Apple names its top apps of 2014; Uber makes the cut

 By 
Samantha Murphy
 on 
Apple names its top apps of 2014; Uber makes the cut
Credit: Mashable, Christina Ascani

It's a good day for Elevate, which was just named Apple's favorite app of 2014.

The app, which helps you improve memory and focus, was Apple's top pick of the year. The runner-up was Instagram's Hyperlapse, which speeds up shaky videos and turns them into time lapses in just two taps.

Apple compiled its annual list of what it considers to be the year's most standout apps, with categories ranging from "best apps" to "best games."

Some notable inclusions are Yahoo News Digest, Facebook's Paper and the SwiftKey Keyboard app. With iOS 8, which debuted in September, Apple allowed iPhone users to pick alternative keyboard options from third-party developers; SwiftKey was quickly heralded as one of the best.

Uber, which has come under a great deal of scrutiny over the past month for such things as "God view" and floating the notion of spending $1 million on digging up dirt on journalists, also appears on the list.

Here's the full list, below:

App of the Year

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Credit: Mashable, Christina Ascani

Winner: Elevate

Runner-Up: Hyperlapse from Instagram

Game of the Year

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Credit: Mashable, Christina Ascani

Winner: Threes!, a puzzle game

Runner-up: Leo's Fortune, physics-based puzzle game

Best Apps

Yahoo News Digest, news app

Storehouse, visual storytelling app

SwiftKey Keyboard, alternative keyboard app

1Password, password manager

Camera+, photo editing app

Toca Lab, science app for kids

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NYT Now, hand-picked news stories from New York Times' editors

120 Sports, sports news and analysis app

Camu, photo editing app

Spring, shopping app

BuzzFeed, news app

Peak, brain training app

Nighty Night Circus, bedtime stories for kids

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Uber, on-demand alternative taxi service

Paper, Facebook-branded app that curates trending web content

Waterlogue, app that turns photos into watercolor images

Human, activity and calorie tracker

Steller, visual storytelling app

TeleStory, kids app that lets them star in digital TV shows

Network TV, app that recommends TV and online videos

Litely, photo editing app

Star Walk, stargazing app

Cinamatic, short film creation app

Health Mate, activity and heart-rate tracking app

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Credit: Mashable, Christina Ascani

Yummly, recipe and grocery shopping list app

Best Games

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Credit: Mashable, Christina Ascani

Bonza Word Puzzle

Monument Valley

Uzzle Adventure

Battleheart Legacy

World of Warriors

XCOM: Enemy Within

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Credit: Mashable, Christina Ascani

Hitman Go

Smash Hit

SpellFall

Wayward Souls

Trials Frontier

Adventure Beaks

Rules!

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Credit: Mashable, Christina Ascani

Spider-Man Unlimited

FarmVille 2: Country Escape

Retry

Micromon

Rival Knights

Godus

Crazy Taxi City Rush

Castle Doombad: Free to Slay

Bicolor

Royal Revolt 2: Defend Your Castle

Fotonica

Timberman

BONUS What Is Uber?

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