only online. I got the feeling I was being nagged to buy add-ons, like the ability to see example sentences. Also, the free version’s on-screen ads can get annoying if you don’t make a $2.99 in-app purchase to banish them.

The Android version has a slightly different interface of a simpler design than the iOS version. There is also an attractively designed free edition for Windows Phone, though it seems trickier to switch between the dictionary and the thesaurus in that one.

Merriam-Webster has released several dictionary apps with different functions to cater to certain users or devices. For example, some apps incorporate a thesaurus function alongside the main dictionary; others don’t. The basic Merriam-Webster app is free for iOS and Android devices and is supported by on-screen ads. Its design is simpler than the Dictionary.com app’s. The home page consists of a logo, a control bar at the bottom that provides access to the app’s various functions and a prominent search bar at the top.

Like the Dictionary.com app, Merriam-Webster’s version suggests word matches as you type in the search bar. It can also take voice input instead of typed text. When you tap on a word in the list of suggestions, the app shows the relevant dictionary entry, which is easy to read, with a clear layout and large text. The entry also uses the word in an example and offers a list of synonyms and antonyms. Tap on the red speaker icons to hear the word pronounced.

But the basic app’s database is limited and it knows only two of my favorite three words. It’s possible that the Collegiate edition would know all three: it costs a little less than $25 on iOS and Android to get more definitions as well as the ability to modify menus and a “pen reader” system for recognizing handwriting in many languages. A $3.99 Windows Phone edition of the Merriam-Webster app says it includes “all” the definitions from the Collegiate dictionary.

English Dictionary — Offline, free on Android, is the simplest of the apps mentioned here but is still powerful. Its interface is basic: a search box at the top and space below for word definitions to appear. Tap icons to share words to other apps, flag words as favorites or perform other actions like viewing your search history. Dictionary entries are based on the Wiktionary database, which the makers say includes about 159,000 words. You can click on individual words on an entry page to navigate to that word, and the app will speak the word aloud for you. It’s free and handy for looking up definitions. But it falls short if you’re curious about how a word came into use.

As for “philtrum,” it’s that little vertical groove in your upper lip beneath your nose.

Quick Call

Microsoft has updated its Outlook.com e-mail app for Android, bringing the new design of the desktop Outlook software to the app and adding services like threaded conversations and the ability to mark messages as junk.

Wealth Matters: Smart in Medicine or Law, but Not in Managing Money Money Advice for Doctors and Lawyers and the Rest of Us

But their attitudes toward money and investing can create financial challenges later in life.

And the years of education that got them to where they are, their financial advisers say, can also stand in the way of their financial decision-making.

As Greg Erwin, managing principal at Sapient Private Wealth Management who works with doctors, put it, “A lot of these physicians would like to believe that investing and savings is pure science, and that’s not true. It’s an art form.”

Over the last two columns, I have looked at the behaviors of some highfliers — athletes and people who make their living drilling and transporting oil and gas; and those who have built their wealth in volatile fields like technology and real estate.

In each of those cases, I asked financial experts to share their insights into the financial and investing mistakes that are often typical of these clients.

In this column, I’m going to look at what the rest of us can learn from doctors and lawyers.

DO NO HARM Doctors have a reputation among financial advisers for spending every bit of money they make. They earn a lot, after all, and figure they can work a long time. But doctors who engage in this type of spending can forget how hard it will be to maintain their lifestyle in retirement without millions of dollars saved.

“Doctors can have a sense of entitlement,” said Lewis Altfest, chief executive of Altfest Personal Wealth Management, who has a specialty in advising doctors.

“Doctors are highly respected in their communities. They have historically been among the most gifted intellectually and they’re not afraid to exercise it.”

(He has dentist clients as well, but said they generally acted more like accountants than doctors: conservative and more risk-averse.)

While doctors are certainly smart, their medical ability does not necessarily translate to financial acumen.

Mark Gurland, 59, a hand surgeon in New Jersey who is married to a psychiatrist, said he had a theory about doctors’ financial behavior. Since most do not finish their internships and residencies until age 32 — if they have gone straight through from college — they have been living cloistered existences even as their college friends have been working for at least a decade.

“When they’re done, my feeling is, there is this repressed self-sacrifice and when money appears, they’re living in huge houses and driving the fanciest new cars,” he said. “They have a lot of money they worked hard for, and they’re spending it.”

On the investment side, he said, doctors often believe that their knowledge of medical issues translates into something seemingly simpler, like investing.

Dr. Gurland, who has always been a saver, said he had been guilty of making investments on a tip or a hunch. A cardiologist friend persuaded him to invest in fiber optic cables a decade or so ago: he said he doubled his money and then lost almost all of it. When he invested in a company that was promoting a drug for hand surgeries, he thought he had a winner but lost money on that one as well.

Now, he said, he defers to his adviser on investments and thinks of some of his most annoying patients who try to tell him what’s wrong with them.

“Every day, we see patients in today’s world who seemingly know more about medical conditions than the doctor,” he said. “Why? Because they went on the Internet and read about this.”

Mr. Erwin, the adviser, said he tried to offer doctors a financial plan that dealt with their desire for rewards. At the same time, he lets his clients know about the risks inherent in not saving and in trying to fit in time for investing when they have an all-consuming job.

“They’re very methodical thinkers, but they’re also extremely busy,” Mr. Erwin said.

He said he spent time coaching his doctor clients not to get swayed by a friend who thinks they should invest in something they know nothing about or has an opinion about timing the market.

But doctors generally get two important things right. Doctors, particularly those with a unique specialty, buy disability insurance because they know that if they can’t work as a hand surgeon, for example, their income will plummet, even if they can still work as a doctor in a different capacity.

App Smart: Tech Reminders for Those New Year’s Resolutions

This year it’s different. I’m using some apps to help me stick to my resolutions. We’ll see whether the best 21st-century motivational companion is the smartphone or tablet. If you want to try the experiment, too, here’s where to start.

The Astrid Tasks/To-do List app (free on iOS and Android) is not specifically meant for keeping resolutions, but as its name suggests it’s both a to-do list app and a reminders app. To use it for resolutions, just enter them as tasks and set repeating reminders. With all your data inside, Astrid becomes your portable digital conscience, gently nagging you to hit the gym, practice the piano, leave work on time and so on. (Ah, if only my smartphone knew when I was picking up a piece of chocolate.)

The app’s interface is simplicity itself. It’s a list of the tasks you’ve entered, with icons that tell you if each one has been completed or if it’s a recurring task. Entering a task (or a resolution, in this case) is easy: click “add,” type in the resolution and select a reminder alarm if you need one. In my case, the app is going to ping me at 9 a.m. every day to remind me to take a morning jog. If you need moral support, you can tell the app to share your goals with friends via e-mail or Facebook.

The iOS and Android apps differ a bit. The iOS version is cuter, thanks to its icons and cleaner design; the Android version is trickier to operate (I found it hard to see the little “save” icon when setting the time for a reminder, for example). But both versions work well, and both integrate with a cloud-based database so you can sync all your goal data among your devices.

Lift, free on iOS, is a similar motivational app, but with a community angle. The core of this app is a social network: you join groups that help you achieve a goal. For example, if your New Year’s resolution is to quit smoking, several groups can help you do so. You check in with these groups and comment on your actions and the group’s activity, and you can even earn a thumbs-up from group members for your progress.

The app lists existing groups in categories like “popular,” “fitness habits” and “learning habits,” or you can create your own group and invite friends to join you. For those who need a bit of social encouragement to stick to your resolutions, this app may be the best option.

While Lift does have reminders, they’re not the app’s main function, which means it will require a degree of willpower to remember your resolution, turn the app on and check in. The forgetful may not find it the best choice for keeping resolutions.

A new fitness or health regimen is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, and Fitocracy (free on iOS) is an app that can help you stick to it. It has a social group setup similar to Lift’s, but it’s exercise-centric, with a much jollier design.

For example, during setup the button to advance to the next settings page is labeled “go forth!” rather than a boring “next.” This playful attitude is really what the app is all about. It awards you points when you finish activities and has gamelike features like reward badges and even “level ups.” This combination of lightheartedness and a sense of community spirit may be exactly what you need to help you keep you exercising.

For a simpler, calendar-based app to help you keep a resolution, try Streaks — Motivational Calendar ($2 on iTunes). After you’ve added a goal, you tap on the app’s calendar to cross off a day when you achieve the goal. It’s a little like playing a game; the app keeps track of the longest streak of days you’ve managed, and your current number.

Though it is much less sophisticated than the others mentioned here, it’s ideal for those pressed for time, because interacting with it is so fast. Momentum Builder is a free Android app similar to Streaks, though its design is not as polished.

I look at a bunch of other resolution-binding apps on the Gadgetwise blog.

Happy New Year from me to you! May your apps help your resolutions come true.

Quick Calls

Google’s Zeitgeist app, free on Android, is a great way to look back at 2012. It’s an interface to Google’s report on how the world searched during the year, and it’s crammed with fascinating data. ... Nokia’s free Xpress, which compresses Web data so your phone doesn’t consume so much of your 3G or 4G data allowance, has been updated to be compatible with all Windows 8 phones. It had been limited to Nokia handsets only.

App Smart: Nursing the Flu With Help From Apps

During this bout I was much better behaved because my smartphone, jammed with entertaining apps and Internet access, was a great sickbed companion. Apps can do more than keep you company; they can give you medical advice. And as the season of coughs and sneezes settles in, an app may even help you determine what’s wrong.

For a medical app that covers a plethora of icky illnesses, WebMD is probably your best bet (free for iPhone, iPad and Android). It’s jammed with data, and can present it to you in a number of ways. A hypochondriac’s dream, the app’s Symptom Checker first asks that you tap on the corresponding part of an image of the body and then, choosing from detailed lists, specify which symptom you have. Once you select a symptom, the app leads you through a short question-and-answer session to refine your input, like exactly what kind of cough you have. You can input a number of symptoms, perhaps adding sneezes, for example, and then press the “view possible conditions” button.

The app lists all the conditions your symptoms may match, so you need to read each one earnestly to see if it describes your situation. It’s written in plain language, and links help you find treatment or more information online. A tab takes you to pages describing symptoms in more detail, and another takes you to detailed articles about the condition.

This app also works well if you already know, or suspect, what’s wrong with you: you can simply consult its alphabetical index of illnesses. A section with drugs and treatments even has a “Pill ID” feature to help you identify a medication by its shape and color or the letters printed on it. Finally there’s a quick-access First Aid section for emergencies.

The WebMD app is powerful and full of detail. This is obviously handy, but you can get a little lost navigating its sub-menus. You also need to be online so it can acquire data to meet your requests.

An alternative app on iOS, also free, is iTriage. It too has a comprehensive list of illnesses, and a symptom-checker section where you tap on a body image to input each symptom you’re experiencing. But iTriage also provides information on a list of medical procedures. And you can record in a “my iTriage” section details of your insurance, health record, previous ailments and so on. The app is more graphical than WebMD, and is thus a little easier to use. A page on influenza, for example, has data carefully organized under a long list of headings. Some sections even have video links to help you, but again, you need an Internet connection to get the most benefit.

One way to avoid seasonal illnesses like the flu is to avoid being exposed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official Influenza app (free on iOS or Android) is jam-packed with data, including graphs, maps and medical terminology. It is mainly intended for professionals, but ordinary users can use it to find out where the flu is prevalent in the United States. It also has useful information about vaccination and flu prevention. But its interface is old-fashioned, it’s easy to get lost in the various sections and data presentation is sometimes not the most accessible.

A much simpler and possibly more useful app, is called FluDefender (free on iOS). This app’s main attractions are detailed information about influenza, a built-in link to the CDC’s Twitter feed about flu and a map that shows how common flu infections are state by state.

While the apps have their uses, if you’re really sick, seek professional help. Doctors can recognize symptoms you can’t. And apps can’t write prescriptions.

Quick Calls

Robot fanatics young and old will love the new Robots for iPad app, $5 on iOS. It has information on 126 of the most advanced robots around the world and interactive 360-degree graphical views of them, alongside articles and video content. ... Microsoft has brought its free Bing Translator app to the new Windows Phone 8 smartphone platform. The app provides speech-to-text translation and translates foreign text scanned by the phone’s camera.

App Smart: Apps That Show Off Your Shiny New iPad’s Capabilities

Apple’s iPad typifies this tech revolution, and the company has just released the iPad Mini and an upgraded full-size iPad. They’re powerful, sleekly futuristic devices, and if you’ve recently bought one, or you’ve put one on your wish list, then you’ll be needing some apps.

For Apple newcomers, there are some apps to try right away. GarageBand ($5 in iTunes) is a music-making app, and its playable instruments will amuse and amaze you, showing how powerful a touch screen can be. Amazon’s Kindle app (free) works beautifully for reading and syncs with e-books you may already have bought from the company. Apple’s free iBooks is also a good e-reader app, with a touch more panache in its graphics. Apple’s Pages ($10) is a touch-screen alternative to Microsoft Word. Finally, The Elements: A Visual Exploration ($14) is so rich in detail and graphics that it could make you rediscover the fun of chemistry.

Games are perhaps the best way to explore the power of a new tablet. New iPad Mini owners may enjoy an old classic: Mirror’s Edge ($10). This game is set in a dystopian future in which you play a free-runner who leaps and slides across a city’s rooftops. It made its debut as a beautiful console game years ago, and though the gameplay was simplified for the iPad, it’s still visually amazing. It’s fun to control too, requiring carefully timed swipes on the screen. You’ll also get a kick out of seeing this powerful game run on a tablet that’s so tiny. A newer app that Apple has been promoting recently is the $4 game LostWinds2: Winter of the Melodias. In some ways it’s similar to Mirror’s Edge, requiring deft taps and swipes to control your character as you explore a fantasy world. But this game is a lot more endearing, and has moments of gameplay that’ll make you grin with satisfaction at your achievements and at the story line.

IPad 4 owners, with their Retina-display tablets, will get a kick out of the amazing Wild Blood ($7). It’s a role-playing game set in Arthurian times, and its 3-D graphics are extraordinary — right down to leaves tumbling from trees and the flapping wings of a dragon. With an app this complex you have to put up with occasional pauses as it loads content, and it eats up a lot of your iPad’s internal storage. But it’s worth it to be able to play a tablet game that looks like it belongs on something as powerful as a PlayStation or Xbox.

For a totally different type of game with simpler but equally beautiful graphics, try Contre Jour ($1). This app is all about using the touch screen to gently move your tiny, monocular character around an eerie world full of magical tentacles and airborne energy sparkles. There’s some physics-based play in there, and a soundtrack so calming it’s available as a separate album.

The experience of watching a video on a tablet is also something special — it’s like holding a movie in your hands. Google has not yet released an official iPad YouTube app, so Jasmine (free) is currently the best YouTube app you can use. It lets you log in to your YouTube profile to access playlists, and its many other useful features include the ability to keep playing a clip’s audio when you leave the app, making it great for casual music listening. The YouTube rival Vimeo’s official iPad app (also free) is a pleasure to use, and designed to be very clear and simple. This app even has a built-in video recorder and editor, so you can create and share clips easily.

Since we’re talking about video recording, consider that one great way to show off your new iPad is via its high-quality cameras. For fun, check out MiniatureCam ($1), an app that applies effects to videos or photos that make them look like recordings of tiny models instead of the real world. It has well-designed controls and is surprisingly powerful for its low cost.

Lastly, it’s always nice to talk about the weather. My new favorite weather app, which looks fabulous on the iPad’s screen thanks to its high level of detail, is WeatherMap+ ($3). This app is all about showing you map-based graphical weather predictions — and as such it requires a bit of thought to understand it. But it’ll definitely satisfy your inner geek more than the mere cloud symbols that other apps offer.

With either a big or small iPad — enjoy these apps, and your little slice of future tech.

Quick Calls

Navigon’s very popular navigation app for the United States is now available for Windows 8 phones at $50 in their app store. But take note: Text-to-speech doesn’t work yet — it’s coming in a future update. ... The cloud storage app Box has just been upgraded to version 2.0 on Android (free), bringing with it the ability to view documents directly in the app.

App Smart: Navigon and Waze Map Apps, to Bypass Apple and Google - Review

We tossed that book in the recycling a while ago. Later our GPS unit went, too. Our smartphones now navigate us everywhere and can do many things those older items can’t.

But what to do now that Apple and Google are snarled in a maps rivalry? Google’s maps are no longer available as an app on the iPhone. And although Apple has its own maps app, it has been much maligned.

There are, though, other options — in some cases better ones. Apple’s new system may offer free turn-by-turn instructions, and Google’s Android maps app is pretty powerful. But neither is as good as a dedicated mapping and navigation app.

For a high-end navigation solution, my family relies on Navigon’s app after a lot of experimentation. It’s $40 for United States maps on iOS and Android. The app is a lot like the experience you would get from a high-end dedicated GPS unit.

Once you’ve downloaded your area’s maps data from the company’s servers, it works offline and offers the usual navigation routing and text-to-speech turn-by-turn instructions. It also advises on lane choice on the freeway and even shows you a representation of street signs. The app alerts you to speed limits and speed camera positions; there’s also an extensive list of “points of interest” like pharmacies, hotels, gas stations and so on. This means that you can navigate to a city you don’t know and find services that you’ll need while you’re staying there without needing mobile data.

The Navigon app has recently been improved for pedestrian navigation, so it can help you across parts of a city that cars can’t reach. It also uses this mode as part of its Last Mile system that helps you navigate back to where you parked your car. There is also a Public Transport mode, which helps you use alternative forms of transportation, though this and a couple of other extras are in-app purchases.

Basically this app does almost everything you need in a mapping app, and it’s all offline, apart from some of the features like the Public Transport mode and Google Street View images. That makes it great if you’re on a limited smartphone data package or you’re traveling overseas. Two minor complaints: It takes up a lot of memory space on the phone because all of its data is downloaded at the start, and sometimes its view of the road ahead can get cluttered with street names and other details. But the benefits outweigh these issues.

Another app I like is Waze (free on iOS and Android). It offers proper turn-by-turn navigation, its graphics are exceptionally clear and uncluttered, and you can even choose the color scheme it uses to represent roads. Its icon buttons are clear and large, making them easy to press when you’re reaching for a phone mounted on your windshield or dashboard. Apart from these benefits, it appeals to me because it’s a community-driven app. Its strength is that users can quickly and easily use its interface to report road incidents like police speed traps, traffic jams or accidents.

Waze’s community power may be ideal if you’re often on the road and need to plan ahead if there’s traffic. A few quick taps on the app’s icons warn you, for example, of any traffic problems in the area around you, or on the route you have planned. You can even chat with fellow users and add them as friends, turning navigation into a social game. If you use these social networking features, and trust the input from a particular group of Waze users that may share your commuter journey, then you can just check the road alerts those users are reporting.

There is also a points system, where you earn rewards by using Waze to navigate to destinations, report problems and so on. Waze’s weakness is that it needs plenty of users inputting data to deliver real-time alerts, and that might not be the case where you live. You also need a data connection to use some of its services, and that might be an obstacle if you’re on a limited-data contract.

Another map app that’s worth a try, if you’re looking for a solution on the iOS platform right now, is MotionX GPS Drive. It’s $1 to download, and there’s a yearly fee, currently $10. The app gets many stars on iTunes and its strengths include spoken turn-by-turn directions and traffic alerts.

Safe journeying!

Quick Calls

Netflix has overhauled its iPad app, adding a “Just for Kids” feature that allows users access only to child-friendly content — a feature it has had on its Web site for some time ...Amtrak has released an Android app that lets you plan a train and bus journey, check on train status and use an eTicket to travel.