Reviews - 42/69 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Sep

hi-256-0-ec3329b1a3be5e7014560474a59253f9b18ec2e4

[New Game Review] Sentinel 3 Elevates Tower Defense Gaming To A New Level With Stunning Environments And Numerous Weapons

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Game Reviews, Games

Yesterday, we announced Sentinel 3: Homeworld by Origin8 which hit the Android market as the third game in a very popular tower defense series, and the first installment to be available for Android. Normally I am not too excited about games of this genre, but I can honestly say that Sentinel 3 has impressed me both in terms of gameplay experience and sheer visual interest, thanks to the cleanly styled environments, visual effects, and smooth animation.

Sentinel 3 has three gameplay modes: campaign, endless, and classic. Each of them is a little different, and they each have their own merits. Before discussing these however we should talk about a few basics.

Sep

[New App Review] Screen Cast & Screen Recorder Makes Capturing Smooth, High-FPS Video Of Your Rooted Device's Screen A Breeze

Posted by Zak Stinson in App Reviews, Applications, Videos

When you stop and think about it, an app that could capture what is happening on your phone's screen in high quality mp4 format would be pretty useful. With such an app you could show off a neat new live wallpaper, make an easy to follow tutorial, or do a solid video review of an app - all without having to use a dedicated camera. Wouldn't it be sweet if such a thing existed?

Screen Cast & Screen Recorder

Well, luckily for us, that exact app was released yesterday by Media Solutions. Screen Cast & Screen Recorder (and here's the free version) is the unfortunate name of a new video capture app for Android devices that makes showing off all that mobile power stuffed in your pocket that much easier.

Aug

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 10] Anti-Virus From AVG Mobilation Can Handle Loss, Theft, And Malware With Ease

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Looking to protect your mobile devices as well as it protects your computer, AVG has cooked up Anti-virus, available in free version, or a Pro offering for a one-time payment of $9.99. It's an app that not only helps you locate your lost device, but also protects your phone or tablet in real time by scanning apps, web pages, and settings to be sure you're safe.

At A Glance

AVG's anti-virus/security app comes in a small package but packs a lot of features. It installs easily and goes right to work scanning your apps for malware.

You can easily register your device for remote control and in seconds you'll receive an email with a link to the online console, which is exceedingly easy to use and has a total of just 7 buttons which do everything you could want security-wise.

Aug

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 9] Lookout Security & Antivirus Offers Robust Protection, Comforting Green Checkmarks.

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Lookout Mobile Security, developers of Lookout Security & Antivirus (more commonly known as Lookout) look to stand out in the lineup of Android Security apps, offering a great set of security features that not only find (and control) your phone once it is lost, but protect against apps and web pages that seek to harm your phone from the inside.

At a Glance:

At first blush Lookout already seems impressive. A quick look at its page in the Android market reveals that it is “the #1 Security & Antivirus App for Android,” and that it falls into the “10 million to 50 million downloads” category, meaning the developers must be doing something right.

Aug

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 8] Overvi3w Provides Intuitive, Feature-Rich Experience In A Discreet Package

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Overvi3w from Unfairware is our next entry in the Mobile Security App Shootout, bringing a nice set of features for free (and a bevvy of other features with a subscription) in a lightweight, battery-friendly package.

At A Glance

Unlike the past two apps in the Shootout, Overvi3w relies on an online interface to remotely control and receive data from your phone. The app itself installs pretty quickly and is out of your hair after that - it automatically hides itself after setup (if you reboot), making it more secure against clever thieves.

The online interface has much the same aesthetic as the phone-side app, providing a slick orange-and-grey look that is pretty much self-explanatory as far as utilization is concerned.

Aug

[Game Roundup] 5 Hidden-Object Games That Bring Mystery And Suspense To Android - Play Detective On-The-Go

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Game Reviews, Games

One of the most basic and (relatively) inexpensive genres of games, hidden-object games ask the player to find, well, hidden objects in a given scenario. Generally this involves some level of problem-solving and combining objects to find the next clue.

There are myriad hidden-object games developed for Android, but we've picked out five that we think are worth checking out.

Mystique

First up is Mystique, a hidden-object game that comes in three parts - only the first of which is free. It's a fairly standard experience for this genre, and places the player in a grotesque bathroom with blood, bandages, and an electric shaver.

Aug

[New Game Review] Sprinkle HD Looks To Drench Lesser Puzzle Games With Its Awesome Water Physics

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Games

Some of my favorite mobile games for the mobile platform are of the puzzle genre, because it tends to lend itself well to the array of controls that are provided. A new THD game that just landed in the Market today, however, combines simple controls and some quirky physics to give you a unique puzzling experience.

In Sprinkle, you are put in charge of a small village's fire department, who are in turn in charge of extinguishing fires that are caused by falling meteorites. Since the citizens of this village live in thatched-room huts (despite having the technology for a high-powered hose), you can imaging that fire is pretty bad for them.

Aug

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 7] Where's My Droid Will Help Find Your Lost Phone, But Probably Won't Do Much If It's Stolen

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Utilizing the same phone-centric implementation that we've just covered with PhoneLocator, Where's My Droid by alienmanfc6 is a light-weight, free security app that promises to help you recover your lost Android device.

At A Glance

As with most other security apps, Where's My Droid sets up with ease, asking only your name and zip code, and automatically using the email address of the Google account connected with your device. Likewise, WMD uses your Google account to push information to your phone once it receives an SMS containing a keyword for the desired command. The implementation of ads into the app was off-putting at first, but it's no hassle to bypass them with a single button press.

Aug

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 6] PhoneLocator Pro Ditches Online Interfaces For SMS-Based Controls, Offers Detailed Reports And Advanced Location Tracking

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

PhoneLocator is the latest entry in the Mobile Security App Shootout, coming to Android users from the developers at RVO. Another loss/theft-focused app, PhoneLocator has most of the normal features that we've seen before, but with a slight twist in functionality that may make or break the app for some users.

At A Glance

The app comes at a very low one-time payment of €1.99 (or about $2.84) and installs very quickly. The twist I mentioned earlier is that PhoneLocator has no online interface and therefore relies on your email address or a second phone number to relay information and receive commands.

Aug

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 5] Prey Anti-Theft Pairs Basic Security With An Innovative Approach And Coverage For Multiple Devices (Including Laptops And Tablets)

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

Prey Anti-Theft is an open source cross-platform app focused on helping you monitor and locate your lost or stolen device that offers a very unique set of features among its competitors, and implements those features in an even more unique manner. One very important note about Prey is that it offers support for all your devices - not just Android, but Windows, Mac, and Blackberry as well. This makes it a very apt solution to protecting all your devices. Prey also offers trial functionality that allows the budget-conscious user to use just about everything it has to offer, but allows a limited number of "reports" and supported devices (more on reports later).