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33 Best (And 2 WTF) New Android Apps And Live Wallpapers From The Last 2 Weeks (12/15/12 - 12/27/12)
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.This is the app roundup. The game roundup from this week can be found here.
Owners of the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II have been patiently waiting for multi-window support on their enormous smartphones ever since launch, and just in time for an awkward after-Christmas present, the carrier has delivered. Today's over-the-air update brings software version JZO54K.I317UCALK7, Android 4.1.2, with the crucial addition of that useful desktop-style trick. T-Mobile Note II owners got the same treatment last week.
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.
Ant Raid has been a long time coming for Android gamers. After the game received no small amount of notoriety on iOS, Herocraft has finally seen fit to release it to our fair platform, just in time for you to ignore your family over the holidays. Even better, they're discounting it for the launch, so you can pick it up for just a dollar at the moment.
Parachute pants, big hair and pastel sport coats might not be the height of fashion these days, but ten years ago gamers were in the midst of a digital revival. Grand Theft Auto Vice City rode on the massive (and well-deserved) success of GTAIII with a fresh setting, a more character-driven story and a refined sandbox world that makes it a series favorite even today. Those who want to relive the glory days of the 1980s (and 2002) can download the game on Google Play for just five bucks.
If you're of the opinion that games these days are entirely too easy, what with automatic saves, regenerating health, and veritable labyrinths of handy chest-high walls, then you'll want to pick up side-scrolling classic Metal Slug. It harkens back to a simpler time (namely 1996) when men were men, women were women, and gigantic tanks bristling with missile launchers were waiting at the end of every level.
The gravy train just keeps on rolling for thrifty Android games. In addition to the dozens of titles on sale from other developers, retro specialist DotEmu has put all three of its Android titles on sale. You can pick up classic platformer Another World for $1 (75% off), shooter legend R-Type for a dollar (40% off), and shoot-em-up anthology Raiden Legacy for three bucks (40% off).
Newsflash, Android users: the Google Drive/Docs app is terrible. It's just about competent enough to read the documents you've written elsewhere, but for editing and creating new Word, Excel, and PDF documents, you need something with a little more oomph. One of the best choices out there is OfficeSuite, and it's also one of the most expensive, at $15. But right now you can - and should - pick it up for a single dollar.
Update: Turns out the app is only compatible with LG Google TV's for the time being (meaning no Google TV set top boxes are compatible at this time). That's lame.
This isn't the first time that Dropbox has released beta versions of its Android app to the public, but it looks like in addition to all their other aspirations as of late, they've created a dedicated beta channel for the Android app. Adventurous users can download the latest Dropbox beta from the forums, then check the settings section of the app for the "early releases" option to get future updates. Non-Play Store downloads will have this option enabled by default.
You! Yes, you, with the Galaxy Tab running Gingerbread! You are officially out of excuses for not having a Nexus 7. (Unless your excuse is that you don't have a hundred and eighty bucks.) Google and Asus' seven-inch love child is just $179.99 for the 32GB version - a savings of a whopping $70 - at Gamestop's online store. The only catch is that it's "Gamestop Premium Refurbished".
Most college kids are at home this time of the year, celebrating the end of finals and/or nursing hangovers. But the ROM's scene's number one destination is hosting classes all year round at the the new XDA University site. XDA-Developers has been working on the extension of the main site as a destination for newcomers to the world of root, custom ROMs, and other Android modifications, as well as a place to learn about more serious Android development. The site is live now at XDA-University.com.
CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies Available For The Samsung Captivate, AT&T Galaxy S II, Galaxy S III (Metro PCS, US Cellular), And Acer Iconia A700 [Updated]
CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies Available For The Samsung Captivate
It's going to be a long time yet before devices like the Galaxy S III and Acer's Iconia Tab A700 get Jelly Bean 4.2, and the Samsung Captivate and Galaxy S II probably won't ever get another OS version update. That's why we love us some custom ROMs, and the CyanogenMod team has released nightlies of CM10.1 to all of these devices, including the MetroPCS and US Cellular variants of the GSIII.
There's no denying that Square Enix makes some of the best RPGs in gaming history. They also make some of the most expensive games on the Google Play Store, and usually, they're one in the same. If you've been holding off on buying classic titles like Chrono Trigger because of an admittedly high price tag, now's the time to grab them: a handful of Square's games are greatly discounted in the Play Store right now.
You can watch live NFL games on any carrier you want, so long as you want to watch it on Verizon. The exclusive deal between the league and Verizon wouldn't be so frustrating if they'd update the app more often, but it looks like they've finally added tablet support for the various XOOM and Galaxy Tab models in their lineup. In case you're wondering, no, this won't work if you tether your tablet to a Verizon smartphone.
It's been five months since the Nexus 7 went on sale, and just about as long since eager Android fans have been waiting to get their hands on official accessories. We've seen the first-party Asus dock show up time and again in various overseas web stores, but never actually go on sale. The wait might soon be over, at least for US residents: B&H Photo & Video has put up an online pre-order for the Pogo Pin dock for $39.99.
Just like subscribers to any other phone service provider, advanced users of the hybrid 3G/WiFi mobile virtual network Republic Wireless are eager to customize and modify their phones - probably more so, in fact. That's why we posted a rooting guide for the only Republic phone available, the Motorola Defy XT. But in a message to the Republic subscriber base, an employee clarified the company's position on rooting, custom ROMs and other modifications to the Android hardware it provides to its customers. In a nutshell, Republic will not look kindly upon root or modification of any kind.
It's a good time to be an Android gamer. Sega, perennial underdog of the console world, has decided to put some of its biggest titles on Android on a pretty big sale. Right now you can grab Dreamcast favorite Jet Set Radio for $2 (regular price $5), Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I and Episode II, plus the Tegra-only Episode II THD, for a buck each. All of the Sonic titles are usually $3.99 to $6.99, making this sale a pretty good deal all around.
Warning: If you try to play a first-person shooter on a touchscreen against opponents who have mice and keyboards, you will die. Quickly, repeatedly, with trash talk and/or teabagging a high probability. That said, if you're keen to give it a try, popular Facebook FPS UberStrike is now available on the Google Play Store. The popular free-to-play game has amassed over a million likes on Facebook, which serves as the browser-based platform for PC gamers. According to the game's description, players on the PC, Android and iOS can battle each other in real time thanks to the Unity3D platform.
Ask any mad scientist worth his fortress of evil: lasers are awesome, shark-mounted or otherwise. This has been the basis for many a shoot-em-up game (see our Hyperwave review for a good example) but they've been lamentably absent from the puzzle genre, until now. OverLight uses a series of lasers and prisms to mix up the conventions of falling block and match-3 puzzles, with no small amount of visual flair. It's available now on Google Play for one dollar.