Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.
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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Featured App
Find Dining: Restaurant Finder
This week's roundup is brought to you by Find Dining: Restaurant Finder from HandyApps. The dining discovery aspects of Google Maps still leave a lot to be desired - usually you can count on an address, a review or two, and (if you're lucky) operating hours. Find Dining from Handy Apps fills the gap nicely, with an easy-to-read map, searches by food category or nationality, and a detailed listing for each location. Searches are sortable by distance, price, rating, and other criteria.
Find Dining is a restaurant finder app that offers a fast and easy way to find restaurants near you or around a specific location. If you are looking for restaurants nearby, this app will find them for you without you having to type anything. Otherwise, just enter the desired address and this restaurant app will return a list of eateries in that area. The list of restaurants returned are initially sorted based on distance but you can also change the sorting criteria and re-sort them based on their rating or price etc.
Apps
Scout Launcher (Beta)
Android Police coverage: The Context-Aware Bento Launcher Is Now Called 'Scout' And Has Moved To An Open Beta
Bento Launcher, which (as the name implies) compartmentalizes widgets and functions into a scrolling, boxy interface, is now Scout. That's a little disappointing (since "Bento" was such a cool name), but now it's available as an open beta on the Play Store. Have at it if you're looking for a unique alternative to grid-based launchers.
Scout (Bento) Launcher brings music, news, videos, and more right to your home-screen. It learns about you and finds relevant content. We are available only in English. Key features:
- Listen to Music from SoundCloud. Read the top News. Watch YouTube videos right on your home-screen
- Prioritized notifications right on your home-screen so you never miss anything important
- Scout keeps your apps organized in Smart Spaces
- Get an Uber to your next destination and get restaurant recommendations from Yelp for when you get there
- Universal search box to search across apps, contacts, play store, the web and much more
- Get personalized concert recommendations for artists you love
- Scout learns what music you play on Spotify, Google Play Music etc and finds you lyrics for those songs
- Get beautiful Weather and Calendar cards at all times
- Get your personalized Reddit Card so you never miss anything
- And much more...
Hopper - Airfare Predictions
Android Police coverage: Hopper For Android Predicts Airline Prices To Help You Get The Best Deal On Your Next Trip
Hopper is a popular service that helps you to project prices for those ever-shifting plane tickets. It uses historical route and pricing data to predict upcoming prices for different destinations and airlines. If you have some flexibility in your schedule, it's a great way to save quite a lot of money on tickets. Notifications alert you to rising or falling prices for your routes.
Save up to 40% on your next flight. Hopper analyzes billions of flight prices daily to predict how prices will change, and tells you when to buy your tickets. Hopper constantly monitors prices to find great deals, and notifies you the instant you should buy. It’s like having a super-fast, all-knowing travel agent in your pocket.
- Hopper predicts the right time to book your flights, saving you up to 40%.
- Discover the best time to go and the cheapest travel dates.
- Get notified the instant that prices drop and before they’re about to rise.
Splyce
Android Police coverage: Splyce Mixes And Orders Your Songs By BPM, Acts Like A Cool Automated DJ Who's Always With You
Splyce is an interesting take on local music players, applying some of the automatic functions of online radio to your personal collection. Specifically, it's designed to mix and re-order songs with similar beats, making it kind of like a robot DJ. The interface is also pretty nifty thanks to gesture-based controls, and sticklers can choose between three mixing modes and six song transitions.
Live a whole new music experience with Splyce. The most beautiful music player with magical DJ powers. For a mind blowing experience with your music, just select your favorite songs, order them (we’ll help you with BPM’s and visual clues) and click play. It’s really that simple. But Splyce has a lot more to offer: it will mix (for real) your music, you can select the mix mode and the mixing time that will allow you to throw the best parties in town. It’s like having your own DJ always with you.
Drivemode - Driving Interface
Drivemode is another take on the idea of a heads-up display made especially for driving. It overlays your phone with gesture controls for relevant apps like navigation and music, and its full-screen UI makes it easy to input commands or reply with canned text messages. It works with dialers and even peeks at your calendar (with permission, of course) to know which directions you'll need in the near future.
Drivemode is a driving app with a “no look” interface that allows you to focus on the road ahead, not your phone, while accessing music, navigation, calls, texts and more. The beauty of Drivemode is that it works in any car, eliminating the need for a pricey upgrade, and it is free. When you are in driving mode, it works with your navigation apps, like Google Maps and Waze and your music apps, like Spotify and Google Music Player. With Drive mode, it is easy to do things like change songs, update your destination and make or accept calls using only broad swipes and taps.
Cocktailer - Cocktail Recipes
There are plenty of apps out there that will teach you how to make various cocktails, but none of them are quite so pretty as Cocktailer. With a Material Design interface that shows you proportions of ingredients quickly, it makes it super-simple even for beer chuggers like me to make a decent mixed drink. The app also includes a favorites feature and searches by ingredient, for those times when your cabinet is running a little low.
Cocktailer is a simple app created to help you easily find recipes for your favorite cocktails. With a stunning material design user interface, colourful visuals and simple descriptions, it has never been easier to find cocktail recipes as well as discover new ones.
- Each Cocktail has its own unique material design visual
- Beautiful animations provide you with a lovely way to find your new favorite drink
- Search by ingredient - simply pick the ingredients you've got at home and see which cocktails you are able to make
- Found a cocktail you love? Add it to your favorites or share it with your friends
- Know of a drink which hasn't been added to the app? Submit it and it might be included in an upcoming update
- Easily explore new cocktails after an update by viewing the 'what's new' page
- Unfamiliar with an ingredient? Just tap on it to create a search for the ingredient online
- Option of 3 measurement units to choose from
ClearLock: Block Distractions!
If you're the kind of person who has to lock away the PlayStation because you can't be trusted not to break out into spontaneous bouts of Rocket League (one more match, honest!), then ClearLock is for you. It blocks away apps and their notifications for a set amount of time to help you focus on work. Of course, you could just turn off your phone and get to it... but let's be honest here, you're not going to do that.
Do you keep wasting time because of distracting apps, while you're supposed to work or study? ClearLock is for you. ClearLock is a productivity app which allows you to block all distracting app on your device in order to let you concentrate and focus on what matters. This will greatly increase your productivity. Select which apps you wish to block, choose for how long and you're good to go. As simple as that. ClearLock comes with an elegant and simple interface which is easy-to-use and doesn't get in your way.
ADV Screen Recorder
Here's another screen recorder that takes advantage of Android 5.0+'s native recording API. This one includes the ability to write on the screen, pause the recording, add images from the front or rear cameras, and even add customized overlaid text. There's also a basic video editor built in for some easy trimming.
Need to video record your screencast in a easy way and without a menu that covers your whole screen? ADV Screen recorder was designed to be fully featured, without any kind of restritions and without requiring root. ADV Screen Recorder lets you:
- Recording with 2 engines (Default and Advanced)
- Pause Recording (Requires Advanced Engine)
- Draw on the fly with your favorite color
- Use Front or Back Camera while recording
- Set your Text with full customization
- Set your Banner with full customization
TUFFS Notification Shortcuts
This little tool hides some extra app links in your notification bar. It's not unheard of, though TUFFS includes a Material Design interface (that can be further themed for manufacturers who don't play nice) and a full range of customization items. Unlike some of the older implementations of this idea, there aren't any widgets or switches included - I suppose Android is finally self-sufficient in that regard.
TUFFS Notification Shortcuts is a quick-launcher app that allows you to add Shortcuts of the apps and android system shortcuts to the notification area. No doubt, many of you may be using some utility to quickly get to the apps you care about. Most of them having background service running all the time. TUFFS do not use any background service, no advertisements, no random internet acccess.
Revolut
Revolut is the latest attempt to create a non-banking-bank. It lets you deposit and spend money on your phone, and debit cards are also available for those pesky merchants who aren't quite caught up to the present either. Sending, receiving, and spending money carries no extra fees in most countries.
Revolut democratises international finance by removing all currency exchange fees so you can now send, exchange and spend money globally with no fees at all. Revolut allows you to:
- to exchange currencies at interbank rates (the best rates possible),
- to transfer money to your friends via social networks, email or text instantly and for free,
- to spend for free with a multi currency Revolut card that is accepted everywhere.
Revolut is the #1 app you need when you travel or send money abroad.
Gluru
Gluru seems to be one of those apps that wants to do everything. Elements of file managers, cloud storage apps, agenda and meeting organizers, and a sort of automatic organizer that tries to present you with relevant files based on what you're doing right now are all included. Whether that's actually useful probably depends on the implementation... and how often you mix and match apps on your phone to get things done.
The smart personal assistant/file manager that helps you organize and find your files in those important moments when you need them. Secure & Free. File managers haven’t changed much since they were conceived. There’s plenty that seems broken when it comes to managing files - that habit of searching your email for that attachment, storing stuff in multiple places so that organisation becomes unmanageable, and even wasting time searching for files.
Door Sign
This app is a digital version of those little door tags you see in conference centers, which show you what's going on at the moment (or not). The advantage is that it lets you quickly claim and delineate a room for a specific purpose without needing to print out anything new. It's an interesting idea, but I get the feeling that it would only reach maximum utility if a venue paid to permanently install a cheap tablet outside of every conference room.
This little app has been programmed with a lot of effort and optically adjusted, and is constantly under further development to the material design adapting in first line itself. Is an Alpha project.
- You signpost conference rooms, classrooms, meeting rooms or maybe just your office with style
- Practical timing and quick setup, start app, 4 clicks, and you're ready to run the app. Screen remains switched on. (Optional is always active to enable mode during charging, so the screen remains permanently on, go to Developer Options on your device)
- Clear and distinct indication for a room which was occupied.
- Permanent cross view to optimal and maximum show much can
Flow Chat
Flow Chat is another business-oriented chat client, in the vein of HipChat or Slack. It's a bit late to the Android app train, but if your company uses it, now you can get it on the go. Interestingly, it looks like the app has launched with Material Design. Not a bad start.
This is Flow Chat, where you can have discussions with your team using chat rooms and direct messages. Using Flow Chat, you can:
- Get your team talking: Flow makes reaching out to a teammate or having a quick discussion effortless and fun. Just wait and see how much everyone loves you for not sending an email.
- Know what’s happening without even asking: All your team’s discussions live in Flow, so you’ll always know what everyone is working on.
- Work from anywhere, on all your devices: It doesn’t matter if you’re eating breakfast at home, working late at the office, or clinging to wi-fi in some far off land. Your team comes with you everywhere.
Mirrativ: Live Stream Any App
Here's another option for live-streaming your Android screen that's specifically designed to be app agnostic - read: not especially meant for games. Mirrativ includes picture-in-picture for the front-facing camera (a la Twitch), which would seem to indicate that it's best for training purposes, but public sharing and a Twitter-style follow system are included as well. Android 5.0 or higher is required to stream.
Mirrativ is the first-of-its kind live streaming app letting you broadcast ANY content on your smartphone screen. You can also interact with your viewers in real time.
- EASY: Just three taps and you’re live. Broadcasting to friends, family and anyone else you want to share with.
- INTERACT: Your “audience” can play a role in creating a unique livestreaming experience, sending you stickers and comments in real-time.
- WATCH: With the optional picture-in-picture Face Camera, your viewers can see your reactions at the same time that they are seeing your screen share. This feature can also be turned off.
- PRIVATE: Share certain moments only with friends by choosing a private broadcast which can only be accessed via a unique URL.
- FOLLOW: You can follow your favorite people and get notifications when they start broadcasting.
lifeshot
Is this an attempt to recreate the ridiculous limitations of Instagram? Do photo app developers just love putting arbitrary restrictions on users? In Lifeshot, you can only contribute to a socialized photo album if you've been invited, and you have only five minutes to take a photo and upload it. There's no editing allowed. And of course, there's a rudimentary social network built in. Yeah, I just don't get it.
lifeshot is a social community that captures the world just as it is. You can uploand a picture only if you got an invitation to a lifeshot-event and in addition you will have only 5 minutes to make a photo of your instantly lived moment. We will send you a Push-Notification when a lifeshot will take place. It’s easy to get started: Simply invite and challenge your friends for a secret lifeshot or take part in a public event.
edjing PRO LE - Music DJ mixer
This is a free demo version of Edjing Pro, one of the more interesting music mixing apps on the Play Store. The full version is a reasonable $5.
Discover edjing Pro, the track-mixing app that turns you into a professional DJ, now on its FREE version: edjing pro Light Edition. edjing Pro is equipped with the brand new Sound System of edjing, the result of five years of R&D, to provide DJs with the most reliable and reactive djing solution possible on Android. This new Sound System enables accurate music frequency analysis, even more concise beatmatching and new sound effects directly coming from professional DJ hardwares.
Manufacturer And Tie-In Apps
BB-8™ App Enabled Droid
Android Police coverage: Sphero's Star Wars BB-8 Droid Toy Is Ready For Android With This Controller App
The BB-8 droid toy is basically a modified Sphero ball with a neat rolling "head" on top, and it's already shaping up to be this holiday season's most sought-after Star Wars toy. You'll need a compatible phone or tablet and this control app to play with it. Apart from direct control and a semi-autonomous "patrol mode," the toy can also display "Help me Obi-Wan" holograms through an augmented reality tool.
Over the years, the experience of Star Wars™ has always lived on screen and in our imaginations. The characters, worlds, and adventures have become an unforgettable part of our lives, and toys have kept that magic in our hearts long after we’ve left the theater. Thanks to advancements in technology, it is now possible to bring a new part of Star Wars: The Force Awakens™ into your home in an incredibly authentic way. For the first time, a real Droid™ is finally making its way into your world.
Bamboo Spark
Android Police coverage: Wacom Announces The Bamboo Spark, A Pricey Pen, Pad, And Case Combo That Lets You Record Digital Writing On Conventional Paper
The Bamboo Spark is a super-duper electronic folio (that's a fancy clipboard with a book-style cover, for you kids who've never actually used a pen) that lets you write onto physical paper and save the notes on your phone or tablet. Wacom hasn't actually launched the accessory yet, but the pairing app is up for some reason. Saved notes can be sent to Dropbox, Evernote, or Wacom's own cloud storage service.
Spark your imagination. Capture your notes and ideas with the simplicity of pen and paper. Push a button and have your notes to the cloud instantly. Use the Bamboo Spark app to browse and manage all your Bamboo Spark notes. You can delete, rotate, split and combine pages to organize your content, and even do simple editing such as erasing and adding strokes to a notes page.
Gameloft Pad Samsung TV 2015
This app lets you use an Android phone as a remote game controller for certain Gameloft games that are available on Samsung smart TVs. Unfortunately it doesn't work for Android TV games. A similar app, but oddly for older Gameloft games, is also available.
Play Gameloft's Samsung Smart TV 2015 games like never before with this Mobile controller app. With this app, you can use your mobile device as a controller while playing Dungeon Hunter 4 or Modern Combat 5 on your Samsung Smart TV. NOTE: This is only a controller app and does not include any games. You will need to purchase compatible games separately from your Samsung Smart TV 2015 set for this app to function.
Discovery VR
Those of you who have a Google Cardboard set or some other phone-based VR headset can check out this app from the Discovery Channel. It includes a selection of 360-degree videos of all sorts of interesting stuff. If you don't have a headset, you can still watch a full-screen version the video and spin around to get the full picture.
Join us on our newest adventure in virtual reality and explore the immersive world of Discovery VR. In this growing collection of dynamic 360 video experiences, you’ll find exclusive clips from behind-the-scenes of your favorite shows, heart-pounding adventures and stunning celebrations of our incredible planet. Viewable with or without Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear.
Chromecast for Smartband™ Talk
If you happen to have both Sony's Smartband wearable and a Chromecast, this app will let you control whatever you're playing with your gadget. Witch is neat... or at least it would be, if you didn't already have your phone handy in order to cast something in the first place.
This is the Chromecast™ application for your Sony SmartBand™ Talk SWR30. With this app, you can control the media you are currently playing on your Chromecast. To use this app extension, the dedicated Sony SmartBand™ Talk SWR30 app needs to be installed on your Android™ smartphone or tablet. Android apps and app extensions by Sony are designed to work with Android smartphones and tablets. However, some manufacturers may have set compatibility limitations in their devices resulting in decreased functionality.
Bing Ads
If you're an advertiser or a website manager using Microsoft's ad platform, this official app will let you stay on top of it. It allows you to see your earnings, switch campaigns, enable or disable certain ads, and manage your bids. I have no idea what any of that means, because I'm a blogger and Artem handles all of that stuff, but I'm sure it's important.
Bing Ads for Android helps you stay on top of your Bing Ads campaigns while you’re on the go. Keep your finger on the pulse of your accounts and performance data all from your mobile device. What can I do with the Bing Ads app?
• Check data on conversions, clicks, impressions, spend, click-through rates (CTR), and average cost-per-click (Avg. CPC), average position, cost per acquisition (CPA), return on ad spend (ROAS) and conversion rate.
• Pause or enable campaigns, ad groups, ads, and keywords.
• Change campaign budgets.
• Change ad group and keyword bids.
• Filter by enabled and paused campaigns, ad groups, ads and keywords.
WTF App(s) Of The Week
AutoFugue
This is a DJ app that lets you mix R&B and electronica elements, or your own auto-tuned voice, with famous (and non-copyrighted) classical compositions. Watch the video. It's... something else. Developers, this is yet another example of how an entertaining app listing can get you a spot in this roundup all by itself.
Do you love classical music but think it needs a bangin', booty-shakin' beat? Well Hallelujah, your prayers have been answered. Introducing AutoFugue, the best and only classical DJ app in the world. Just say anything into your phone or tablet and AutoFugue automatically remixes your voice into the freakiest symphony you've ever heard. Dance beats play underneath your masterpiece as you pump your fist and apply simple DJ affects like filters and delays.
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.