The Best Apps of 2013 (So Far)

We're at the halfway point of 2013, and there have already been thousands of new apps uploaded to app stores across the board. Each year, companies raise the bar for apps in terms of efficiency, innovation and design; which is even better for smartphone owners. We gathered the ten best apps of 2013 so far—from the fun, the productive, and the beautiful. With another six months to go, and other big things like iOS 7 on the horizon, 2013 is bound to be a great year for apps.

Platform: iOS; Free

Comedy Central's new app is almost hard to believe. It literally comes with hundreds of videos from some of the best comedians that have been featured on the channel, like Tom Haverford himself, Aziz Ansari, Daniel Tosh, and Amy Schumer. The app separates jokes into different categories like Dark Humor, Best One-Liners and Female Stand-Ups. Best part: it's free.

Platform: iPad; Free

McLaren's Workshop highlights the best work from Canadian filmmaker and animator, Normal McLaren. Not familiar with the name? Download the app, and you'll know him well since you get free access to 11 short documentaries about McLaren's work. Once you get inspired by these films, you can make your own animations within the app. You can draw and paint images directly onto film frames, and even work with sound (these are offered as $2.99 in-app purchases). When you're done, you can upload straight to Vimeo.

Platform: iOS; Free

Qwiki takes the pictures from your iPhone's camera roll and organizes them by date, location, and time. It'll then choose a song from your iTunes library, and create a slideshow video from your media that can last up to a minute long. You can edit, caption, and add filters to the photos before publishing the final cut. While Vine and Instagram primarily focus on moments, Qwiki aims at telling the story of an entire event. An Android version of the app will be out soon.

Platform: iOS; Free

Hipstamatic isn't out of the game just yet. With their new app, they allow users to snap a picture and add a filter afterward, like most photo apps, but it's something Hipstamatic hadn't previously offered. After taking your photos, you can share them on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram or Flickr. According to its founders, it's meant as a network for artists to share their work--not for "ducklips or bathroom selfies." We're down with that.

Platform: iOS; Free

Twitter just launched their new app called Twitter #Music (yes, complete with the hashtag). It's their way of connecting people with new music via the Twittersphere. You can follow your favorite artists and see which artists they are following. Choose a genre of music, such as Hip-Hop, Metal, Dance, or Electronic, and see the top artists in that category. Then listen to said music via iTunes, Rdio or Spotify.

Platform: iOS, Android; Free

Need an easy way to collaborate on documents for school or work? Moxtra let users upload Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, along with photos, videos, PDFs and music, all to one place, where they can edit and add notes to these files with a select group of collaborators. Users can even record voice messages that collaborators on that project can listen to when they log-on. Moxtra makes teamwork easier than its ever been, so say good-bye to those group project headaches.

Platform: iOS; $4.99

Traktor DJ brings the best of DJ software to your iPhone or iPad. It pulls music from your iTunes library, where you can add two tracks to the Traktor interface. From there, you can sync tracks and mix them. The app comes with crossfader options, looping, and pinch-to-zoom: meaning, you can zoom in on your devices screen to get a larger view of your mix. It's the best mobile DJ station around.

Platform: iOS; $.99

Doing a little late night bar-hopping, and feeling a little hungry? Well, there's no reason why you can't eat great when it's late, and nothing makes that easier than Pizza Compass. The app simply displays a pizza slice that will point you to the nearest pizza joint that will satisfy your hunger, and it even calculates the distance between you and the life-saving cheese slice.

Platform: iOS; Free

Spacebar fixes the age old problem of not being able to make it to your favorite concert. Users can by an "audio ticket" that gives them access to a live stream of a concert, which starts at about $.99 a pop. If you enjoy the show, you can even leave a tip to an artist you find deserving. Don't worry, the app gives you a free five minute preview of the show before you pull the trigger and buy a ticket. Even better: listen to the preview, and if you're close by, just go in and join the concert.

Platform: iOS, Android; Free

Design, design, design. In a crowded app market, presentation is key. With Yahoo! currently going through a resurgence of sorts, it's no surprise that they spent a great deal of time perfecting the Yahoo! Weather app. It doesn't just present the forecast, it pulls relevant Flickr photographs from your desired location, and matches them with the current weather. Easy, simple, and engaging.

Platform: iOS, Free

Sunrise makes your mobile calendar more efficient. It takes your Google and Facebook calendars, and stores your info together in one beautifully designed app. You can RSVP for an event that is listed on Google Calendar or Facebook straight from Sunrise, without ever switching out of the app. It also works with LinkedIn by displaying the pictures and profiles of the people you are meeting up with. Never miss a meeting or a that special someone's party ever again.

Platform: iOS; $.99

Sure, every iPhone comes packed with it own music player (the not so creatively called, "iPod" player). But if you're tired of looking at the same old screen and aren't happy with the look of the next iOS 7 update, T3 is for you. It's a cool music player inspired by the designs of German industrial designer, Dieter Rams. It's a gorgeous looking app with all of the functionalities you'd expect from an audio player--with more style than you can shake a stick at.

Platform: iOS; $2.99

Music and exercise go great together, don't they? TempoRun aims to make the whole experience even better by categorizing the songs in your music library to a "tempo speed." So, when you're running, the app will pick a song that matches the speed at which you're moving. Songs are categorized from 1-10, with 1 being a walking speed, and 10 being a full-on sprint. You never know, if you're feeling like you can't go that extra half-mile, TempoRun might pull up that special song that will help you pull through.

Platform: iOS; Free

Selfies: we all take them. Whether we send them to our friends, post them online, or take them to remember a special event, selfies are a big part of our mobile lives. Unfortunately, there isn't a very good way to take them, and they usually end up showing half of our arm from a crazy angle. CamMe has set out to make that process a little easier. Simply set your iPhone two to 10 feet away from you, gesture with a hand, and snap--CamMe will take a picture for you. Selfies done better.

Platform: iOS, Android; Free

Rando is the next best thing to combining Instagram with Chatroulette. Just take a photo, submit it, and you'll be sent a photo from someone else who could be almost anywhere in the world. You'll never know the name of the person who sent it, and vice versa, but you'll be able to see where the nameless photograph was taken. That's the beauty of it: Rando is random picture sharing, bare to the bones. The app's makers take pride in that there are no social features, such as 'likes' or comments. So, why not have some spontaneous photo fun?