Love Android? Love Apps? Well, you've come to the right place. This site discusses various exciting apps from the Android Market. I hope this site can support our developers. Please view my previous posts by looking at the archives. You may see information about other apps found in the archives. If you have any questions, let me know =) If there are any wrong QR codes, I'll fix them.
If you were a gamer during the 1980's, you'd probably know about Nintendo's Game and Watch handhelds. It was one of the marvelous handhelds created by the late Gunpei Yokoi (created the original Game Boy). One of the cool things about this handheld is the fact it is a game with the function of a watch (hence Game and Watch). Many of these games were later ported to various Nintendo consoles but the beauty of it lies within the original handheld. You can definitely see the resemblance found in the Nintendo DS.
Original G&W on the left, DS on the right
Interestingly, a developer (sorry I can't remember the name of the dev from the top of my head) created one of the many Game and Watch games for Android. The game is called Parachute. You're a person in a rowboat trying to catch parachuters from a helicopter. If you miss, they'll fall into the water only to be eaten by a shark. The object of the game is to save as many parachuters as possible.
Overall, it's a short sweet game. It has two modes along with a watch mode. The game can be a bit cumbersome as it gets quite difficult (my highest score was 22). The sound is reminiscent of the 8-bit gaming era. The skin definitely brings some nostalgia since it is designed after the original Nintendo Wide Screen series.
Sadly this game was taken off the Android market possibly to prevent a lawsuit from Nintendo. I have the .apk if anyone is interested. Thought I'd share some of the nostalgia with anyone who is interested. Just leave a comment. =)
Do you find your phone's screen to be too bright at night?
Do you happen to use a brightness control app yet find it inadequate?
Do you find your phone's battery dying quickly due to it's display?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, I found an app that will adjust the brightness of your phone while helping you save some battery life in the process. (Wow I sound like a crummy salesman haha ><) I'm willing to bet many Android users surf the net or play games while in the dark. The brightness of the screen is quite irritating and overpowering to some. One solution is to use a brightness adjustment app. Using such an app has a drawback. Many brightness adjustment apps on the Android Market only adjust the brightness down to 10%. Yes, 10% sounds low but even at low brightness, the screen is still blinding in the dark. Staring at such brightness may damage your eyes in the long run.
Normal
Now without further ado, here is the solution to prevent your phone from burning holes in your eyes. This app is known as Screen Filterby Haxor Industry. This helpful app applies a nightshade to your phone thus dramatically reducing screen brightness. Unlike other apps, the developer claims Screen Filter uses a logarithmic scale to adjust brightness which allows for fine-grain control. This creates a tint rather than just adjusting the brightness of the screen which does not hinder legibility.
46.7% Setting (dark)
41.6% setting (darker)
If you click the app in the notification bar, it'll toggle settings
Some of the features found in this app are:
-Tasker/Locale plug-ins (this allows the ability to automate your phone using Tasker or Locale)
-Toggle on/off ability (If you put a shortcut icon on your desktop, you can use the icon to toggle on/off)
-Confirms very low brightness settings (Nifty feature so you don't accidentally make your screen too dark)
One of my favorite features found in this app is the ability to turn off the soft-key backlight. The softkeys are your hardware buttons which glow in low light due to the ambient sensor. Sometimes even these softkeys can be quite bright so it's nice to have an option to turn it off. It works great on my phone (HTC Aria) but the developer mentioned it doesn't work on all phones.
Filter adjustment and ability to disable softkey backlight
Overall this is a very nice app. I've been using it for about a month. I've noticed my battery life lasts a little longer since using this app. I'm not sure if it's a placebo effect but I'm guessing since the screen isn't pumping out as much juice, some battery life is spared. There are a few bugs but it's to be expected from a work in progress. I noticed on a few occasions where the app would revert back to normal settings. It's not a big deal as you can re-enable it. The developer is quite prompt with updates so many bugs have been ironed out.
Check out this great app. It's FREE on the Android Market. Perhaps you'll save some battery life and help prevent damage to your eyes in the process.
This is the Iphone killer ringtone. I've searched high and low. I finally found a decent quality one but decided it wasn't up to par. The one I found was 64kbps. So I upped the bit rate a little. It sounds a little different. I don't know if you could hear a difference?
I find this ringtone to be very useful for sms (text) notifications. It's also quite amusing to see an iphone fanboy's reaction once they hear it. I have several friends who love iphones so when I receive texts, I let make it known my Droid is owning this little fruit. Surprise your friends by using this awesome ringtone =)
I haven't been updating because of final exams. Now that I'm done, I thought I'd show what I did to my HTC Aria
I changed my font along with the notification bar icons.
Notification bar icons now have color.
Changed my boot screen to this.
Little do people know, you can actually flash custom icons, fonts, boot animations, and themes on HTC Sense. People didn't think it was possible. Anyway I'm showing that it could be done. You don't need a custom rom to have customization, you can use stock Sense if you want. Btw you need root access to change things.
I used these to create my theme mods. Just follow the directions and you'll be fine. ALWAYS do a Nandroid backup.
Here's the Minigore.apk I promised to post. Now you can enjoy the popular iphone game on your Android phone. Just download it and install it from your sd card or sideload it. Check it out!
From what I understand, it was a sanctioned leak by the Minigore developers. Multitouch works great but this seems more like a beta so it's not optimized for all screens. It does not fit my HTC Aria's screen well. Other than that, it's a pretty fun game. Reminds me of Super Smash TV for the SNES. I love how there are different power ups. The soundtrack is awesome and the graphics look great as well.
Edit: One of the permissions asks to look at your Contact information..I'm sure the developers will address that once this game reaches full release.
You can check out a vid in my previous post. Enjoy =) It's quite addicting !!
When it comes to gaming, many legends to mind. Pacman can be considered one of the most influential games in gaming history. I'm sure everyone knows of this hungry, yellow circle being chased by colorful ghosts. I'm also sure many people blew many quarters at the local arcade hangout. This game stood the test of time thus it is considered a classic.
Pacman was influential but Metal Gear Solid was a game changer. The Metal Gear series has its roots traced back to the late 1980's. The gaming world was changed once Metal Gear Solid hit the Playstation console. Some of the most memorable moments include hiding in the shadows from guards and having your memory card read by Psychomantis. This game was definitely another classic.
So you may be wondering why I'm talking about Pacman and Metal Gear Solid. Interestingly there's a game on the Android Market that utilizes a couple of concepts from these two iconic games.EVACby Hexage Ltd makes use of the "run from the bad guy" concept from Pacman and also the "sneak and hide" stealth concept from Metal Gear. By the way, Hexage Ltd is a prominent player in mobile gaming on the Android Market. They have various hits such as Radiant and Totemo to name a few.
This game originally caught my eye because I have a thing for bright, vibrant graphics. Honestly I didn't know what to expect but after playing this game for a bit, I immediately became hooked. Some information about the game: You are a cute little block on the run from an evil empire trying to capture you. Each level is a maze/puzzle and you need to utilize your problem solving skills all while staying alive. As you progress through each level, you will find more difficultly. Each level has a couple of power ups ranging from ghost mode to a homing spinning missile barrier. I found it quite interesting how several levels make use of a "hiding area" so if enemies spot you, you can hide in the shadows until they calm down (very Metal Gear-like). To pass a level, you must collect all the dots to open the portal to the next stage (Pacman-like).
Now you see me
Now you don't ;P
Ghost powerup
Homing Barrier Powerup
Kicking some ass
Overall I find this game quite addicting. The neon graphics are vibrant and eye catching. The soundtrack is also very pleasant. Unlike other games, there's actually a story involved. The concepts used within this game are also quite intuitive. I love the random powerups.
Although the file size is a bit large (7mb), if you have Froyo, you can move it to your SD card (it'll shrink to ~400kb). I find the game a bit short because the Lite version only has 7 levels. All of which are quite challenging. Though, if you get addicted, you'll find yourself asking for more. Luckily there's a full version (EVAC HD $2.84). This version has more levels and is optimized for higher end devices i.e. Desire, Nexus, Galaxy S. The one minor complaint about this game is the controls. Controls on the touch screen can be a little cumbersome but if you have an optical pad or trackball, all will be good. Other than that, this is an especially fun app to pass the time. Check out the free version first if you plan on getting the paid version. =)
I'm a bit busy again because of school. I'm sorry I haven't been updating quickly. This week is exam week =/
Anyway here's another nice wallpaper.
That apple sure looks tasty ;-P Click for the larger size
Oh yea I have a few games I've been writing about but never had time to edit. I also have a SD card comparo using the stock sd card versus my new class 6 sd card. All I can say is that it's quite a difference.
Back in 2004, Blizzard changed the gaming world by introducing the mega popular hit, World of Warcraft. MMORPGs began to take the spotlight. I admit, I was addicted to WoW. I remember many on occasions where I would hastily finish my homework so I could join a guild run of Molten Core (Only played until Burning Crusade). I stayed up hours and hours hoping for an epic drop from Onyxia. Although it was fun and all, WoW burned a hole in my pocket. With the advent of high end mobile phones, I began to wonder when would a MMORPG hit the scene.
Fast forward six years. Spacetime Studios, LLC broke new ground in the mobile world by releasing Pocket Legends for the iPhone and iPod touch this past April. It was considered the first ever mobile MMO. With rave reviews, Pocket Legends took the mobile MMORPG genre by storm. Only time would tell when Pocket Legends would hit Android. Android definitely needed a nice MMO for it's 100,000+ library of apps.
Finally, that day has arrived. Pocket Legends finally arrived on Android. Spacetime Studios has taken the liberty of porting the hugely popular game to the Android Market. Let it be known this app is still in the Beta stage so things can change before it's release version. I have been playing with this app for hours and here are some impressions.
At first glance this game has somewhat of a WoW-like feel. In the beginning, you take up the role of three unique animal classes; a bear-like warrior, mystical elf, and a bird-like archer. The warrior can be considered a close combat character while the elf is a caster and the archer is a long range attacker. You accept quests and complete them to acquire powerful weapons and some nice pocket change. You also battle bosses while level skills and attributes along the way. As your character grows in strength, you become worthy enough to take on even stronger bosses. If you're bored, you can duel some people on your downtime (player versus player).
Some of the features found throughout the game include (sorry I can't remember all the features but these are some of the many):
-Leader boards
-Customizable characters
-Capture the flag arena play
-Various open worlds and towns
-Many quests and events
-Ability to trade, sell, or give loot as gifts
-Stash loot away for safe keeping
-PvP (player versus player)
-In game chat
-Ability to make friends and quest with them
-In game store for paid items (Special items you can buy with real money)
Stats Page
Special Skills Page
In Game Market (Buy Items Here With Real Money)
Pros:
-Quite addicting
-Reminiscent of WoW
-Quick continue feature (It's easy to continue by loading from a quest)
-Nice graphics and sound especially for a MMO on a phone
-Catchy storyline
-Customizable characters
-Controls are pretty responsive and concise
Quick Continue Feature
Cons:
-Surprisingly large file (almost 14mb after installing to SD card. 40mb in total)
-Depending on what phone you have, controls may feel cumbersome (Trackballs should be implemented)
-Lag in some areas due to high populations (Just like WoW)
-If you die, you start from the beginning of the level
-No in game saving feature (when you load a quest, you start at the beginning though all attributes are saved)
Gameplay Screens
Other Players Chilling
Casting Spells
Quest Dude
Overall, Pocket Legends seems to be a quite competent MMORPG even in the Beta stage. The mechanics of the game seem similar to WoW but instead you have pocketability. You also have a pretty interesting story line in an enchanted world. The graphics look rich and detailed. I was actually surprised my HTC Aria handled this game quite well. I have not experienced any lag whatsoever except for crowded areas (possibly due to servers). The user interface is fairly easy to use especially when casting special spells/attacks. I do enjoy playing this game and I am happy it finally made it's way onto Android. Oh yea I must not forget, this game is a MMORPG so it's an online game. You need internet connection whether it be 3/3.5/4G or Wifi to play this game. If you have a limited data plan like me, I suggest playing on Wifi because it is quite easy to rack up bills especially if you don't have an unlimited plan.
If you enjoy WoW and want a cost effective alternative or just want an exciting app to pass some time, definitely check out Pocket Legends especially since it's FREE!! Beware Pocket Legends is quite addicting =P
Edit: From what I understand, there have been quite a few fixes after I posted this. Consensus shows rating have improved since then.
EDIT: Opera Mobile had a few updates. I'll post information about the updates later =)
Opera Mobile 10.1 makes its way onto the Android OS (Released November 9th). Personally I'm a fan of the Opera browser so I decided to give this iteration a go. I tried it for about a day and I have several impressions. Let it be known that this is only a beta version. The release version will be coming out in the near future.
All of the niceties from Opera mini 5.1.1 are present such as tabbed browsing and webpage optimizations (fits screen much better), and synchronization to name a few. You can also backup your bookmarks and search engines then sync them to your computer. The one thing I find very nice is the "speed dial" feature where you can assign bookmarks to a 9 entry speed dial. It's like a speed dial for bookmarks. This browser is also quite speedy compared to the stock browser. After all Opera is known for their great compression which results in substantial increases in page loading speed.
Tabbed Browsing and "Speed Dial"
Though there are a few noticeable differences in Opera Mobile 10.1:
-Default full screen (You can change it to mobile view in the settings)
-Rendering of images (Uses a rendering engine now. Before images looked fuzzy)
-"Opera Turbo" (Compression feature found in Opera Mini. Uses less data and faster loading)
-Pinch-to-zoom (Probably the best implemented feature. Works responsively)
Opera Turbo and Mobile View Options
Full Website View
Promotional Vids
There are a few things I don't really enjoy:
-Large download file (20mb total but if you move it to your SD card, it is still 13mb)
-No flash support yet (It'll be implemented in the final release)
-Issues with proxies (An error still pops up if you're trying to hook up to a wifi connection)
No Flash Yet
Overall even though it's an app still in the beta stage, I enjoy using it. The image clarity is quite a difference from Opera Mini. Both iterations run at about the same speed but if you turn the "Opera Turbo" option off, the pages load a little slower because of the sharper image rendering. I hope Opera makes the file size smaller because 20mb is quite a lot for our internal memory. Apparently flash will be implemented in the final release so it's something to look forward to. I am praying they will fix the proxy error so this can be used as a stand alone browser. With these issues aside, it's pretty good for a beta. It's got all the nice features from Opera Mini and it still has a nice interface. The difference between the two iterations comes down to practicality. If you want a quick, lightweight browser, opt for the Opera Mini app. If you want a content rich browser, opt for the new Opera Mobile 10.1 app.
Decided to flash a font on my HTC Aria for the first time. I tried a bunch and was stuck between the Ubuntu font and Neotech. I decided to go with Neotech because I liked the bolder look and it seemed a bit easier to read. It's very easy to flash on your rooted Android phone. Here are some pics:
Stock Font Screens
Neotech Font
Ubuntu Font
Here's the thread with the various fonts and a "How to" section:
