Jeremiah Rice - 34/47 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jeremiah Rice

Jeremiah is a US-based blogger who bought a Nexus One the day it came out and never looked back. In his spare time he watches Star Trek, cooks eggs, and completely fails to write novels.

Nov

[New Game] Orgarhythm THD (And Its Crazy Expensive Add-On Packs) Is Ready For Tegra Devices

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News

We touched lightly on Orgarhythm THD back in June, but it's finally hit the Play Store, at least for those of you rocking Nvidia Tegra-based phones and tablets. Formerly a PlayStation Vita exclusive, it's a strange mix of strategy and rhythm games that looks a lot like a more serious, groovy version of Nintendo's Pikmin. The music game comes from Acquire, the same Japanese developer that brought us the visually interesting but ultimately disappointing Sumioni. Screenshots really don't do Orgarhythm justice, so check the video below (PS Vita version).

Sumioni's high price was a hard pill to swallow, so Acquire has gone a different route with Orgarhythm.

Nov

26 Best New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (11/7/12 - 11/ 19/12)

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This edition focuses only on new games. The app roundup is coming up soon.

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.

Featured App

YourCity 3D

Today's roundup is sponsored by the YourCity 3D Live Wallpaper by InHause Games. We featured YourCity 3D on our last app roundup, and we're thrilled to have them back.

Nov

Republic Wireless Open For All: Preorders For The $259 Motorola DEFY XT Available Now

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in News, Republic Wireless

There are a lot of reasons to like Republic Wireless, the forward-looking unlimited hybrid 3G/WiFi mobile virtual network operator that started an invite-only beta earlier this year. The invite-only part is not one of them. If you've been waiting for your chance to try out Republic's super-cheap plans, then you won't have to wait much longer: the company announced on its blog that it will soon be open to all applicants. All you've got to do is pre-order the company's only available phone, the Motorola DEFY XT, for $259. There's just one plan: unlimited (yes, really unlimited) talk, text and data for $19 a month.

Nov

Humble Bundle For Android 4 Updated With Five More Games, 83.3% More Humility

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News

Android gamers, count your blessings: the fourth Humble Bundle has just added a handful of cheap, charity-beneficent games. The standard five games (Splice, Eufloria, Waking Mars, Crayola Physics Deluxe, and Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP) are still available, as is the bonus game for paying more than the average name-your-own price. But now, in addition to Machinarium, you'll get Avadon: The Black Fortress, Canabalt, Cogs, Swords & Soldiers HD, and Zen Bound 2 as well.

Avadon is an old-school RPG with grid-based combat, currently available for tablets only. Canabalt styles itself as a parkour platformer - think Bit Trip Runner meets League of Evil.

Nov

[New Game] Google's Niantic Labs Releases "Ingress" In Closed Beta - A Virtual Reality MMO, Or Geotagging Game, Or Something

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News

We've heard very little out of Google internal team Niantic Labs. Before today, their sole public presence was Field Trip, a mash up of Google Now and various hyperlocal points of interest. The team'' latest creation, Ingress, defies description: it's a virtual reality game in which players are tasked with going to real-world locations to harness a fictional energy source. Also there are two "teams" and every player in the world is one one or the other. Think Alliance versus Horde.

The premise seems pretty nebulous at the moment. A new source of energy has been discovered, and it's got the potential to control people's thoughts.

Nov

Cricket Joins The LTE Smartphone Crowd: LG Optimus Regard Available Now, Samsung Galaxy S III Coming November 23rd

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Cricket Wireless, Galaxy S III, News

There are still great swatches of the American wireless industry woefully lacking in LTE coverage (we're looking at you, T-Mobile) but bit by bit the various carriers have been hopping on the bandwagon. While budget carrier Cricket Wireless has actually had LTE coverage in Las Vegas and Tucson for the last few months, it'd been restricted to USB access dongles, WiFi hotspots and the like. Their first LTE smartphone, the LG Optimus Regard. Yup, that's the name they went with.

The Regard fits neatly into the low end, with a 3.5-inch screen running at 480x320. At least its' got Android 4.0, though it's also running LG's custom skin.

Nov

Nova Launcher Updates With Jelly Bean 4.2 Compatibility, Quick Settings, And Other Goodies

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, News

There are only a few launchers that have stood out from the pack since Ice Cream Sandwich came along, and one of them is TeslaCoil's Nova Launcher. Just in time for the brand new Nexus devices and Android 4.2 update, the developers have freshened up Nova with a compatibility update. The latest version has been updated to play nice with 4.2 (Jelly Bean+) as well as add a couple of features for those of you lucky enough to be running the latest version of Android.

The biggest change is the addition of the Quick Settings function on the tablet layout, just like the stock launcher.

Nov

[New App] GyroSpace 3D Live Wallpaper Is Like Stereoscopic 3D Without The Headache

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, News

Usually we'd save a cool live wallpaper for our next roundup, but this one's just so groovy we had to let our readers know about it now. GyroSpace 3D is a live wallpaper that, like many others, uses your device's gyroscope for visual effects. But the space-scapes shown off in GyroSpace move around on a three-dimensional plane, coming in and out of the user's filed of view with remarkable smoothness. It's a neat effect that's not unlike a stereoscopic 3D screen, without the added hardware. Check out the video below for a demonstration.

There's a free version of GyroSpace available to everyone, though owners of older phones and tablets may find it a little taxing on their hardware.

Nov

[New Game] Beta Test This: Beat Hazard Ultra Is A Gorgeous Bullet Hell Shooter That Uses Your Own Music To Lay The Beat Down

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News

On the Venn diagram of gaming genres, shooters and rhythm games rarely intersect, with the exception of some oddball titles like Space Channel 5. But with Beat Hazard Ultra, shooter fans and music junkies now have something that they can agree on. With success on iOS, Steam, Xbox, and PS3, developer Cold Beam has created a game with stunning visuals and an impressive tie to music that everyone will love - their own. The beta/demo version for Android is available from Cold Beam's website now in a free APK file.

Most "bullet hell" 2D shooters look fairly similar, but Beat Hazard is nothing less than stunning.

Nov

Poetic TriBook, SlimBook, And Dura Book Cases For Nexus 7 Review: Good Options At Great Prices

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Accessories, Nexus 7, Reviews

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Poetic Slimline Portfolio case for the Nexus 7, after buying it for my personal use and finding it to be a good choice with a great value proposition. After seeing the review, the folks at Poetic decided to send us some more, in the hopes that I'd give some of their other options for the Nexus 7 a good rundown. The whopping four cases they sent me are all based on the same design (a pouch and cover combo, with magnetic closures and wake/sleep functions), each with slight variations.

On the whole they're certainly solid, and with the inclusion of magnetic functions and various bells and whistles, they'd get at least passing recommendations for those looking for some no-nonsense protection for their Nexus 7.