Reviews - 3/5 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

[Game Review] The Dark Knight Rises For Android: Not The Game That Gotham Needs

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, Games, Reviews

Superhero tie-in games are inevitable. But over the last decade or so, gamers have found that they're not inevitably bad. Spider-man and Batman have both had something of a renaissance on consoles, helping us to forget some truly awful licensed titles. Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City have demonstrated that exceptional gaming experiences can spring from licensed titles, at least when enough talent, creativity and resources are directed at them. It was these two games, even more than its movie tie-in, that inspired Gameloft in the creation of The Dark Knight Rises for Android.

If you're going to copy something, a game that's been nearly universally applauded is a good place to start.

Jul

IMDb App Gets An Update, Adds Message Boards, Recommendations, Metacritic Scores, And More

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

IMDb is already one of the most awesome movie apps on the market. With the world's largest and most popular catalog of who's-in-what and which-came-out-when, IMDb has single-handedly solved that whole "I recognize his face, but what was he in?" problem. Today, it's getting even better by adding support for the oft-forgotten IMDb message boards, providing recommendations based on your movie tastes and, perhaps best of all, Metacritic scores.

The Metacritic scores are perhaps the most exciting, as the site is one of the better opinion aggregators out there. Any movie app worth its salt has ratings and reviews from either Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes.

May

HTC Evo 4G LTE Review: Sometimes The Ugly Ones Try The Hardest

Posted by Ron Amadeo in EVO 4G LTE (Jewel), HTC, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sprint

Last Updated: June 14th, 2012

Hello and welcome! Allow me to introduce you to Sprint's next big boy phone: (deep breath) the HTC Evo 4G LTE.

This is Sprint's version of the HTC One X. HTC's much publicized "One" branding strategy survived a grand total of two carriers in the US - Sprint kicked it to the curb in favor of the aforementioned alphabet-soup-style naming convention. Keep in mind the original Evo was actually called the "HTC Evo 4G," so you're going to need to be detail oriented when talking about the Evo line. But hey, considering this is the same marketing department that birthed the novella known as the "Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch," we actually got off pretty light.

May

Lowe's Has An App Now, Allows You To Create Supplies Lists, Read Reviews, Or Have Items Delivered To Your Home

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

These days, you're not anybody if you don't have an app. Now, Lowe's is somebody. The home improvement warehouse has launched a mobile app that allows you to search for store locations, items, read reviews on products, manage your Lowe's card, and even have some products shipped to you.

The app is packed with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a retail app, including a barcode scanner and the ability to check inventory at the stores nearest you. It even has photo galleries to help you get ideas for decorating your home, and some how-to videos to help you out once you're home.

Dec

[Review] The Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich: The Future Of Android Starts Here

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Features, Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Reviews, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: June 16th, 2012

Make no mistake about it - the Galaxy Nexus is the most important phone of 2011. It's the first device from the next generation of Android. It hits every major feature the phones of 2012 will be touting: On-screen buttons, a massive 720p OLED screen, NFC, LTE, and Ice Cream Sandwich. Together these things make this phone unlike any other Android phone. This is what Android's future looks like.

Specifications

CPU: 1.2 GHz, Dual Core TI OMAP 4460
GPU: 384 MHz PowerVR SGX540
RAM: 1 GB
Storage: 32GB (28GB usable, no SD card)
Screen: 4.65" 720p Super AMOLED PenTile
Camera: 5MP rear, 1.3MP front, 1080p Video
Battery: 1,850 mAh
OS: Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich (Stock)
Weight: 135 g (4.8 oz)
Dimensions: 135.5 mm x 67.94 mm x 9.47 mm
Verizon LTE

The Good

Ice Cream Sandwich is a revolution.

Nov

DROID RAZR Review Roundup: 4G Still Eats Batteries For Breakfast, Thin Doesn't Mean Not Fat, But It Is Verizon's Best DROID

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Motorola, Other Reviews, RAZR / RAZR MAXX, Verizon Wireless

Oh, the DROID RAZR - the very name RAZR brings back memories of the turn of the century (we can say that now, right?) - flip phones and cheap, unlimited data. Those were the good 'ol days. But let's talk about the here and now, Motorola's latest Android phone is the company's most ambitious handset to date, and the general consensus? It's good, but... [insert complaint about battery life or width / Galaxy Nexus is coming comment here.]

In all seriousness, one great thing about rounding up a number of reviews in one place is finding out what numerous sources agree upon about a particular piece of hardware, and more interestingly, what they don't.

Oct

[Hunt For The Best Dialer, Part 7] Contapps Contacts & Dialer Is An Undoubtedly Impressive, Beautiful Dialer Replacement

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Applications, Hunt For The Best Dialer

Continuing on the quest for the perfect dialer to replace Android's stock phone application, I've come across Contapps Contacts & Dialer, an app I had never heard of until I began scouring the market. For a free dialer app, it has a lot to offer, and I'm surprised that it isn't more popular.

At A Glance

Contapps is a dialer replacement that is simple, practical, and well-designed, with enough extra features to make it feel new. While it may have a couple of redundancies or inconsistencies, it's definitely a great dialer, and definitely has a shot at being my everyday dialer solution (at least until I get my hands on Ice Cream Sandwich).

Sep

[Keyboard App Shootout Part 1] Swype Is The Hare To The Traditional Keyboard's Tortoise

Posted by Ron Amadeo in App Reviews, Applications, Features, Keyboard Shootout, Reviews

Last Updated: October 6th, 2011

Greetings, dear reader! Tell me, how happy are you with your current keyboard? Autocorrect got you down? Looking for something a little different? Well, AP is here to help. Crack those knuckles and wipe down that screen, 'cause we're doing a keyboard shootout.

I'll bet you the keyboard is your most used app, and you don't even realize it. Just think of all the searches, texts, and notes you poke out on a daily basis. Any improvement would be a big time saver. Luckily, everyone seems to think the keyboard is broken, and that they can improve on it.

Jul

[New Game Review] Save Toshi: A Cute Puzzler That Comes On Too Strong

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Games

Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

Save Toshi is an iOS port that comes to us from developer Nitako. In the game, you are tasked with getting pop star Toshi onto a dancefloor, as her dancing kills demons. The storyline is very "Japan," as are the voice effects that accompany each of Toshi's movements. The voice acting is actually quite annoying, but the game (mercifully) comes with an option to turn it off.

Unless the anime aesthetic appeals to you, there's a good chance that Save Toshi won't be your cup of tea. However, there are certain things you can appreciate about this game - specifically, its new twist on an older formula.

Jul

[Review] NASA's Official App Takes Us To Infinity And Beyond

Posted by Matt Demers in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Space. The final frontier. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're a nerd of some kind. I know for a fact that there are a lot of nerds that love space, and NASA has decided to indulge us with an app that brings all the information we'd want to know to one place.

NASA's app has a remarkably simple function: give you access to a ton of media that the organization has to offer. Through its menus you'll find links to Twitter feeds, photographs of the day, articles describing space missions, and even live video feeds. The videos deserve special mention, as they give you a full TV schedule of when things are set to air, and give you two different feeds to watch them from on your phone.