Talk Android Apps of the Week: November 15, 2015
It’s Sunday, the time of the week when Talk Android brings you a report on some of the very best applications we’ve been using over the course of the past seven days. Today we’re focusing our attention on a great festive countdown app, an incredibly fun game, an ultra-reliable music discovery tool and last, but not least, a must-have Netflix companion service.
Google Santa Tracker
With Christmas a little more than five weeks away, it’s time to get back into the festive spirit. Thankfully, Google’s ‘developer elves’ have once again updated and released their annual Santa Tracker application, giving us the resources to start counting down the days until Santa arrives.
As this app is primarily aimed at the younger market, it’s filled to the brim with Christmassy entertainment, including short animated movies as well as engaging games. There’s even support for Android Wear and Chromecast — so you can display a large countdown on your TV or view a slightly smaller one on your wrist.
With over 26,000 5-star reviews on the Play Store, it’s pretty clear that this is a popular application. I personally like the animation of Santa flying around the globe on Christmas Eve, which brings a unique sense of enjoyment to younger children. It really is a pleasure to watch with kids. Just seeing their little faces light up is truly a picture to behold.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Cut The Rope 2
I’m a bit of a sucker for puzzle games, and Cut The Rope 2 is by far the most enjoyable title I’ve installed this year. The overall concept is simple. All you have to do is swipe across the screen which cuts the rope so that individual pieces of wrapped candy can drop right into Om Nom’s mouth. Miss and you lose a star. Get the candy on target and you gain a star.
As you progress through the game, the levels get significantly harder. Completing the more difficult sections will earn you rarer medals, which, of course, you can show off on your Play Games profile. There are even comprehensive leaderboards to display the times the levels were completed in — so you can challenge your friends.
What makes Cut The Rope 2 stand out for me is that it actually follows a storyline. All the levels merge together to showcase Om Nom’s journey through lush forests, busy cities, junkyards and underground tunnels to obtain his beloved candy.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Shazam
On Monday, I got into a friend’s car to the sound of a catchy song playing on the radio. Unfortunately, my buddy couldn’t recall the name of the song or the artist either and we’d both missed the presenters announcement, so I had no way of knowing what it was. Consequently, I decided to head over to the Play Store to look for a nifty music discovery tool, and that’s when I re-discovered Shazam.
I say re-discovered because I used to be an avid user of this application back in 2013, but for some reason, it got uninstalled on my device, and I completely forgot about its existence. Anyway, it’s safe to say that I’ve fallen back in love with it again. It’s faster and more gorgeous than ever, with it’s Material Design overlay and floating discovery button.
Within a couple seconds of opening Shazam and instructing it to listen to the track, it had discovered the song I was looking for. The app then offered me the facility to purchase the track through Play Music or stream it live through Spotify. In this instance, I decided to save it to my account, so that I could access it at a later date.
Shazam also bundles support for Android Wear, so if a song you like comes on the radio and you can’t get to your phone, you can easily start listening from your wrist and receive an ID there, too. If lyrics are available, you can even view them on your watch. And as if that wasn’t enough, you can share the track to your social platforms to let your friends know about the awesome song you’ve discovered.
Upflix
If you’re a frequent Netflix user, then the last application up this week is a must-have. Upflix is a unique tool for Android handsets, which pushes, in real time, all of the new movies, series and documentaries arriving on the service to your device.
It also has a fun Roulette Mode on board, which selects random films for you to watch. Just create your filters, such as Comedy, Action or Adventure, and input the ratings that you’d like to see. Upflix will then compile a list of the best titles suited to your preferences. I’d recommend searching by Action and Adventure showing ratings above 7 on IMDb.
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