Starting this week, we're debuting a new series that focuses on the best apps around.

Awesome Apps will highlight the best apps we can find -- from the best email apps (see today's post) to the best app for organizing your downtime, and many more besides.

We will feature our favorite apps as well as new and notable ones. We'll also be highlighting some of the best games, especially on Apple Arcade.

Apps can be transformative, and these are the best.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

Spark email app: A powerhouse for iPhone, iPad and Mac [Awesome Apps] — www.cultofmac.com

I’ve spent years searching the App Store for the best email app – and in doing so, I’ve tried them all. Spark is my favorite because it equips users with accessible power features, which make wrangling email on iOS, iPadOS and macOS as easy as ABC.

EU hits Cupertino with formal objections over Apple Pay restrictions — www.cultofmac.com

As expected from previous actions and statements, the European Union formally objected Monday to how Apple denies other companies use of the technology that drives Apple Pay.

Your iPhone can alert you to breaking glass, smoke alarms and other dangers — www.cultofmac.com

The other day I was walking with music blasting through my AirPods when I almost stepped in front of a speeding ambulance. Luckily, the magical Sound Recognition feature on my iPhone was turned on and my AirPods recognized the wailing sirens. They silenced the music and piped the sirens into my ears instead, saving my saving my bacon. It was amazing and quite magical.

Apple AirTag: What a difference a year makes [Review] — www.cultofmac.com

A year ago today, I reviewed the AirTag on launch day. I was unimpressed. Now that I’ve used Apple’s item tracker for 12 months, I can say it’s better than it seemed in my first impressions.

Grab one of these last-minute Mother’s Day deals — www.cultofmac.com

Your mom deserves nice things every day of the year, but Mother’s Day is coming up fast. You get the card (and maybe some flowers), and we’ll take care of the present. There’s no reason to scour the stores looking for something that fits your mother just right when we have a set of last-minute gifts that’ll look like you’ve planned them for months. All five of these deals also come with free shipping using code SHIP4FREE!

Apple integrates two new smart water bottles with Health app — www.cultofmac.com

Are you drinking enough water? Probably not. But if you want to know for sure, Apple’s online and retail stores have started selling two new smart water bottles from HidrateSpark. They automatically track your water intake and sync it to the Apple Health app.

Roku users can now enjoy Apple Music — www.cultofmac.com

Streaming players like Roku can handle music as easily as video, meaning owners can listen to the tunes on their TV setups' high-quality speaker systems.

Today in Apple history: First Apple watch is free for System 7.5 upgraders — www.cultofmac.com

On May 2, 1995, Apple launched its first Apple watch -- a giveaway gadget for anyone paying to upgrade to System 7.5 on the Mac.

Apple’s ‘controversial’ Mighty Mouse lives on with some TLC [Setups] — www.cultofmac.com

Here at Setups Central we love spotting people working with gear we rarely or never see. Today’s featured setup includes rarities in the form of its input devices. One of the peripherals is a high-quality Leopold mechanical keyboard and the other is an original Apple Mighty Mouse, which first came out in 2005. The setup’s owner called the mouse “kind of controversial.” And it was.

Tweet o' the day

One more thing ...

"I used to say that Apple should be the Sony of this business, but in reality, I think Apple should be the Apple of this business." -- Steve Jobs