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. This week I have a beta app for reading practice, a cursor app that makes one-handed use of a phone a breeze, and a Call of Duty companion app. So without further ado, here are the most notable Android apps released in the last two weeks.
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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Apps
Rivet Beta: Better Reading Practice
Rivet Beta: Better Reading Practice is a new release that's still in testing, so some of its features may not be permanent. You can still expect to find quality kid-friendly books that are perfect for reading practice at any level. There are over 1,500 books on offer, and each works with the built-in dictionary should the reader come across any words they do not understand.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
easyUp - Async video standups for teams
Great Bytes Software's easyUp is a new app on the Play Store that's useful for managing teams of people so that they can collaborate more efficiently no matter their location. You can keep your colleagues up to date with short videos that you upload through the app. They can range anywhere from thirty seconds to five minutes, all for free.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
4VR
4VR is a new virtual reality application from Channel 4 Television. The app contains plenty of the channel's "immersive content." Luckily this content is free so that anyone can peruse the selection without fear of being nickel and dimed. Most of it is made up of promotional material, but if you are a fan of the channel's content, then you might want to give this VR app a try.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Meme stickers for WhatsApp
WhatsApp recently added sticker pack support, so of course, that means tons of new sticker apps are popping up all over the Play Store. While it's rare that we cover these sort of releases in a roundup, Rita has been so kind as to recommend Meme stickers for this week's post. So if you are looking for an easy way to add your favorite memes to your WhatsApp conversations, make sure to check this pack out.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
ET Live – Entertainment News
ET Live is a new app from CBS that contains all of the latest celebrity news from Entertainment Tonight. So if you are looking for non-stop coverage of TV, Movies, and Music, not to mention, plenty of fashion and beauty coverage, then this is the app for you. There are thousands of videos available in the archive, so you can even catch up with out of date news if you wish.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
Simple Contacts Pro
Simple Mobile Tools has released a slew of new apps onto the Play Store this week, and they are all open source. The first app I would like to go over is called Simple Contacts Pro, and it's obviously a contact manager. You can store your contacts locally as well as sync them via Google. You can even add contacts to this app that will stay hidden from all your other contact apps.
Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Simple File Manager Pro
Simple File Manager Pro is the second app this week that's from Simple Mobile Tools, and it is a file management app. You can browse your local storage as well as root files and SD card content, so all your bases should be covered. It can also tie into your fingerprint reader for security, and it contains no ads or unnecessary permissions.
Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Simple Gallery Pro
Simple Gallery Pro is another app from Simple Mobile Tools, and it makes for a solid gallery app replacement. You can display many different file types including SVG, RAW, and panoramic photos. It supports video content as well. You can even filter by the type of file, which makes it easy to categorize your pics and videos into separate folders.
Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Simple Draw Pro
Simple Draw Pro is the next release in the Simple Mobile Tools family, and it's a minimal drawing app. You can share your drawings with ease straight to your email or social media apps, all from a single button tap in the app. So if you are looking for a uncomplicated drawing app with few permissions and no advertisements, Simple Draw Pro is an alright choice.
Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Simple Notes Pro
The last Simple Mobile Tools release this week is a note-taking app. Taking notes in the app is easy enough, and there is even a widget that you can place on your homescreen. There's also an autosave feature so you won't ever have to worry about losing any of your notes.
Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Reachability Cursor: one-handed mode mouse pointer
Reachability Cursor is a nifty little app that's perfect for one-hand navigation on Android. Once you install the app, you can pull up the cursor by swiping from the right side of the screen. Once the digital d-pad pops up, you can control a cursor and can interact with every part of your screen.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $4.49 a piece
Roy of the Rovers
Apparently, Roy of the Rovers was a British comic strip about the life and times of a fictional footballer named Roy Race. This Roy of the Rovers app contains novels, comics, and a few games that mark the return of the character. The graphic novels will have to be purchased, but there are a few individual comics that are offered for free.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $1.49 - $4.99
Scripts: learn how to write and read alphabet
Scripts is a visual learning guide that will help anyone learn Chinese characters, the Korean alphabet, and the Japanese writing system, all in one release. The app is 100% visual, which means you'll learn to connect characters and letters directly to their pronunciation. The nifty bit is that you'll learn these languages through short 5-minute sessions. This helps to keep the activity addictive since you never quite get your fill.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $10.99 - $159.99
Manufacturer And Tie-In Apps
Call of Duty Companion App
Android Police coverage: Activision's Call of Duty Companion App is available on the Play Store
The Call of Duty Companion App serves as your 24/7 connection to all things Call of Duty. This means you can instantly analyze your performance, receive tailored recommendations, stay on top of the latest news, and most importantly, keep track of your friends so that you always know when they are online.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuoczksOgNo
SHIELD TV - Alexa Skill
The SHIELD TV - Alexa Skill app makes it easy to control your Shield TV with Alexa and an Amazon Echo. You can open apps, adjust the volume, control media playback, and it's all hands-free. This is really helpful since the stock remote has constant connection issues. So the next time your remote gives you trouble, at least you have a fallback option with Alexa voice controls.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
DJI Pilot
This new DJI Pilot app supports the latest DJI enterprise drones, including MAVIC 2 Enterprise, Matrice series, and the Phantom 4. So if you own one of the newer drones, you're going to want to pick up this release. The app can assist your drones to transmit pictures in real time, and it can also control the aircraft as well as manage the camera and its playback.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
LG AC Smart Diagnosis
The LG AC Smart Diagnosis app is only useful for people who are having trouble with their LG-branded air conditioner unit. The app is designed to diagnose any issues you may be having with your connected air conditioner. There is also a product guide, for those that wish to read up on their unit.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Hue Essentials - Philips Hue & IKEA TRÅDFRI
The Hue Essentials app supports the Philips Hue bridge, KEA TRÅDFRI gateway, deCONZ, and diyHue. You can organize your lights by room and customized groups. Heck, you can even put a light into several groups. This way you can stay in control of your lighting with schedules and automation from sunrise to sunset.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $5.99
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.