Start here: the best apps for all your new devices PART 2

Christmas morning is over. The fire is roaring with wrapping paper, broken candy cane pieces litter the phone, and you've just opened a brand-new gadget. Maybe it's a new PlayStation 4, or an iPhone 5C, or the Windows tablet you've been not-so-subtly asking for all year. You've unwrapped it, torn the box to shreds, and turned it on. Now what? This year we've picked out some of the very best apps, games, books, and downloads for your new devices. Dig into below for the very best Android apps, Android games, iPhone apps, iPad apps, iOS games, Windows Phone apps, Kindle books, console games, and for your Mac and PC. They're not the only ones you'll ever need, but they're enough to get you started. And before it's time for your Christmas nap, you'll be up and running with something great on your new device.

-Alfred

-Grabbox

-Steam

-f.lux

-Pocket

-Simplenote

-Instacast

Alfred

Calling Alfred a “launcher” isn’t giving this little app enough credit. Alfred replaces Spotlight search on your Mac, but it lets you launch apps, control Spotify, search Google Images, open sites with 1Password, check your clipboard history, and more. Since Alfred is so customizable, its capabilities are really only limited by your imagination.

Grabbox

Whether you're sharing mockups of projects with co-workers or saving an image of that moment in a new movie trailer, it's tough to get by without a capable screencap app. We recommend GrabBox: with it you can take a normal screenshot (Shift-Command-3 or Shift-Command-4) and the app will upload it to Dropbox, create a shareable link, and copy it to your clipboard.

Steam

From indie hits like Limbo to titles like Batman: Arkham City; form DOTA 2 to classics like Team Fortress and the Portal series; Steam's massive library of games gives you a safe escape from the insanity of family gatherings.

f.lux

If you ever wished you could write by candlelight as our ancestors once did, f.lux is for you. The app runs in the background on your Mac and changes the hue and brightness of your screen based on the time of day.

Pocket

Pocket began its life as “Read It Later,” but has quickly become much more — a storage chest filled with all the YouTube videos, SoundCloud tracks, and news articles you don’t have time to check out quite yet. Its simple but elegant interface makes reading a breeze, and an offline mode lets you download articles for reading on the plane.

Simplenote

Notational Velocity is still unparalleled for keeping track of text and notes, but Simplenote finally released a dedicated Mac note-taking app this year. The fast, free, and fully searchable app keeps your notes synced in the cloud and instantly accessible from your Mac, iOS and Android device, or Kindle.