The Essential Download: Gboard, Opera, UberEATS

Welcome to the first edition of the Essential Download, a selection of new, updated and essential applications that will make working on a mobile device simpler, more productive and secure activity. There’s even room for a bit of fun as well.

New and updated

Gboard (iOS)

Gboard for iPhone and iPad that lets users search for information right from the keyboard, eliminating the need to switch between applications. Details such as flight information, images and videos can all be added to conversations without the need to copy and paste data.

Custom keyboards were first introduced in iOS 8 and Gboard has all the GIF and emoji options expected, but it also introduces an Android feature called ‘glide typing’ that saves time by letting users slide from letter to letter. It learns more about you the more you type, offering more accurate results.

Opera (iOS/Android)

Read More: The best mobile apps to get the most of your mobile data?

The iOS edition of Opera now has native ad blocking, building on the data compression and VPN features already added to the browser in the past few months. It is claimed ad blocking can significantly reduce the amount of power and data consumed by browsing the web compared to other browsers/

Ad blocking has been included in the Android version for a little while now, but Opera has added some new features for Google’s platform too, such as multi-window support and push notification for web applications.

NordVPN (Android)

Read More: The best mobile VPN apps

NordVPN has already released a number of apps for other platforms but has now finally arrived on Android. Users can protect their privacy by hiding their IP address and prevent software and websites from tracking Internet activity. An added benefit of course is that you can access geographically blocked content, such as BBC iPlayer, from abroad.

A subscription fee is necessary to access the service, but up to six devices are supported with one account. Users can choose from more than 550 servers worldwide and have access to other perks such as Tor over VPN, anti DDoS and ultrafast TV servers.

UberEATS (iOS/Android)

Working through lunch? Late night in the office? UberEATS makes the same use of the same platform that powers the taxi service to deliver food and drink from partners. The Deliveroo-rival is offering discounts for the first time you use it meaning there might just be such a thing as a free lunch.

TechWeekEurope tested the service twice during the first two days of operation and has had mixed results. The first order arrived promptly, but the second took a lot longer than expected – possibly because of demand. Still, it’s not like we had to leave the office to find out.

Reuters TV 2.0 (iOS/Android)

Reuters TV gives viewers access to a range of personalised business, financial and political programming for people who are “too busy to watch traditional TV”. Version 2.0 adds ‘Featured Programs’, strands of themed content curated by Reuters journalists. The app has also been updated for Apple TV if you want to watch at home as well.

Something for the commute…

UEFA Euro 2016

Read More: Should you block Euro 2016 live streaming?

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you might have noticed a certain football tournament is taking place in France. The official application has team information, features and live scores, while it can be personalised for your favourite team. If you want live streaming though, you should download BBC Sport and ITV Hub, which will broadcast every single game live for free.