Michael Crider
Contributing since December, 2013
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3608articles
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About Michael Crider
Michael is a born Texan and a former graphic designer. He's been covering technology in general and Android in particular since 2011. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order. He wrote a novel called Good Intentions: A Supervillain Story, and it's available on Amazon.
Latest Articles
[Game Roundup] Our Top Seven Picks For The Best New Games Of March 2014
Here's a look at the best new Android games of March 2014.
The Ides of March have come and gone, and the Android gaming scene is marching in step. Last month saw the inclusion of an impressive variety of both hardcore and casual games alike, including plenty with fascinating new ideas for gameplay. Here in no particular order are our picks for the top seven, plus a few honorable mentions. Just about everyone should be able to find at least one Android game they'll love among the following titles.
Another month has come and gone, which means a ton of app posts on Android Police to sift through. In point of fact, there were fewer notable apps released in March than in the last few months - that's why our primary picks are down to just six. But most of these should be useful to most users, with Per-App Modes and Pixl Preview applying only to root users and Photoshop owners, respectively.
Like most tech blogs, Android Police uses Wordpress. And since the web interface still leaves a lot to be desired on phones and tablets, we rely on the Wordpress app to make quick adjustments when we're out and about. The latest update to the official app isn't exactly revolutionary, but anyone who uses it on a regular basis will probably find a few things to like.
The Anomaly series has some of the most polished, high-quality games on any mobile platform, and the next entry looks like no exception. While Anomaly: Warzone Earth, Anomaly Korea, and Anomaly 2 were all "tower offense" games (where you control a convoy of tanks and other vehicles being attacked by turrets), Anomaly Defenders goes for the more conventional tower-based approach.
Amazon's big Fire TV announcement yesterday left us a bit perturbed that there's still no way to get Amazon Instant Video on standard Android devices, but the retailer is continuing to support the more conventional side of its business. Take the Amazon For Tablets app for example: the latest update adds some handy features, most notably support for the Amazon Fresh grocery service. But since Amazon Fresh is still only active in parts of California and Seattle, that won't effect a large percentage of users.
Gary Busey has carefully crafted a reputation as a lunatic. True, a good part of that might just be his Hollywood persona, but you've got to admit it's entertaining. Someone at Amazon agrees, because they enlisted Mr. Busey's services for one of the first promotions of the new Android-powered FireTV set-top box. In this one-minute spot, Gary Busey talks to a lamp.
There's a new version of Gmail making the rounds at Google, if a couple of leaked screenshots from Geek.com can be believed. Those shots describe a radical user interface change and a handful of new features. Whether they're real and/or final or not is up for debate - even the report notes that the organizational features are mostly experimental at this point.
They call me Pete Ingalls. They should - it's my name, and it's the one tastefully set on the frosted glass on my office door, right over the words "Privte Investgatr." (I keep meaning to get those letters replaced.) What I lack in funds and polygons I make up for in grit. I'm the one you come to when the cops aren't interested. When people walk through that door, it's because they've knocked on every other one in town.
Microsoft and Google are ostensibly competitors, but Redmond seems to be setting aside its mobile aspirations in the name of supporting its new game console... and considering all the money in gaming, it's easy to understand why. So in addition to both Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of the official SmartGlass app, there's now a separate beta build of the Xbox One app.
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.
Google has been posting versions of most of its first-party apps to the Play Store in an effort to update key features of Android (or at least Google's branded additions to the platform) without having to wait for carriers to push out software apps. According to a report from Engadget, the standard camera app will soon get an upgrade, presumably following the same path. At this point we'll consider this a rumor, since Engadget only cites "sources aware of Google's plans."
With the introduction of the Galaxy TabPRO series earlier this year, you might expect the older Galaxy Tab line to continue to occupy the lower end of the market. And you'd be right: the Galaxy Tab 4 (or, stylized, Tab4) devices roughly follow in the footsteps of the Tab 3 hardware with 7-inch, 8-inch, and 10.1-inch varieties. And yes, they still have physical navigation buttons.
Some of the more cynical game reviewers out there (looking at you, Croshaw) have described the standard RPG as a game where you ultimately push buttons to make the numbers go higher. As dismissive as that position is, we've found a game where it's literally true. Widget RPG is a full role-playing game, complete with non-player characters, equipment inventory, and a battle system. But the only way of interacting with the world around your character is by tapping on a homescreen widget like a maniac.
The kids who obsessed about Nintendo's Pokémon in the late 1990s are now the up-and-comers at some of the world's biggest technology companies. If you don't believe us, then check out the following video:
Music Boss For Pebble Can Now Control Playback And Volume On Chromecast Content From Your Smartwatch
OK, Music Boss, admit it: you tried pretty hard to get our attention with the 1.8.1.4 update. I mean, Pebble smartwatches, streaming movies, and Chromecast all in the same story? How could we resist?
Going to school online is what all the cool kids are doing. And the really cool kids are doing it without paying a dime (if you can stretch the definition of "school" to services offering commitment-free classes to thousands of people at once who don't earn college credit). Coursera is one of the more popular options for this non-traditional learning, and now it's got an Android app to make it even easier.
Netflix. Google Play Movies. Hulu Plus. What do these services have in common? They're all better than VUDU, a long-standing streaming service for movies and television whose Android app leaves something to be desired. But it's a little more desirable starting today, as a reader tipped us: VUDU now allows users to stream rented or owned movies and TV to a handy Chromecast.
Most people rely on Amazon, Google, Barnes and Noble, or some other all-in-one ebook service for their digital literary fix, but there is a thriving community of users who prefer the flexibility and lack of DRM that comes with independent reading apps. This has led to more than a few excellent choices in the space, including Readmill, an ebook app dedicated to simplicity and readability. Apparently Readmill users aren't the only ones who were impressed: Dropbox has acquired the app (or at least hired the employees who made it) and the service is shutting down.
Update: It looks like users can unlock the AT&T version of the HTC One M8 with the HTCdev unlock tool, at least for the time being. A build of TWRP for the AT&T model is already available on XDA. Hat tip to Google+ reader Brian Haslip.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got an exhaustively realistic flight sim, a Dance Dance Revolution clone, a colorful slot racing game, and a kid-friendly puzzle game. Without further ado: