5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly!
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly! Here are your headlines for this week.
- Heartstone’s next huge expansion, dubbed The Grand Tournament, will be getting released in the next few days on August 24th. This is a huge update that will help freshen things up quite a bit and will include all kinds of new features. Hearthstone players rejoice!
- As promised, Square Enix has released Final Fantasy 7 for mobile. Unfortunately, it’s only available on iOS for right now but if history repeats itself, that means it is coming to Android sometime in the next couple of months and we can’t wait for that!
- Fallout Shelter continues to turn heads as it quickly becomes one of the most popular Android games of the year. Bethesda released an infographic to show the game’s success with some very surprising stats, including over one billion sessions played to date.
- The latest PC and Android Humble Bundle is out now and includes several awesome games, including three that are brand new to Android. You can pick up all six games plus whatever is coming soon as long as you beat the average which is just under $3 right now.
- Earlier this week, Android 6.0 got its official name and with that, the final developer preview. Along with that, Google announced that the Play Store will begin accepting apps that are Marshmallow ready which is very exciting because we’re about to see a ton of Android 6.0 oriented app updates.
For even more Android apps and games news, updates, and new releases, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter to see all the stuff we didn’t have time for here. If you’re so inclined, you can also sign up using your email address and we’ll send this newsletter straight to your virtual door every Friday so you don’t have to miss anything.
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The latest apps, games and Google play news in your inbox once a week.
Don’t forget to also check us out on Twitch. We’ll be streaming live Android games on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday starting at 4PM Eastern Standard Time each day. I don’t know what we’ll be playing yet but I do know that we always have a blast and we’d love to have you there. Click the button below to check it out!
Viddsee
[Price: Free]
Viddsee is a new video streaming application that showcases a bunch of independently made short films out of Asia. It’s a little niche but it is free to use and some of the films are actually really good. Every video has English subtitles so you can read along if you don’t understand the language and the app will promote videos for you to check out each week. There is also a queue system and downloading for offline use. It’s actually fairly decent if you like Asian films.
Get it now on Google Play!
Pac-Man 256
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Pac-Man 256 is a new spin on the classic arcade game. In this one, instead of navigating mazes until you eat all of the pellets, you’re instead doomed to follow one endless maze forever which technically makes this one an infinite runner game. However, most of the game mechanics remain intact and it’s essentially a standard game of Pac-Man that never ends. It’s free to play and comes from the developers who also did Crossy Road.
Get it now on Google Play!
Move Loot
[Price: Free]
Move Loot is a new application that’s kind of like the Craigslist of furniture. Using it, you can buy and sell furniture of all shapes and sizes for whatever price you want. It’s well designed and easy to use but there are a few issues. It’s only available in a select number of cities and there are some release day bugs that still need ironed out. Keep an eye on this one though, it’s not amazing yet but it has a lot of potential.
Get it now on Google Play!
Webmaker
[Price: Free]
Mozilla has been busy lately and they released a new application called Webmaker. As the name implies, you can use this along with a cursory knowledge of CSS and HTML to create web pages right on your phone. There are some release day bugs but otherwise the app seems to be pretty decent and fun. It’s not an advanced tool or anything but it can be fun for beginners or those looking to have some fun. It’s also totally free and open source.
Get it now on Google Play!
Final Fantasy Portal App
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Square Enix released Final Fantasy 7 but they also released the Final Fantasy Portal App. This app is kind of a news application that gives you news about all things Final Fantasy, including game releases, announcements, and information about books, music, games, and merchandise. What makes it interesting is that the application also has the Triple Triad card game from Final Fantasy VIII which you can actually play and collect cards for. It’s a must have for Final Fantasy fans.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps or games news, let us know about it in the comments below! Thanks for reading and watching and we’ll be back next week!
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Sponsored by Chameleon Color Adapting LWP
[Price: $1.21]
This week’s Android Apps Weekly is sponsored by Chameleon Color Adapting LWP. This unique live wallpaper changes your background colors based on your surroundings. The way it works is you set the wallpaper, then find something you like and point your camera at it to grab the colors. It includes a preview to see what colors you’ll be getting and it’s pretty decent on battery life. It’s an interesting live wallpaper and inexpensive. Give it a shot!
Get it now on Google Play!
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly! Here are your headlines from the past week.
- With a little bit of tinkering, it’s been found that you can, in fact, control Windows 10 with your Android smartphone. It requires the use of Tasker and a couple of plugins so there is a learning curve, but it’s really cool to see this being done.
- Earlier this week, the esteemed and unique browser Link Bubble received a huge update to version 1.5. On top of getting an update, the app also got a new owner as developer Chris Lacy announced the sale. It was for an undisclosed amount and to an undisclosed company. I’m sure we’ll know soon enough.
- Speaking of things being sold, Nokia offloaded their acclaimed HERE Maps to various German auto manufacturers such as Audi and BMW for about $2.8 billion USD. This is a huge deal, but interestingly enough, Nokia took a loss because they originally paid $8.1 billion for it.
- Square Enix announced a huge sale this week that includes a number of their biggest titles, including some Final Fantasy games, Secret of Mana, and Dragon Quest VIII. Square Enix is known for putting out some expensive games so this is a great chance to get them a little cheaper.
- A new Humble Bundle is out now and it includes nine games from Games Workshop which means there are a ton of Warhammer games to be had. The whole package would cost $44 if you bought them separately but you can get them all for just about $4 and donate to charity in the process. That’s a win-win.
For even more Android apps and games headlines, updates, and new releases, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter. There we’ll have all the stuff that happened including the stuff we didn’t have time for here. If you want, you can also sign up with your email address and have this info beamed to your inbox every single Friday!
Subscribe to Apps Weekly Newsletter
The latest apps, games and Google play news in your inbox once a week.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check us out on Twitch! We’re on a short hiatus while I wait for Nvidia to replace my Shield Tablet but we do have a ton of awesome content already there for you to check out. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button and join in on the next streams which will likely happen next week! I will actually see you there!
Chrome Beta
[Price: Free]
The beta version of Google’s Chrome browser received a fairly significant update this last week. It will now have Chrome Custom Tabs enabled which, for those who may not know, is something that was announced for Android M back at Google I/O. Along with that came an update to the bookmark interface and media playback controls. If you want to see the future of the Chrome Browser, then give this app a try.
Get it now on Google Play!
Barmark
[Price: $2.99]
Barmark is an interesting and unique adventure game that has no point. By that I mean there is no score, no goals, and no 3-starring anything. You walk around in a fairly well designed world and alter the landscape based on what you think it should look like. It’s kinda weird because it doesn’t have a goal or a point which technically doesn’t qualify it as a game but it’s an interesting app nevertheless. It is $2.99 but do beware of those release day bugs.
Get it now on Google Play!
Gunjack
[Price: Free]
Gunjack is a new game that was developed specifically for the Samsung Gear VR platform by the developers who bought us the EVE series of games. It’s a first person shooter where you sit in a turret, spin around, and shoot bad guys. This is an awesome premise and one of the few VR games that really takes advantage of the platform without feeling like it was intentionally built around it. It’s done but won’t be available to owners until this autumn.
Get it now on Google Play!
FishBrain
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
FishBrain is an app for fishing enthusiasts that kind of turns the actual act of fishing into a video game. It’s a crowd sourced application that allows you to see what fish are biting, where, and keep track of where you are when the fish start biting. There are also leaderboards per location so you can see who has caught the most and biggest fish. It’s a fun little app and one that all anglers should definitely try.
Get it now on Google Play!
Shooting Stars
[Price: $0.99]
Shooting Stars is the latest game out of Noodlecake Studios. This one has you suiting up and battling aliens that are mostly disguised as celebrities. It’s an arcade shooter with retro graphics and tons of rainbow lasers, explosions, and bright colors. The game also includes over 60 ridiculous weapons, plenty of celebrity cameos, and there’s even a hover board. It’s fast paced and utterly ridiculous. There are also no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps or games news this week, tell us about it in the comments! Thanks for checking out the show and we’ll see you next week!
10 best new Android apps and games from July 2015
Summer time is usually a slow time for technology. People are outside enjoying the sunshine while developers and OEMs are preparing for the autumn and winter. Even so, there were still a number of awesome new Android apps and games released this month so let’s check out the best new Android apps and games from July 2015.
Angry Birds 2
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Rovio released Angry Birds 2 this month and has decided that this one would be the actual sequel to the original game. As such there are some game play improvements and concepts that help freshen up the stale franchise such as multi-stage levels and even boss battles. We know that Angry Birds is kind of old and tired, but it’s still a decent time waster that’s free to download and good for kids.
Get it now on Google Play!
Boxer Calendar
[Price: Free]
Boxer Calendar is a new calendar app out of the same developers who released Boxer Email. The calendar app itself is fairly simple with multiple viewing options, Material Design, theming and customization options, widgets, and support for Google and Exchange Calendars. It’s main feature is the ability to send your availability quickly to just about anyone although this does require using Boxer Email. It’s free but do beware of the release day bugs.
Get it now on Google Play!
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
[Price: $2.99]
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 marks the second release of the franchise this year. This one kind of goes back to the origin story as you must keep watch over a bedroom while checking the closet, two hallways, and of course the bed behind you. Despite being a very simple game, it’s manages to be quite difficult and it does leave you a bit on edge. It’s a shock value game with a cheap price tag and a high entertainment value if you like scary things.
Get it now on Google Play!
Forsaken World Mobile
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Forsaken World Mobile is an MMORPG that has you going on quests, duking it out with bad guys, and finding hidden treasures. The game play is simple to use and involves either manual movements or tap-to-move while you have a range of stuff to do. It’s an easy game to play with a lot of quests to do. There is also a mount system, decent graphics, and online multiplayer options. It’s a strong option if you’re into MMORPGs.
Get it now on Google Play!
Kodi
[Price: Free]
Kodi, formerly known as XBMC, left beta this last month and is now a standalone release on the Google Play Store. For those who don’t know, Kodi is a full-fledged media center application that allows you to play all of your media as well as install third party plugins for additional functionality. There are some bugs here and there, but for the most part it works very well although smaller devices may not get the best experience.
Get it now on Google Play!
Microsoft Hyperlapse
[Price: Free]
Microsoft Hyperlapse has received a lot of press over the last month thanks to its somewhat unique functionality. This app takes a lot of images in rapid succession and then stitches them together to create a time lapse video. There are other apps that can do this, but this one does better than most and it is a fun little tool to have in the ole app drawer. It’s also totally free with no in-app purchases
Get it now on Google Play!
Tossup
[Price: Free]
Microsoft had a busy month because on top of Hyperlapse, they also released Tossup from their Garage project. This nifty little app helps you communicate with people quickly and efficiently to help set up things like meetings, take a quick yes or no vote, and ask opinions. It suffered from some release day bugs but most of them appear to have been sorted out. It’s not overly powerful, but definitely useful for quick info.
Get it now on Google Play!
Star Wars
[Price: Free]
Disney released an official Star Wars application this last month. It’s most likely in preparation for the upcoming Star Wars movie. The app is meant to act as a hub for all things Star Wars and includes news, updates, and event announcements. The app also comes with a ton of extra stuff for Star Wars fans, including themes, weather, animated GIFs, and a lot more. If you like Star Wars, give this a shot. It is totally free.
Get it now on Google Play!
Vainglory
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Vainglory is a MOBA that was released on Android this last month. It features a variety of heroes which allows for a variety of tactics along with online multiplayer, practice mode, and more. The graphics are pretty decent and the controls are easy enough to get the hang of. The developers have also promised new content and heroes to come on a regular basis which will be nice if they pull through. It’s free to play and actually really good.
Get it now on Google Play!
WiFiMapper
[Price: Free]
Last up this month is WiFiMapper. This is an application that helps you find WiFi hotspots for you to connect to. This is great for those who don’t have home web or are looking for internet on the go. It’s crowd sourced which allows you to add new hotspots as you find them if you so choose. You can also measure how well each one does so you can find the best ones to connect to. It’s had to some release day bugs but it’s otherwise a very useful application.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great new Android apps and games released in July 2015, tell us about them in the comments below! Also don’t forget to sign up for our Android Apps Weekly newsletter to catch the latest Android apps and games news!
Subscribe to Apps Weekly Newsletter
The latest apps, games and Google play news in your inbox once a week.
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly! Here are your headlines for this week:
- First up this week, Google is introducing two new ways for developers to beta test apps. The first is an open beta where all you need is the link while the other allows users to sign up using their email addresses. Prepare for far more betas to hit the Play Store in the future.
- Last November, Microsoft released the Visual Studio Emulator for Android. The only problem with it was that developers had to use Visual Studio to develop apps. Now developers can use Android Studio or Eclipse and still use the Visual Studio Emulator and life was good again.
- In one of the bigger headlines this week, Google announced that they’ll be eliminating the need to sign into Google+ to comment on YouTube. This, paired with the news that Google+ will be removed from other services, has kick started yet another round of rumormill nonsense about Google+ shutting down. It’s probably not.
- Bethesda announced Fallout Shelter back at E3 earlier this year and said it was coming to Android but not specifically when. We now have an official release date which is August 13th. That’s two weeks folks, so get your thumbs ready!
- Microsoft is developing an Android launcher called Arrow Launcher. It’s in private beta right now but you can find the download here. It’s a little light on customization features but an overall strong effort that actually feels like something for Android. We expect it to do quite well.
For even more Android apps and games news, updates, and releases, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter. There you’ll find all the content we didn’t have time for here. If you’re so inclined you can also sign up using your email address and have this info sent straight to your email every single Friday!
Subscribe to Apps Weekly Newsletter
The latest apps, games and Google play news in your inbox once a week.
In addition we do now have a Twitch channel! We usually stream on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays at 5PM EST. However, this week I have to send back my Nvidia Shield Tablet thanks to that recall so I won’t have my streaming device. Still, you should go subscribe and then you’ll be ready when we get back online!
Angry Birds 2
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Rovio has released the actual sequel to the original Angry Birds game this last week. It’s called Angry Birds 2 and it actually does improve on the original Angry Birds experience. It comes with multi-stage levels, spells, and even boss levels which is sure to bring some much needed freshness to the aging franchise. There is also a multiplayer experience with tournaments that you can compete in. It’s kid friendly and free to play.
Get it now on Google Play!
Boxer Calendar
[Price: Free]
Boxer Calendar is a new calendar application that comes from the same people who brought us Boxer Email. It has quite a few features to choose from including theming and customization, various calendar views, Material Design, and support for Exchange and Google Calendar. The unique feature is the ability to send your availability to other people at a moment’s notice to help plan events and get togethers. There are some release day bugs do keep an eye out for that.
Get it now on Google Play!
A Day in the Woods
[Price: $4.99]
A Day in the Woods is a hybrid puzzle game and board game with fairly decent graphics for its genre. The premise is simple, you must guide the girl to Grandma’s house while avoiding all the things that don’t want you to get there. You actually play as a wisp that controls the field which can be customized by unlocking various things. There are also 60 levels, seasonal backdrops, and the game has no in-app purchases. It’s a fun little title and it’s worth checking out.
Get it now on Google Play!
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
[Price: $2.99]
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 was released on the Google Play Store this week and marks the second FNAF release this year. This one takes place in a bedroom where you must check the bed behind you, the closet, and two doors in order to keep the creepy bad guys at bay. The game is rather short, but very challenging and we even streamed this one on Twitch. It’s only a few bucks and there no in-app purchases. If you like shock, you’ll probably like this.
Get it now on Google Play!
3DMark
[Price: Free]
Virtually everyone who has heard of benchmarks know about 3DMark. It’s the benchmark software all the pros use and now it’s on Android. This will push your device to its limits to see just how good it is for gaming and it also compares it to other Android, iOS, and Windows devices. It’s totally free with no in-app purchases and no advertising which means most of you have already left to go download and now I’m wasting my breath.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps and games news, let us know in the comments below! Thanks for reading and watching, we’ll see you next week!
Making an app with no programming experience: what are your options?
Android app development has grown exponentially since the Google Play store was launched in 2008 as Android Market. Today, there are estimated to be over 1.6 million apps on the Play Store, and 1.4 million apps on the iOS App Store, with a combined total download exceeding 200 billion. For more statistics, check out our Play Store vs App Store comparison. It has become increasingly easier to develop and deploy apps to both major markets, while there are also quite a few alternative mobile app market places including Amazon, Weibo and Windows Phone.
Why build an app
There are loads of reasons why an individual or company might want to build an app. For an individual, you could have an idea for app functionality and features, that nothing currently on the market caters to. Companies might want to use an app for internal tasks and communications.
Making, and releasing a mobile app is a very rewarding and fulfilling experience. And if the exhilaration isn’t enough motivation, you can monetize and make money from your app, either through ads, in app purchases or app sales.
Gone are the days when to make an app, you had to learn how to program first. Of course, as a developer myself, I would encourage budding app-preneurs to learn how to code, especially if you hope to develop a completely new app, or enter (and disrupt) an existing industry. However, not all types of apps are new, unique and/or disruptive. Many apps will be built to handle the same kinds of use cases, only with custom content. For these kinds of apps, learning to code might not be the most efficient use of your time and money.
If you intend to make an app with no programming experience, the options available to you include:
Contract a company
Depending on your budget constraints (or lack of), getting a professional app development company might be your best bet. Most app development companies can also provide apps for multiple platforms, and will usually work with the client through planning, execution and deployment of the app. Additionally, the company can also handle maintenance and upgrades if necessary.
Hire a freelancer
There are a ton of websites on which you can meet and hire a freelance app developer. A (non-exhaustive) list of freelance sites includes
Hiring a good freelancer is pretty much a matter of luck. Your mileage here may vary, and clients have reported bids on the same project varying in range from $22 to $10,000! Most freelance websites have a ratings system, and you can then judge a potential hire by his acquired ratings. However, using the ratings system is skewed towards long time users, resulting in new users bidding really low to be competitive. Some websites aim to streamline the process of finding good freelancers, by having a more involved vetting process. They usually have higher quality developers, but almost certainly cost more as a result.
Use an app building platform
When it comes down to it, a large number of mobile apps have identical features and functionality, especially apps for a business or website. For example, if you run a restaurant business, and want to build an app for users to make orders. You can make do with a well designed generic app, that has your business’s logos, colors and menu. Some great app building platforms that have caught our eye include
Andromo
Andromo bills itself as a “point and click” Android app making platform. With Andromo, you can include maps, photo galleries, blog and news feeds, youtube videos, twitter and facebook feeds among others. In addition, you can choose to embed ads within your app to make money. You can try it for free, before deciding to shell out cash for the service.
Appery.io
Appery is a platform that can be used to develop hybrid apps targeting Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices. Appery apps can customized using HTML5, Javascript and CSS to build custom UI components, and or custom code. Appery can also be tried for free.
AppMakr
AppMakr appears to be the cheapest platform so far, with pricing beginning from $1 per month. With AppMakr, you can build Android, iPhone and HTML5 apps that contain image galleries, videos, podcasts, push messaging, analytics and ads. Currently, AppMakr claims to have been used to build over 2 million apps.
AppyPie
AppyPie wants making apps to be as easy as pie. There are a ton of templates (or categories) to choose from, and apps can be built for Android, Blackberry, iOS, Kindle and Windows. AppyPie also includes options for analytics, monetization with ads and offers, as well as push notifications. AppyPie also has a game builder, through which you can create a HTML5 game, and build it for Android, iOS and HTML5 devices.
GameSalad
GameSalad claims on its front page that in an hour, a total newbie can make their first game. They also, as at July 2015, claim to have over 65,000 games published, with over 80 of them making the top 100 games in the US App Store. GameSalad supports Android, Kindle, iOS, Windows and HTML5 devices. The GameSalad game creator is available for download for both Mac and Windows systems. GameSalad supports monetization with ads, and has an active community. Definitely worth checking out, if you’re looking to build a mobile game.
GoodBarber
GoodBarber generates native mobile apps for both iOS and Android devices, as well as an HTML web app for other devices. It can also include maps, user generated content, provides traffic, social, technical stats, integrates both it’s own internal ad network as well as third party ad networks and can also include both Flurry and/or Google analytics. In addition, for a fee, GoodBarber can publish your app to the Apple App Store for you, although you must have your developer account first. GoodBarber provides a 30 day trial period.
MobileRoadie
MobileRoadie can be used to build apps for both iOS and Android devices, and has quite a few great features. Users can integrate video, audio and photos, news and twitter feeds, events and locations in their app. An exciting feature offered by MobileRoadie is a Fan Wall, where users of the app can chat, and post photos, with each other in real time, in threaded conversations. You can also create polls within your app. MobileRoadie has a relatively short free/trial period of 14 days.
ShoutEm
ShoutEm has many of the features expected, including integrated advertising, analytics and push notifications. In addition, you can integrate WordPress, Drupal, Facebook and Twitter into your app, as well as interactive maps. If the available templates do not meet your requirements, you can contact ShoutEm for a custom look and feel.
Roundup
Much like how website design and deployment has became ubiquitous, mobile app development appears to be approaching the same fate. For apps that are not a completely new idea, there is most likely an existing template, that can be easily modified and customized. For some apps, it can be beneficial, and more economically viable, to use an app building platform. For other types of apps, especially for totally new and/or unique ideas, either a freelancer or app development company will be the smarter option. You can also find an excellent developer to partner with.
Did we miss your favorite app building platform, or do you know any other ways to make an app with no programming experience? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Sponsor: Turtle Tumble
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Turtle Tumble is a fun little puzzle game that is a variant of mini golf. You must complete levels and help Ollie find his family! It’s a simple game with Google Play Services, easy mechanics, and tons of content that is totally free to unlock if you have the patience. It’s playable by all ages but especially great for kids thanks to its colorful graphics and adorable animal characters. Check it out and show your support for Android Apps Weekly!
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly everyone! Here are your headlines for this week!
- Hulu is a great service that has always been given lackluster reviews because it makes you pay and makes you watch advertising. In a recent report, it appears as though Hulu is entertaining the idea of adding a new pricing tier that would remove all ads. We hope that is something that actually happens.
- App Annie released their stats for how well the Play Store and Apple App Store did during the second quarter of 2015. Most of the stats are pretty much the same as they’ve always been but a few surprises remained, including video streaming making a larger impact on revenue.
- A new Humble Bundle is out now with eight awesome games including a few METAL SLUG games. You can donate the minimum and get five games or beat the average, which is just under $5 and get all eight plus whatever games get added. It’s a great way to get some games and give to charity.
- Google Play is tossing a huge sale that involves some real big time games at a really cheap price. They include The Room 2, FOTONICA, Republique, Hitman GO, Monument Valley, and XCOM: Enemy Within for far more than 50% off. These are amazing games and you should definitely check them out.
- Late last week the long awaited Cortana for Android was leaked and we managed to get our hands on it. It is in a very early beta so it doesn’t perform all that well yet but we imagine it’ll get better by the time it is released. We got our hands on it and you can see that article/video here.
For more Android apps and games information, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter. There we’ll have all the headlines, updates, and new releases that we didn’t have time for here. If you want, enter in your email address and we’ll send this info to you every single Friday!
Subscribe to Apps Weekly Newsletter
The latest apps, games and Google play news in your inbox once a week.
Also don’t forget that we have a Twitch channel now! We’re going to be playing Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at 4PM EST. One of those days we’ll be playing The Walking Dead by Telltale Games and Sunday and Monday we’ll be playing something new. Check it out!
Forsaken World
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Forsaken World is a new MMORPG with some really decent graphics and some fun mechanics. At its core there isn’t much that others don’t offer but it does have some semi-unique things like mounts. The graphics really are quite good and as a result the game is quite large. Other than that, it works pretty well aside from some release day bugs so do keep those in mind if you decide to try it out.
Kodi
[Price: Free]
Kodi, formerly known as XBMC, has finally hit the Google Play Store for the masses after years and years of waiting. This is version 15 which brings 4K support along with all those other features we love about Kodi. For those who don’t know, this is a very powerful media player application that manages practically any media file in your library and also comes with a ton of third-party plugins for additional content. It’s worth a shot, especially for those of you with devices that hook up to your TV.
Slugterra: Dark Waters
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Slugterra: Dark Waters is an action adventure shooter where you must avoid obstacles, kill bad guys, and solve puzzles to make it through various levels. The game comes with 13 levels currently and there are even duel arenas to play in. It is a tap to play game which is isn’t preferable for adventure games but you do have to move quickly at times. It’s a fun little time waster that is free to download.
Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle is a new title out of Bandai Namco and as the title suggests, there is a ton of Dragon Ball Z stuff here. It’s a hybrid game that’s part board game and part fighting game with a little bit of puzzle game thrown in for good measure. It is heavily based around a story not unlike the TV show so there will be a lot of dialogue. It’s free to play and it’s pretty decent, especially for Dragon Ball Z fans.
Microsoft Hyperlapse
[Price: Free]
Microsoft Hyperlapse is a camera application that got a lot of press not long ago when it was released in beta. Essentially this application takes a ton of pictures and puts them together in a time lapse video. This is one of the more unique ways to create memories on Android and it’s just a lot of fun to use. It exited beta this last week and it’s now available for everyone and you can find that link below. It’s definitely worth a shot.
Wrap up
If we missed any great releases, updates, or Android apps and games news, tell us about it in the comments!
Adobe Lightroom updated to version 1.2, includes fixes and new features
Earlier this year, Adobe promised that we’d see more Creative Cloud content for Android and so far they’ve held true to their word. Among the first Creative Cloud apps to land on Android was Adobe Lightroom and today it’s getting a fairly decent update. This is a few months after the last update that added better RAW support and support for micro SD cards.
This update is a bit more substantial and includes a few new features and tweaks. They include:
- Edit images faster by copying image adjustments and pasting them onto another photo
- Crop the perfect photo with a re-designed experience on your Android device that enables you to quickly adjust, align and auto-straighten.
- Easily find your favorite images! The new Segmented view in Collections give you a different way to view and engage with your photos.
- Raw file support for the Panasonic Lumix CM1 Communication Camera
Perhaps the most interesting and useful new feature is the ability to copy image adjustments and pasting them onto other photos. One of the better uses for Lightroom is mass photo adjustment and this helps put the app more in-line with its desktop counterpart. The Segmented view in Collections should also be a welcome addition.
In addition to the new features and tweaks, there were a number of bug fixes and performance improvements as well. According to the official Adobe Blog, these include:
- Screen occasionally went blank after changing the orientation from landscape to portrait.
- Lightroom could crash when customers tap the sign-in button.
- Fixed issue that could cause crashes when scrolling through a large collection and changing the device orientation from portrait to landscape (or vice versa).
- Hardware back button was not closing any contextual menus.
- Slow performance when swiping from image to image.
- Copying or moving an image into a different collection was not working correctly. Please note that this issue only occurred on certain Samsung tablets.
- Lightroom sometimes caused automated logouts.
- Edits not visible when sharing photos to certain 3rd party apps and services.
- Crash occurred when occasionally navigating from grid view to collections view.
When you put it all together, this is a fairly substantial update for Adobe Lightroom and should correct a lot of issues that many people have been having. If you’re interested in checking it out for yourself, click the button below to pick up the app!
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week – Android Apps Weekly
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly! Let’s jump right into those headlines:
- It’s been found that Google Photos will keep uploading your photos to Google even if you uninstall the app. This is because it’s integrated with the Google Settings app that’s on every Android phone. So if you want to disable it forever, you’ll have to do so using the Google Settings app which is a little weird.
- According to reports, Facebook is working on a virtual assistant called Moneypenny ostensibly named after the James Bond character. Unlike most, Moneypenny is a virtual assistant to help you shop for things and it’ll be integrated into Facebook Messenger. Of course, we’ll provide more information as we get it.
- Late last week, developer Beamdog announced that they’ll be releasing a standalone expansion to Baldur’s Gate called Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear. The game, which is coming later this year, will tell the tale of what happened between Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2.
- Twitter and its third party developers have been at odds for a long time thanks to Twitter’s ridiculous token limit that prevents Twitter apps from becoming super popular. In a recent announcement, Twitter has conceded that they need to make some changes and we hope that leads to more third party Twitter apps.
- After an absence due to some pranking, the Google Map Maker is re-opening its doors sometime in August. The improved version will have a stricter approval process and more moderation to prevent things like that prank where someone added an Android urinating on an Apple logo.
For even more Android apps and games news, updates, and new releases, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter! There we have the complete list of all the happenings in the app world including stuff we didn’t have time for here. If you’re so inclined, you can subscribe with your email and get this info beamed to your inbox every Friday!
Check out our Android Apps Weekly newsletter!
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Mountain Goat Mountain
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Mountain Goat Mountain is a new game out of Zynga. It features some colorful and enjoyable graphics along with arcade-style game play. The premise is that you must climb mountains while avoiding obstacles. The mechanics are simple tapping and swiping so anyone can get into it. It is a Freemium title which means there are in-app purchases but overall, it’s a fun little time waster and something a little bit different out of Zynga.
WiFiMapper
[Price: Free]
WifiMapper is a new application that helps you find WiFi hotspots. The idea is that you open the app and it shows you a map where you can get access to free WiFi. According to the developers, the app shows over 650 million hotspots that you can access. The information is crowd sourced so you can add more if you find them and it also comes with Foursquare integration. You can also see a history of the hotspots you’ve connected to and how well they worked. It’s a solid app with some decent features and it’s free.
Red Bull Alert
[Price: Free]
Red Bull Alert is a new alarm clock application that aims to get you up and out of bed before hitting the snooze alarm. It does this by integrating a social aspect where you can compete with your friends to see who wakes up the fastest. The app will also track your progress (or lack thereof) so you can see if the app actually does help you wake up faster. It’s a fun premise and it’s free to use.
HERE Maps Public Beta
[Price: Free]
HERE Maps is already a popular offline navigation option but this last week, Nokia released a public beta. It’s a bit convoluted to get as you have to join the beta group, become a beta tester, and then finally download the app. The public beta will have new features, a new UI design, and will be the place where Nokia tests all their new ideas. Do beware because that means there are bugs too. Click the button below for instructions on how to get it!
Traitor – Valkyrie Plan
[Price: Free demo / $1.53]
Last up this week is a new first person shooter called Traitor – Valkyrie Plan. This is an FPS game based on a true story from World War 2 and features decent graphics, plenty of shooting, and you’ll also need a bit of stealth. The mechanics are fairly simple and manages to miss a lot of the pitfalls of other shooters by sticking to a simpler mechanic. Of course, this means that it isn’t as exciting as some shooters. In either case, it’s cheap and fun.
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps and games news, tell us about it in the comments! See you all next week on the Android Apps Weekly show!
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Sponsored by: Tap n Flap
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
This week’s episode of Android Apps Weekly is brought to you by Tap n Flap. Yes, I know this is a Flappy Bird clone but this one is actually pretty decent. It comes with Google Play Games achievements and leaderboards and if you pay the reasonable $1.49 for the in-app purchase, you’ll have five levels to choose from, each with their own bird skin. Once you unlock all achievements, you can change birds and even obstacles to whatever you want. It’s a time waster, but a decent one and it’s kid friendly. Check it out and show your support for Android Apps Weekly!
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly! Here are your headlines for this week:
- MasterCard is working on a new app that will let you take selfies for payments by verifying the identify the user before processing a payment. This would be among the precious few instances where selfies were actually useful.
- In an interesting twist, Shadowgun: Deadzone by Madfinger Games now has mods! The modding will allow people to change characters, weapons, levels, and even some of the game mechanics. All you have to do is download the Deadzone GM kit.
- Sony and Twitch have teamed up together to allow broadcasting game play from Sony Xperia devices. Right now, it’s limited to only the most recent Xperia lineup including Z3+ and Z4 but this gives mobile gamers more ways to stream on Twitch.
- Microsoft has rebranded their entertainment apps to lose the Xbox moniker. From now on, Xbox Music will be Groove while Xbox Video will be Movies & TV. This is likely in anticipation for the Windows 10 launch next month.
- Telltale Games has released the first trailer for the highly anticipated Minecraft: Story Mode game. It definitely looks like a Minecraft game except this will have a story line. In classic Tellate Games fashion, this will be an episodic adventure. It should be pretty good.
For even more Android apps and games news, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter! There we’ll have all the updates, new releases, and headlines that we didn’t have time for here. If you want, you can sign up for your email and we’ll send the newsletter to your inbox every Friday!
Check out our Android Apps Weekly newsletter!
Fleksy
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
The popular keyboard Fleksy made a huge announcement this last week. They have lowered the price of the app to free and it will now be supported with in-app purchases. Fleksy has a huge year in 2014 and it’s considered one of the best and most popular keyboards around. We anticipate it being free to use will help continue all of that. Along with going free, it will also soon be receiving an update that brings some new features.
Action Launcher
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Action Launcher got a fairly significant update this last week. A new feature called Quickbar was added that allows users to customize the search bar at the top. This allows fast access to applications along with a little more functionality. The update also included some minor tweaks and changes along with the boilerplate bug fixes and performance improvements. It’s a good launcher if you’re in the market for one.
Star Wars
[Price: Free]
Disney has released an official Star Wars app that is meant to be your one-stop shop for all things Star Wars. The app includes notifications for big announcements and releases, content from the Star Wars blog, and even find Star Wars gifs. The app can also be themed based on your preference of the Force. The app is experiencing some release day issues that Disney is working through, but it’s a good download for fans.
Ramboat
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Ramboat is a surprisingly intense game that is kind of a parody of the Rambo series. This is a 2D, side scrolling shooter where you must race up and down rivers and mow down bad guys. The graphics aren’t amazing but they’re definitely not bad. It even includes a poker game mechanic. It’s definitely a time-waster type of game but let’s face it, there’s gambling and guns, what else do you need?
Tossup
[Price: Free]
Tossup is a new application out of Microsoft Garage and it’s a fun little app. What it does is help you plan events and gather opinions about things. Using the app, you can ask people if they plan on attending an event and get answers back quickly. You can also use it to find things like restaurants or even individual opinions about something. It’s a bit simple and there are some release day bugs, but it’s worth a shot.
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps or games news, let us know about it in the comments!
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Sponsored by: Rocket VPN
[Price: Free / $2.99 per month / $29.99 per year]
This week’s Android Apps Weekly is sponsored by Rocket VPN. This VPN service is simple enough for anyone to understand but powerful enough for most VPN uses. It’s also been recently updated to include Material Design! You can choose from servers all around the world to securely connect to the Internet and protect yourself from the unknown. You can get a 7 day free trial and you’ll be given access to 500MB free each month or you can pay to get more!
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly! Here are your headlines for this week:
- First up this week, it’s been announced that Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, will be killing off support for another one of their games called Scrolls. Reports are that you can still play the game through June 2016, but that’s one less game in the Mojang library.
- CyanogenMod has been teasing a new browser called Gello. This is based on Chromium like many others but this one includes some fun customization features like site-by-site privacy settings. There is no ETA for release yet but this looks like it could be pretty good.
- Recently, an application was taken down and the developer was sued by the FTC. The reason was because the app was designed to mine Dogecoins when not in use. This not only makes devices slow with terrible battery life, but it’s also illegal in the United States. They settled for just shy of $50,000.
- Google Photos saw some controversy this week after the app mistakenly tagged black people as gorillas. As you can imagine, this is not good news and people are understandably upset. The developers have issues apologies and have removed gorillas from the database until a permanent fix can be worked out.
- Select theaters will be having way more fun with the upcoming terminator release than others. It’s been announced that some theaters will let people play a Terminator Genisys game on the theater screen before the movie shows. This is really cool and it should happen more often.
For even more Android apps and games news, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter. There we’ll have the complete list of headlines, updates, and new releases that we didn’t have time for here. If you’re so inclined, you can subscribe with your email address and have this info sent directly to your inbox every Friday!
Check out our Android Apps Weekly newsletter!
Pushbullet
[Price: Free]
Normally we don’t include app updates here but Pushbullet has one so big that we want to talk about it. A recent update has not only cleaned up the user interface a whole bunch, but it’s also added full messaging support. Other improvements include better pushing between devices and your regular bug fixes and performance improvements. If you want a one-stop shop for connecting your computer to your Android device, Pushbullet seems to be the way to go.
Yahoo Aviate Launcher
[Price: Free]
Yahoo’s Aviate Launcher is another app that got a huge update this last week that’s worth talking about. The app now includes a new feature called Smart Stream. This is kind of like a competitor to Google Now. It keeps an eye on the stuff you do on your device and then tries to compile a feed of stuff that you might be interested in. This also includes weather data, directions, and it’ll even pull your music app to the front if you plug speakers in.
Geometry Wars 3
[Price: $4.99]
Geometry Wars 3 was released to the Google Play Store this last week to positive reviews. The game features a glorious display of colors and fast paced game play. It includes over 50 levels including classic arcade levels, 10 battle modes, and multiple control set ups. It’s $4.99 but there are no in-app purchases and the game currently has over 500 positive reviews versus 16 negative reviews. This one’s a no brainer for those looking for a time killer.
Vainglory
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Vainglory is a hotly anticipated MOBA that released on Android just yesterday. It features a League of Legends-style pay scheme where you can play as much as you want for free but some of the more specialized items and characters may cost a couple of bucks. It features long game matches, customizable hero builds, and all of the awesome stuff that you’d expect in a MOBA. Do be warned, this game packs a serious punch so low end devices may not handle it well.
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
[Price: $7.99]
Half-Life 2: Episode 2 was released on Android but there is some bad news. It’s only available for the Nvidia Shield Tablet and Nvidia Shield’s Android TV device. If you’ve never played the Half-Life series before, you’ll probably need to at least play Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode 1 to know what’s going on. This, however, is a console level game with great graphics, a good story, and plenty of things for you to shoot. It’s $7.99 with no in-app purchases.
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps and games news this week, let us know in the comments! Thanks for reading and watching. See you next week.
AIVAnet 