Apps/Games - 343/391 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

SwiftKey Announces A Tablet-Optimized, Tron-Inspired Honeycomb Keyboard

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News, Videos

We can't say we didn't see it coming, considering we saw this preview of the tablet-optimized SwiftKey keyboard during CES, but what SwiftKey is announcing today looks quite a bit different, to say the least.

Allow me to introduce Swiftkey Tablet - a tablet-only Honeycomb keyboard set to launch around the same time as the Motorola XOOM tablet. Sticking with the 3-way-split design, the new holographic look reminds me quite a bit of Tron. If you watch the video below, you'll see that the UI is quite... magical, with suggestions floating up when clicked. The dual space bar design and the presence of arrow keys are very welcomed as well.

Feb

[Updated: OTA Installations Are Here!] Google Announces Android Market Web Store - Online Now At Market.Android.Com

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Apps/Games, Google

Oh yes, those juicy rumors about an online version of the Market were true - the "Android Market Web Store," as Google is calling it, is accessible now via market.android.com.

As you can see, a list of featured/best selling games populates the front page, along with a list of categories, a "Sign in" button (~~which, at the time of this writing, leads to an 'invalid request error'~~), and a "Search" function. Once you click on one of the apps, you are taken to a page somewhat like the one in the second screenshot, with a description, links to "Overview," "User Reviews," "What's New," and "Permissions" on top, as well as a list of related apps on the left side and a QR code and a "Tweet" button on the right side.

Feb

"Monster Madness" And "Great Battles" Demoed On Honeycomb Tablet, Coming Within A Month

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Games, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

We've already seen a few apps shown off at Google's live Honeycomb event, including two 3D games that take full advantage of both cores on the Tegra 2 processor. Monster Madness, ported from the PS3 to Android, is a hack and slash game with amazing 3D graphics and destructible environments, while Great Battles is an epic RTS that's also called an "educational game." While that doesn't sound that cool, just take a look at the pictures of the game in action. If this is what we can expect from Tegra 2 games, gaming on Android is about to get a whole lot better - and apparently sooner rather than later, as both games are expected to be released within a month.

Feb

[Updated: It's Back] Android Market Currently Experiencing Downtime - A Sign Of Things To Come?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Google, News

Update: And it's back, with no noticeable changes. Nonetheless, we'll be sure to let you know if and when Google announces something Market-related - stay tuned!

We don't want to jump to conclusions here, but it's February 2nd - the day of Google's Honeycomb- and "Android ecosystem"-related event, and the Market is currently experiencing downtime. It makes perfect sense given the rumors we've been hearing about an upcoming update to the Market, though it could, of course, be nothing more than scheduled maintenance. We hope we'll find out exactly what this is about later today - whatever it is, we'll keep you updated (pun intended)!

Feb

Google Maps Update To 5.1 Brings Check-In System Through Latitude

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

The official Google Maps app has been updated again, this time with a major addition to Latitude - check-ins. Just as Hotpot seemed to be a Yelp-killer, Google must now have Foursquare in its sights, because Latitude's check-ins have a few major advantages over Foursquare and its competitors.

Latitude will notify you when it recognizes your location, giving you the option to check-in wherever you are. However, you can also set up automatic check-ins for only the places you want, an incredibly convenient feature that still covers any privacy concerns. Whether you check-in manually or automatically, you will be checked-out once you leave (another feature Foursquare users have been asking for).

Jan

44 Best (And 7 WTF) New Android Apps And Games From Last Week (1/25/11 - 1/31/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Last Updated: April 13th, 2011

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications and games that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous week or so. WTF apps were definitely in abundance this week.

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 week's roundup? Find it here: 46 Best (And 2 WTF) New Android Apps And Games From Last Week (1/18/11 – 1/24/11)

Note: I've removed the Texty application from this list after some valid concerns about its legitimacy - thanks Nexuz-Uno.

Jan

Google Hiring Android Developers To Create Apps In-House

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

Although, the Android Market has exploded recently, it is no secret that apps on the iOS platform consistently look and perform better. With revenues from mobile apps set to triple this year, Google is going on a mass hiring spree to find developers to create quality apps for the Android Market, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Google, like Apple, takes a 30% cut for every app sold in the Market. However, with paid app sales failing to live up to expectations, Google is hoping to increase its revenue stream by improving the overall quality of the apps available in the Market.

Jan

NFL Enterprises Releases Official Super Bowl XLV Android App

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

The 45th Super Bowl is only a week away, and NFL Enterprises decided to help out all attendees by introducing the official Android app. The app features 3D pinch-to-zoop-and-rotate maps of North Texas, parking, events and local info, and a detailed map of the Cowboys Stadium with Steelers and Packers already clearly marked on the field. You can also utilize GPS to find yourself on the map in case you get lost in the crowd.

Not everything is as awesome as it looks like from the screenshots, however. UpNext, the company contracted to create this app, apparently thought it was a good idea to pack 23.5 MB of data into the app, all without giving us an ability to move it to SD.

Jan

Rovio Mobile And 20th Century Fox Are After Your Productivity Once Again With Angry Birds Rio

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Games, News

Rovio Mobile's award-winning Angry Birds. 20th Century Fox's upcoming Rio. A perfect match?

Rovio and 20th Century Fox obviously think so - they've teamed up to develop a new version of Angry Birds based entirely on Rio. They say it's coming to "app stores" in March (hopefully that includes the Android Market), and will feature 45 levels to call its own. Check out this cinema-quality teaser video Rovio released:

Looks like the Angry Birds brand isn't going away anytime soon - which could be either good news or bad news, depending on how you look at it.

Jan

Whoa: Verizon's New VZ Navigator VX Might Just Give Google Navigation A Run For Its Money. Yes, Seriously.

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Applications, Apps/Games, Droid X (Shadow), Fascinate, Incredible, News, Verizon Wireless

Based on the press release and official video, Verizon's new VZ Navigator VX is awesome. Really awesome. Potentially better than Google Maps 5/Google Navigation - and yes, I can hardly believe I'm saying that either, since the new GMaps combo provides a hell of a punch. But check out the short (just over two minutes) promo video, and you'll see what I mean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRV8-u7adeQ&feature=player_embedded

Two major items of note there: first, assuming everything works, then big red did a hell of a job on the app. Second, they've delivered just what we've all been asking for: more Bing! As the video proudly shows, there's a serious degree of Bing integration in the app.