Love is in the air with AT&T’s buy one smartphone get one free program

Valentine’s day is a perfect excuse to upgrade your phone as well as your significant others’ device. AT&T is now running a buy one get one program on select smartphones for this celebration of love.

Here are the highlights of the program:

• Available to new and existing customers
• Both phones must be purchased on AT&T Next
• The first phone can be a new line or an upgrade
• The second phone must be a new line and purchased on AT&T Next 24
• Add both phones to a qualified plan, like Mobile Share Value, for as low as $70 a month for two phones
• Starting in up to three bill cycles you will receive up to $650 in 30 monthly bill credits
  

Remember one of the lines must be new so you cannot upgrade two lines with existing phone numbers. And the deal does apply to iPhones, Samsung and LG devices. Keep in mind that Mobile World Congress is just a couple weeks away where we will be getting the latest releases from Samsung and LG, so if you want the latest and greatest it might be in your best interest to wait.

Learn more at AT&T

Yatzy Ultimate [Review]

Overview

Developer: Seavus Group

Price: Free (Ad-Supported, $1.99 to remove ads; micro-transactions)

Highlights:

• Real-time competition with players around the world.
• Credit-based betting system.
• Offline mode.
• Three variations of the classic dice game to play.

Setup

Yatzy Ultimate has a relatively simple, if slightly counter-intuitive setup. It does not support Google Account login (hence counter-intuitive) or Google Play, but it allows you to create and account with either Facebook or Game.IO. If you don’t feel like creating yet another game account, you can always play as a guest, and you will retain your credits persistently. There is also a handy tutorial/training mode right at the home screen, if you don’t feel like using your credits right away.

Features

Having played Yahtzee extensively with my mother as a child, this app triggered a giant tsunami wave of nostalgia. It plays exactly as I remember, minus the pen-and-paper scoring and the irreplaceable feel of pouring the dice out of the shaker. If you haven’t played Yatzy, this app probably isn’t for you. If you’re curious about the rules, this is probably a good page with which to start. Yatzy Ultimate offers three different variations of the game to play: Yatzy, Maxi-Yazty, and American Yatzy.  The variations offer different rules and scoring, though, they all essentially play the same way.

Classic.

Yatzy is relatively generous with their credits, starting you out with 5000 right off the bat. You’re able to bet as many as 750 credits and as few as 100 per game in the basic single-player stage, and you can buy additional credits via in-app purchases ($0.99 for 2,000, and up to $19.99 for 500,000). In addition to changing how much you can bet each round, you are also able to increase the score threshold you need to reach in order to win; thereby increasing the payout if you reach it.

Seven different boards to play on.

There are currently seven different stages of betting, each one requiring significantly more than the last to qualify to enter. I am fundamentally wary of a game relies on random number generation (RNG), for a number of reasons:

1) No number is every truly random.

2) As such, the game could theoretically alter your results, and

3) therefore directly alter your ability to earn credits.

The betting system.

Those things being stated, I feel that Yatzy Ultimate does a good job of making sure that your results feel fair, and not like you’re being robbed of your credits. Sound and visual design are okay, not phenomenal. The graphics look a little grainy on my Nexus 6P, which is a simple enough fix that I hope is remedied soon.

What I like

• Classic dice game.
• Decent production value.
• Fair-enough RNG.

What I don’t

• Ad-supported AND micro-transactions.
• Graphics get a bit grainy on higher resolution screens.

Conclusion

Yatzy Ultimate is a perfectly acceptable recreation of the classic dice game. To me the game will always be known as Yahtzee, but the spirit of the game is captured well, and is actually easier than playing the physical game due to built-in scoring and dice rolling. The game is free and you never need to purchase micro-transactions to advance, though the ads occasionally grate nerves.

Google Play Store –  Yatzy Ultimate

Little Robot Adventure – Ads and Platforms [Review]

Overview

Little Robot Adventure is the story of a tiny robot that journeys through various stages, crushing enemies and collecting pieces of a world. As you collect pieces, your world becomes more complete.

Developer: FunkyZooInk

Price: Free (Ad-Supported, In-App Purchases)

Highlights:

• 5 Worlds, 5 levels each.
• Build a vibrant world, piece by piece.
• Classic platforming style.

Setup

This app supports Google Play Games, so you’ll be prompted to log in at the launch of the game. After initial setup, there are no additional steps to perform.

Features

Little Robot Adventure will be familiar to anyone that’s ever played a Mario game. The controls are extremely simple – lateral movement left and right, and a jump button; that’s it. You begin the game in a completely grayscale world, completely without enemies. The only source of color beyond the little robot is a treasure chest at the end of the level. why is it there? Why does it have color when nothing else does? No idea. but when you open it, enemies populate the world from then, on. At the end of each level you unlock more and more pieces of the world, eventually creating a vibrant environment to explore.

Bleak beginnings…

…blossom into Beauty.

Throughout the world you will collect screws, a sort of currency with which you can purchase a few upgrades for your Robot. In addition, there are also some in-app purchases that you can use to eliminate ads, purchase additional screws, or buy extra lives. If you enjoy the game, I highly recommend purchasing the ad-free version, because this game has a lot of ads. Oh, you died? Have an ad, maybe two – heck, maybe a video! There’s ads in the banner, there’s ads in the footer…basically, anywhere you might insert an ad, there is one.

Trapped.

I encountered a few frustrating quirks in my expedition through Robot’s world; On my very first level, for instance, I fell through the environment and became trapped inside one of the bricks! Then it happened again, on the next level. And again, on the third. After that it seemed to only happen intermittently, but definitely enough to be frustrating. The controls are, at times, unresponsive, and the game itself suffers from some performance issues, even on a Nexus 6P. I also ran into an issue where the achievement for unlocking a world did not unlock despite my being in that world.

More beauty.

The graphics are ridiculously simple, but grow more vibrant and at times beautiful as you progress through the game. The sound design is also simple, but not nearly in as charming a way as the visuals.

What I like

• Platforming.
• Creating a world.

What I don’t

• Too many Ads.
• Performance issues.
• Glitchy controls.

Conclusion

Little Robot Adventure is a fun, frustrating, glitchy adventure with a unique, if simple, style and a frustrating amount of ads. The controls can be a little wonky at times and you will die. A lot. If you intend on owning the game for an extended period of time, do yourself a favor and buy the ad-free version. You’ll be significantly less frustrated.

Google Play Store –  Little Robot Adventure

Build your coding skills with the Hot Java Android Coding Bundle

We know how it is. You have an idea for an app, but you don’t know how to code and develop. And it costs too much to put your idea into the hands of others. Well today’s deal from AndroidGuys aims to help you out.

The Hot Java Android Coding Bundle is a bundle of five different courses for you to learn how to code any app or game that you have. The first course goes over the basics of Android Lollipop and Marshmallow development. From there, you move into Java Development, and really start getting your feet wet.

Next up in this bundle of Android courses, is Play Framework Development with Java. This will teach you how to set up Java Web Apps, and give you a more in-depth look into Java. The final course will teach you how to re-skin applications for the Play Store. Think about re-making a game like Galaga or Flappy Birds, that’s where this final course will come into play.

• Learn Android Lollipop Development (& Marshmallow!)

  • Launch a career coding Android apps w/ over 238 lectures & 36.5 hours of instruction (including the brand new Marshmallow platform!)
  • Build progressively more complex apps as the course goes on
  • Get comfortable using the two premier tools needed: Android Studio & Eclipse
  • Study the best tools & practices for taking advantage of Android Lollipop’s functionality
  • Dive into coding w/ the Java programming language
  • Increase your income w/ your new Android development skills
  • Develop apps for Android phones & tablets

• The Complete Java Developer Course

  • Learn to program fluently in Java w/ over 52 lectures & 10 hours of content
  • Discover the tools to download & install Java
  • Understand the concepts of Object Oriented Programming & the Java API
  • Fully comprehend Java Keywords, Expressions, Operators & Statements
  • Code your own Java programs
  • Utilize your knowledge of Java to write apps for Android devices, the Web, or even desktop applications

• Learn How to Reskin, Upload & Publish an Android Game

  • Study the process of reskinning games w/ 51 lectures & 3 hours of content
  • Download & install Java
  • Replace sound & graphics in your game
  • Create a Google Play account & upload your game
  • Receive full source code for a fun game
  • Get unrestricted rights for reskinning the game & uploading to Google Play and Android App Store
  • Incorporate great features that attract players
  • Generate an income from building games

• Play Framework Development with Java

  • Learn the ins & outs of the Play Framework w/ over 47 lectures & 7.5 hours of content
  • Download & install the tools for Play Framework web app development
  • Understand the architecture of the Play Framework
  • Study the major advantages of using Java & the Play Framework together
  • Develop your own Play Framework apps in Java
  • Understand the Model View Controller architecture

• Reskin Games for App Stores–No Coding Required

  • Get your start in app publishing by learning to reskin games w/ over 47 lectures & 6.5 hours of content
  • Understand how to obtain the best source code
  • Avoid the mistakes that a large percentage of resigners seem to make
  • Navigate each & every step of reskinning
  • Master marketing & app store optimization

Normally, this bundle of courses would run you over $650, but today, you can grab all five courses for only $29. These courses will give you everything you need to start your journey to coding apps and games for Android. From the basics to re-making games, there’s a little bit of something for everyone.

You can find this, and many other great tech bargains through our Deals Page. Backed by StackCommerce, there are daily promos, giveaways, freebies, and much more!

AndroidGuys Deals: Hot Java Android Coding Bundle

AT&T offers up to $650 to get you to switch carriers

AT&T on Monday confirmed it is paying customers up to $650 per phone line to switch from another carrier. The idea, of course, is to pull subscribers away from Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

The promotion, which starts today, is a limited-time affair that runs through the end of next month (March 31, 2016).  In order to qualify for the credits, customers must do the following:

• Port a phone number (from Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint) to AT&T and activate a new line of post-post service
• Purchase a new device through AT&T Next plan
• Trade in old phone
• Submit final bill from previous carrier to AT&T

The credit itself is an AT&T Promotion Card or Visa pre-paid card.

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