SSPAI Review | Best New Apps to Try This Week

Welcome to this episode of SSPAI Review. You can use the table of contents to quickly jump to the sections you’re interested in. If you’ve discovered other apps worth checking out, or topics you’d like us to cover, feel free to join the discussion in the comments.

Beam Browser: A Dedicated Browser Built for iPad

Platform: iPadOS
Keywords: Browser

@ElijahLee: Beam Browser is a brand-new browser app designed specifically for iPadOS. It aims to transform the iPad browser into a productivity tool, featuring a sidebar layout, workspaces, AI support, and deep integration with iPad’s touch interactions and keyboard ecosystem.

In Beam Browser, webpages are arranged vertically in a sidebar. Compared to Safari’s top tab layout, the sidebar better suits large horizontal screens and allows multiple tab titles to be visible at once, making it far more efficient than traditional horizontal tabs. The sidebar also supports auto-hide for a more immersive experience, and can be easily summoned with a swipe gesture. Functionally, it includes advanced features such as pinning tabs, drag-and-drop sorting, and nested folders.

Beam Browser also introduces a Space (workspace) feature within the sidebar, somewhat similar to Arc. Users can create dedicated workspaces for different scenarios such as work or personal browsing. Each workspace operates as an independent environment with its own tabs, history, and cache. The app offers a wide selection of icons and allows custom colors to help differentiate between spaces.

The app includes a Command Bar, accessible via the shortcut Command – T. Similar to Spotlight, it allows users to search the web, switch spaces, invoke AI, or execute specific actions directly. This is supported by robust keyboard and shortcut integration—Beam Browser’s shortcuts closely mirror those of macOS, making actions like opening/closing tabs, searching, and refreshing feel familiar to Safari users. It also introduces new commands, such as using the “@” symbol to quickly search across engines like Google or DuckDuckGo.

Beam Intelligence can be activated with Command – J. Built on Apple Intelligence, it enables users to interact with webpages through AI, offering features such as summarizing content, analyzing key points, explaining concepts, and extracting information. Users can also switch to third-party large language models, including Claude, Google, and OpenAI.

In addition, the app includes practical features such as built-in ad blocking, local data storage, webpage hover previews, iCloud sync, forced dark mode, reading mode, and webpage translation. Overall, Beam Browser delivers a powerful and thoughtfully designed browsing experience tailored for iPad. It is available on the App Store, priced at 28 RMB.

SnapSafe: A Spy-Level Privacy Camera App

Platform: Android
Keywords: Camera, Privacy

@大大大K: There are always a few photos on your phone that need extra protection—ID photos, private life moments, or even screenshots that could impact your work. If these are stored normally in your system gallery, a careless tap or a malicious app could expose them, leading to awkward or even serious consequences. SnapSafe, an open-source encrypted camera app, provides robust protection across every stage—from capture/import to storage and sharing.

Note: SnapSafe disables screenshots. The images shown below are sourced from F-Droid and may differ from the latest version.

For any privacy-focused app, the most important question is whether it introduces any risk of data leakage itself. SnapSafe eliminates this concern at the root by completely bypassing network permissions at the system level. This means no telemetry, no background uploads—in short, it never sends data externally under any circumstances. Additionally, SnapSafe blocks Android’s system backup from accessing its data, so even if you enable Google’s automatic backup, photos stored in SnapSafe will never be uploaded to the cloud in any form.

SnapSafe allows you to take photos and videos directly, as well as import from your existing gallery. All captured or imported content is encrypted and stored داخل the app’s own isolated storage, completely separate from the system gallery. When sharing images, SnapSafe automatically strips EXIF metadata such as device information and timestamps, and can randomize file names to prevent reverse identification. In the app settings, you can also adjust how location data is handled during sharing—choosing between precise location, approximate location, or no location data at all, offering flexible control.

Another standout feature is automatic face detection and blurring during sharing. Officially, this is meant to prevent identity tracing through facial recognition. In practice, it can also double as a convenient image editing tool, especially since many of us have already shared facial photos elsewhere.

Access to SnapSafe requires a separate password. Notably, it also includes a feature called a “duress password,” similar to those found in some smart locks. By entering a predefined special PIN, the app will silently delete all stored photos in the background, while the interface appears unchanged. You can also mark certain “decoy photos” in advance, which will remain after deletion to create a more convincing illusion. That said, scenarios requiring such a feature are likely quite extreme—but the concept itself is undeniably clever.

SnapSafe is open-source and free. If you’re looking for a secure way to store photos and videos with peace of mind, you can download it from GitHub or F-Droid and give it a try.

Comet for iOS: AI Browsers Reach Mobile—Even More Important Than Desktop

Platform: iOS / iPadOS
Keywords: Browser

@Vanilla: In my view, AI browsers have greater potential on mobile than on desktop, for a simple reason: desktop environments offer higher operational efficiency—we can quickly achieve our goals using a mouse and keyboard. On mobile, however, we seek simpler ways to accomplish similar results, relying on touchscreens and voice input to approach desktop-level productivity.

It has to be said that while Perplexity’s AI models may not be the most eye-catching, its product direction and execution quality are excellent, showing a strong understanding of user needs. The newly released Comet for iOS follows the same philosophy. In terms of functionality, the iOS version of Comet largely mirrors its desktop counterpart—so let’s take a closer look.

Unsurprisingly, Perplexity has brought its core AI Assistant to Comet for iOS. When browsing any webpage, you can tap the assistant button at the bottom of the tab to activate it. The AI assistant understands the content of the current page and can answer questions, generate summaries, or extract key information based on your queries.

My favorite feature of Comet for iOS is its voice mode. When interacting with the AI assistant, you can switch to voice input, eliminating the inefficiency of typing on a touchscreen and enabling faster, more natural information exchange.

Comet also recognizes that users don’t always need AI-generated results when searching. On mobile, it introduces a hybrid search mechanism.

When you search for simple, straightforward queries, Comet directly uses Google Search to display results. For more complex queries, it switches to Perplexity’s AI search engine for deeper research—scanning multiple sources, extracting useful information, and generating cited summaries to provide more comprehensive answers. Within the deep research view, you can also switch to source and image tabs to explore additional relevant content.

Compared to the desktop version, Comet for iOS lacks browser extension support, which naturally limits its extensibility. Additionally, all browsers on iOS are required to use the WebKit engine, which differs from the Chromium engine used on desktop and may result in performance differences—something to be expected.

Comet for iOS is available for free on the App Store (in select regions). Pro users can unlock models such as Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5.4, and Gemini 3.1 Pro, while Max users gain additional access to Claude Opus 4.6.

Readwise CLI: Manage Your Read-Later Content via the Command Line

Platform: Windows / macOS
Keywords: Read-it-later, AI, CLI

@化学心情下2: With the recent rise of AI agents, using the CLI (command-line interface) to operate various apps through AI has gradually become a hot topic. The long-standing read-it-later tool Readwise has recently released its own CLI utility, allowing users to search their library, save URLs to Reader, and perform a range of actions directly from the command line—or even let AI handle these tasks for you.

The installation process is quite simple. First, make sure you have a Readwise account. Then, in your terminal, run: npm install -g @readwise/cli to install it. After that, enter readwise login to complete the authorization process. When you type readwise again and see the following TUI interface, it means the installation was successful.

Although the official documentation provides many CLI examples, the TUI interface makes it easy to operate step by step. For example, to search saved documents, use the arrow keys to select “Search Documents,” then enter your keyword directly in the interface and press Enter. The tool will search your inbox and return the most relevant entries, which you can open by pressing Enter. During search, you can also press the Tab key to add filters such as document ID, tags, or URLs, helping you locate specific content more precisely.

One of the most interesting features in the CLI is saving articles via URL. Select “Create Document” using the arrow keys, then press Tab to choose options. For example, if you want to add a URL to your Reader inbox, select “url,” paste the link, and press Enter to complete the process.

Once finished, the CLI will return a document ID and its corresponding link, indicating that the article has been successfully added. You can click the link below to view the processed content.

Similarly, through the CLI, you can list documents in your inbox and view your highlights. To list inbox items, choose “List Documents,” press Tab to select “location,” then choose “new.” After confirming, you’ll see your inbox articles sorted by the order they were added.

To view highlights, return to the main menu and select “List Highlights.” You can press Tab to apply filters or simply press Enter to display all highlights.

Beyond these commonly used features, there are many other practical functions not covered here due to space constraints. After installing Readwise CLI, you can explore them yourself. You can even use official Skills to let tools like Claude Code assist with summarizing content or recommending reading materials. If you’re using the Claude desktop app or other AI tools, you can also install MCP services to connect them with your Readwise account.

For more information, you can visit the official website to learn more about Readwise CLI.

Momentum: Capture One Photo a Day to Record Life’s Small Moments

Platform: Android
Keywords: Daily journaling

@Peggy_: Everyone has their own way of documenting life—some like to share everything in real time on social media, while others prefer quietly writing in a journal. No matter the method, the act of recording itself carries meaning, helping us push back against the seemingly repetitive nature of everyday life.

You’ve probably seen people online documenting changes by taking one photo every day. With long-term consistency, time itself becomes a sculptor, shaping something meaningful. The app Momentum is designed to help you capture these subtle daily changes—whether of yourself or the world around you.

Taking the growth of a plant as an example, you first create a new project in Momentum, adding a name and description. Once the setup is complete, you can enter the project interface, tap on the current date, and select the image you want to record. It’s worth noting that Momentum doesn’t take photos itself—it organizes images already stored on your device, so you don’t need to worry about it consuming additional storage space.

After adding a photo, you can write a description or mark meaningful images as favorites. If you’re worried about forgetting, you can also set reminders within each project to help maintain consistency. Momentum will notify you based on your chosen interval—for example, you can set a reminder every 48 hours.

As your collection grows (five photos or more), you can use the app’s “Create Montage” feature to turn your images into a fast-playing video. Playback settings can be adjusted afterward. If you’re documenting a person, you can also use the built-in face recognition feature to identify specific faces and apply additional settings, ensuring smoother and more consistent results in the generated video.

If you’re interested in Momentum, you can download it from the Play Store. The app itself is free, with additional features available via subscription—$0.99 per month or a one-time purchase of $3.49.

Recordly: A “Combo” Approach to Screen Recording

Platform: macOS / Windows / Linux
Keywords: Screen recording

@Snow: Screen recording is both simple and complex. It’s simple because almost any third-party app—or even built-in system tools—can start recording with a single click. But it becomes complicated when you want to create tutorials or product demos. Recording is just the beginning—you still need to spend significant time on post-production: syncing voiceovers, zooming into key areas, refining mouse movements, adding click animations… Often, this requires juggling multiple apps across a heavy workflow. What Recordly aims to solve is exactly this—offering a “combo” solution that simplifies the entire process within a single app.

Getting started with Recordly is straightforward. On macOS, for example, its workflow is quite similar to QuickTime. After launching, a floating toolbar appears, where you can choose to record the full screen or a specific app window, adjust audio input, camera sources, and countdown delay. Once everything is set, click the red record button to begin. During recording, Recordly captures mouse movements and interactions, and automatically adds mouse trails, click animations, and Screen Studio–like auto-zoom effects in the project file, ensuring that key interactions always stay in focus.

After recording, Recordly provides a lightweight editor with a timeline and preview window for more detailed adjustments. It supports basic editing tasks such as trimming, speed adjustments, and aspect ratio changes. Its interaction logic differs slightly from traditional video editors—when you apply trimming or speed changes, colored segments appear on the timeline to indicate the affected areas. Additionally, Recordly allows you to adjust global zoom levels, add annotations, and include background music.

By clicking the three buttons on the left side of the preview window, you can switch between different editing panels. From top to bottom, these correspond to visual effects, mouse cursor settings, and camera controls—three key elements for presentations. In visual effects, you can adjust background, frame borders, cropping, and motion blur for zoom transitions. In the cursor panel, you can toggle visibility, adjust cursor size, smooth movement, and customize click animations.

If you recorded webcam footage alongside your screen, Recordly places it by default in a floating window at the bottom-right corner of the video, automatically scaling it based on the content. You can adjust its visibility, position, size, and shadow intensity in the camera panel. Even if you didn’t record webcam footage initially, you can link it to your screen recording here afterward.

Once editing is complete, Recordly allows you to export files in multiple resolutions as MP4 or GIF, depending on your needs. One drawback is the lack of subtitle support—if you need captions for presentations, you may have to rely on AI tools or other editing software.

Recordly still has quite a few bugs. For example, I encountered issues where it couldn’t use AirPods for audio recording, and enabling the webcam sometimes caused interaction glitches during recording. However, considering that it is open-source and completely free, I’m still happy to use it for relatively simple projects. Recordly currently supports Windows, macOS, and Linux—you can download it from the official website or its GitHub page.

App Updates

Apple acquires MotionVFX, a well-known marketplace for video editing plugins.
According to reports, Apple had previously considered acquiring Lux, the developer behind the popular iOS camera app Halide. After negotiations fell through, one of Lux’s co-founders, Sebastian, announced that he had joined Apple’s design team. Recently, Lux’s other co-founder, Sandofsky, alleged that Sebastian provided Apple with Lux’s confidential materials and source code, and is preparing to file a personal lawsuit against him. Source

SP-Life