Google turns to new RankBrain AI to improve search results
Although Google has expanded to so many areas over the years that a larger, parent company Alphabet had to be created to handle things, at its core Google is still a search company. As important as search is to the company, Google is turning to artificial intelligence solutions to help in maintain a competitive edge. The use of AI inspired machine learning is not new to Google which is actually one of the largest investors in AI research, using it in products from videos to speech to translation. Now a new system called RankBrain is being tested with search functions.
Google has been testing RankBrain for several months now by letting it try to interpret a “very large fraction” of the millions of queries the search giant processes. One of the primary types of search that RankBrain is used for are the 15 percent of queries that Google’s systems have never encountered before. These are ambiguous for existing algorithms and may include unique words or phrases that require some interpretation. RankBrain is able to process this input and make a guess at meanings.
Even though RankBrain is new to the search scene for Google, it has already risen to become the third highest contributing tool in determining the results displayed on a Google search page. The faster than expected effectiveness of RankBrain was described as “having gone better than we would have expected” according to Google senior research scientist Greg Corrado.
A sign of how important AI is to Google’s future efforts can be detected by looking back at Sundar Pichai’s comments during the company’s recent earnings call. Pichai noted that “machine learning is a core transformative way by which we are rethinking everything we are doing.” Alphabet’s Eric Schmidt wrote a piece last month extolling artificial intelligence solutions and how they will make the world better.
Even as Google brings the power of AI to bear on their core search business, other companies are expanding their use of machine learning as well. Both Microsoft and Facebook are actively working on deploying these systems to help power their businesses.
source: Bloomberg
Come comment on this article: Google turns to new RankBrain AI to improve search results
15 best Android apps of all time!
Here it is ladies and gentlemen. The crème de la crème. The apps that most people will swear that they cannot live without. These apps have become ubiquitous with Android and if you’re looking for good stuff it’s assumed that you have this stuff already. Without further delay, here are the best Android apps of all time!
Android Device Manager
[Price: Free]
Android Device Manager isn’t so much an app as a service available to most Android device. This is Google’s built-in “find my phone” functionality and it can be yours right now for free. There is an application that lets you manage your devices, find them, secure them, and wipe them down if needed. There is also a web interface available so you can find your devices on any computer using the web browser. Of course, you’ll need to turn on ADM in order to make it work and you can find instructions to do that by clicking here. Do note, you’ll need to have Location Services enabled for the service to find your device.
Get it now on Google Play!
ES File Explorer
[Price: Free]
ES File Explorer has been around since the “good old days” of Android and has been consistently improving and evolving ever since. The app is totally free to use and it always has been without any catches. It has a ton of features including file browsing, root explorer, zipping and unzipping various types of archives, FTP support, multimedia playback support, cloud storage support, SMB support, WebDAV support, and a lot more. Are there other great file browsers? You bet, but there are few that have the pedigree that ES has. It’s free, it’s powerful, and it’s worth having.
Get it now on Google Play!
Evernote
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Evernote is arguably the most powerful note taking application ever created. It comes with a ton of note taking features including the ability to create lists, insert audio/video/images, and all of that is synced to the cloud where it can be accessed from any web browser. There are also a host of organizational features so you can keep all this info in line. It also features collaboration functionality if you need that and it’s all wrapped up in Material Design. The in-app purchases are for Evernote Premium, which is a subscription that gives you additional features such as PDF annotation, better privacy options, and offline access.
Get it now on Google Play!
The Google Drive suite
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Google Drive is a cloud storage solution available on Android where all new users get 15GB for free permanently upon signing up. You can, of course, buy more if needed. What makes Google Drive so special are the suite of applications that are attached to it. They include Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Photos, and Google Keep. Between the office apps, the Photos app (which allows unlimited photo and video backup), and Keep for note taking, you have apps for practically anything you need to do in terms of productivity. Some of the features of these apps include live collaboration, deep sharing features, and compatibility with Microsoft Office documents.
Get it now on Google Play!
Google Play Music, YouTube
[Price: Free / $9.99 per month]
Google Play Music is a special case. Sure there are music apps out there that let you play local content and there are streaming apps out there that let you stream content. Do you know how many apps combine these two concepts? One, and it’s Google Play Music. The service lets you upload up to 50,000 of your own (non-DRM) songs to Google’s cloud for streaming wherever you are. That functionality is totally free. On top that, for $9.99/month, you get a very above-average streaming service with over 30 million songs, playlist support, and various Internet radio options. When you add in YouTube Red, which gives additional features including the removal of ads from YouTube, and you have a truly amazing experience. Of course, YouTube itself is an app worth having whether you buy the subscription service or not.
Get it now on Google Play!
Groupon
[Price: Free]
Groupon is an insanely popular coupon app that tries to help you find deals and coupons for businesses, restaurants, and events in your area. Each coupon found can be used immediately and you can store them for later use if needed. The app itself is well-designed and it’s all very easy to use. There are a variety of uses for an app like this, including vacations, holiday shopping, and when you’re out on the town. The only potential issue is that it’s not support everywhere so you’ll need to check and see if your region is supported.
Get it now on Google Play!
HERE Maps
[Price: Free]
Sure we could’ve taken the cheap way out and listed Google Maps, but considering that it’s pre-installed on virtually all Google Play-enabled Android devices, it feels disingenuous recommending an app that you already have. Instead, we’re going to recommend you try out HERE Maps. This app’s claim to fame is the ability to download and use maps offline while still providing totally offline turn-by-turn navigation. Much like Google Maps, it lets you check out restaurants and various places in your area although it’s not quite as in-depth as Google Maps. It’s totally free and anyone who needs offline navigation should try this.
Get it now on Google Play!
LastPass
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
LastPass is a password manager that has always seemed like a step above the others. A recent update has made mobile use entirely free with a premium subscription service charged for syncing from mobile to desktop and back. Since we log into everything on our mobile devices now, having LastPass is a good idea. It can save passwords and keep them save all while auto-filling passwords for sites and apps that you use regularly. There is also a password generator that generates hard-to-hack passwords just for you. It’s worth checking out for sure. It was recently purchased by LogMeIn so the future is uncertain, but for right now it’s operating as it always has.
Get it now on Google Play!
Nova Launcher
[Price: Free / $4.99]
Initially, we weren’t going to put any launchers on this list. Nova Launcher seems to be extend beyond what normal launchers are. It’s been around for years, it’s been consistently updated, and thus it’s never not been a great option for a launcher replacement. It comes with a host of features, including the ability to backup and restore your home screen set ups, icon theming, tons of customization elements for the home screen and app drawer, and more. If you go premium, you can tack on gesture controls, unread count badges for apps, and icon swipe actions. There’s not much else to say. It’s just that good.
Get it now on Google Play!
Pocket
[Price: Free]
Admittedly, Pocket is a bit more of a power user application but it’s one that we’d recommend to virtually anyone. Pocket lets you take a webpage you’re viewing and stash it away for later. This is great for when you’re browsing the news or you find funny stories from your Facebook/Google+/Twitter feed that you want to read later. It’s extremely easy to use and many of our staff swear by its usefulness. It also works with news apps like Flipboard, social media apps like Facebook, and you can share from Pocket to other apps as well. It’s totally free to use and there are even browser extensions so you can use it on a computer as well.
Get it now on Google Play!
Pocket Casts
[Price: $3.99]
Those who enjoy podcasts probably have the easiest decision in regards to which podcast app that should use. The answer to that question is Pocket Casts. This insanely stable and good looking app allows you to download or stream various podcasts for your enjoyment. It features both audio-only and video podcast support so you can catch up on just about anything. There is also a light and dark theme, a sign-in feature so you can sync your podcasts across devices, and a pretty decent recommendations function. It’s the last podcast app you’ll have to download for a very long time.
Get it now on Google Play!
Pushbullet
[Price: Free]
Pushbullet is a unique application that can do a lot of things. Officially, it’s an app that connects your computer to your device through the web browser. From there you can do all kinds of stuff with it including answer text messages directly from your computer, transfer files, check your notifications, send messages on some (supported) services, and more. It’s a simple application that doesn’t require much tinkering once you’re all set up and ready to go. It remains of the best and most stable ways to do things like answer texts from your computer.
Get it now on Google Play!
SwiftKey Keyboard
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
SwiftKey Keyboard is one of the most powerful and customizable third-party keyboards available. It hit the market several years ago with a predictive engine unlike anything any other keyboard had and the app has grown a lot of over the years. It’s a free download and you can purchase themes for it if you want to. Other features include a dedicated number row, SwiftKey Flow which allows for gesture typing, multiple language support, cross-device syncing of your library and much more. It’s about as good as it gets in the keyboard space.
Get it now on Google Play!
Tasker
[Price: $2.99]
Tasker is a glorious application if you have the patience to learn how to use the app. What it does is allow users to create custom made commands and then use them in various places. There are many apps out there that have Tasker support and you can even use Tasker to create very complex commands for NFC tags. It’s difficult to truly explain what this app can do because it can do so many things. Our writer Jonathan Feist has an extensive collection of tutorials on how to use Tasker and more are coming in the future.
Get it now on Google Play!
Zedge
[Price: Free]
Last, but certainly not least on our list is Zedge. This is a wallpapers, ringtones, notification tones, and alarm tones app that gives you an unbelievable number of options to customize the most basic parts of your device. On top of having an exhaustive collection of things, Zedge also promotes various items during holiday seasons making it easy to theme your phone up for Christmas, Halloween, and other holidays. It’s free and there’s a lot of content there. The only bad part is the advertising which can be a little aggressive and annoying.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap-Up
Making a list of the best Android apps is difficult because there are so many opinions on what makes an app either great, useful, or both. With that said, we would love to hear about which Android apps you consider to be the best ones in the comments below! If you want to stay up to date on the latest Android apps and games news, use the form below to sign up for our weekly apps newsletter!
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!
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10 best Android apps for Halloween
October is a very special time of year. There are pumpkins everywhere, the world is reminded that Bruce Campbell is, in fact, awesome, and everyone is dressing up like things. It’s a holiday rivaled only by the ones that take place in December and we have a list of Android apps that will help make your Halloween better.
See also: Nexus 6P, Note 5, Xperia Z5 #DataHorrorStories Opera Max Mega Giveaway!
Android Device Manager
[Price: Free]
Android Device Manager is an app and system in place by Google that helps you track down your phone. We’ll all be wearing costumes with weird pockets or (potentially) bad stitching. For the adults in our audience, there will likely be the imbibing of inebriates. All of it will be taking place in either dimly lit or totally dark places. It all adds up to an increased possibility of a phone going missing. Android Device Manager is a good way to find it. There’s an app for your device and the web interface you can access from any computer. Click here to find instructions on how to enable ADM on your Android device! Safety first!
Get it now on Google Play!
Amazon Shopping
[Price: Free]
Amazon Shopping is about the best “last resort” for Halloween apparel, decorations, and other minor baubles or make up. After all, those special Halloween stores and your local retailers can only stock so much stuff. Amazon has a really good selection of various things that could be useful for anyone looking to celebrate the holiday right, although if you do need anything, we recommend ordering it sooner or later so it can arrive on time!
Get it now on Google Play!
Tons of games
[Price: Varies]
There are a ton of games that are either great for the atmosphere of Halloween or have special bonuses in honor of the holiday. Most free-to-play premium games have Halloween content to collect or see during this time of the year, including games like Clash of Clans, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, Angry Birds 2, and many, many others. Then you have the games that actually work well with the holiday on their own such as The Walking Dead: Season One and Two, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and others. It may take a bit of searching, but it’s not difficult to find some Halloween-inspired gaming on mobile.
Get it now on Google Play!
Halloween Live Wallpaper
[Price: Free / $0.99]
Frankly, there are a ton of Halloween live wallpapers out there and most of them look pretty good. We liked this one because it’s a bit more minimal so it doesn’t clash too much with the various things you have placed on your home screen. There’s also a free version and a paid version so you can have some fun without having to fork out money if you don’t want to. This one comes with some fun Easter eggs and there are even sound effects if you double tap. The battery drain is negligible and it’s pretty solid overall.
Get it now on Google Play!
iHeartRadio
[Price: Free]
iHeartRadio is known for its wide variety of themed radio stations. Usually that means things like rock, country music, etc but it also has a decent selection of holiday themed stations. That includes Halloween. Finding a station to suit your needs isn’t difficult and aside from the occasional audio advertisement, the app is totally free to use. Pandora and other radio apps should have some as well if you already subscribe to those services.
Get it now on Google Play!
See also: Google Frightgeist scares up Halloween costume trends
Google Maps
[Price: Free]
Trick-or-treating involves a lot of walking around. Sometimes you may want to go to other neighborhoods if your particular neighborhood doesn’t work well with Halloween. In any case, there’s a lot of moving about and a good navigation app is a good tool to have in your pocket. You can plan routes, find your way home if you get lost, and the best part is that this is installed on most devices already which means you won’t be wasting your storage space.
Get it now on Google Play!
Netflix
[Price: $8.99/month]
Netflix is one of the go-to sources for on-demand movies for pretty much any holiday season. There are a variety of spooky and creepy movies to choose from on Netflix that are great for both adults and kids. Some of the options include Silence of the Lambs, the Addams Family, The Nightmare Before Christmas (which is, in fact, a Halloween movie), Scream, The Blair Witch Project, Scream, American Psycho, Sleepy Hollow, Carrie, and many others.
Get it now on Google Play!
Tiny Flashlight
[Price: Free]
Yes, it’s true that most devices nowadays have a flashlight built right into the operating system that is usually accessible in the Quick Settings menu or as an app. However, those who don’t have the latest versions of Android may want to pack a flashlight app with them and Tiny Flashlight is about as good as it gets. It’s a small app that is totally free and uses the bare minimum permissions required to be a flashlight app. Trick-or-treating takes place at night. It’s dark. Your child (or someone else’s) is probably going to drop something. Trust us, a flashlight will come in handy.
Get it now on Google Play!
Track & Treat
[Price: Free]
Track & Treat is a unique GPS application built by Glympse that lets you track your child’s smartphone. Technically, the official Glympse app would work just as well, but a themed version makes it more fun for everybody. You install the app on both your device and your child’s device and you can then keep an eye on your kids from the couch and make sure they’re going where they’re supposed to go. The official Glympse app is highly regarded so we imagine this one works pretty well too, despite the lack of reviews.
Get it now on Google Play!
Zedge
[Price: Free]
During every holiday season, Zedge seems to be able to offer up a ridiculous number of holiday-themed wallpapers, ringtones, and notification sounds. Halloween is no exception. The Zedge app has some nasty advertising that does get in the way occasionally but it’s usually not too bad to warrant uninstalling. Otherwise, you’ll find a treasure trove of stuff to help deck out your device for Halloween. It’s also good around most holidays so expect to see it again later this year when we do our Christmas apps!
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Halloween inspired Android apps, tell us about them in the comments! If you want to stay up to date on the latest Android apps and games news, use the form below to subscribe to our Apps Weekly newsletter!
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!
Signup for our newsletter
- Android Weekly
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5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly!
Degoo Cloud Backup
[Price: Free / $2.99/month]
This week’s Android Apps Weekly is sponsored by Degoo Cloud Backup. This well-designed application gives you 100GB of free space to backup your device with whatever files you feel like storing there. It employs military grade encryption to keep your files safe and you can restore any time you need to.
The app uses Material Design and it definitely looks good. You can also choose which folders to backup, when to upload backups, and several other settings to make sure your backups are always up to date. You can pick up an additional 250GB of storage for $2.99 per month if needed but the first 100GB and the app itself is totally free. Give it a shot and show your support for the Android Apps Weekly show.
Get it now on Google Play!
Let’s get into the big headlines from the last week!
- A new report out of AVG shows apps that take up the most battery, storage, and data usage. Unsurprisingly, most of them are audio and video streaming apps with a smattering of social media and messaging apps like Tumblr and Snapchat.
- Google is now giving people the opportunity to become beta testers for the official Google App. For the time being, there’s nothing new quite yet but it’s only a matter of time before the beta testers start seeing new features ahead of everyone else.
- The latest Humble Bundle is now live and includes games from Kemco. For those who don’t know, Kemco makes jRPG style games so pretty much all of these have a ton of content. You’ll get three games for whatever price and four more if you beat the average. You’ll also be helping charity!
- Samsung Pay is reportedly making its way out to Verizon Samsung devices as the company’s slow roll-out continues. Of course, finding the app in the Play Store is like playing a game of hide and seek, but we’re sure these kinks will be worked out eventually.
- The Google Play Store is on the verge of a total redesign that separates entertainment stuff from applications. The new design is set to go live sooner or later so keep an eye out for that. It looks nice and it’ll be a mostly welcome change.
For even more Android apps and games news, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter! There you’ll find all the stuff we didn’t have time or space for here today. If you’re so inclined, you can sign up with your email address and we’ll send this to you once a week!
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While you’re at it, don’t forget to subscribe to our Twitch channel! We have a lot of fun playing games on there and while we are swamped with stuff right now, we have every intention of getting back there to play again sometime soon. Follow us now and don’t miss out!
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RAD Boarding
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
RAD Boarding is a new game out of Noodlecake Studios. It’s an endless runner style game where you must board down a mountain while being pursued by tons upon tons of lava. You can collect various items to purchase upgrades and power-ups all while performing all kinds of stunts and tricks for a grizzly bear that keeps asking you to do it. The graphics look pretty good and the game is easy enough to play. There are some early release issues so do beware of that.
Get it now on Google Play!
Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
SEGA has released the sequel to Sonic Dash, simply called Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom. This one revolves around the new Sonic cartoon show that’s been out so you can expect to see references and characters from that. The game itself is not all that different from the first as it is an infinite runner where you try to collect coins. It also features Team Mode where you can play with up to three players total, new powers, new obstacles, and some more newer content. It is free to download but there are in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
NBA 2K16
[Price: $7.99 with in-app purchases]
NBA 2k16 is an interesting release because it’s actually a basketball game in contrast to last year’s offering which was just a card collector game. In this title, you can actually play basketball which is also its biggest feature. It comes with a revamped soundtrack, all of the teams and players, and the on-screen controls actually aren’t too bad. There is also a MyCAREER Mode, Season Mode, and Blacktop modes to play through with some other content to enjoy. There are in-app purchases, which kind of sucks given the price, but otherwise it doesn’t seem that bad.
Get it now on Google Play!
HTC Restore
[Price: Free]
HTC Restore was released during the last week during the announcement and discussions about the One A9. This is a simple app that doesn’t do all that much. It simply allows you to restore apps, data, and more that you may have backed up using HTC’s Backup function built into their OEM skin. It’s totally free and only for HTC devices running Marshmallow which means literally no one can download this quite yet, but it is there if you ever need it.
Get it now on Google Play!
Minecraft: Story Mode
[Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases]
After months of waiting, the day finally arrived when Minecraft: Story Mode was released. The highly anticipated title by Telltale Games gives us Minecraft but with a story with an all-star voice cast that includes Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Martha Plimpton, Corey Feldman, and others. So far, it’s received plenty of positive reviews and we anticipate that this will be one of the best paid games of the year. The game is classic Telltale Games which means your decisions will have implications on the story and there will be a total of five episodes released.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any awesome Android apps and games news that you think we should know about, tell us more about it in the comments!
Audials Radio – a radio app done right
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Internet radio is a huge deal. We have a swath of amazing content to choose from including Pandora, iHeartRadio, and even Google Play Music and Spotify have radio options. There’s another name, though, that doesn’t get thrown around a lot called Audials Radio and we’re going to take a quick look to see what this app can do and check out why it’s a great option for radio fans.
What is Audials Radio?
Audials Radio is actually a pretty simple radio app. Its catalog contains over 90,000 radio stations from dozens of countries around the world. Included is talk radio, music radio from a ton of genres, and all of your old favorites from the FM and AM days.
When you listen to radio stations, it’ll set up a pre-buffer and then it essentially just streams whatever is playing on the radio directly to your device. You can use this on just your device speakers or connect it to other speakers using the headphone jack or Bluetooth to get a really authentic radio experience.
How does it work?
Audials Radio is very easy to use. You can simply open the app and get started if you want to although you do have the option to create an account as well. The app works perfectly fine with or without an account but it should be noted that creating an account allows you to use the sync feature between the mobile and desktop versions of Audials Radio.
Once you’re in the application, all you have to do is browse all the various stations and pick the one you want to listen to. You can also search for stations using keywords or station call letters. If you want, you can even add stations if the app doesn’t have your favorite one.
After that, you’ll wait a few moments for the pre-buffer and then it’ll start streaming the audio. It really is as simple as that and it takes only a few moments to get in and listen to the radio.
The peripheral features are where things really get interesting. There is a feature called Zap that takes a look at what you’re listening to and then suggests radio stations that plays similar types of audio. Just hit the Zap button and you’ll be connected to another radio station that plays the same kind of stuff you were just listening to and that makes discovering new stations really very simple.
It also comes with an alarm clock and a sleep timer. Both are very simple to set up. Just set a time and the alarm will go off with whatever radio station you want. Do note that you’ll have to actually be on the station listening to it before you can set it as an alarm. The sleep timer is even more simple, just set a time limit and the app will keep running until the limit runs out.
Also embedded in this app is a light and dark theme switcher, an equalizer so you can change the sound based on the station quickly, and the app is one of the few in this space that comes with both AirPlay and Chromecast support.
The last feature I want to mention is the record feature. Using this, you can actually record songs you hear on the radio for playback later. This reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to use the cassette tape recorder on my stereo to make mix tapes from the songs I liked on the radio. It’s stored on your device and you can rename it and move it as you please. These files are also recognized by other music players. Audials Radio can also read your music in case you want to listen to your own stuff for a little while.
The Good
Here’s what we liked about Audials Radio:
- The interface seems a bit cluttered at first but once you make your way around, it’s actually very easy to use. You can move around quickly and find stuff pretty easily.
- Every radio station has a wealth of stuff that you can do. You can record any radio station, view similar radio stations, use the Zap feature, and there is even a news tab that shows the station’s Twitter and Facebook feed if it has them.
- It has a good list of peripheral features. The alarm clock and sleep timers both work well and are easy to use. We appreciated the equalizer even if if it’s only 5-band. As usual, Chromecast and AirPlay support are always good features to have.
- Audials Radio actually works pretty well. Of course, I was testing using a rock solid, super fast Internet connection so that’s to be expected. There weren’t any hissing sounds or drop outs although if you do experience those, the app has settings that lets you change how it works to avoid that from happening.
- I actually really like that you can access your own stored music and videos. The players aren’t as powerful as a dedicated music app or video app, but it’s nice if you have a song you want to listen to really quick.
- The Zap feature is kind of fun to use. Your radio station hits a commercial, you can quickly Zap over to another one that plays the same kind of stuff that isn’t playing a commercial. That’s a win.
- Some smaller stuff is fun as well. Being able to add your own stations is useful if they don’t have your favorite. Recording songs on the radio worked well although it is hard to get the start and finish just right sometimes. We also liked the themes and the opportunity to stream in different bitrates on stations that have that option.
The bad
And here’s what we didn’t like so much:
- A couple of things about the app can be finicky sometimes. Logging in via Facebook took a couple of tries and adding a radio station took me a couple of tries as well. It’s only a few extra seconds and it does inevitably work, but be prepared to try again a couple of times.
- The equalizer is there and it does work, but it is only a 5-band which somewhat limits the changes you can make.
- The design is really nice and we liked the tile set-up of the front page but we would’ve liked to have seen a little more info on the front page. It looks great in landscape mode but portrait mode is a little empty and there’s a lot of stuff the developers could put there.
Wrap up
Overall, Audials Radio is a very solid and capable radio app. It organizes its content extremely well considering how many radio stations it supports and it makes it simple to add more. The peripheral features like Chromecast and AirPlay support, alarm clock, sleep timer, equalizer, and the Zap feature make the app feel full featured and rounded out without making it feel bloated or heavy.
The issues are few and far between and include mostly minor nitpicks with regards to the design and minor issues with the features. Audials Radio is a truly solid radio experience and one of the better ways to enjoy FM and AM radio in the digital age. If you want to give it a shot, it’s totally free to use with no in-app purchases and you can get to it by clicking the button below.
Get Audials Radio now on Google Play!
[Sponsored Content]
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly!
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly!
Sponsored by: Muzigrid Music Organizer Player
[Price: Free]
This week’s Android Apps Weekly is sponsored by Muzigrid Music Organizer Player. This app’s claim to fame is it’s unique grid system that lays out all of your music folders and playlists in a grid format. From there, you can freely re-organize, add, edit, and otherwise engage with your music. You can combine playlists, create new ones, and rapidly move songs from place to place until they’re where you want them.
The app is all wrapped up in Material Design which is always a plus. Muzigrid also features some of the more standard music app stuff like a tag editor, album art, an equalizer, crossfade playback, and a lot more. There is even integration with Google Search for icons, album art, and lyrics to find those easily. It’s totally free to use so check it out and show your support for Android Apps Weekly!
Get it now on Google Play!
Let’s get into the Android apps and games headlines from this last week!
- Adobe Lightroom Mobile received a fun update late last week. Adobe has announced that the app will no longer require an Adobe Creative Cloud account in order to function. This really opens up the mobile app for serious photographers although you’ll likely still need the desktop apps to maximize use.
- The latest victim in the “in-app purchases in kids games” problem is Kanye West, who blew up on Twitter after his kid spent a bunch of money on an iPad game. It shall go down in history as one of the few times most people agreed with Kanye West.
- A new malware called Ghost Push has been discovered in a number of apps, including some in the Play Store. The malware forces root access and then proceeds to do bad things. If you think you may be affected, there is an app to help fix it called Ghost Push Trojan Killer in the Play Store.
- Google Play Music appears to still be running its “best of” promotion and now the list of free best of albums has rotated to include artists such as Europe, Alice Cooper, Miles Davis, and more. You can head over to Google Play Music to check out the new collection and pick yourself up some free music! Do keep in mind that this is likely region restricted so you may or may not be able to get them.
- Waze released a report this last week that rated how well the driving experiences were around the world. They voted the Netherlands, Latvia, and the United States (tied with Sweden) in the top 3 with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Venezuela being the three worst due to the frequency and severity of traffic jams.
For even more Android apps and games news, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter. There we have a complete roundup of all the happenings in the app world this week including stuff we didn’t have time for here. If you want, you can sign up for it with your email address and we’ll send it to you every Friday.
Signup for our newsletter
- Android Weekly
- Apps Weekly
While you’re at it, don’t forget to subscribe to our Twitch channel! We haven’t played in a bit but we do have plans to put some games up on there soon. Check out our profile and hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out!
Check us out on Twitch!
Contrast
[Price: $14.99]
Contrast is a new atmospheric adventure game released exclusively for NVIDIA Shield devices. It’s an action-platformer where you play as a girl who can seamlessly transition between being a real person and her own shadow. You play through the game transitioning between the two to overcome obstacles and progress in the story. It’s kind of like a 3D Limbo but with a better story line and slightly more complex puzzles. The price tag is a bit exorbitant but it seems like a legit game.
Get it now on Google Play!
Cloud Chasers
[Price: $4.00]
Cloud Chasers is a new game that falls into the category of survival adventure. You play as a girl and her father as you traverse a dangerous desert in search of a better life. You’ll have to manage their food and health much like you did in Oregon Trail. You’ll also have a glider that can be used for various purposes. The graphics are pretty nifty and the concept is definitely fun because the world is randomly generated and there are some fun elements. It also touches on the topic of immigration. There are also no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wonderwall
[Price: Free]
Wonderwall is a new wallpaper application that brings something a little bit different. The app is awash in landscape and nature photography that you can use as wallpaper images for your device. Each day, they add a new, hand-selected wallpaper to add to the collection. All of this is wrapped in Material Design which makes it easy enough to wander around and search through. It also comes with auto-set that lets the app set the wallpapers for you and you can even submit your own photography. It’s also totally free with no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
Pocket Programming
[Price: $3.00]
Pocket Programming is a newer application that aims to help absolute beginners get into the world of code. Unlike most, there’s no actual coding in this app, but rather a set of tutorials and lessons that explains what code does, how it works, and the various verbiage used in coding and what those words means. It’s intended as an intermediary step between knowing nothing at all about code and your first “Hello, World” app. It’s $3.00 with no in-app purchases and features a lesson a day for four weeks.
Get it now on Google Play!
Minion’s Paradise
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
We first saw Minion’s Paradise back at E3 and we were told it was going to be released over the summer. There was some delay but now the game is out in the Google Play Store. This is a resource-builder game where you must create a paradise for the minions and, of course, the villains. It’s surprisingly in depth as you’ll have almost complete control over everything that happens in your paradise and the game comes with plenty of goofy antics from the movie. There are in-app purchases but if you can get passed them, this is a fun little game.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any big Android apps and games news, tell us about it in the comments!
Google’s ‘Meet the Google app’ videos show how useful the Search app has become
Using Google’s Search app might be second nature to some of use, but, now and then it learns some new tricks. Google has posted some videos that show off the app’s ability to link web search requests to other apps such as the Calendar app and Google Maps among others.
The ‘Meet the Google app’ videos cover three themes, Breakfast, Halloween and Moving (house), and they are pretty good at showing off the things that Google does better than anyone else. You check out the videos below, and if you haven’t used Google Now in a while, it’s a great time to see what it can do.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Google’s ‘Meet the Google app’ videos show how useful the Search app has become
5 Android Apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly!
Sponsored by CloudCal
[Price: Free / $2.45]
This week’s Android Apps Weekly is sponsored by CloudCal. Last week you may have remembered that we showed you an app called CloudTasks. Well, CloudCal is done by the same developers and the two apps actually work together well by syncing your to-do list from CloudTasks into CloudCal.
CloudCal has an awesome set of features all on its own and includes a unique month-view calendar that shows your days as clock faces so you can see how busy you are that day. It also syncs with Microsoft Outlook and Exchange along with Google Calendar. It has a unique design that includes drag-and-drop events and a slew of standard features like inviting colleagues to events and other productivity-inclined features. It’s totally free to use so give it a shot and show your support for Android Apps Weekly!
Get it now on Google Play!
Let’s get into the big Android apps headlines from this last week!:
- In an effort to help websites load faster on mobile browsers, Google has announced the Accelerated Mobile Pages project. Partners for this project include Twitter, WordPress, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and more than 20 others. Here’s hoping this works.
- Facebook has announced an interesting new thing called the Network Connection Class. Using this, Facebook will determine your network speed and show you stuff in your news feed based on what your network can handle resulting in faster load times for the News Feed.
- The latest Humble Bundle is now live and includes six games with more to come soon. Some titles include Haunt the House: Terrortown, Jelly Defense, and Fearless Fantasy. You can get three games for $1 or pay the average, which is just around $4 right now, and grab all of them. It’s also a great way to give to charity!
- Earlier this week, it was announced that Spotify is now compatible with RockScout which is an application you can use to control car stereos equipped with MirrorLink. This gives you a far more user friendly way to control Spotify while in the car.
- A couple of weeks ago, we talked about how Russia was thinking of ordering Google to unbundle Google apps from devices. Well, this week, they went ahead and did exactly that. The idea being that Google’s pre-loaded apps cause an unfair disadvantage for third party software. Google has about a month to comply or respond.
For even more Android apps and games headlines, updates, and new releases, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter! There we have the complete list of things that happened this last week and it includes all the stuff we didn’t have time for here. If you’re so inclined, you can sign up using your email and we’ll send you our newsletter every Friday to keep you up to date!
Signup for our newsletter
- Android Weekly
- Apps Weekly
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out our Twitch channel. It’s been a couple of weeks since we rocked out on some games there but that’s going to change very soon. Hit the follow button and then come join us on our next stream for some video games and chit chat!
Check us out on Twitch!
AutoDash
[Price: Free]
First up this week is AutoDash. This is a custom launcher designed to be used while you’re in the car. The premise is simple as the app allows you to create a customized control panel for easy access to apps, navigation, and media while you’re in the car. It also has a few smaller features like voice recording, IFTTT integration, and song recognition. It’s a little rough around the edges right now so do keep that in mind. Otherwise, it’s totally free and could be fun to use.
Get it now on Google Play!
Meter
[Price: Free]
Meter is a fun, minimal live wallpaper that displays various system information right on your home screen. Some options include your battery, your notifications, your WiFi signal strength, and a lot more. It uses minimal style shapes to visually represent the data so it’s easy to see what’s going on at a glance. You can also manipulate the wallpaper by tilting the phone. Like AutoDash, this one is a bit rough around the edges so your mileage may vary but hey, at least it’s free!
Get it now on Google Play!
ZenWatch FaceDesigner
[Price: Free]
ZenWatch FaceDesigner is a new application from ASUS that allows you to design your own Android Wear watch faces for your ASUS ZenWatch. This is pretty fun because it’s not every day that this kind of customization is offered by an OEM for their devices and we hope it becomes a trend that other OEMs follow. Using this app, you can pretty much design your watch face however you want. Do note that it’s only compatible with the ZenWatch so everyone else will have to keep using alternatives.
Get it now on Google Play!
Showtime and HBO Now
[Price: Free]
It’s true that Showtime and HBO Now aren’t really new apps, but this last week they were released on Google Play for Android TV. If you happen to have an Android TV device, you can easily search for these apps, download them, and start watching their content. Their designs are both pretty decent considering that they’ll be on a TV and both services appear to work relatively well. Android TV just got a whole lot better thanks to these two apps.
Use the button below to download Showtime or you can click here to get HBO Now.
Get it now on Google Play!
Adobe Capture CC and Adobe Illustrator Draw
[Price: Free]
Last up this week are two new applications from Adobe. The first is called Capture CC and this app lets you create a variety of design assets by extracting information from various images. You can also turn these shapes into vector graphics, brushes, and shapes to make your design work easier. Illustrator Draw allows you to, well, draw things. This complex drawing app lets you draw with layers and has integration with a few of Adobe’s desktop applications. Both of these applications are powerful and will get better as time goes. They’re also both free to download.
To download Capture CC, use the button below. You can get Illustrator Draw on Google Play by click here.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps and games news, tell us more about it in the comments below!
Porsche Chooses CarPlay Over Android Auto Due to Google’s Data Collection Policy
Porsche has announced that its forthcoming 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S will support Apple’s CarPlay platform. According to Moto Trend (via AppleInsider), Porsche selected CarPlay over Android Auto because under the agreement of partnering with Google, certain amounts of data would have been sent to the search giant.
Some of this data would have included vehicle speed, throttle position, and engine revs, all points of information that would constantly be flowing back to Google’s headquarters each time a driver gets in the car. Comparatively, all Apple’s CarPlay requires to know is whether the car is accelerating while the system is being used.
There’s no technological reason the 991/2 doesn’t have Android Auto playing through its massively upgraded PCM system. But there is an ethical one. As part of the agreement an automaker would have to enter with Google, certain pieces of data must be collected and mailed back to Mountain View, California. Stuff like vehicle speed, throttle position, coolant and oil temp, engine revs—basically Google wants a complete OBD2 dump whenever someone activates Android Auto. Not kosher, says Porsche.
Porsche’s reasoning behind the decision points to not wanting to share the information with Google that could include the ingredients to its “secret sauce that makes its cars special,” along with the fact that Google is reportedly building its own car at the moment. A few other vehicle manufacturers have announced support for CarPlay, but the service is just this year beginning to see a wider release despite being announced — as “iOS in the Car” — over two years ago.
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Welcome back to the Android Apps Weekly show!
CloudTasks
[Price: Free / $2.45]
This week’s Android Apps Weekly is sponsored by CloudTasks. This beautifully done to-do list application focuses on both organization and design. It has plenty of Material Design inspired elements and enough customization to really let you make this app yours. It comes with the ability to create your own custom lists and all of this stuff syncs with Google Tasks. Each task can have its own set of reminders, subtasks, notes, due dates, priorities, and more to really help you plan everything out. It’s intensely easy to use and really one of the most beautiful to-do list apps we’ve ever seen. It even has support for 500px if you use that. You can pick it up for free and the preimum version costs $2.45. It’s also directly integrated with its sister app called CloudCal. Give it a shot and show your support for Android Apps Weekly!
Get it now on Google Play!
Let us take a look at the big headlines from the last week:
- NVIDIA has announced GeForce Now, a Netflix-style game streaming service for $7.99 per month. This is what NVIDIA GRID was meant to be. It was launched on October 1st in select markets and, obviously, on for NVIDIA SHIELD devices. It comes with over 50 games and the first three months free if you try it out.
- Google Now on Tap has been unleashed for the second time on the Android Marshmallow preview. This is a feature that allows Google Now to surf your phone screen and give you information based on what it sees. We’ve done a hands on that you can check out here.
- Chainfire announced this last week that he is selling his legendary root app SuperSU to a group of developers called Coding Code Mobile Technology LLC or CCMT for short. Chainfire will remain on the project for two more years as the transition occurs after which this new startup will take over. We don’t know much about the startup just yet.
- Google has announced that they’re raising the app size limit to 100MB. It was previously at 50MB and many apps, including apps like Facebook, have come very close to that maximum size. Now apps will be able to expand to include more functionality. I’m sure we’ll see apps surpassing 50MB very soon.
- Word around the grapevine is that YouTube will begin offering a site-wide subscription service. It’s rumored to be called YouTube Red and cost a surprisingly low $10 per month. Of course, this is rumor so take it with a grain of salt but I guess we’ll know for sure in a few weeks!
For even more Android apps and games news, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter! There you’ll find all of the apps news, updates, and releases that we didn’t have time for here. If you’re so inclined, you can sign up with your email address and we’ll send this info to your doorstep every single Friday!
Signup for our newsletter
- Android Weekly
- Apps Weekly
While you’re at it, don’t forget to subscribe to our Twitch channel. We hang out, play games, and have a nice time every now and then. I’m planning on hopping on there with some new games this upcoming week so click that subscribe button and don’t miss it!
Buzzfeed News
[Price: Free]
The world-renown king of clickbait article titles has released their first Android app to the Google Play Store. Surprisingly, the design and functionality of the app isn’t half bad and Buzzfeed fans can definitely find a decent selection of news posted here. It does focus more on the news side of things than the clickbait nonsense articles the site is known to produce. It’s free to download and worth a shot, I guess.
Get it now on Google Play!
Ski Safari 2
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Ski Safari 2 is a 2D, downhill infinite runner where you must ski your way to success. You’ll be followed constantly by an avalanche that will eat you up if you go too slow. There are a variety of power-ups and animals to show up and help you along the way. You’ll also get to choose between two playable characters and two modes of transportation. There is also online multiplayer, customizable gear, and more. It’s free to play and family friendly.
Get it now on Google Play!
Drivemode
[Price: Free]
Drivemode is a newer application that tries to give you an eyes-free interface so you can use your smartphone while driving without taking your eyes off the road. There is a bit of a learning curve at first, but after a while you’ll learn the various controls by touch alone and you’ll be able to do things like answer phone calls, control your music, and answer texts. It does this by using voice commands and bright colors. It’s worth a shot if you’re interested.
Get it now on Google Play!
Need for Speed: No Limits
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
The latest Need for Speed game was released late last week to mixed reviews. On one hand, the game is beautiful with intensely good graphics, decent game play controls, and plenty of stuff to do and cars to customize. On the other hand, naming the game “No Limits” may have been a misstep as the game does occasionally limit you with a fuel gauge that needs to refill before you can race again. It’s free to play so there’s no harm in trying it out, but keep the expectations in check.
Get it now on Google Play!
PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist
[Price: $4.99]
PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist is a new game based on everyone’s favorite YouTube gamer. It’s a 2D platformer with retro-style graphics and simple enough controls. The game is filled to the brim with gaming history references and memes. You can also unlock other YouTubers like Markiplier, CinnamonToastKen, Marzia, and others. It’s actually not half bad of a game as long as you don’t mind the silliness. There are also no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any awesome Android apps or games news, let us know about it in the comments!
AIVAnet 