Apps/Games - 70/394 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

Google+ Update Gives Notifications Their Own Special Tray, Adds Community Management Features, And More

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Can we be honest with ourselves for a bit? Notifications on Google+ have sucked for a while. It's never clear what's new and what's old, they're cluttered with information, and up until recently, they've been tucked away in the app underneath the sidebar navigation. Well at least one of those problems is getting fixed today as the Android app gets an update that creates a special new section for notifications on the right-hand side of the app. Also, you can access it in more places! Not everywhere, but a lot more!

^{Left: Old style notifications, below the side bar navigation.}

Jan

Minecraft Pocket Edition Updated To v0.6, Brings New Blocks, A Better Sky, Signs, And Awwww! Baby Animals!

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

Mojang may have a mortal fear of giving releases full version numbers, but that hasn't stopped the company from cranking out new features like mad. Today's update brings a slew of new blocks (including Nether Brick, Block of Quartz, and Sandstone), as well as the ability to build staircases in corners. Oh, and one other thing: the sky finally has clouds now.

The new goodies don't stop there, though. Gravity is also finally in full swing, so now things like sand will fall when the foundations beneath them are removed. Finally, no Minecraft update would be complete without new creatures, would it?

Jan

Google Play Music Hits Version 4.5, Brings New Features And A Few Fixes

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

While Google's fledgling music service is pretty good, it's still far from perfect. Most GMusic users could probably jot down a laundry list of issues with both the app and service at a moment's notice; however, Google's slowly-but-surely doing its part to correct some of those problems. Let's take today's Play Music app update for example.

v4.5.910I
* Instant mixes continue playing beyond 25 songs.
* Added ability to shuffle an album, artist or playlist.
* New default album art.
* Previous button added to widget.
* Pinning progress now shown on album and playlist pages.
* Fix for the Galaxy S3 freezing issue.

Jan

Koush's 'Carbon' Backup App Exits Beta, Enters The Play Store

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Earlier this month, we took a look at famed Android developer Koushik "Koush" Dutta's newest app: Carbon. Having absolutely nothing to do with the heavily belated Twitter app of the same name, this Carbon is a backup tool for apps and app data. So, how's it different than Titanium Backup? It doesn't require root. To put it mildly, this is something that Android users have longed for since, well, always.

Now, the application has left its beta stages behind and is available in the Play Store in both free and pro variants. The free version will get you full backup/restore to/from SD card and PC (requires your phone's drivers), for both rooted and non-rooted users.

Jan

OpenTable Buys Foodspotting, Wants To Find You A Place At A Restaurant And Help You Take Pictures Of Your Food

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

OpenTable is a pretty fantastic app that can help you place reservations at restaurants nearby. While plenty of services let you find local eateries, few help you get in. Once you're seated and eating, though, what do you do? Enjoy your meal? Nah. That's for fancy pants. You should take pictures of your food! That's where Foodspotting comes in.

You see, Foodspotting takes the vanity of snapping shots of your dish and turns it into a service. Your pictures are geotagged, uploaded to the server, and shared with people nearby so that they can not only find cool restaurants, but see the actual food that said establishments crank out.

Jan

Fox Digital Teases Alien vs. Predator: Evolution, Coming Soon To Android And iOS

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

While I may have made my alliance to Predator pretty clear back in November when the official "Predators" game was released, it looks like I'll soon be given the opportunity to verify that with blood. Alien's blood.

Fox Digital just released the first gameplay teaser for its upcoming Alien vs. Predator: Evolution game. Check it out:

Developed by Angry Mob Games (of Muffin Knight and Predators fame), AvP: Evolution lets you choose which of the bloodthirsty other-worldly beasts you'd like to play as, then puts you in the arena to spill as much blood as you can. It's like a human vs.

Jan

[New Game] Kairosoft's Dream House Days Mixes Apartment Management With Matchmaking

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News

Psst. There's a new Kairosoft game out. For some of you, that's all the urging you need to make tracks to the Google Play Store. For the rest of you, how about the fact that it's a free game in the seemingly popular "building manager" mold? Dream House Days puts you in control of a high-rise luxury apartment complex. Which might not sound as exciting as running a game studio or colonizing a planet, but Kairosoft tends to get a lot of fun out of even the most mundane premises.

You're in charge of managing the complex's finance, developing and furnishing individual apartments, and attracting new and desirable tenants.

Jan

Epic Games Brings 'Epic Citadel' To Android, Could Signify Future Epic Releases

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

Journey with me, if you will, back to April of 2011. It's a long way back, so allow me to refresh your memory: Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney sat down for a little chit-chat with Gizmodo, where they discussed mobile platforms. Naturally the discussion ended up at "are you ever going to bring games to Android?," where the resulting answer was basically "no." We were sad, but got over it eventually.

Fast-forward to today, and the first Epic title has landed in Google Play. Sorry to disappoint, it's not Infinity Blade – but it's close. It's Epic Citadel. For those who may have never wandered over to the other side of the mobile OS scene, Epic Citadel is the precursor to Infinity Blade, and was made as a tech demo to show off what the Unreal 3 engine can do on a mobile device.

Jan

Temple Run 2 Review - Is It A Worthy Successor Or Will The Curse Of The Sequel Strike Again?

Posted by John Thompson in Games, Reviews

With over 50 million downloads and almost a million 5-star ratings, Temple Run has set the bar rather high for its successor, Temple Run 2.

As is the case with most successful games, the basic premise of Temple Run 2 is the same as the original: you're in possession of an idol that's been stolen from an ancient temple, which has angered a particularly murderous monkey who wants to get it back.

Gameplay

So what's changed? Well, the maps are more elaborate - this you can tell straight away as you zip-line your way into a brand new environment. However, the basic swipe controls remain the same as the original game.

Jan

NVIDIA Metals Up Your Homescreen With The Official Hawken Live Wallpaper

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, News

If you've got a decent gaming PC and you haven't tried Hawken, you really should give it a try. The free-to-play online shooter captures the atmosphere of a gigantic, hulking death machine in a way that doesn't have an equal, and the first-person perspective and customizable mechs make ita nice tribute to the old Mech Warrior series. And if you've already tried it and liked it, NVIDIA has a promotional live wallpaper that's right up your rusted, diesel-splattered alley.

The Hawken Live Wallpaper is pretty similar to NVIDIA's previous freebies for Skyrim and Mass Effect 3. There are two or three horizontal planes of sprites, some special effects, and a little animation to spice things up.