April was a bit sparse when it comes to new apps - there aren't any real standouts, though Facebook certainly made a splash with its self-branded phone dialer. The rest of the best picks from last month are mostly advanced tools for power users, or in the case of the impressive edjing, experienced music producers. Here in no particular order are our picks for the best of the lot, plus a few honorable mentions that might have broader appeal.

edjing PRO - Music DJ mixer

Android Police coverage: Edjing Pro Provides Android-Using Professional DJs With A Feature-Rich Music Mixer, Launches Priced At 50% Off

Much as some of us would like to believe otherwise, there's still no substitute for a full-sized computer when it comes to creative work. But the last couple of years have seen more and more complex tools come to mobile platforms. The latest is edjing PRO, another mobile DJ deck and remix tool. Unlike some of its pro-marketed competitors, this one includes everything with one purchase, though it is a rather large one.

The world first DJ app finally releases its professional version: edjing Pro, a full featured DJ system. At last, a professional DJ software optimized for Android smartphones and tablets. All effects are unlocked - no ad - no hidden cost. edjing Pro is equipped with the brand new Sound System of edjing, the result of five years of R&D, to provide DJs with the most reliable and reactive djing solution possible on Android.

Gramophone Music Player Beta

Android Police coverage: Material Design Music Player Gramophone Now Available In Public Beta On The Play Store

Google Play Music is pretty good for what it is, but it's far too heavy if all you want to do is play some local music files. Gramophone, now in public beta after a long private round, is a local player with everything you need and nothing you don't. That includes one of the better Material Design interfaces we've seen in a while and integration with Last.FM, not to mention essentials like widgets and lockscreen controls.

Probably the best looking music player out there. The entire user interface matches the material design guidelines to ensure Gramophone is an eye candy for you. Full usage of Android 5.0 Lollipops API 21 (scene transitions and ripples). No complicated or overblown menus but a familiar interface, so that you will feel right at home when you start using Gramophone. The floating play-/pause button is always present to allow quick playback controls.

Phonograph Music Player Developer: Karim Abou Zeid
Price: Free
3.8
Download

Pixel OFF Save Battery AMOLED

Android Police coverage: Pixel OFF Turns Some Screen Pixels Black To Save Battery Power On Devices With AMOLED Screens

If you've got a phone with an AMOLED screen, this app will overlay it with a bunch of black dots. The idea is to display a bunch of pure black on the screen, which actually shuts off the affected pixels and saves you some battery life. (Note: this doesn't work for conventional LCD screens.) Options for greater or lesser intensity are opened up via in-app purchase, but you don't need root permissions to use the app itself.

Some AMOLED screen powered devices are able to "turn off" those pixels which are showing black colour. This app will let you to turn off some pixels in order to save your appreciate battery by showing very small black points. As newer devices comes with very high density screens those points will be insignificant to the user´s sight and will be offset by lower spending battery

Hello — Caller ID & Blocking

Android Police coverage: Facebook Announces Hello, A Dialer And Caller ID Replacement With Social Smarts

Hello is Facebook's branded dialer, and it is a dialer, not a VOIP app. The main selling point (if you can apply the term to a free app) is that it includes caller ID and public info for anyone whose number is registered on Facebook. Aside from that and a built-in call blocking feature, there aren't any major pluses over using your phone's standard dialer.

Make your phone smarter with Hello. Built by Messenger just for Android, Hello combines info from Facebook with the contact info on your phone so it's easy to stay in touch with the people you care about. Now you can see who's calling, block unwanted calls and search for people and places on Facebook. You can also call and text people for free using Messenger.

Google Handwriting Input

Android Police coverage: Google Handwriting Input App Enters The Play Store With Support For Handwriting In 82 Languages [APK Download]

Google introduced its handwriting recognition app into the Play Store out of the blue last week. It's pretty self-explanatory: the app replaces your virtual keyboard with a handwriting area, which supports cursive and standard script in an impressive 82 languages. Word recognition and spelling correction features carry over from Google's first-party keyboard. You can even draw emojis, if that takes your fancy.

Google Handwriting Input allows you to handwrite text on your phone or tablet in 82 languages. It supports printed and cursive writing, with or without a stylus. Google Handwriting Input also supports hundreds of emojis, so you can express yourself in any Android app.

• A useful complement to touchscreen typing or voice input

• A fun way to enter emojis by drawing

• Useful for languages that can be challenging to type on a standard keyboard

• Works across your Android phones and tablets running Android 4.0.3 and up

• If you claim your handwriting is terrible, try it out and see if it can convince you otherwise

Clarity Keyboard Beta

Android Police coverage: SwiftKey Introduces Greenhouse Initiative To Experiment With New Ideas, Debuts Clarity Keyboard Beta

Clarity Keyboard is the latest app from SwiftKey, and you can think of it as the company's new testbed for beta features. The first version focuses on a new approach to autocorrect that incorporates contextual awareness. In layman's terms: it looks at the surrounding words to see which autocorrect option makes more sense, more like a human would. Right now it's a bit barebones, as it doesn't include most of the bells and whistles you might be used to from other keyboards.

Clarity Keyboard Beta is an experimental keyboard offering a simple way to type (English US only), helping you to focus on what you’re writing and nothing else. It is compatible with Android 4.4+.

  • Multi-word autocorrect - checks the last few words you’ve typed and retrospectively corrects them.
  • No more ‘damn-you-autocorrect’ - quickly undo any autocorrections and restore exactly what you typed by tapping backspace.
  • Always learning - automatically learns your slang, nicknames and phrases.

Analytiks for Google Analytics

Google Analytics has become the go-to free service for tracking website performance, but no one could accuse the Android app of being pretty. Analytiks is an alternate version that adds a more functional and attractive interface. Particularly, Analytiks can let you directly compare two sites being tracked by your Analytics account on the same screen - handy for traffic comparisons.

Analytiks comes to Android. Get the most beautiful, fastest and secure Google Analytics app for Android. With support for Google 2-Step Verification. Check multiple sites stats with a swipe. It's super easy and intuitive. Turn your Android smartphone left or right to get more stats for the last three quarters of web traffic and incoming traffic from top 3 social media sides.

Honorable Mentions

That's all for April. With Google I/O coming at the end of this month, we're expecting some huge announcements that add to Android's core functionality, plus some new bells and whistles for older Google apps. Don't forget to check out Ryan's Android Wear roundup for the latest smartwatch software.