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    14 Apps That Will Teach You Something New Every Day

    Have the whole universe at your fingertips.

    1. Daily Art

    Daily Art serves up one piece of artwork a day, along with an explanation. You can scroll through previous day's artworks and even save them to your camera roll to refer to later.

    Available for: iOS, Android, and coming "soon" to Windows Phone 8.

    Price: Free, or pay £2.99 for a version without ads.

    2. Exoplanets

    Exoplanets is an interactive catalogue of all the known planets we've found outside of our own solar system. Scroll through them as a list, or point your phone at the sky and use the augmented reality sky map to see what you can find.

    The app is made by a professional astronomer and is updated within hours whenever new planets are announced. You can even choose to get push notifications, so you're the first to know.

    Available on: iOS. Exoplanet Explorer is a similar app on Android.

    Price: Free.

    3. Duolingo

    Duolingo is easy and intuitive way to learn languages. Choose from Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Irish, Danish, and English.

    The app doesn't cost you anything and instead supports itself by getting users to translate sentences while they learn (BuzzFeed has a deal with Duolingo, so you could even be translating BuzzFeed posts into other languages).

    Available on: iOS and Android.

    Price: Free.

    4. WolframAlpha

    WolframAlpha is the ultimate reference app. Ask it all manner of questions that come to your mind – what time the sea comes in, where a satellite is, how to solve a quadratic equation – and it'll do its best to calculate the answer.

    Available on: iOS and Android.

    Price: £1.99 / £1.86.

    5. Dictionary.com

    You can use the Dictionary.com app to look up words. But it's not just a dictionary: you can also expand your vocabulary with the Word of the Day feature and see what words people around you are looking up.

    Available on: iOS and Android.

    Price: Free.

    6. Night Sky

    Anyone with an interest in what's going on above their heads will learn something from Night Sky. The app's star map shows you were constellations and planets are in relation to your current location (even during the day when you can't see them). It also includes satellites – very handy for International Space Station spotting.

    Available on: iOS and Android.

    Price: The iOS Pro version is currently on sale at £0.69, and the Lite version is free. On Android, it'll cost you £0.99.

    7. Photomath

    8. Quick Maths

    Quick Math does what it says it on the tin: gives you quick, simple maths tests on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Draw your answer right on the screen and get through the set as fast as possible to beat your personal best.

    Available on: iOS. An Android version is "in the works".

    Price: £1.49.

    9. Astronomy Picture of the Day

    A new space picture from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day site every day, with a scientific explanation.

    Available on: iOS. There's a similar Android version here.

    Price: Free.

    10. NASA

    If Astronomy Picture of the Day isn't enough for you, NASA has its own app with a whole universe of interesting stuff on it. You can even stream NASA TV and watch live rocket launches.

    Available on: iOS and Android.

    Price: Free.

    11. Atlas by Collins

    12. Google Earth

    If you prefer your atlas free, Google Earth is a decent alternative, and the 3D building and street view features are a neat way to explore new places while not actually leaving your sofa.

    Available on: iOS and Android.

    Price: Free.

    13. Slice Fractions

    14. Birdsnap

    What apps keep you interested on your daily commute? Add them in the comments!