Apps for designers

iHandy Carpenter

iHandy Carpenter is a phone app aiming to do the work of actual physical tools when those are not available. It provides the digital equivalent of the spirit level, steel ruler and plump bob.

How it works: The user interface is beautifully illustrated to create a premium feel, that is if a humble steel ruler can be an object of premium. It uses the phones built-in accelerometer to detect subtle changes in movement and location. When you don't have your handy tools, it can help to easily set up a photo frame on the wall properly straight.

What it offers: There are five tools, three of which require calibration against a perfect surface to ensure your readings are right. This incidentally defeats the purpose of having these in the app. For example a plumb tool (that pointy metal thing at the end of a rope) is used to ensure walls are going up straight. The app needs to be calibrated against the wall you KNOW to be straight. Two of the five tools (ruler and the protractor) don't rely on calibration.

So it works unless you already have the tools.

Price: $1.99, Updated: Mar 30, 2015 Size: 24.4 MB, Platform: iOS

Homestyler Interior Design

Personal home décor projects often involve a lot of guesswork. This app is perfect for those projects where you can't exactly visualise the whole picture in your mind. Homestyler will take your own interior layout and help you stylise with real products.

How it works: Snap a picture of a room to create your own 3D home design. IN that, you place all the furniture and light fixtures you want from a huge available list of products. Then since you're in Bangladesh and most of these products are not available in retail, you go out and try to get something similar. It's a good tool to give you an idea of what a layout could look like so you get the picture, quite literally. 

Bonus: There's a large gallery of pics, articles and tips, mostly visual because that's the best way for us inattentive people of the 2000's to absorb information. There are also portfolio pages of many designers.

Updated: November 8, 2015, Size: 26M,      

Current Version: 1.4.7.5.242, Platform: Android