Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous week or so.
This is the app roundup. The game roundup from this week can be found here and the tablet app roundup here.
Featured App
This roundup is sponsored by SeekDroid. SeekDroid is one of those security apps that are both simple and functional, and it's long been one of my favorites. When I get a new phone or install a new ROM, SeekDroid is among the first apps that I install. Check out our full review here, then grab it from the Market using the widget below.
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SeekDroid allows you to locate your lost or stolen device anywhere in the world. See your device on a map, set off an audible alarm, wipe the device, and more.
- Locate your device
- Remotely Enable GPS
- Display its location on a map
- Audible alarm (even on silent) w/ custom message
- Text Messaging support
- Setup SeekDroid Remotely via SMS
- Lock device w/ custom code
- Retrieve recent calls
- Remotely wipe entire phone
- Remotely wipe SD Card
- Hide from app drawer
- Disable App from being uninstalled
- Virtually no battery drain
- Works without a SIM Card
- Reteive SIM ID, IMEI, and active phone number
Apps
Android Police coverage: [New App] Any.DO From The Creators Of Taskos Is The Cleanest Task List App For Android Yet, With Emphasis On Sharing And Simplicity
This new task app from the creators of Taskos (there are at least 12 people on the team) with a UI like you've never seen before on Android. Just check out our run-through video below.
Any.DO is a free to-do list that helps you get things done with your friends in a simple & elegant way. With Any.DO you can easily capture, organize & sync all the things you need to do.
Capture
- Speak your mind to quickly capture tasks on the go using voice recognition
- Typing on mobile keyboard is a mess; Any.DO will try to predict what you need to do, automatically.
Organize
- Keep track of your todo's, anytime, anywhere.
- Drag & drop tasks to plan your agenda.
- Sort tasks by date, folder or priorities.
- Set reminders for the things you MUST do.
- Add notes or use them as sub-tasks
- Swipe a task to mark it as complete.
- Shake to clear the completed tasks.
- Check out your to-do's from your home screen with one of Any.DO cool widgets.
Sync
- Sync with Google to have all your to-do's in your inbox
- Backup of your tasks on your SD card.
Personalize
- Choose your own theme (White or Black)
- Add, Edit and Delete task folders
Share
- Invite friends, family and colleagues to get things done, together (from collaborating on the grocery list with your spouse, planning your next vacation or syncing on an office project).
- Get notified when the shared task gets updated.
- Any.DO's next versions will sync to: Taskos to do list, Todo list, Todo, Task List, Remember the milk, gTasks, RTM, Producteev, Springpad, Catch, ColorNote Notepad Notes, Google Calendar, Astrid, Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, Any DO and more...
Android Police coverage: Cocktail Flow And Cocktail Flow Tablet Let You Get Your Drink On In Style
I am convinced that this is the best cocktail app on the Market. Also check out the tablet version here.
Browse, find and discover cocktails with a continuously growing collection of drinks. The application features beautifully presented recipes and identifies cocktails that can be made from ingredients in your bar. It also gives suggestions on what ingredients to buy next to make additional delicious cocktails. The application is regularly updated with new cocktail recipes.
Android Police coverage: [New App] Call Master Open Beta Is Probably The Most Impressive Call And Text Firewall In The Market
If you want complete control of how your phone reacts to calls and text messages in nearly any situation, then a tool recently released to the Android Market called Call Master has your number. This is probably the most in-depth, advanced call and text firewall for Android, offering some insanely useful features. It's from the same developer as Root Call Blocker, and actually uses that as its base.
- Ultra flexible list creation
- Completely silent
- Seven reject methods
- Private call and SMS sandbox
- SMS delivery notification blocking
- Backup encryption and password protection
- Automatic text routing and replies
- Wildcard filters
- Custom notifications
- Powerful logging and sorting system
Fuugo Video is the ultimate video aggregation application for Android. We all have those time killing moments sometimes. Wouldn’t it be nice just to sit back, relax and be entertained? This is how my mighty creators described me: "Fuugo Video is the ultimate video convergence application for tablets and smart phones. Fuugo aggregates various video content sources into one app. You’ll get news, music, nature, science, epic fails, whatever.
What the Fuugo is this? Go and find out from http://www.fuugo.tv.
8tracks believes playlists created by people trump those automated by algorithm. Think radio in the 1970s, mixtapes in the 1980s, and DJ culture in the years since. DJs get a platform for tastemaking, artists gain exposure, and listeners enjoy a unique blend of word-of-mouth sharing and radio -- long the trusted means for music discovery -- on a global scale.
- Listen to playlists with 8 or more tracks in any style or genre, for any mood or environment
- Playlists segue from one to the next in a given category, delivering radio-like streaming
- Enjoy mixes from top curators like Pitchfork, Vice, Spin, Rolling Stone & Resident Advisor
- Browse genre tags like indie rock, electronic, dubstep, hip hop and jazz
- Browse freeform tags like sleep, study, chill, sex and party
- Search for playlists that include your favorite artists
- Listen to mixes everywhere: on your commute, at the gym, on a beach
- Follow your favorite DJs to play their latest mixes from your mix feed
- Like mixes you want to check out again, or Favorite tracks you want to buy later
- Tested for Android 2.1 and up
Adaptxt is a new keyboard that aims to challenge other keyboards' (and especially SwiftKey's) prediction capabilities with its Predictive Text 2.0 engine. Whether it is successful in doing so will be your call, but I'll just say I won't be replacing SwiftKey with it any time soon.
Powered by Predictive Text 2.0, Adaptxt provides you with unparalleled quality of suggestions, corrections and language dictionaries to help you with text input on your Android touchscreen and hard keyboard phones.
- Truly Clutter Free Keyboard to appease your fingers and eyes
- The ambient Artificial Intelligence that learns your texting style for a truly personalized experience
- Next Word Predictions to save you more than two-thirds of keystrokes
- Multilingual suggestions for your language palette
- Auto Correction where Adaptxt intelligently but contextually corrects all your typing errors
- Quick revert and dismiss option to help you make even faster decisions as you type ahead with auto correction on
- Error Corrections offered to you on the fly, as you keep making those oh-so-common spelling mistakes while typing
- Word Completions where Adaptxt thinks ahead to save your precious keystrokes
- A delectable coverage of more than 40 language dictionaries
- Very thoughtfully created industry specific dictionary add-ons such as Business, Medical, Law, IT & Telecoms, and Finance, to suit your out-of-the-box needs
- Voice Input support
- Compact keyboard support to enable efficient touch typing
- Classic keyboard support: QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, Cyrillic and Greek!
It’s THE pop-chart of tech business news. If you follow the popular tech blogs and need help keeping up with the latest trending articles, then Currently Tech News is just the thing for you. Currently Tech News scans popular social networks to identify trending technology news from your favourite tech blogs and updates its chart every 15 minutes. Scan the headlines, read the articles you're interested in and help keep interesting articles high in the chart by sharing to your own social networks. We built this app for people like us; technology professionals who live a fast paced, caffeine-consuming, meeting-to-meeting lifestyle. People who have little time to keep pace with industry news but need to stay in touch.
* Intuitive “pop-chart” interface
* "Past hour" and "Today" charts
* Chart positions updated every 15 minutes
* Links to publisher’s original article (mobile optimized where available)
* "Breaking News" notifications for hot headlines that move up the charts fast
LoveFilm is the leading online DVD rental outlet in the UK and across Europe, so people outside these areas should probably skip this app.
This is the official LOVEFiLM by Post app to manage your list via your Android phone. Find what you want to watch from over 70,000 titles including films, TV and Games.
Features:
- Watch trailers, view ratings and read the top 3 reviews
- Connect to your rental list (UK members and subscribers only)
- Add, remove and reprioritise titles
- Browse 70,000 titles on DVD, Blu-ray, XBox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, XBox, PS2
- Browse by genre, new releases, most popular and coming soon
- Customise your search results to return only the formats you’re interested in
- See your rented and rated titles
Take off with all your travel information at your fingertips. Your personal travel concierge knows where you are during each stage of your journey and provides you with the information that matters, when it matters, with just a swipe.
- Track your trip details (flight status, gate, boarding time, etc)
- Check in for your flight
- Access mobile boarding pass
- Create flight alerts via text or email
- Check flight status & schedules
- View seatmaps & choose/change your seat
- Set parking reminder
- Add notes to jot down hotel & car confirmation codes
- Track Mileage Plan status & balance
- Download My Trips from My Account
DailyMotion v2.0 has been completely redesigned. It's not a new app but might as well be with the changes it's received.
Discover a new way to experience millions of videos in an immersive interface. Follow your favorite users, playlists, channels by adding them to your own personalized dashboard.
- Watch millions of Dailymotion's videos
- Personalize your video dashboard
- Enjoy an immersive video experience
- Follow users, playlists and channels
- Share videos on Facebook and Twitter
Discounted, custom-made, limited-time offers and experiences from Thrillist. Each week, Thrillist Rewards features custom-made, limited-time-only offers and experiences...all at a sweet discount. View details for and purchase Rewards directly through the app, redeem Rewards with the in-app voucher, and share offers with friends. (For each new buyer you refer, you'll earn credit towards your next Rewards purchase.)
Thrillist teams up with handpicked local merchants to develop an itinerary of can’t-miss things to do in your city. Each Reward comes equipped with special, members-only reduced pricing which typically expire within a week, and sell out even faster — so get ‘em while they last.
Thrillist Rewards is currently local in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. There's also a Nation edition for ridiculously good, Thrillist-approved offers that can be redeemed across the web.
As a San Franciscan, I feel obligated to highlight this app.
SFpark helps you park smarter in San Francisco with real-time parking info. See availability and rates for streets and City-owned garages across eight SFpark pilot areas: Marina, Fisherman's Wharf, Fillmore, Financial District, Civic Center, Hayes Valley, SoMa, Mission. This FREE app is brought to you by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
SFpark is a federally funded demonstration of new approaches to parking management that make parking easier and faster in San Francisco. This means less circling and double-parking, leading to cleaner air, safer streets and a clearer path for public transit and emergency vehicles.
Live Wallpapers
Android Police coverage: [Live Wallpaper] Alive TV Brings A Quirky, Whimsical Twist To Your Homescreen
It’s absurd. It’s adorable. It’s alive! It is an Alive TV. This interactive Live Wallpaper guarantees there is never a dull moment on your Android’s home screen. Watch how the telly and trees swing as you browse your home screens, and how bubbles and clouds fill the air. The telly’s eyes follow your touch and passing bubbles, and if you swing the telly long enough, it will go crazy!
Android Police coverage: Get Into The Holiday Spirit With Christmas HD Live Wallpaper - Possibly The Most Well Thought-Out LWP Yet
The creators of your favorite Live Wallpapers are delighted to bring you another 3D Live wallpaper especially for Christmas. Celebrate the Holidays every time you use your device, in true 3-D.
Gather the family together in a cozy den, in front of a warm crackling fireplace. Your own picture on the mantel is surrounded by twinkling Christmas lights, and stockings with your names grace the fireplace. Enjoy a Christmas tree with customizable lights, gifts, and tree topper. Eagerly await Santa's visit with a calendar that counts down the days until Christmas, and leave cookies and a note for Santa Claus. Gaze out the frost-covered window at a picturesque Winter scene while snow gently falls.
Customize every part of the scene, including your own photograph on the fireplace, your text on the stockings and the message for Santa. Choose the color of lights, customize the ornaments, gifts and ribbons, snowflakes, garland, tree topper, and more! You can also show or hide the items in the scene to celebrate the wonders of Christmas in a way that means the most to you.
This wallpaper is true 3-D with hand-crafted artwork. Our wallpapers feature silky-smooth animations while conserving your battery life. Works great with phones, tablets, or any device that supports live wallpapers.
WTF App Of The Week
Yeah, this exists, and it uses a "special Pickle rating system."
Snookify Me! is Snooki’s first and only Official App. Dress up and get your GTL on like the famous New Jersey Shore star in just seconds! Snookify Me! takes the most popular of Snooki’s clothes, hairstyles, sunglasses, jewelry and allows you to put them on photos of you, your friends and even your pets! Post your Snookify Me! images to Facebook walls, save them to your phone or just share them by email from your straight from your phone! Upload your crazy funny Snookify Me! images to the online Snooki Gallery and allow others to rate them using Snooki’s special Pickle rating system. Submit your best Snooki photos and participate in upcoming contests where Snooki will personally select her favorite Snookify Me! pictures and tweet them out to millions of her fans to envy and see.
Features:
• Wear some of the most famous Snooki outfits including her animal prints
• Get a tan in seconds without a sweat
• Works with photos taken with your device camera or from your photo gallery
• Save results to your photo gallery
• Share with your friends via email or Facebook
• View and rate other submissions
• Upload images to the built in Snooki Gallery and allow others to rate them using the special Pickle rating system
Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!
If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.
Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.
- the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago
- it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop
Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: oh.no.its.the@androidpolice.com.
1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.