peripherals - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jun

Nyko Introduces Gaming Controllers For Android Tablets To Be Released This Fall

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Nyko, best known for making the slightly less solid and slightly less expensive console controllers you buy to save money, is getting into the Android game. Literally. Working with mobile gaming force of nature, NVIDIA, the peripherals company aims to bring "physical and familiar controls" to tablet games that run on NVIDIA processors, including, but more importantly not limited to, the Tegra 3.

^{The PlayPad in a variety of colors (left), and the PlayPad Pro (right).}

Beginning in Fall 2012, the company will begin selling two different controllers. The PlayPad will be the smaller of the two and feature a collapsible tablet stand and carrying case, making your tablet every bit as portable of a gaming rig as a Virtual Boy.

May

[New App] CloudOn Gives You Access To Microsoft Office On Android Tablets, Stores Files In Your Preferred Cloud Storage

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Tablets have, historically, been less-than-ideal for productivity. Part of the problem is that developers are still trying to catch up to the new world of connected devices. One solution, as CloudOn demonstrates, is to bring together the best options from various platforms and merge them into a fluid product. CloudOn lets you use what appears to be remote access to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint from an Android tablet.

The app might be best utilized if you have a connected keyboard and mouse at times, as the UI is still very much the Windows-style. No special, touch-centric designs here. However, since Android supports the use of a keyboard and mouse, having the option is a huge boon.

Feb

Xappr Gun Turns Your Android Phone Into An AR Weapon, You Into AR Rambo For $45

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

Augmented reality has spent years in the "great idea, not quite there yet" bin, right next to motion controlled TVs and self-driving cars. Of course, what's the best way to improve a fledgling technology? Stick a trigger on it and let people shoot things with it. The Xappr is here to bring that essential step to the evolution of AR technology.

The Xappr gun, developed by game studio MetalCompass, is an attachment for your phone designed for first-person shooter games. Games like ATK, also developed by MetalCompass. This "social real-world" game allows players to engage in virtual shootouts with each other in real life.