Ryan Whitwam - 8/30 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Ryan is a freelance tech writer, skeptic, lover of all things electronic, and Android fan. In his spare time he reads golden-age sci-fi and sleeps, but rarely at the same time. His wife tolerates him as few would.

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Mar

The Conduit HD Review: Automatic Shooting Is Not Automatically Fun

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Games, Reviews

The Nintendo Wii suffered throughout its life from a lack of good games. The Conduit aimed to bring a solid first-person shooter experience to that console a few years back, and now the game has been ported to Android as a Tegra exclusive. Can a Wii game from 2008 offer the kind of experience we've come to expect on Android? Let's find out.

Gameplay And Controls

In this game you play as Secret Service agent Michael Ford, who is recruited by a shadowy government agency to take out a supposed terrorist group. What follows is a somewhat convoluted and unimportant plot.

Mar

Some Sony Xperia Z Handsets Dying Randomly, Sony Says Fix Is Incoming

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in News, Sony, Xperia Z

There isn't a phone on the planet that doesn't have at least a few bugs upon its release, but one such bug being reported by some Xperia Z owners is a doozie. The story goes that users are happily using their shiny new phone when it dies and refuses to wake up. Sony has finally chimed in online, saying the issue has been identified and a bug fix will roll out as part of the next software update.

Some folks say a hard restart fixes the issue, having resurrected their handsets multiple times. Other phones seem to be completely inoperable after just a single occurrence.

Mar

[New Game] From The Makers Of Galcon, Dynamite Jack Blasts Into The Play Store

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Games, News

When you're a space marine, getting captured by aliens is a real drag. You don't get to shoot stuff and you have to slave away in the anathema mines! In Dynamite Jack, you get to bust out of the mines with just a flashlight and an ample supply of bombs. This is a top-down 2D action game, but there's a prominent stealth component that looks very cool.

There are 28 official levels to complete in Dynamite Jack filled with guards, robots, and other hazards. You have to avoid detection while taking out threats with carefully-placed bombs. Once you finish the included levels, there is almost unlimited gameplay potential thanks to the level editor.

Mar

Top Android Apps Every Rooted User Should Know About, Part 7: Apps 50-57

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Best Apps For Rooted Users Series, Roundups

Last Updated: May 13th, 2013

From time to time, we like to dive into the murky depths of the Play Store and see what cool root-only apps we can dredge up. If you went to the trouble of rooting your phone, you'll want the best root apps to take advantage of all that freedom. That's just what we have here, the best root apps carefully chosen as must-have additions to your arsenal.

Read on for eight more killer root apps that change the flow of time, liberate your music, test your network, and more.

This article deals with a couple of advanced topics. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the terms, hit up our primers here:

Mar

Bladeslinger Review: More Than Just A Pretty Face

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Games, Reviews

Bladeslinger is one of those games that makes a splash with impressive trailers and promises of console-level gaming, but how often have we been left heartbroken by similar titles? This game sets out to tell a story, so at least it has that going for it. William Glaston is just your average cowboy with a revolver-gun and robot arm, but things get weird when he returns to his home town of Hammer's Peak to find it overrun with monsters that used to be the townsfolk. The story unfolds as Glaston wanders the seedier parts of Hammer's Peak in search of his brother, and the cause of the corruption.

Mar

Falcon Pro Updated To Version 1.7 With Customizable Widgets And Tweet Translation

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Apps/Games, News

Yes, Falcon Pro is still kicking after temporarily running out of Twitter auth tokens last month. The developer has just updated the app with a feature he promised in the wake of tokengate: widgets. There are a few other changes, but man.. look at how widget-y those widgets are!

Falcon Pro was previously dependent on the Falcon widget for home screen interaction. That setup gets the job done, but requires two process to be running and updating the feed simultaneously. These new Falcon Pro components also feel much more responsive than the Falcon widget. The Falcon Pro widgets come as a scrollable feed or a quick actions bar.

Mar

Android Humble Bundle 5 Adds Three More Games To Sweeten The (Already Great) Deal

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Games, News

What's better than getting a bargain on cool Android games? Contributing to charity in the process, obviously. The Android Humble Bundle is currently in its fifth incarnation, and invites gamers to choose their own price to support developers and charities like Child's Play and the EFF. The current deal already includes six DRM-free titles, but the good folks behind the Humble Bundle have brought back three games from Humble Bundle 4 for a total of 9 games.

The returning games are Sword & Sworcery, Crayon Physics Deluxe, and Splice. This bundle already included Beat Hazard Ultra, Dynamite Jack, Solar 2, NightSky HD, Super Hexagon, and Dungeon Defenders.

Mar

[New Game] Usagi Yojimbo: Way of the Ronin Arrives On Android, Sword In Hand

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Games, News

That's not just any rabbit with a samurai sword on your Android device. That's Usagi Yojimbo from the classic comic book series created by Stan Sakai and currently published by Dark Horse Comics. Now you can finally step into Usagi Yojimbo's sandals and fight your way through 13 levels of comic book-style action.

Way of the Ronin is a 2D side-scrolling beat-'em-up infused with the unique style of the Usagi Yojimbo comics. In addition to the hack-and-slash gameplay, this game treats players to a new storyline approved by Stan Sakai himself. This is the first video game appearance for Usagi Yojimbo in over 25 years.

Mar

[New App] Credit Karma Offers Legit Credit Scores And Monitoring For Free On Android Phones

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Apps/Games, News

Like it or not, your credit score dominates all the financial details of your life. Most services that provide you access to these all-important values have a fee attached, but that's not the case with Credit Karma, which has just arrived on Android. You could be forgiven for being wary of an app that asks for so much personal information, but Credit Karma is the real deal and provides a killer service.

Credit Karma pulls its data from TransUnion, one of the big three credit reporting agencies. All you have to do is make an account, and provide the app with personal data to verify your identity.

Mar

[New Game] Bladeslinger Does Demonic Battle On Your Android Device, But Compatibility Is Limited

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Games, News

Wild West stories are alright, but you can only rob so many stagecoaches before things become boring. Developer Kerosene Games is refreshing this classic trope by adding a little horror and steampunk to the mix in Bladeslinger. This game is finally available on Android, but most devices aren't supported yet.

Bladeslinger is the masterfully-told story of general-purpose badass William Glaston. After returning to his home town of Hammer's Peak, he finds the place overrun with demons and monsters. Not one to back down, Glaston decides to show the ancient evil who's boss. You control the slashing and shooting action with touch gestures across multiple expansive 3D environments.