10 apps to make you a genius

Ever get the urge to learn something new? Well you aren’t going to become a genius by sitting around watching TV.

You could, however, boost your brain power by sitting around playing with your mobile device. Download some of these apps to take your brain one step closer to genius level.

10. Atavist: Taking Books Into the Future

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While many of us mourn the slow passing of books, apps like Atavist will provide some level of comfort. If the book dies, at least something as refreshing and unique as Atavist will take its place.

Atavist offers several advantages for boosting your intellect:

• It makes it easier for small presses to publish electronic books, meaning you have access to more information
• It integrates various types of media into a single platform so readers get the advantages of audio, video, slides, and pretty much anything else publishers can think of
• It already has partnerships with some of today’s most innovative publishers

So even if you aren’t a genius, reading stories and books on Atavist can make you sound like one.

9. Historypin: Bringing the Past to the Present

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Having a hard time understanding how the past influenced the present? Historypin makes it easier to wrap your head around historical events.

This “augmented reality” app uses Google Street Maps to show users where important events occurred. When you point your phone at a street location, you get an image of what happened in the past. It’s like holding a time portal up to your eye.

8. Eidetic: Cram for Tests for Genius-Level Grades

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Eidetic memory is the scientific term for “photographic memory.” While the Eidetic app can’t give you amazing observational powers, it can help you cram tons information into your head to recall at a moment’s notice.

Eidetic lets you add items that you want to remember (the names of Presidents, important dates, or anything else). You then tell the app how long you have to memorize the information. This lets the app determine how often you need to review the info so you remember it perfectly. Eidetic will then test you repeatedly to cram all of that obscure information into the nooks and crannies of your brain.

7. Memory Trainer: Give Your Memory a Workout

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Forget cramming. In fact, forget facts. Giving your brain a regular workout means you’ll have an easier time retaining and recalling information. It’s just like lifting weights. If you do a little once a day, it isn’t a big deal when you have to pick up something super-heavy on one occasion.

Memory Trainer uses a variety of games to hone your mental skills. Within a few weeks, your brian will turn into a powerhouse that can carry loads of information without problem.

6. Math Genius Brain Trainer: Keep That Brain in Shape

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Math Genius Brain Trainer won’t make you a physics or calculus wiz, but it can make you better at solving logic puzzles with mathematics. The app claims to boost IQ with brain exercises and fun games. It even has a party setting for when you want to show off your mental muscles in front of a crowd.

5. Goodreads: Making Reading More Social

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Training your brain to work efficiently can make life easier, but you still need to put good information in there. Otherwise, you’re like a supercomputer without any software.

Goodreads gives you the tools for putting more smart stuff in your brain. It not only helps you track the books you’re reading and the books you want to read; it also lets you track your reading progress with friends. Find a group of friends that values knowledge, and you’ve found a group that will push you to finish reading difficult books.

4. MindSnacks: Learn New Languages Easily

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Nothing makes you look smarter than knowing several languages (except for maybe being a rocket scientist, but that’s well beyond the scope of today’s smartphone, mobile device, and UltraBook apps).

With MindSnacks, you can learn languages easily by playing games. It beats trying to memorize long lists of vocabulary words and conjugating verbs all day.

MindSnacks currently has lessons in:

• Italian
• Spanish
• French
• German
• Chinese
• Portuguese

It also has test preparation, so you can score higher on your SAT.

3. Language 50: Learn a Little of Everything

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If you don’t think learning six languages with the help of MindSnacks makes you seem smart enough, then you need an app that will push you way beyond your current abilities. Would learning 10 languages satisfy you? No? Fine, how about 50?

The Language 50 app gives you lessons in basic vocabulary and sentence structure, so you can travel the world without getting too lost. You won’t become fluent, but you’ll learn a foundation that makes you look smarter than you might really be.

2. Music Tutor Sight Read: Making You More Cultured

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It isn’t enough to have a bunch of information in your head. You also need culture to look like a real genius. What better way to boost your culture cred in a hurry than to learn some music theory?

Music Tutor Sight Read teaches you the fundamentals of building chords and reading sheet music. It isn’t as hard as it seems, especially when you have an electronic teacher walking you through the steps. Much of it breaks down into math, which you’ve already conquered thanks to some the apps listed above.

1. Famous Paintings: Helping You Look Well-Rounded

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You can also seem more cultured by learning about art history. But who has time to visit all of those museums and read those little plaques? Now you can take the museum with you on your light and compact laptop.

With Famous Paintings – Art History, you can learn more about art than you ever thought possible. And you get to do it in-between reruns of American Idol or the Bachelor. The app shows you paintings, offers information about the artist, and then quizzes you to make sure you didn’t zone out.

What other apps have you used to make yourself smarter? Do you think they work, or are they just another way for you to rely on computers to fill in your knowledge gaps?