Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous two weeks or so. The most notable release is, of course, Notes by Firefox, but Moment - Pro Camera and the Enpass6 Beta are also pretty useful. This week's roundup may be small, but it packs a punch. So without further ado, here are the most notable Android apps we have dug up in the last two weeks.
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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Apps
Notes by Firefox: A Secure Notepad App
Android Police coverage: Notes by Firefox syncs encrypted notes with Mozilla's desktop browser
Note-taking apps are a dime a dozen, but how many of them can claim to sync with your Firefox account? Notes by Firefox: A Secure Notepad App surely does, and that is on purpose since it is the latest app released by Mozilla. You can count on the app syncing your notes to the browser (though you will need an extension to view them), and the process is secure thanks to the end-to-end encryption used while syncing.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Notes by Firefox is a simple, secure notepad app that syncs with Firefox. It’s the first Android Test Pilot experiment from Mozilla, the makers of Firefox. To use Notes, you’ll need a Firefox Account, and the free Notes browser extension from Firefox Test Pilot.
Moment - Pro Camera
Android Police coverage: Moment camera app brings advanced camera controls and RAW mode in a lightweight UI
Moment is a new camera app on the Play Store that's designed to replace your stock camera with a full suite of pro options. The thing is, most stock cameras offer similar functionality, especially on high-end devices. It's worth considering that this is the initial release and more features are planned for the future. So if your stock camera app is missing essential features such as shooting in RAW or full manual control, you'll probably want to give Moment a look to see if it can improve your photos.
Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Big camera controls, now on your phone. Moment - Pro Camera gives you full manual control, without the clutter. Easily adjust exposure, ISO, shutter speed, focus, white balance, image format, and more — All within thumb’s reach. Want reset any setting to auto? Double-tap on it. Reset all back to auto? Double-tap the viewfinder. Boom.
Enpass6 Beta
The Enpass6 Beta app wasn't designed to replace your regular Enpass app, as it is a beta release. It's more for people to test out new features in order to help further development and maybe even take a closer look at what is to come for the production release. One of the biggest changes in this beta is the new UI, but the multi-vault feature is also a welcome addition for those of you who'd like to take advantage of multiple accounts for work and play.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Welcome to the Enpass beta program. Important Notes for Beta Testers:
- Separate app:The Enpass 6 beta app will not replace the existing app on your phone, but will be downloaded as a separate app.
- Restoring existing data:You can restore your existing data from previous versions into Enpass 6 over Wi-Fi or existing backup file.
- Synchronization: Since Enpass 6 is based on a new architecture, so it will neither sync nor access the database of Enpass 5 or previous versions.
- The beta app may contain some features that are still in development and not fully functional.
Cloud Next
Event apps are usually avoided in our app roundups, but since the Cloud Next app works across the board for each Google Cloud Next ’18 festival location, I figured more than enough people may actually get some use out of it. You can expect useful features such as maps, notifications of events, instant feedback on sessions, and an easy way to sync your personal calendar with the Next '18 schedule.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Google Cloud Next ’18 is a festival of inspiration, education, and entertainment connecting the world across marquee events in San Francisco, Tokyo, and London. Download the app to create your ideal schedule and navigate the conference centers like a pro.
Khan Academy Kids (BETA)
Khan Academy Kids is an educational application for young children. It contains a robust curriculum of language, reading, math, and general logic. Every learning experience can be personalized to suit a child's problem areas, and the whimsical design ensures that your kids will have a blast while they are also learning.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Khan Academy Kids is a free, fun, educational program with thousands of activities and books that will inspire a lifetime of learning and discovery for young children. The curriculum includes reading, language, writing, math, social-emotional development, problem-solving skills, and motor development.
SCREENS UP by Nickelodeon
The SCREENS UP by Nickelodeon app ties directly into Nickelodeon’s most prominent TV moments with a compelling augmented reality experience. For example, the Kid's Choice Sports Awards broadcast had a prompt for you to activate the camera icon and lift your device's screen up to your TV so that you can watch, interact, and play through some of the more excellent moments synced to your TV.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Watch the Kids' Choice Sports Awards broadcast on Nickelodeon and use the SCREENS UP app to deliver an eye-popping augmented reality experiences tied directly to your TV. SCREENS UP is Nickelodeon’s “engagement hub”, offering not only augmented experiences synced to Nickelodeon’s big TV moments, but also a place to play with fun AR stickers and mini-games.
HERE AR City Model
HERE AR City Model is an augmented reality app that serves as a promotional tool for Here-branded technologies. The app will walk you through four separate guided talks about the company's technology, and all you have to do is print out a map that's included with the app. As far as AR apps go, this one works pretty good.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
With the help of augmented reality, see how HERE Automotive uses the collective intelligence of all vehicles on the road to create a real-time, digital representation of the world. Using just a simple printout and a tablet or a smartphone (see the list of compatible devices below), you can produce a dynamic representation of predictive navigation with self-learning capabilities that will support the autonomous driving of tomorrow.
Pluvius
First off I would like to mention that Pluvius is an app that only works on rooted devices, and it is best suited for ROMs that are close to stock Android. The app is an all-in-one solution for theming on top of the Android Overlay Manager. What's cool about it is that it will change your theme anytime you change your wallpaper so that they both match. No longer will you have to fiddle with a bunch of different theming apps, as this should take care of the bulk of the legwork by matching all of your colors to your wallpaper.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $9.99
Pluvius is an all-in-one theming framework that works on top of Android Overlay Manager System. Pluvius detects when you change wallpaper, then it fetches the palette and recolors the system following that palette. All of this is happening in instant and seamlessly. In addition to basic functionality, Pluvius is also heavily customizable.
Manufacturer And Tie-In Apps
Pioneer Smart Sync
Pioneer Smart Sync will help you to use your phone's functions on a compatible Pioneer-branded car stereo. So say you want to use a particular app, but on your stereo's screen, you can do that. Best of all, this method is a lot safer than picking up your phone and trying to handle it while driving.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Pioneer Smart Sync helps you to utilize your smartphone’s functions. It connects your smartphone and Pioneer’s compatible car stereo.
- You can call apps with one touch button on a connected hardware device.
- The app helps you by reading out your messages.
- Various adjustment tools for smartphone audio.
T-Mobile NAME ID
The T-Mobile NAME ID app has been around for a while, though it would appear that the old listing was removed and this new listing is meant to replace it. If you are unfamiliar with the app, it works a lot like caller ID, but on steroids. Not only does it identify incoming calls with ease, but you can block any unwanted numbers you wish. Supposedly the app will also notify you when you get a spam call, but now that local number spoofing is common, the criminals you want to avoid are probably one step ahead of an app like this.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
The T-Mobile NAME ID application lets you choose who to talk to before you answer. It identifies incoming callers even when they’re not in your address book. It also lets you block unwanted calls including known scam callers. In addition, T-Mobile NAME ID immediately alerts you when a telemarketer, political campaign, or other organization is calling.
WTF App Of The Week
T-Mobile Tech Experience
T-Mobile is a carrier that loves to release company-branded apps. Sure, there are probably worse offenders out there, but when you see a release like this T-Mobile Tech Experience, you have to wonder why money is being wasted on an app no one will ever willingly use. Honestly, I couldn't even explain the point of this release if I wanted to. It uses augmented reality to superimpose a T-Mobile big rig on your phone's screen when you scan a special webpage, and there is also an AR game included, but it works so poorly it's hardly worth mentioning. Why is T-Mobile wasting resources on junk like this?
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Explore the Augmented Reality World of T-Mobile, discovering our Industry Firsts, Un-Carrier Moves and custom Emojis. Play with your device anywhere, indoors or outdoors. Simply aim the camera at the marker provided to set the World origin and you’re on your way to the Un-Carrier Revolution. Are You With Us?
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.
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