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What is the meaning of life? I'm sure an engineer, an artist, and a banker would all come up with different answers to this question, but as any nerd would know, all that matters is leveling up and acquiring gold. This fundamental premise has formed the backbone of RPGs since the first pixelated knight took up his sword, and the reason is simple - it speaks to human nature, a part that we should embrace head on. That's why HabitRPG needs to exist. This to-do list manager turns your life into an RPG, encouraging you to get things done using the same motivation that has pushed you to complete the last RPG you played, the one before it, and the one before that. It's just a shame the app isn't as solid as its premise.
One of the problems of living in modern times is that it's easy for us to shut ourselves off from our communities, living in a place for years without ever meeting the Smiths down the road or the Patels across the street. If you've wished for a way to resolve this issue that doesn't require the awkwardness of knocking on your neighbor's door, you're in luck, because there's now an app for that. Nextdoor is a private social network that aims to connect neighbors with their community in a way even anti-social people can get behind.
Yesterday T-Mobile rolled out a relatively small OTA for the Nexus 4 bringing about a set of security improvements. As it turns out, the latest Nexus handset isn't the only one receiving the update. The Galaxy Nexus is also getting the JWR66Y firmware, and there's a manual update available for those of you who just can't bear the wait. This one is for the yakju variant of the phone, those sold through retail channels other than Google Play.
I'll admit it - I tried to avoid signing into apps using Facebook back when doing so first became a thing. I figured the company already had enough information about me, and I didn't want them getting more. Now I wager that consolidating my information is probably no less safe (or unsafe?) than leaving my contact information scattered across many different servers, each maintained by scattered companies of varying size that may or may not exist this time next year. Now Facebook has provided an updated SDK for developers that again makes it easier for them to integrate their apps with the social network, and I figure why not embrace it?
There are many powerful to-do list apps out there that can be used to help you remember the milk, but given the sheer number of features they provide, relying on these apps for such a singular purpose could feel like overkill. Even the somewhat barebones Google Keep may come with more weight than someone needs for their weekly shopping runs. If you want an app that just strives to do one thing - in this case, be a shopping list - and do that thing well, then you may want to consider Buy Me a Pie!, the latest popular iOS app that has made its way over to Android.
Splinter Cell Blacklist hits store shelves today for all the current consoles, and if you haven't already decided you're ready to take the plunge back into Sam Fisher's world, Ubisoft has a mobile companion title that it hopes will change your mind. No, players won't get to view the world through Fisher's eyes in Splinter Cell Blacklist: Spider-Bot, but they will get to take control of his most advanced infiltration gadget yet in a game that is still centered around stealth.
With the sheer number of to-do list applications available for Android, there should be a stroke available for all the different folks out there. Todoist is one of the premium choices on the market, a subscription-based web platform that supports syncing tasks and projects across any number of devices. A major update to the Android app is rolling out today, offering a revisited interface that still manages to marry Todoist's web interface with Holo quite well. This shiny new appearance also comes with a bevy of hands-on features that improve the experience.
Barnes & Noble may be bailing out of the tablet race, but that doesn't mean they're giving up on distributing digital content. Today the bookseller that also happens to sell movies, school supplies, electronics, and accessories is similarly expanding its media streaming portfolio. The company is hoping to grow its audience with the release of Nook Video into the Play Store.
Here's the problem with mobile keyboards - they take up too much space, but they're too functional to do away with. They're the worst way to input text, with the exception of all of the alternatives. Now that more phones either come with Swype or a default keyboard that replicates its innovation, there's even less of a reason to try out the many other options that are out there. Some third-party keyboards simply feel half-baked, but there are a few that pique our interest. Minuum is one of the latter options.
Some of you probably don't think of many things when you hear the acronym "NFC". Those letters might conjure up thoughts of making mobile payments, and there's that cool ring that can unlock your smartphone, but there's not much else going on, right? Wrong. With an app like NFC Task Launcher, you can program your phone to do whatever you wish once it's near a NFC tag (which you place wherever you want them - car, nightstand, living room sofa, what have you). It's like Tasker, but centered around the use of these tags. Today the app has received a major update that fixes a slew of issues and introduces a few new features.
While we haven't heard a peep about the Android 4.2 update rolling out to the HTC One in the US, it's old news in Europe. In fact, HTC is already rolling out the 4.2 update to last year's flagship, the HTC One X, on that side of the pond. European owners of the Tegra 3-powered handset will now get to taste Sense 5, including BlinkFeed, but they have the option to disable the latter if they're not interested. The update also brings in video highlights, music visualization with live lyrics, and more.
Like many digital innovations, WigWag occupies the space between facilitating necessary evolution and being a lazy person's wet dream. It's an "If This Then That" intelligent environment-building sensor that reached its funding goal a month ago, already achieving twice the funds the team asked for. Now the campaign has ended, with WigWag acquiring nine times more than its $50,000 ambition.
Our readers already know about CyanogenMod, as it's only the most popular Android ROM out there, so I won't waste time with an introduction. Many also already use CyanogenROM Downloader to get their hands on the latest versions, even though it's not an official updater. The app's already awesome, but its author sent out a tease a few days ago implying that it could be even better - that it could automatically update your ROM to the latest version overnight, do a backup beforehand, and install your preferred custom kernel without a single touch. Today an update has rolled out making all of these things come true.
Lately Sprint has done its best to become an attractive option for people who love flamboyant high-end phones. Shortly after revealing the Galaxy S4 in Purple Mirage, the company announced that it would be the exclusive carrier of the red HTC One. Tempted? Now's a good time to jump on either handset, as Wirefly has discounts on both.
Press RSS Reader Updated To Version 1.4, Gains Fever Support, New Settings, UI Tweaks, And More
Press RSS Reader Updated To Version 1.4
If you're still in the market for a Google Reader alternative that's simple, clean, and well integrated with Android's UI, take a moment to check out Press. This straightforward, perhaps traditional, RSS reader received an update today that gave the already attractive app a touch-up, a redesigned Settings screen, a handful of new features, and a slew of general bug fixes and improvements.
ParaShoot failed to make its Kickstarter goal the last time around, but that doesn't mean it was a bad product. The wearable camera that users can always have at the ready didn't reach its initial goal of $260,000, but it's back now, and it's already plowed through its more modest goal of ,000.
Here it is, the second installment of Android Police Files. We're still getting a steady stream of email, and while we can't post them all, we've hand-picked eight more to share with our darling readers. As you're about to see, many people can't seem to grasp what it is we do. We're not crime fighters, nor are we IT ninjas. We blog. Still, that doesn't mean we don't try our best to help out. We think our advice is useful, but we'll let you be the judge.
Just like last week's Humble Weekly Sale, there is only one Android game available in today's new bundle. This time it's McPixel, but considering the game usually costs .99 on Google Play, it's still worth your while to jump in on this pay-what-you-want deal. That said, this game is so, well, odd that it still might be worth trying out the free version before ponying up however much (or little) you want to contribute to this bundle.
Getting around New York City can be a bit of a chore, but there are a growing number of options out there. Today VeriFone has launched Way2Ride, a mobile app that makes it easier for New Yorkers to hail a cab and pay the fare using just their phone. Yes, it's jumping into an area that Uber has honed over the years and others are seeking to dominate, but there's a chance there are lower rates to be found here.
Dots hits all the right notes. It's easy to pick up, hard to put down, and requires no explanation. It brings back memories of competing with classroom friends, drawing a grid of dots on a loose leaf sheet of paper and taking turns connecting them to see who could amass the largest number of connections. This mobile adaptation adds a single player mode without stripping out the multiplayer aspect, the fun, or the addiction. It has already acquired over 5 million downloads since its release on iOS two months ago, and now it's making its Android debut on both Google Play and the Amazon App Store.