Download 30 Texture Wallpapers

Enjoy a new batch of wallpapers ranging from wood, leather, camo and brick to give your screen the look you want. Download away, folks!

 

The post Download 30 Texture Wallpapers appeared first on AndroidGuys.

21 best Android games with no in app purchases

Freemium hit Android in a big way. In an atmosphere where developers were literally being destroyed by piracy, they needed to fight back and in-app purchases came into existence. This allowed them to make their games free and to slowly pluck money out of consumers’ pockets as they played. This turned into a serious cash cow for developers as in-app purchases now account for over 90% of all app and game revenue. However, even though in app purchases have slowed the lost flow of revenue from piracy, developers are still learning how to use them without offending all of us. For those who hate Freemium, there are still some developers who rock the old school model of pay-once. Here are the best Android games with no in app purchases.

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Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II, and Icewind Dale

[Price: $9.99 each]
We grouped these three games together because they were all released by the same developer (Beamdog). All three titles are huge, immersive RPGs that were ported from PC to Android in 2014. They feature very long stories with complex game play and are sure to keep you busy for months upon months. The graphics are decent but not amazing because even by PC standards these games are pretty old. However, these are three of the better RPGs to grace PC and Android. It says that these games have in-app purchases but the purchases are nothing more than voice packs and other miscellany that has no effect whatsoever on the actual game.

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The Banner Saga

[Price: $9.99]
The Banner Saga is a strategy RPG developed by former members of BioWare. It features beautiful hand-drawn graphics, a deep story line that requires the gamer to make decisions that affect the story, and an easy learning curve. It’s inspired by Norse mythology and it happened to be a member of our best designed Android games of 2014. It’s a wonderful play if you like strategy RPGs.

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Doom & Destiny

[Price: Free / $0.99]
Doom & Destiny is another RPG title with a lot of content and no in app purchases. It uses retro style graphics similar to the SNES and NES RPGs of old and includes a 20-hour story line with 20 hours of additional stuff to do, turn based combat, 10,000 lines of dialogue, and hundreds of spells, items, and other things to collect. The $0.99 price tag makes this among the cheaper games on this list and there is even a free version you can pick up with advertising.

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Five Nights at Freddy’s 1 and 2

[Price: $2.99 each]
Five Nights at Freddy’s 1 and 2 are horror games. You play as a security guard who has to keep watch over possessed animatronics in a pizzeria. If you don’t do a good enough job (or disguise yourself in the 2nd one), they’ll get you. These games are strangely terrifying and were two of the best games released in 2014. They’re also fairly cheap and the game play is easy to learn.

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Goat Simulator

[Price: $4.99]
A lot of people don’t like Goat Simulator because it is, at its core, an intentionally unfinished piece of buggy garbage. However, if you have a sense of humor, this game can be quite a bit of fun. You control a goat as you do goat things like exploding and flying through the air as though you were shot out of a cannon. The frequent bugs and glitches are the game’s biggest draw and it’s a goofy way to spend a couple of hours.

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Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas

[Price: $4.99, $4.99, and $6.99 respectively]
Rockstar has had great success in porting their Grand Theft Auto series to mobile. In fact, San Andreas won our best game of 2013 award. These games are huge and provide dozens of hours of game play. You can drive around doing whatever you want or follow the story, the choice is yours. The graphics aren’t amazing but they’re not terrible either. The only unfortunate part is the earlier Grand Theft Auto games suffer from some bugs here and there which have angered many people. In any case, make sure you try them before the two hour refund time in Google Play in case you don’t like them.

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Ingress

[Price: Free]
Ingress is a GPS-based strategy game where you must choose sides, build up portals, and hack the portals of the other team. The entire world is your playing field and aside from Wii Fit, this game is probably more responsible for getting nerds off the couch and out exercising than any other game. There is also a scavenger hunt features called Missions where you go on missions to find things and explore the city. It’s a lot of fun and one of the more unique games available anywhere.

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A whole bunch of LEGO games

[Price: Free]
LEGO has led a solo effort in making free to play games with no in app purchases that are actually somewhat decent. Altogether, they have 29 games that are all free with no in app purchases. These are great for kids because LEGOs are about as offensive as tomato soup and they have released a good variety of games. There’s a fashion game, a hack and slash game, and many, many others. You’ll have to try them out for yourself to see if there are any that you like and some are definitely better than others. It’s a good option for pretty much anyone who doesn’t hate LEGOs or LEGO games.

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Leo’s Fortune

[Price: $2.99]
Leo’s Fortune is a beautifully done platformer that first saw the light of day at Google I/O 2014. It features simple controls, crisp and colorful graphics, and an actual story. Along with the game play, you can also complete levels in a certain time frame and do so without being hit to earn additional stars and achievements through Google Play Games services. It’s one of the best 2D platformers ever designed on any platform.

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Machinarium

[Price: $4.99]
Machinarium was one of the first truly great puzzle games on Android. It features a little robot that you control and you must move about your environment finding items and using them to solve puzzles. It’s been remastered once since its release and includes Google Play Games services, cloud saving, and improved graphics. It’ll be among the first wave of games on Android to be considered “classics” and $4.99 isn’t a bad price for it.

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Minecraft Pocket Edition

[Price: $6.99]
Minecraft Pocket Edition is the Android version of the very popular Minecraft game. It features pretty much all of the fun, exploration, and enjoyment of the PC and console versions but you can carry it around in your pocket. It’s been a long time favorite title for Android gamers and has adorned the top paid games list for very large parts of the last two years. It also includes local multiplayer which is a nice touch.

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Osmos HD

[Price: $2.99]
Osmos HD is an atmospheric puzzle game where you play as a little mote. Your job is to absorb smaller motes in order to become bigger and eventually become the biggest. In some levels you must absorb special motes that act in different ways. The levels are challenging, the graphics are crisp and colorful, and there is even multiplayer support if you want that. It was one of the best designed games of 2013 and remains one of the best games available today.

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Out There

[Price: $3.99]
Out There is a hybrid of a survival game and a sim game. It brings with it some very challenging game play, google play games achievements, three different endings, and a truly unique and fun premise. You play as an astronaut who awakens from cryonics somewhere deep in the vastness of space. You have to survive, keep your oxygen levels up, and rebuild your ship while dealing with aliens who don’t speak as you speak. It’s entertaining, difficult, and a game that’ll keep you busy for a while.

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Pool Break Pro

[Price: Free]
If you’re looking for something a little more leisure, then Pool Break Pro is worth a try. It lets you play some billiards using a number of different rules on a variety of different tables. You can also play Snooker, Carrom, Crokinole, and other games with sticks, balls, and a table. There is a multiplayer available if you choose to use it and your moves go back and forth like chess so you can pick it up and play when you have time. It’s the best billiards game on Android and it doesn’t have in app purchases.

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The Room 1 and 2

[Price: $0.99 and $2.99 respectively]
The Room 1 and 2 are puzzle games with a unique premise and some amazing graphics. Each item in each room is a puzzle within a puzzle within a puzzle. In the background of all of these puzzles is an arcane and dark story line that revolves around the supernatural. The overall feel and atmosphere of the games is dark and the puzzles are very well done. The only downside is the length because these games are pretty short but that shouldn’t stop you from checking them out. It’s only a few bucks.

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Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun: Dragonfall

[Price: $2.99 and $6.99 respectively]
The Shadowrun series of games are a part of a much larger line of products that dates back to a tabletop RPG game first released in 1987. Along with a rich history, you’ll get decent graphics and game play mechanics that are easy to learn. These are both strategy RPG titles that mix steampunk and fantasy elements to create a machines and magic universe that is just delightful to play in. On top of taking part in a series of games that have had a loyal fanbase for the better part of two decades, you’ll also get a couple of pretty good games.

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A whole bunch of Square Enix games

[Price: Varies]
Square Enix has released a good percentage of their early game library to Android. The re-releases include Final Fantasy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 along with various Dragon Quest games, Chrono Trigger, and Secret of Mana. The best part is that these games remain untainted from their earliest days aside from a graphical boost here and there. The other best part is that none of them have in-app purchases. They can get kind of expensive but these are all games with tons of game play, deep stories, some of the best video game music of all time, and lasting value. The button will take you to Square Enix’s developer page on Google Play where you can browse all of their titles. Do beware, there are some Square Enix games that do have in app purchases but none that we just mentioned do.

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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

[Price: $4.99]
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) is an old PC RPG that took the world by storm. It allowed you to make decisions that affected the outcome of the game and let you play how you wanted. It helped start a trend that continues today with games like Fallout: New Vegas where you can pretty much create the story. This is a full port and has not been scaled down in any way from its original PC version which is just fantastic. For RPG fans, it’s a must-have.

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Surgeon Simulator

[Price: Free]
Surgeon Simulator is another satirical game much like Goat Simulator. In this game, you kind of play Operation but the intention is to lose. This can be accomplished by abusing the life out of your patient with various machines and tools of destruction and you can play as a doctor or a dentist. It’s meant to be humorous and that means how entertaining this game is depends heavily on your sense of humor. It’s pretty goofy and we can all agree on at least one thing: poor Bob.

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World of Goo

[Price: $4.99]
World of Goo is a puzzle game where you must connect little pieces of goo to reach a destination. The challenge comes with the physics of the game which drag you down combined with the limited number of goo bits you have to build with. The game is well designed with muted colors and tricky game play. There are a ton of levels to play and after a while, you can play in free-build mode where you simply aim to build the tallest tower of goo that you possibly can. It’s a lot of fun even if $4.99 is a tad expensive.

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XCOM: Enemy Within

[Price: $12.99]
XCOM: Enemy Within is a strategy game that was ported to Android from PC in 2014. It features graphics that are far above average for mobile, gripping game play, and tons of stuff to do. You play as humans as you research alien technology and use it to defeat the alien invaders. This is actually a continuation of an earlier release called XCOM: Enemy Unknown with more abilities, more missions to do, and more. There is a multiplayer option if you want to try your tactics online.

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Wrap up

If we missed any great games with no in app purchses, let us know in the comments!

To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!

High-end Mac mini gets 2TB Fusion Drive option

Give your bike a sense of direction with these smart handlebars

There haven’t been a lot of elegant ways to add navigation to your bike — unless you have access to prototype bikes, you’re probably stuck mounting a GPS unit or smartphone that might take your eyes off the road. That’s where Boreal Bikes’ crowdfunded smrtGRiPS project might just come in handy. These install-it-yourself handlebar ends pair with your smartphone to give you directions, whether or not you’re on the bike. While you’re riding, the grips will shake for imminent turns or traffic problems. They’ll also help you find your wheels, and you’ll even get separation alerts if you’re traveling with another smrtGRiPS-touting cyclist.

It won’t cost too much to give your bike some smarts, at least if you act early. You’ll need to pledge between $59 and $69 to get both a pair of smrtGRiPS devices and a basic set of replacement grips, and there are both slender and sporty grips ($18 and $23 respectively) to match your transportation style. Should everything go according to plan, you’ll get your upgrade just in time for those summer biking expeditions in July or August. And if you can’t wait that long, you can always hoof it.

Filed under: Peripherals, Transportation

Comments

Via: Wired

Source: Indiegogo

8 common problems with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and how to fix them

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is an amazing high-end smartphone that meets the requirement of those users who prefer a smaller display size and form factor, without a compromise on features and specifications. Sony’s signature design language, powerful camera, and the best processing package of the time are all key features of the Xperia Z3 Compact. However, like many other smartphones on the market today, there are a few issues with the Xperia Z3 Compact that users have faced. Today, we’re going to be taking a look at a few of these common problems, and providing potential solutions on how to fix them.

Disclaimer: Not every user of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact will face these issues, and it is quite likely that you won’t come across any of the problems listed below.

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Problem #1 – Build quality issues

Owners of the Xperia Z3 Compact have complained about the rear and front glass cracking, waterproofing failing to work, and flaps refusing to close properly.

Potential Solutions:

• Use a screen protector to keep your front glass from cracking.
• Use a protective case that covers both the front and the back of the phone for extra security.

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Problem #2 – Bad audio quality and low volume.

A number of users have reported problems with low volume and bad audio quality.

Potential solutions:

• Attempt to repair the firmware by using the PC Companion
• Use Google Play Music to adjust the equalizer. The default configuration for the Xperia Z3 Compact speakers is quite poor, so you may need to turn the mid-range frequency up quite high to improve volume.

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Problem #3 – Issues connecting to Wi-Fi

Many Xperia Z3 Compact users have complained about struggling to connect to a network.

Potential Solutions:

• Make sure that Stamina mode isn’t switched on. Settings – Power management – Stamina mode.
• Go into Settings – Wi-Fi and check the box to keep Wi-Fi on during sleep.
• Ensure the software for the phone is updated by going to Settings – About phone – Software updates – system updates
• Make sure that the router firmware is up to date.
• Go to Settings- Wi-Fi and hold your finger over your preferred network. Select Modify network – advanced options then select the box for “Static”.
• Make sure that all of the details entered are correct.
• Find the Wi-Fi MAC address for the phone and ensure it is recognized by your router. Settings – About phone – Status – Wi-Fi MAC address.

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Problem #4 – Dead pixels on the screen

A few users have complained that they begin to see dead pixels on their Xperia Z3 Compact screen, either immediately, or after using the phone for a while.

Potential Solutions:

• Try adjusting the brightness on the phone to attempt to burn away unresponsive pixels.
• Restart the phone to see whether the issue persists
• Factory reset the device
• Use the Dead Pixel Detectto potentially discover and fix the problem

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Problem #5 –Battery life drains quickly

A lot of users of the Xperia Z3 Compact feel that the battery drains too quickly.

Potential solutions:

• Make sure things like mobile data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC are turned off when not in use.
• Check which applications may be consuming excessive amounts of power and delete the ones that you don’t need.
• Lower the speaker/ringer volume or turn off vibrate.
• Reduce the brightness of the screen
• Go to Settings – Power management and turn on Stamina mode
• Avoid using games or the camera application when the battery is low.
• Make sure that the phone is up to date by going to Settings – Device – System updates

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Problem #6 – Issues swiping between screens

Some consumers have reported problems with attempting to swipe between pages in applications and on their home screen. Swiping to unlock is also a problem, and many users have to attempt the process four or more times for it to work.

Potential Solutions:

• Make sure that “Glove mode” in Settings is not switched on (though this should make the screen more sensitive, instead of less).
• Turn “Double tap to wake” off and on.
• Try taking off any screen-protectors that have been applied to the glass of your phone.
• Make sure that the phone is completely dry, this includes wiping away any condensation.
• Download and use Nova launcher instead of the regular home application.
• Go to Settings – Power Management – Stamina Mode and select “Extended usage”. This lowers the speed of the processor.
• Keep up to date with any software patches or improvements.

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Problem #7 – Overly sensitive touchscreen

Some users have commented that they struggle with over-sensitive touchscreens, especially during fast scrolling. The screen often seems to bounce or move erratically.

Potential Solutions:

• Make sure that glove mode is not enabled.
• Go to Developer options and enable “Show touches”.Test the screen a couple of times, then turn the option off again.
• Use a screen protector that is fingerprint resistant
• Go into Settings – Apps – Running apps and force stop com.sonymobile.touchscreen.touchfilter.tfpss.

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Problem #8 – Speed-dial doesn’t work

Many Xperia Z3 Compact users have complained that they cannot get the speed-dial feature to function on their phone.

Potential Solutions:

• Backup any important data and factory reset the phone (find instructions on how to do this below).
• Try out some different dialling applications from Google Play Store.

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Those were some of the most frequent problems that users have been having with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. If you’ve been a victim of one of these issues, then make sure to tell us whether our solutions helped. We’ll do our best to keep this list updated as more issues make themselves known.

SEE ALSO: Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Review

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Following are the guides to force-restart, force-shut-down, and factory reset the Xperia Z3 Compact.

Force Restart:

• Hold down the Power key
• When a menu opens tap Restart
• Tap “Okay” to confirm
• The device should restart itself automatically

Force shut down:

• Detach the nano SIM card cover
• Use the tip of a pen to press down and hold the OFF button
• Wait for the device to vibrate, then release the button

Factory Data Reset:

• Backup any crucial data on external memory
• Tap the icon on your home screen that looks like two lines of three dots
• Go to Settings – Backup and Reset – Factory data reset
• Tap “Reset phone”.
• Enter any required PIN code
• Confirm by tapping Erase everything.

This week’s sidebar poll: are you using Chromebooks?