Posted on Monday, January 5th, 2015 by Toby Sanders
2014 is in the record books as a great year that produced cool websites, apps, and games that will hold our attention for hours at a time. At the end of every year, it’s a tradition here at All My Faves to create a list of the top 10 cool websites, apps and games that emerged during this past year. Enjoy the top 10 coolest websites of the year!
Even though 2014 is over, it’s OK to take a look back sometimes and reflect on what made the year great! There is a lot to reflect on personally, or something that made national headlines and here at All My Faves, we like to look back on the coolest websites, apps and mobile games that emerged during 2014. Don’t get us wrong, we are still fans of the big name sites and games but the newcomers always add something new and fresh to the mix. Every week we deliver the best sites to you that you probably haven’t heard of, and at the end of the year we gathered the top 100 cool websites and put them out there for you to vote! After you voted for your favorite from this past year, we finally have the winners!
Unmapped is a magazine about the World’s unmapped places delivering stories from around the world. These places highlighted are destinations that typically aren’t known by most and aren’t where you would think to visit on your next family vacation.
Each issues is dedicated to a different topic, and because this is on line, the site can make more of graphics, maps, and design enhancing the articles.Articles are written in the first person offering a unique reading experience generally not offered by other publications dedicated to travel. Unmapped is great for those who are interested in destinations that are typically not mainstream.
Staff Pick: VoxSometimes what is happening around the world in the news is hard to understand, but that’s where Vox steps up to the plate. Vox is a media site offering explanations regarding what’s happening in the news making it easier for readers to understand what’s going on. Vox understands its’ readers and doesn’t sacrifice content and information while explaining.
No matter where you are, Todoist is a task management site allowing you to manage your tasks. The system allows its’ users to manage their task from anywhere and across 13 platforms and devices as well as letting users keep track of what they need to do, who they need to do it with and how they can accomplish the task.
The site is great for a professional setting making it easy for co-workers to work together and be on the same page as well as individuals who have a lot to accomplish in a day.
The site is also free with options to upgrade to certain features.
Staff Pick: WibkiWibki is the new way to surf the web and lets you bookmark in style with images and no more long list of sites you never go back to. Wibki is trying to make ineffective bookmarking a thing of the past with a visual interface, and a list of categories to keep it all organized. Users can create a profile and add there bookmarks to a category of their choice, as well as being able to connect with other users and see their bookmarked sites.
Wall Street Survivor is a new tool allowing users to learn about how to invest and make smart financial decisions through articles, and courses as well as participating in a fantasy stock simulator.
The site has a comprehensive list of investing and financial courses allowing users to learn and gain experience with out real life risk. Users can invest in real companies in the stock market simulator and join a league and compare their earnings with others. This site is great for those looking to enter the stock market with information and tools, but with out the risk.
Staff Pick: World Science UWorld Science U is a site dedicated to making science education open and accessible to all. World Science U offers a large variety of topics to browse through and uses innovative tools, interactive examples and other elements to explain scientific theories and help students understand difficult concepts. This approach sets World Science U apart from other learning sites by creating a unique but helpful form of online education.
Useful Science is really pushing the saying “knowledge is power” with useful and fun science facts. The site has a variety of categories to learn fun and random facts from facts from, but some of the facts you come across may be useful in real life situations.
Besides learning facts, the site als0 provides a link to an article or study that proves the fact correct. The site is easy to lose track of time with, but every time you can drop one of these facts into a conversation or discussion, others will be thoroughly impressed.
See the world from your computer and view the scenery from a different perspective with Travel By Drone. The home page is a map of the world and all you have to do is click on an area you want to see, and you’re immediately given videos taken by a drone of that area. It’s easy to wander the world for hours from your own computer and get lost in all the world or a certain destination has to offer. It’s also easy to add a new video showcasing a new destination.
Spoonacular is search engine for recipes helping users discover the best, healthiest, most popular and inexpensive recipes of any type. The site is simple to use too. When searching for a recipe or type of food to cook, the site provides three options: the best, healthiest and cheapest.
When you finally pick a recipe, the site provides the ingredients and instructions in not only lists and steps to take, but it’s all visual with pictures of what you need and how to prepare the dish. Substitution options are also given if you can’t have a certain ingredient of want something else.
Spoonacular is an all in one site with everything from the recipe to what goes into a dish.
Staff Pick: EatWithEatWith is the newest and easiest way to eat out and have an amazing dining experience. When visiting the site, users simply select the city they are in and find a type of cuisine they wish to eat. EatWith has a variety of hosts on the site who has a passion for entertaining and cooking and want to share that with others. You simple show up to the residence of the certified host, and enjoy an amazing dining experience with new people. EatWith is changing the way we eat out.
Flowkey offers a comprehensive program for those learning to play the piano or just improve their skills. Learning to play the piano has never been easier when users use the touchpad on their tablet or the keyboard on their computer.
The site assesses your skill level by listening to you play from the built in microphone on your computer by listening to the speed you play at, which notes you are hitting and other mistakes being made. In a matter of minutes, users can create an account and are provided with songs that are color coordinated to match your skill level. Flowkey makes it easy for users to learn piano and play songs you actually want to listen to.
Staff Pick: EvergigEvergig has every concert at your fingertips and creates videos of concerts re-created from people’s videos that were shot at the actual concert. We can’t always make a concert, but Evergig compiles the best videos shot and turns them into the ultimate video of a performance for those who are at home or couldn’t make it to the concert. The videos are high quality and are made from fans videos for other fans.
We Are Visual Animals is a design blog featuring emerging visual creatives. Each post on the site provides a short description of the designer and then displays their work. There is also an interview that accompanies the post and provides background into the designers intentions with their work.
The only requirement for a designer to be featured is that they be visually creative. The site has hosted: clothing designer, photographers, web developers and everything in between. We Are Visual Animals is a great place to browse and discover emerging talent.
Archilovers is a professional social network for architects and designers. Users can create a free profile and allows them to connect with others from around the world to collaborate and share projects. Professional companies and organizations can create profiles and users can interact privately or publicly as well as post photos and videos. This site allows users to view projects and everything that goes into them as well as sharing their own. This site offers everything any other social media site does.
Discover, share and buy the latest fashion trends with Keep. The site focuses on the image of the item and offers them through a third party vendor typically at a lower price. Users can “like” (purchase), “keep” (save for later), or share the item.
Keep is letting its’ users basically shop together. Curators and tastemakers can also test products amongst a certain group of users or an established following base. Most of the items are for women, but there is a little something for everyone.
Atlas Obscura is a user written travel site that focuses on sites to see that aren’t as mainstream in certain areas for those looking for something a little different. Users simply type in the city they wish to visit and a list of sites are generated for the city or near it. The mainstream destinations are always great to visit, but sometimes you want something a little more unique and not as busy. This site is great for those who wish to visit an interesting site off of the beaten path.
Netwars is a fact based cross-platform exploring the impending threat of cyber warfare. The site is broken in different parts with each of them exploring the role technology plays in warfare in today’s world. There are also interviews with key figures in the technology community. The site also includes interactive elements like quizzes and response boxes that keep viewers engaged. There is also information about how to keep you data and other information private. This is an important topic explore in a unique way.
The Source is filled with filmed conversations about creativity in the 21st century. The videos feature artist Doug Aitken conducting short short and candid conversations with pioneers in different artistic disciplines. All interviews are causal and laid back, but extremely interesting informative. The most consistent parts of these interviews are the five points that are discussed in an interview: process, patterns, chaos, motion and place.
Experiment allows users to browse scientific experiments that could potentially change different parts of world, the only problem is that these experiments need funding. Researchers post their projects, or projects they believe in and then they share it and promote it hoping for others to invest in it.
Once a project reaches its’ goal, supporters are given insight behind the science. Projects must reach 100% or no one is charged, and anyone can support a project they believe is worth investing in.
Staff Pick: We The EconomyWe The Economy offers 20 short films exploring and explaining economic issues. The economy has and will always be one of the hottest topics in the world and one filled with heated debates and arguments. Even though this is a popular topic, most people know nothing about it yet alone understand it. The goal of We the Economy is to help the average viewer understand the economy and its accompanying issues. Morgan Spurlock creates videos the only way he knows how: educational and entertaining. These videos are quirky, enjoyable and off beat while still possessing necessary information for us to understand the economy.
Photomath is the easiest way to solve math problems in real time. This app is a calculator and uses your camera to solve the problem. The camera takes a picture of a typed math problem and solves it. The app will also explain how it reached the answer it did, the app can solve basic problems and detailed problems.
This is a great tool for anyone to find an answer and learn the steps to take to find the answer as well. Math isn’t most people’s favorite subject, but Photomath helps. This app is changing the way students are learning math and it’s in real time, no more waiting for school the next day.
Staff Pick: ElevateElevate is a brain training app designed to improve focus, speaking skills, processing speed, and more. With this app, users can focus on certain skills they want to develop and train and these exercises have real world application such as computing a bill with tax and tip at a quicker pace. many of these exercises are fun to complete, and you won’t feel bad about sitting on your smart phone or tablet all day. This app is like a video game, but has a tangible benefit.
Monument Valley is an easy game to use but with a mesmerizing design and impossible architecture. As the player, your task is guide the princess through these structures that have been created.
There are 10 levels and as the world shifts and changes every time you interact with it, so does the audio for a more exciting experience. The game is worth a download for simplistic yet unique challenge filled with an amazing designs and creations. You may spend more time just gawking at the designs and creations than actually playing.
Bounden is an app created to teach you and a partner how to dance by using your smart phone. Choreography is designed by the Dutch National Ballet. As you play, your bodies should mimic ballet dancing. There are different styles to choose from, and while it’s hard to learn ballet from an app, it fun and entertaining to use and watch others use. It gets you moving, playing and laughing together for a fun time.
