App reviews: Packpoint, Poptile

Packpoint

When you're about to head out on a trip, are you the one frantically doing laundry at 3 a.m., trying to figure out, really, how many pairs of pants you need for a two-week trip? If so, consider this app, which relies on templates to help you pack just the right amount of stuff. Users can set the length of their trip, the destination and the type of trip — leisure or business. Packpoint also offers suggestions for items such as a camera bag or business cards. Users can remove items from the list, of course, and add their own items.

Packpoint looks at weather data for your destination so that you should be fairly prepared for what's to come, and also helpfully changes its estimates based on whether you're able (or willing) to do laundry. If you like a particular list, you can save it for next time, or email it to a friend. Free, for iOS and Android devices.

Poptile

Puzzle games are always good for quick bouts of play. But don't be deceived by Poptile's easy rules: This quick and addictive game requires a bit more strategy than you may originally think. The aim is to keep a stack of blocks below a certain height — think Tetris or Dr. Mario. But in a twist on these kinds of games, the stack of tiles grows from the bottom, rather than by having blocks fall from the top.

The tiles come in various colors, and if you see adjacent tiles of the same color you can tap them to destroy them and keep below the line. But if you aren't careful about how you tap, you may run out of moves far more quickly than you realize. Free, for iOS devices.