Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 3 weeks or so.

This is the app roundup. The game roundup from this week can be found here and the tablet app roundup here.

Nobody does app roundups like AP. If you like this post, consider voting for it on Reddit.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Photo Locker

Today's ginormous roundup is sponsored by Handy Apps and their newest app Photo Locker. If the developer's name sounds familiar, it's because they made other popular apps, like EasyMoney and Tasks N Todos.

As you might have already guessed, Photo Locker is a secure photo vault. Whether it's sensitive document scans or precious photos of your junk, you probably don't want anyone to see them without your permission. In order to view the photos you locked (encrypted using a 128bit AES algorithm), you'd need to enter a PIN code - otherwise they're as good as garbage. The app supports bulk hiding, folder-level locking, and even hides itself from the recent apps menu.

The base app is totally free to use but for $2.99 you can get rid of ads and hide the icon from the app drawer. Use Photo Locker, or else your grandma will find photos of your junk, and that would give DirecTV enough material to make a whole new commercial.

Photo Locker Pro Developer: Handy Apps
Price: 24.99
3.7
Download
Hide Photos in Photo Locker Developer: Handy Apps
Price: Free
4.1
Download

Apps

Word Lens

Android Police coverage: Word Lens Finally Comes To Android, And It Works Surprisingly Well As Long As You Aren't Epileptic [Hands-On]

Word Lens, an app that translates words it sees with your device's camera, has finally come to Android after over a year of iOS exclusivity. And I absolutely love it. As I say in my hands-on, the beauty of an app like Word Lens is it is really fast to use since it uses the camera and updates the image live. It also completely replaces words it sees instead of just adding overlays, all while trying to match the same font, color, background, and text size.

Yes, it's not perfect and may not work on every font out there, but can you read this fast in a foreign language without knowing a word of it? I sure can't. Remember: even voice recognition (especially live) is far from 100% accurate and fails with accents, background noise, and other factors. Live image recognition is very hard as well, and Word Lens, in my opinion, does an excellent job.

See the world in your language. Instantly translate printed words from one language to another with your built-in video camera, in real time. Try before you buy: the included demo modes recognize the same words as the language packs available for purchase.

Word Lens gives you translation on the go:

- NO NETWORK required - results appear immediately on your video screen when you need it, anywhere in the world.

- Easy to use, like the regular camera

- Look up translations by typing them in, or clicking on a word.

Switcher

Android Police coverage: Switcher Provides An Incredible Gesture-Based App Switching Tool

Switcher is one of those apps that revolutionize the way you use your device. When I saw it in the Play Store (thanks, @RoyBlumenthal!) yesterday, I immediately thought I found something special. Roy was raving about it, and I tried it as well.

Switcher defines a zone in the upper region of the screen as well as a few gestures. Swiping up while in the zone from outside of the phone's screen adds the current app to a virtual list, swiping down removes it. Swiping left and right then switches between the apps in the list. It's such a natural way to switch between apps, and it literally never triggers by accident due to the way zones are positioned and swipes are defined, that I may never go back. Once you try it, you won't want to go back. And remember - this app is a technical preview at this point, an early alpha, yet it's already almost perfect.

I contacted the author and suggested a few things, like start on boot and simply switching between all open apps, all of which he said were possible. In fact, he added the all apps option a few hours later - you can see it in my screenshot below. Fantastic work, Vito.

Note: This is a proof of concept version of Switcher, and is for all intents and purposes a pre-alpha version. At the end of the testing period this app will be available as a completed version under another listing. Everything in this app is subject to change (and at this point, probably will). I take no responsibility for any issues this app may cause. Treat it as a tech demo.

Switcher is an app designed to rapidly switch between apps on Android via simple gestures. Swiping up from either side adds the current foreground app to Switcher. Swiping down from either side removes the current foreground app from Switcher. Swiping across will switch between the apps you've added to Switcher.

About the concept

This app was created to solve the problem of quickly moving between apps when studying on the train. I wanted to quickly move from my PDF notes to the web browser without going through clumsy task switchers or using home/back. This project was my contribution to Android Global DevCamp 2012.

Tasker App Factory

Android Police coverage: Crafty Apps Launches Tasker App Factory (Beta), Allowing Users To Export (And Distribute) Tasks As Standalone Apps

Now everyone (though currently limited to everyone using the latest beta of Tasker) can make Tasker tasks, package them up as individual apps, and distribute however they want. And the beauty is, those who use these individual apps don't need to have Tasker installed at all.

Only for Tasker beta-testers, useless for everyone else. Create your own apps for fun and profit. Astound friends and family with your development abilities.

- generate an app from a task or project in less than 10 seconds

- no programming required

- no Internet connection required

- Tasker not required after app creation

- app can be distributed or sold (e.g. on Play Store) however you like

Tasker App Factory Developer: joaomgcd
Price: Free
4.1
Download

VLC Beta (NEON version)

Android Police coverage: VLC Player Now Available In The Play Store For ARMv7 NEON Devices... But Not In The U.S. And Canada

Yup, VLC is finally officially in the Play Store, but only for modern devices (those with ARMv7 based CPUs that support NEON instructions). And it's not available in U.S. or Canada. Why? Because, according to the VLC team, they didn't have enough testing done on North American devices. Isn't that the point of beta testing, guys?

VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player that plays most multimedia files as well as discs, devices, and network streaming protocols. This is a BETA version of the port to the Android™ platform. It is intended for power users and hackers. This version is NOT stable and is slower than the final version. This version is ONLY for devices with a CPU ARMv7 that will support NEON. Other devices will be supported by other applications, very soon.

  • VLC for Android plays most local video and audio files, as well as network streams, like the desktop version of VLC.
  • VLC for Android has a media library for audio and video files, and allows to browse folders directly.
  • VLC has support for multi-track audio and subtitles. It supports auto-rotation, aspect-ratio adjustements and gestures to control volume.
  • It also includes a widget for audio control, supports audio headsets control, covert art and a complete audio media library.

Tweet Lanes

Android Police coverage: [New App] Digital Ashes Brings Tweet Lanes To The Play Store – Pure Twitter, Pure Android

Tweet Lanes is a great new Twitter client that follows the ICS design guidelines pretty closely. But it doesn't stop there and contains some interesting and original UX choices that immediately set it apart from other clients. For example, there's a persistent Context Tweet box on all pages. You can also select multiple tweets and reply-all using this Context Tweet box or report spammers en-masse. Tweet Lanes is missing a settings screen at the moment, but it's off to a great start.

Tweet Lanes - Pure Twitter, Pure Android. Are you on the lookout for not just a good, but a great Android Twitter client? If so, prepare yourself for a gorging of Twitter fuelled, Ice Cream Sandwich inspired goodness.

Some notable features of Tweet Lanes:

  • The native Android ICS styling has been shamelessly applied to Tweet Lanes, which makes for the most beautiful Twitter client available on Android.
  • Designed and engineered to adhere strictly to the Android Design guidelines.
  • Fully embraces the Android swipe controls.
  • VolScroll™ - Use the hardware volume buttons to quickly navigate your feed. Very handy on larger phones such as the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S3.
  • Interact with multiple tweets at the same time using multiple selection. Very handy for replying to multiple people in a single tweet or blocking spammers.
  • Multiple account support.
  • Automatically preview images and videos in your feed.
  • Get ready for a new means of tweeting. There's no 'New Tweet' button here. Instead, the ever present Context Tweet Box will serve all your tweet-creation needs.
  • The Twitter client Android power-tweeters have been craving.

Markers

Android Police coverage: [App Roundup] Our Top Five Favorite New Apps To Check Out From June 2012

Markers is a simple, multitouch, pressure-sensitive drawing app. Markers is open source software; the source code is available at http://dsandler.org/markers. Some of its features include:

  • Pressure sensitivity that works with most Android devices: As more of your finger or capacitive stylus touches the glass, Markers will draw a thicker line. NOTE: It may take a minute or two of continuous drawing for Markers to adjust to your device’s touch panel, so be patient! (If your device has an active stylus, like the Galaxy Note or HTC Flyer, the true stylus pressure will be used instead.)
  • Multitouch: two fingers make two lines, three make three, and so on, up to the limits of your device (typically 5 simultaneous touches for phones and 10 for tablets).
  • Kid-friendly interface: Every pen size and color is on-screen; multitouch drawing means accidental touches (such as kid hands on the edges of the display) won't prevent any little fingers from painting.
  • Plays well with others: share your drawings to other apps, and share images into Markers to draw on top of them.
  • Optimized for the new Nexus 7 tablet.
Markers Developer: Daniel Sandler
Price: Free
4
Download

Flipboard: Your News Magazine

Android Police coverage: Flipboard Finally Lands In The Play Store, Promises "You'll Be Amazed By What You See"

Flipboard revolutionized and turned the world of RSS readers upside down when it came out on iOS (I still prefer conventional RSS readers myself). Earlier this year, the Android version debuted on the Galaxy S III, and then finally hit the Play Store for all to enjoy. So go, enjoy it, if apps like Currents and Flipboard are your cups of tea.

Flipboard brings together world news and social news in a beautiful magazine. Flipboard's award-winning experience lets people see everything in one place. By bringing together the world's stories and life's great moments, you can stay up to date with the things that matter most. Flip through the news from your Twitter timeline as well as from outlets like the BBC, USA Today and The Verge. See everything from posts and photos shared by friends on Facebook and Instagram to videos from Stephen Colbert and pop culture nuggets from Rolling Stone. Find inspiration for your travel, style and life from places like National Geographic, Oprah and Cool Hunting.

  • Be amazed by what you see when everything people are sharing, collecting and publishing in every moment comes together in a single place.
  • Search for anything—people, topics, hashtags, blogs, your favorite sites—and flip through articles, updates, photos and videos in a beautiful magazine format.
  • Connect Flipboard to 12 social networks, streamlining your reading and activities like commenting, liking and sharing. Services include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, Google Reader, LinkedIn, Flickr, 500px, Sina Weibo and Renren.
  • Get a quick dose of what’s happening now, in Cover Stories, a constantly updated selection of articles, photos and videos shared by your friends.
  • Save anything to read later using Instapaper, Pocket and Readability.
  • Create a Flipboard account to access your favorite content and social networks on different or shared devices.
  • Enjoy Flipboard in 14 localized editions—for Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Spain, Taiwan, U.S. and U.K.
  • Explore hundreds of staff picks in the Content Guide, including must-read magazines and blogs, gorgeous photography and special curated sections devoted to the news of the day and other topics of interest.
  • Access Flipboard quickly through the widget.

Google Analytics

Android Police coverage: [New App] Official Google Analytics App Lands In The Play Store, Complete With Real-Time Support

The official Google Analytics app came to Android right after I/O ended, and what a treat it is for webmasters! I absolutely love it, though it still has a lot of room to grow. We have a great swipable UI, real-time support, customizable graphs, and alerts. Additionally, the app makes great use of the concept of recently used items, be it your sites or graph types, and I applaud Google for doing this.

The Analytics app is definitely missing a lot compared to its full desktop counterpart. For example, in real-time there's no way to actually click on anything and examine the data closer. There's also no way to actually view tables and all the data that Analytics collects, so if you're looking for more than just a bunch of dashboard views, the app is going to leave you hungry for more. Still, it's a fantastic start, and I'm looking forward to future updates.

Essential data for your sites & apps. Anywhere, anytime. The Google Analytics app shows what is new and what is important on your Google Analytics profiles. See real time statistics, customizable dashboards and intelligence events on your phone.

Google Analytics Developer: Google LLC
Price: Free
4.2
Download

Radiolab

Radiolab is a show about wonder, curiosity and big ideas. Hailed by critics as “best radio show,” Radiolab presents a potent elixir of science and philosophy, first-person storytelling and radio theatre, all woven together with the most innovative sound design to ever spill out of the radio. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich and produced by WNYC, the show is heard on more than 300 public radio stations around the country. The Radiolab app is all about curiosity, too. More than just a companion to the broadcast, the app is an extension of the Radiolab experience and its spirit of exploration, possibility and play.

Flow by Amazon

Android Police coverage: Flow Is An Amazon-Powered Augmented Reality Product Search App That's Not Really As Cool As It Sounds

Flow is similar to Google Goggles for products, ShopSavvy, and other apps, but it's created and geared towards Amazon. In my brief tests, it was very effective at identifying books, both by cover and ISBN scans, and some household items, like Pledge. It even identified the box of my Galaxy Nexus without seeing its barcode. However, it did fail a lot on other stuff, and it is limited to Amazon listings, so I'd say it's an app to keep if you use Amazon a lot. Needless to say, I'm keeping it.

Flow Powered by Amazon is an augmented reality app that lets you discover information about everyday products around you. With Flow you can identify tens of millions of products, including books, DVDs, and packaged household items like a box of cereal or a box of tissues. Flow uses A9.com's continuous scan technology to automatically recognize items available on Amazon.com, and overlay product information using augmented reality.

Alive Video Wallpaper

The first and only VIDEO live wallpapers. Inspiring scenes from nature that won’t drain your battery or slow your device. Alive stops when another app is running or your device is idle, so it uses no more battery than a photo wallpaper. It saves to the SD card to prevent memory problems. No ads, no pop ups, just great video wallpapers!

London 2012 Results App

Android Police coverage: Official London 2012 Results App Sprints To The Play Store With Olympics Results, Schedules, And News

The Official London 2012 Results app provides all the latest news, schedules and results, allowing users to keep up-to-date with the latest action LIVE across all Olympic sports (25 July to 12 August 2012) and Paralympic sports (29 August to 9 September 2012). Key features include results, live updates, calendar schedule, details of sports, medal tables and athlete profiles. Users can also follow specific countries, and receive official news and updates tailored to them all in one app. A companion app, the London 2012 Join In app, is a mobile guide to help people plan, enjoy and share their Games experience for the Olympics and Paralympics.

London 2012 Join In App

Android Police coverage: Official London 2012 Results App Sprints To The Play Store With Olympics Results, Schedules, And News

Speaking of which, here's the Join In app that the Results app was talking about just now.

Official London 2012 Join In app - plan, enjoy and share your Games experience. Get a pocket guide to the Games! In the summer of 2012 London and the UK will come alive with events, celebrations and activities during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This FREE app is an essential planning tool for everyone, whether you have tickets for a sporting event or not. From the start of the Olympic Torch Relay to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, plus all the cultural, city and community celebrations happening across the UK, Join In is your essential companion.

GitHub

Android Police coverage: GitHub Releases Awesome App For Android, Lets You Keep Up With Your Projects On Your Mobile Device

Love GitHub, love being able to fork projects easily, love pull requests, love sharing "gists" of code. Love, love, love, and now I can do some of these things on Android with the official GitHub app.

GitHub is the best way to collaborate with others. Create, manage, and discuss issues and stay up to date with an integrated news feed for all your organizations, friends, and repositories. View your issues dashboard to stay connected with all the issues you've reported, been assigned, or participating in the discussion on. You can also view and filter a repository's issue list and bookmark it for quick access. Discover, share, and discuss code snippets using the integrated GitHub Gists support. The GitHub Android app is open source, visit https://github.com/github/android to see the code, connect with the developers, and discuss future features.

Stereomood

Now Stereomood turns your mood into music on the go. Our brand new Android app will allow you to bring the Stereomood experience always with you. Feeling happy, sad, dreamy or lost in Jamaica? With the click of a button you’ll have a ready-made playlist for every time in your life: choose your mood from our stereotags, listen, discover new music, tag and share your emotions in music. Hundreds mood-based playlists that pool the best indipendent music from artist submission and top music blogs. Each playlist is generated from tags and users’ preferences and changes every day. You can tag each song by mood or create new one, helping to build the coolest community of emotional-based music.

Nike+ Running

Android Police coverage: [New App] Official Nike+ App Finally Arrives On Android

The most popular running app is now available on Android, for free. Map your runs, track your progress and get the motivation you need to reach your goals. No sensor or additional products needed, just grab your phone and go.

Voodoo Galaxy S III SIM Unlock *root*

Free, requires root, GT-I9300 only, beta version. This application unlocks your phone baseband so it becomes able to use SIM cards from any carrier without restriction. Unlock is immediate and doesn't require reboot, and the app doesn't depend on any external tool (like Busybox) except root. This is free and open source software.

BBQLog

BBQLog is the best CyanogenMod Log around. Browse the changes online at http://changelog.bbqdroid.org/ or right from this app. Get the changes for all CyanogenMod-enabled devices, and check all the latest nightlies available. All devices with official nightlies are supported.

- List nightlies for all devices

- List all CyanogenMod changes

- List devices' next nightlies changes

- List devices' specific nightly changes

- Tablet and phone UI

Atom Launcher

Finally some more competition to Nova and Apex - Atom Launcher is a new launcher compatible with ICS+. It kind of reminds me of Go Launcher, if Go Launcher was built for ICS (including Engrish in the description, except the developer seems to be Korean). I tried it out for 15 minutes so far, and while I don't think it's bad at all, it's just not for me (it feels too... candyish, kind of like MIUI or Go). Some of you might love it, however, so I'll let you be the judge. So far, it has a 4.6-star rating, which is quite promising.

There's also an XDA discussion about Atom going on here.

Light and Easy. Atom Launcher, state of the art launcher for Android’s new OS, ICS, is now on market. Experience new optimized ICS launcher if you have ICS version android phone.

Imgy Widgets

Android Police coverage: From The Creators Of Tagy: Imgy Offers Unlimited Homescreen Capacity, Resizes Your App, Bookmark, And Contact Icons Based On Click Frequency

I loved the idea behind Tagy, but it was kind of... challenged in the design department, which turned off many people. Imgy uses the same tag cloud approach, but instead of letters, it uses icons. Imgy doesn't only have widgets for apps, but also contacts and bookmarks too. Sweet.

Imgy: unlimited capacity homescreen for your apps, contacts and bookmarks. Ever wanted to have more icons on your homescreen? Tired of folders and scrolling? Imgy widgets present the unlimited capacity homescreen - you can add any number of apps, bookmarks and contacts and their icons will be resized accordingly. Icons will grow and shrink based on click frequency, allowing you to locate your favorites easily.

Imgy widgets main features:

• You can add any number of apps, bookmarks and contacts to your homescreen and their icons will be resized accordingly.

• Apps, bookmarks and contacts icons will grow or shrink based on click frequency, allowing important items to stand out and unimportant items to fade.

• Choose from a number of Apps widgets, Bookmarks widgets and Contacts widgets.

Imgy offers you a number of beautiful widgets in multiple sizes, so you can arrange them freely on your smartphone or tablet homescreen, creating attractive layouts. Imgy gives you 3 types of widgets:

• Apps widgets, which visualize your selected apps on your homescreen.

• Bookmarks widgets, which visualize your selected bookmarks on your homescreen.

• Contacts widgets, which visualize your selected contacts on your homescreen.

Droid NAS

Droid NAS allows you to share folders over a Wi-Fi network, making your Android device visible as a Bonjour computer in Finder on your Mac. Turn your phone or tablet into a wireless flash drive with a single tap. Different profiles can be used to quickly choose which folders to share. Assign your home or office Wi-Fi networks to profiles and Droid NAS will auto-select profiles on start.

- Mac OS X.

- Android: apps like ES File Explorer, Solid Explorer, GTVBox Video Player.

- Windows is NOT supported because it can't connect to SMB servers via a non-standard port.

- Linux most probably also won't work.

An ICS-themed SMS/MMS popup app - sign me up! So far I haven't seen anything even remotely as good-looking, even in the most popular SMS apps out there - they all seem cheesy and all over the place. Well done, SpiderFly Studios.

Convenient popup notifications for new SMS/MMS messages. In the very near future you will be able to extend the popup notification functionality with popup alerts for your favorite system and 3rd party app notifications.

√ Android 4.0 (ICS) compatible.

√ Scrolling for multiple unread popups.

√ Single lines of text are centered, while multiple lines are left aligned for easier reading.

√ Contact specific notifications.

√ Tablet friendly.

√ Long press options.

√ Popup customizations like hiding contact pictures, hiding all buttons and long press options.

√ Popup themes.

WinZip

Android Police coverage: Official WinZip App Hits The Play Store With All The Functionality Of Its PC Counterpart In Tow

WinZip, the world's #1 zip utility, makes it easy to view, open and save zip files on your Android device, whether they're attached to an incoming email, downloaded from a web page or opened from an SD memory card.

  • Receive a zip file and view supported image, text and web files directly within the WinZip app.
  • Easily open other popular file formats with 3rd party app integration.
  • Open encrypted Zip files (including AES128 and AES256) to review sensitive material safely while on the go.
  • Copy unzipped content to the clipboard to paste into an email or another application. Save the last extracted zip file to access at later time.
  • Automatically unzip and install Android apps (.apk files) delivered as .zip files from Google Play or the Amazon Appstore.

Shynk

We've seen many remote device managers before (AirDroid comes to mind), so it' s only natural to wonder how this newcomer is any different. As the creator points out on Reddit:

It is similar. One of the main differences is that Shynk works over public networks, not just over Wi-Fi (where the browser and phone share the same network). This lets Shynk provide other functionality, too. e.g. sharing files publicly.

Note that due to the above difference, it seems like the app may be using a 3rd-party server maintained by the developer, so proceed with caution. I am not sure whether it uses encryption under the hood, but anything leaving my internal network and going out to the web is likely inherently insecure.

Shynk is a new way to share and synchronize your phone — privately or publicly. The Text Messenger is a new way to communicate with your friends. Continue existing text conversations or start a new one, and be notified of new text messages while on the Shynk website. Instantly send photos, videos, and documents on your phone to friends, anywhere — by email, Facebook, or reddit. Use the Shynk web-based manager to browse files and access your phone remotely — from any device with an internet connection. Quickly access your own private files and documents.

CouchSurfing

Android Police coverage: Official CouchSurfing App Hits The Play Store, Allows Mobile Adventure Lovers Everywhere To Connect

Meet & adventure with new friends on the world's largest social travel network. CouchSurfing is the world’s largest social travel network, connecting a global community of travelers, adventure seekers, and lifelong learners. Members get together to share meals, places to stay, parties, and anything else they can think of! CouchSurfing helps you get offline and connected to other open, fun people, wherever you are.

- Search for people to connect with

- Respond to and send CouchRequests

- Have conversations with upcoming hosts and surfers

- Easily view people’s profiles

Ourcast

Need to know if it will be raining when you walk out the door 10 minutes from now? Ourcast is the weather app that tells you if there will be rain, or snow, in any location you choose, during any minute over the next 2 hours. Going for a run? A hike? Coaching a soccer game? You’ll want to check Ourcast and plan your outdoor activities with confidence. Simple to use, Ourcast provides an incredibly accurate short-term, hyper-local weather forecast. And once you’ve looked at your own forecast, you can participate in the Ourcast community by reporting your current weather with a quick tap of the screen.

- Forecast page with easy-to-read 10-minute weather forecasts covering the next 2 hours anywhere in the continental U.S.

- Forecasting engine that uses an entirely new statistical approach to weather analysis.

- Storm icons and dBz precipitation readings show whether rain or snow is coming or going at a single glance.

- Map view that you can scroll forward and backward in time to track storm progress.

- Bookmarks of your favorite locations for easy retrieval.

- Report your own weather conditions right on the app’s home screen, joining the Ourcast community and making forecasts better for everyone.

- See your own reports appear in Ourcast’s map view.

- Share you weather conditions easily on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter.

- Email your weather to friends and family right from Ourcast’s sharing menu.

Costco Wholesale

Android Police coverage: Costco's Official App Lands In The Play Store – Shop, Ship, And Save From Your Mobile Device

Go beyond the warehouse walls with the ease of your smartphone. We’ve made it even easier for members to access the incredible values found only at Costco. Members can now shop, refill and check prescriptions, find locations, view current member-exclusive coupons and much more.

  • SHOP Costco.com’s unique, expanded selection, offering thousands of items not found at your local warehouse, delivered straight to your door.
  • LOCATE your nearest Costco, even filtering for specific departments such as Gas or Pharmacy.
  • SAVE by viewing the latest member-exclusive online and in-store Costco coupons.
  • REFILL and check the status of your Costco Pharmacy prescriptions.
  • COMPARE and save when using Costco Services, like our Auto or Mortgage & Home Financing Programs.
  • DELIVER straight to your business when you order from our Business Delivery locations.
  • READ the latest issue of our award-winning member magazine, “The Costco Connection.”
  • LIST your Costco needs on our handy shopping notepad – no more lost shopping lists!
  • JOIN Costco, renew your membership or give the gift of Costco membership.
Costco Wholesale Developer: Costco Wholesale
Price: Free
4.8
Download

Genius Scan

Genius Scan turns your Android device into a pocket scanner. It enables you to quickly scan documents on the go and email the scans as JPEG or PDF. In addition to email, Genius Scan provides easy upload to Box, Dropbox, Evernote or any other cloud service app installed on your Android phone. The Genius Scan scanner technology includes smart page detection, perspective correction, image post-processing. It allows you to build PDF documents with multiple scans. Still not convinced? Genius Scan has more than 8 million users and has been featured multiple times on the different mobile app stores.

Genius Scan Enterprise Developer: The Grizzly Labs
Price: 24.99
4.9
Download

Google Play Magazines

Android Police coverage: Google I/O Day One Roundup – Jelly Bean, Google Glass, Two New Nexus Devices, And So Much More

Android Police coverage: Google Play Store Updated To Bring New TV Shows, Magazines, And Movies For Purchase

Enjoy your favorite magazines, anywhere you go. Discover hundreds of bestselling magazines on Google Play. You can shop a wide selection of titles, from cooking to technology, travel, fashion, sports, photography, and so much more. It's never been easier to find a great read to enjoy on vacation, lounging at home or on your morning commute. Buy new issues or back issues, subscribe and get free 14 or 30-day trials, and customize your reading experience for Android tablet or phone.

Nexus Q

Android Police coverage: The Google Nexus Q Has An Easter Egg Too

Android Police coverage: Google Turned The Nexus Q Into A Friggin' GLaDOS-Style Bot For Google I/O

Android Police coverage: This Is The Nexus Q: Google's Front-Line Soldier In The Invasion Of Your Living Room

Android Police coverage: Google Is Going To Sell Triad Bookshelf Speakers To Go Along With The Nexus Q - For $400

This app controls the Nexus Q, and currently doesn't work on anything but Jelly Bean, even though it says it does (lies). What is the Nexus Q exactly? Who the hell knows at this point...

The app to set up your Nexus Q at home. The Nexus Q app runs on any Android phone or tablet running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or later. You can use it along with Google Play apps to instantly stream music, TV shows, videos, and HD movies to Nexus Q devices that are set up in your home. After you install the Nexus Q app, you can use current versions of Google Play apps and YouTube as you normally would. Except now you can choose to stream entertainment through one or more Nexus Qs and the equipment attached to them.

Each Nexus Q device is designed to control the equipment in one room: speakers, AV systems, TVs, and more. Each room with a Nexus Q appears in the Nexus Q app, where you can control what's playing and at what volume, or (for music only) stream to multiple rooms at the same time. And when friends come to visit, they can also use the Nexus Q app to stream any of their own music or movies from Google Play through your Nexus Qs, using their own Android phones or tablets. So you don't need a Nexus Q device to use the Nexus Q app. You just need a friend who has at least one Nexus Q and will let you stream your own music, movies, and TV shows through it.

iFixit: Repair Manual

Android Police coverage: Official (And Open-Source) iFixit App Hits The Play Store – Tear Down And Repair From Anywhere

iFixit — the free repair manual. Thousands of step-by-step guides and gorgeous images that make it easy to repair your stuff.

I don't know about "the best popup browser" claim, but competition sure doesn't hurt. Of course, I'm talking about OverSkreen.

The best Popup Browser has come to Android for phones and tablets. Galaxy S3 Style. It works for Android 2.1+, Honeycomb 3.0+ and Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0+. Do anything while you browse the web: play angry games, listen your favorite music, while your watching movies, flipboard your news or simple reading a book.

Allows you to:

-Open Multiple Windows.

-Always on top.

Blue Hat, Green Hat by Boynton/LoudCrow

Blue Hat, Green Hat, Sandra Boynton’s famous and funny book, comes alive with sound and zestily ingenious interactivity. This wonderfully clever digital book app will surprise kids and grownups alike. Turkeys may also enjoy it, if they can ever figure out how to turn the dang thing on. Three earnest animals and one misguided turkey learn colors and clothes. Though admittedly, the turkey never quite gets the hang of it. Far beyond any e-book experience, the Blue Hat, Green Hat interactive book app has all the magic and appeal of a traditional pop-up book, offering lively interactivity and nifty discovery.

deci

deci is a new and innovative way to make decisions with friends. As one of the only social decision-making apps out there, deci will change the way you use your smart phone and the way you make decisions. deci 1.0 is for you and your Facebook friends to decide together what to do and where to go. Coordinating hangouts with friends can be difficult and, let’s be honest, annoying but with deci scheduling activities can be fun and convenient.

- Group Decision Making: no longer hold the burden of making group decisions alone

- Chat: interact with other users who are in the same deci

- Graphical Voting Interface: transparently and dynamically shows voting behaviors of friends

- Facebook Integration: Facebook friends are pre-loaded for convenience

- Notifications: Deeply thought out push notifications to signal crucial deci moments

- “Custom” deci: have friends weigh in on tough decisions

The Witch With No Name

In this original 3D tale, you will experience the curious adventure of a witch who lost her name. This morning, she received a helpful package: the latest “U-see-all” crystal ball. With the reader's active participation and thanks to her domesticated bat advices, she'll go on a quest to get her name back. Your child will be able to read and play around at the same time. “The Witch With No Name” will appeal to kids aged from 4 to 10

Weather Eye

As I always say, we can never have too many weather apps. Here's one more, with an uber clean UI, icon sets, and widgets. As the creator says, it's clean, simple, and beautiful.

Weather Eye is for those who like their weather clean, simple and beautiful. The app includes 11 of the best weather icon sets available, with the ability to add your own icon sets. Four widgets are available which are highly customizable.

Jolicloud

Jolicloud is your personal library – all your favorite things from the apps and services you use and love – beautifully organized into one simple and elegant interface. Re-discover the content you shared, liked or received, and explore your friends’ digital life: we’ve gathered it all together in one place.

■ Your favorite content – What you posted, liked and was shared with you is automatically gathered into your Jolicloud.

■ from all over the web – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr and Picasa. More services to come!

■ Automatic update – No import is required. Just live your lives online, we take care of the rest.

■ Facebook friends – They automatically become your friends on Jolicloud.

■ Unified library – All your favorite things across the web.

■ Public items – Explore your friends’ public items, even from services you don’t use.

■ Unified search – You’ve now got the power to explore and search your personal cloud like never before.

■ Collections – Organize your favorite stuff and share them with your friends.

■ Follow collections – Keep track of your favorite friends’ collections.

■ Facebook/Twitter sharing – Post content you (re-)discover to Twitter and Facebook.

■ Beautiful content – Full-screen photos and videos, web browser with embedded Readability.

■ Privacy – What was private on the original service is available only to you on Jolicloud.

Animated Battery Widget

Android Police coverage: [New App] Animated Battery Widget Is Perfect For People Who Like Twisty, Spinny, And Other Fancy Movements While Checking Their Battery Percentage

Checking your battery level never looked so good on a Battery Widget. Sick of searching through hundreds of the same tired looking battery widgets? Your search is over with our collection of EIGHT unique, eye-catching fully animated digital 3D Battery Widgets.Each Battery Widget has it's own design to cater to each individual's battery widget need. Seriously, still images do not do these incredible looking battery widget pieces of art justice. Check the video below to see the animations of each battery widget in action. Each animated battery widget is highly optimized, as to not drain your battery.

Ringtonium LITE

Android Police coverage: [New App] Ringtonium Is An Absolutely Gorgeous Ringtone Editing App

Think RingDroid, but with a UI that doesn't belong to 2009.

Ringtonium is a remarkably accurate tool for creating, editing, and sharing ringtones. Enjoy the ringtone creation process upon the very first launch. Record your friend’s voice, play, edit and use it as ringtone, alarm, Twitter tone, reminder or text tone. Have ultimate fun with Ringtonium.

– Unlimited number of FREE ringtones

– Extremely easy to use

– 2 awesome sound effects to add to your tones

– Super accurate editing- up to 0.01 sec

– Remarkably high and distortion free mic recording

– MACRO tuning wheel engine

Viggle

Android Police coverage: Viggle For Android Comes Out Of Beta And Lands In The Play Store – Earn Rewards From Your Couch By Checking In To Popular TV Shows

Viggle works similarly to IntoNow, except you actually get tangible stuff for checking in. Points can be redeemed for Hulu Plus, movie tickets, Burker King, Papa John's, Gamefly, Chili's gift certs, and other prizes. And the best part is - because it works similar to IntoNow, you just let Viggle listen to your TV while checking in to identify what you're watching - there's no need to type anything. The low friction approach and good execution with relatively achievable rewards means my check-ins will no longer be almost completely pointless (though I just checked into Keeping Up With Kardashians - don't ask why - and only got 1 point).

Viggle. Check into your favorite shows and get rewarded. Viggle makes TV better. Watch TV. Get Rewards. Check into your favorite TV shows with Viggle and you’ll get real rewards from brands like Best Buy, Burger King, Fandango, Old Navy and more. Viggle can automatically identify the show you’re watching. You get Viggle points for every show you watch which you can redeem for real rewards or convert into charitable donations.

Viggle Developer: Viggle
Price: Free
3.2
Download

ESPN Radio

Android Police coverage: ESPN Replaces Its Old, Crappy ESPN Radio App With Brand New, ICS-Ready Hotness

Pretty much what it says above. If you want to see what the old app looked like, hit the link and shield your eyes.

Take your sports wherever your ears go! Introducing the new and improved ESPN Radio app for your Android, with a host of expanded features and functionality for sports fans. Listen live to ESPN Radio, your favorite podcasts, live play-by-play and more.

· LISTEN LIVE to internet broadcasts of over 35 ESPN Radio stations around the country

· LISTEN to your favorite ESPN shows like Mike and Mike in the Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Scott Van Pelt Show, The Michael Kay Show and many more!

· LISTEN to play-by-play from some of your favorite college and professional sports teams

· LISTEN to 35 ESPN Radio podcasts including The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons, Pardon The Interruption, Around The Horn, Fantasy Focus and Tony Kornheiser Show

· LISTEN OnDemand to SportsCenter - updated every 20 minutes

Flick Widgets

Flick Widgets brings you the power of Android at the flick of your wrist. Watch the youtube video for a demonstration of how it works. Simply flick your device left, right, front, or back to reveal a useful widget. Don't stop what you are doing to dig into the phone settings or other apps. Just flick and the widget slides out with minimal disruption.

Autodesk ForceEffect

Android Police coverage: [New App] Autodesk's ForceEffect For Android Brings Realistic Mechanical Simulation To Your Mobile Device

Bring engineering to the point of the problem with Autodesk ForceEffect, a mobile engineering app for simulating design concepts in the field or in the office. Unlike the traditional approach of using paper, pencil, and a calculator to develop equations for design options, Autodesk ForceEffect does all the simulation and engineering calculations for you right on your mobile device, helping you to quickly and easily simulate design options during the concept phase to determine the viability of a design.

The Autodesk ForceEffect engineering app is ideal for static systems analysis using free body diagrams:

•Freehand sketching of elements and construction lines with snaps, constraints, and inferencing

•Object dimensioning, global scaling, units, constraints

•Import image as background

•Create joints (welded, pinned)

•Break element at joints

•Create supports (fixed, grounded, sliding)

•Create loads (known, unknown, distributed) and moments

•Add weight to individual elements

•Compute reaction forces and moments for equilibrium and over-constrained systems

•Toggle forces to show force vector components

•Results reporting with picture, results, all equations

•Save and load files from Autodesk 360

•In app tutorials

FilePush

FilePush lets you transfer files to your Android device with only two clicks. FilePush only works together with its Windows Client. Officially supported is Windows Vista and 7.

With the Windows Client you can create context menu entries that appear when you right-click a file inside Windows Explorer. With a click on the "Push file to device" entry the file will appear a few seconds later as a download on your device.

- Windows Client (Vista, 7) with explorer integration

- Support for multiple devices

- Push files using WLAN - fast

- Or using Google Drive - anywhere

- Open, move and delete files

- No registration (Google Account)

- Uses Google Push service, is not always running in background

QUICK for eBay & Craigslist

QUICK Mobile Marketplace (Beta) lets you quickly list your items for sale across multiple online marketplaces and social media sites. Sell on eBay and Craigslist, give your friends on Facebook a special Friends Only Price and much more! Reach millions of potential buyers for anything you would like to sell in seconds, with just a few taps on your smartphone. QUICK allows you to upload unlimited images to your Craigslist ads and provides a beautiful custom eBay template for your listings that will attract many more buyers. You can also create multiple Craigslist signatures for different product types that will appear at the bottom of every Craigslist ad.

Cisco Connect Cloud

From your Cisco Connect Cloud mobile app easily tap into your home network to check the connection status of your devices, give a guest access to the Internet, or block your child from accessing social networking sites when they should be doing homework. You can even prioritize what devices on your network get priority bandwidth to reduce lag times and buffering. You no longer have to be tethered to your desk at home to get visibility into your home network.

Cisco Connect Cloud is available with Linksys EA Smart Wi-Fi Routers. To view the full list of supported routers, click here.

Linksys Developer: Linksys LLC
Price: Free
3.7
Download

Wimbledon

Android Police coverage: Official Wimbledon App Brings Live Tennis Commentary, Photos, And More To The Play Store

Yeah, so I guess while I was writing this roundup, Wimbledon kind of ended. Whoops.

Follow all the action LIVE during the fortnight with the official Wimbledon app. The Championships run from 25th June to 8th July 2012.

Wimbledon 2023 Developer: Wimbledon
Price: Free
3.5
Download

Collider Comics

Take a sneak peek into the future with Collider Comics. Mysteriously transported to a post-apocalyptic future, six people find themselves involved in a race against time to find a way to get back to the present and save mankind - and their own lives.

Nexercise

Discover a new and exciting way to get motivated, lose weight, and stay in shape. Play with friends, earn rewards, defeat challenges, and track your progress on the largest fitness mobile interactive game of its kind. Nexercise encourages consistent physical activity and provides fun challenges to help you get active. It's fun, it's social, and it's rewarding. Effortly track your workouts, pace, distance, steps, and other metrics. Nexercise is a great companion for devices like Fitbit, Fuel Band, and Jawbone Up. With 100+ activities (including Yardwork & Housework), Nexercise is the perfect community based motivational coach and training tool for any diet or weight loss program.

SubCell Jukebox

It's the Nexus Q... without the Nexus Q. Take that, Google!

Tiered of switching between phones and passing the jack cable around at parties? SubCell Jukebox is a social music player for you and your friends. With SubCell Jukebox you can create your own playlist and invite your friends to send their music to it. Plug your phone to some speakers. That's basically it. You can now listen to all the music everyone have on their phones through your phone.

SmartSync Disabler

Android Police coverage: App Developed By XDA Member Stops EVO 4G LTE And One X / S / V From Deep-Sleeping At Night, No Root Required

If you don't have an HTC One series device, move along - there's nothing to see here.

HTC introduced SmartSync with Sense ICS (all devices), which shall provide you the best battery life for your device. Unfortunately, HTC messed it up again, because there's no interface to control this powersaving feature. Isn't a problem you think? It is, and I tell you why: HTC SmartSync system forces the Wi-Fi and data connections to go do sleep/disconnect after 15 minutes screen off time between 00:00 and 07:00 am. For some this isn't an issue, but for some it is important to have a constant data/Wi-Fi connection during the night. With this app you can deactivate this behavior. Works for unlocked AND locked devices.

fotodanz

Fotodanz beat Cinemagram to Android. Is it as good as Cinemagram? Probably not (it seems choppier, and the interface is not nearly as polished), but it'll do for now while we keep waiting.

Capture your favorite movements in photos that dance. Create ridiculously cool motion photographs (cinemagraphs) with fotodanz. We have made it super simple to create these animated photos on Android devices - now you can be incredibly creative with your camera. You simply compose, shoot a short video clip, circle the area to animate, press Ok and you are ready to share your creations with the world.

1. Super easy user interface and workflow (patent pending)

2. Automatic video stabilizer that minimizes video jitter caused by handshake during capture

3. Simple method to define motion area (patent pending)

4. Smaller file size (patent pending solution reduces file size by as much as 70%)

5. Easy sharing via emails (social network sharing coming soon)

6. Access to your animated Gifs in local folder so you can save/share them anyway you like

Keymonk Keyboard

Android Police coverage: [New App] Keymonk Keyboard Is Like Swype For Two-Handed Input

Keymonk is definitely interesting, but also just as definitely not ready to replace any of the top keyboards. It's got a long way to go to dethrone SwiftKey, but it probably has a chance against Swype, if developers keep making strides.

Keymonk is the future of smartphone keyboards. Sweep words with both fingers twice as fast as Swype or SlideIT. Check out the video to see how it works. Keymonk lets you sweep words with two fingers. For example, to type the word 'make' start with your right finger on M and your left finger on A, then sweep right finger to K and left finger to E. Use the keyboard in landscape mode, and avoid bumping fingers into one another. Maintain contact with the keyboard to input a word with several sweeps and keystrokes, and keep each finger at its side of the keyboard.

MYHABIT by Amazon

Android Police coverage: Amazon Release MYHABIT App Into The Play Store, Helps You Find Expensive Clothes At Not-As-Expensive Prices

MyHabit is the only deals site I use and check daily, and now it has an Android app. It is operated by Amazon and integrates with it deeply, including customer service, sharing accounts, and many other things. I probably bought more clothes on MyHabit than any other store ever in a comparable period of time over the past year.

MYHABIT members have access to designer brands at up to 60% off.

• Access to daily sale events featuring designer brands for women, men, children and home

• Membership-only prices up to 60% off

• Free, instant membership

• FAST, FREE SHIPPING + RETURN SHIPPING in US

• Ability to login using your amazon.com credentials

• International shipping available to over 50 countries

• Available for download internationally in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore

• Set reminders for upcoming events

• 360 degree, on-model video

Live Wallpapers

Space Robot LiveWallpaper

Now you can have Space Robot as your companion on your mobile home screen. He will react to your touch gesture on the screen.

Flow Live Wallpaper

Flow is a high-tech customizable fluid simulation live wallpaper. Using OpenGL ES 2.0 and fluid rendering techniques used in modern desktop games Flow provides a beautiful and highly customizable interactive wallpaper to show off the rendering capabilities in modern Android phones. Flow comes preset with seven themes and a suite of customization options allowing you to tweak everything from the fluid color to the intensity of waves. Flow also allows you to insert custom photos, selected from the phone's gallery, underneath the surface of the liquid.

Sunrise Live Wallpaper

Sunrise live wallpaper with beautiful harmony daybreak scene.

- Beautiful harmony daybreak scene

- Use 3D hardware to render images, save battery

- Support most resolutions including Android 3.0 tablet

- Android 4.0 ICS ready

Sunrise Live Wallpaper Developer: Xllusion
Price: Free
3.9
Download

Paperland Live Wallpaper

This LWP comes from an excellent developer, Josh Oleksyn/Joko Interactive, who in the past brought us some great LWPs, like Light Grid, Photile, and Exodus. Some users reported slowdowns, mostly on the Galaxy Nexuses, which Josh and I discussed. He promised to fix the problem and just pushed the fix, so if you see previous reviews talking about poor performance, know that they're talking about an older version with an issue that should now be settled.

A fantastic paper cut-out landscape scrolls across your screen! Choose a fixed time of day, or let the sun and moon rise and set according to real world around you. Choose from a variety of built in themes: Silent Night, Desert Migration, Beach. The Pro version includes several extra themes as well.

For The Lulz

Drink Adventure

Since this app doesn't quite fit the normal app list, but it's not really WTF, I created a separate section just so I can post those screenshots. The amount of lulz in them is pretty epic.

The best remedy against boredom at a party - Drink Adventure. We used the best mechanics from similar games to make the game. Imagine "spin the bottle", "drinking game" and "truth or dare" together then multiply two times and you’ll get the Drink Adventure game. Make your meeting / party unforgettable! Choose a map, add your friends and GO! One condition: once you started the game there's no turning back. Glory - to the victor, lots of fun - to everyone! It suits for any place, any occasion, any company! Send us your ideas for the maps and tasks to the site. Tell us how do you have fun.

For The Puppiez

Puppy's Plaything FREE

Cute overload. If Drink Adventure can have its own section, so can possibly the cutest app on Android, ever. Just watch the video and hold the awws till the end.

Will you be able to get to your plaything? And will you be able to collect the bones on your way in the best possible order? Sure, you will. Activate your brain cells and help your puppy get to the toy of its dreams.

WTF App(s) Of The Week

Get Panty!

Oh, Japanese, you so crazy. Every sentence below is pure gold. If you don't crack a smile by the time you're done reading and looking at screenshots, you will be officially the saddest person on the planet. Presented verbatim.

To be a panty getting master! A little naughty, adult games! "Get Panty!" is a game in which you must get the panties. Get as many panties as you can within the time limit. Please do not go out and "get" panties in the real world.

1. Get the panties

2. For items that are not panties, push "Not Panty"

3. If you make a mistake you lose three pairs

Time limit: 30 seconds

Gameplay tip: Be careful of items such as boxers, briefs, loincloths, diapers, and boxer briefs.

Ranking function: Compete with people around the world to see who can get the most panties within 30 seconds.

Post to twitter: Tell your friends how many pairs of panties you got.

Poo Chuckin' Monkey

As I always say, you can't have too many poo chucking games in the Play Store, right? This is something you won't see in the iOS Appstore.

YOU'RE A BAD MONKEY !! You've ESCAPED your cage, now it's time to WREAK havoc in the zoos in this hilarious game. Use a variety of poo ammo to knock out bystanders. Beware of the zookeepers though...they are not very happy with you! This comedic iPhone game will keep you smiling and wanting more. Poo Chuckin' Monkey free includes 15 levels, 1 zoo settings, and hours of fun using unique controls. Poo Chuckin' Monkey includes 45 levels, 3 zoo settings, and hours of fun using unique controls. Monkey See Monkey Do Monkey Chuckin' Poo!

Use a variety of poo ammunition such as Dingle Berries, The Chunky Monkey, Ratta Crap Crap, Bum Nuggets, Banana Bombs, Chocolate Explosion, The Log, and Super Sonic Sewer Sauce to knock out your enemies. Your enemies are innocent zoo visitors. Beware of the zookeepers in each zoo. The zookeeper is the only character who can capture you, take away a life, and return you to your cage. Earn bananas through game play which will allow you to upgrade weapons and advance levels. Let 'Poo Chuckin' Monkey' be your favorite laugh-out-loud arcade game on your phone.

Unlike other games that claim to be entertaining, this game is truly hilarious.

OBAMA & ROMNEY in Civic Incivility

I wish we picked presidents this way.

Do you have what it takes to pick the president? In the race to the White House in 2012, you decide who is worthy enough for the Oval Office. Play as your favorite presidential candidate in this Street Fighter styled fighting game, either Obama or Romney. You will travel across the country to various swing states where you will duel to determine the winner. The eventually goal is to capture the presidency in November. Control each candidate with intuitive tap controls and continuous combo sequences.

Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!

If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.

Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.

  • the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago
  • it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop

Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: oh.no.its.the@androidpolice.com.

1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.