Thursday, October 9, 2014

new Android games this week: Linken, Tactics Maiden

elcome back to Android Gaming Weekly, our weekly recap of new game releases. We still plan to cover upcoming releases and games we’re playing, but this column is dedicated to new games that you can start playing right now. Check out our top picks and let us know in the comments section if you have any suggestions for next week’s post.

Cart Shooter

escriptionIn Cart Shooter, an endless stream of carts rush to their goal, driving down the small track. Shoot only carts with the same color as your projectile, or you’ll be penalized. Don’t let them reach destination or they’ll win. Hurry up, time is limited!
Cart Shooter, 3D action casual
32 ratings
by Cavy Software
1,000 - 5,000 downloads
Discover more apps with Playboard for Android

Kawaii Killer


Description: Kawaii Killer is an intuitive & fun game taking place in an environment where super cute graphics meets cartoon gore. You are Davy, a young trapper killing every single cute animal in the Kawaii Forest.
Kawaii Killer
36 ratings
by Tabemasu Games
100 - 500 downloads
Appears in a list of 5 Star Indie Games

Tactics Maiden


DescriptionTactics Maiden is a fast-paced, turn-based strategy RPG where the player has to conquer enemy outposts scattered throughout the battlefield.
Tactics Maiden
316 ratings
Offers in-app purchases
by Mangobile
5,000 - 10,000 downloads
Appears in a list of SGD's Indie Games Feed

Entwined™ Challenge


Description: ‘Entwined™ Challenge’ is an addictive action reflex game that will mesmerize your senses and challenge your skills. Can you control two characters independently and master their path to evolution?
Entwined™ Challenge
137 ratings
by PlayStation Mobile Inc.
1,000 - 5,000 downloads
Appears in a list of Just-in Games

Daddy Long Legs


Description: The goal of Daddy Long Legs is very simple, walk as far as you can. But, with legs five times longer than the rest of your body, walking is no easy task. Simply tap the screen to change leg and watch as Daddy Long Legs stumbles across the screen.
Daddy Long Legs
2,589 ratings
by Set Snail
10,000 - 50,000 downloads
Appears in a list of Lovely Indie Games

PinChoo Marbles Lite


Description: PinChoo Marbles is a puzzle physics game revolving around the childhood game of marbles. Players are challenged to make cunning use of their marbles to solve puzzles aimed at eliminating opponent marbles from the play arena.
PinChoo Marbles Lite
57 ratings
by Apsisware
100 - 500 downloads
Discover more apps with Playboard for Android

Linken


Description: Linken is a beautifully designed and brilliant game, solve puzzle by connecting and linking each shape into a complete path. Play through 400 handmade levels from simple to deeply challenging and get rich yet relaxing experience through carefully crafted puzzle.
Linken
271 ratings
Offers in-app purchases
by Level Ind
1,000 - 5,000 downloads
Appears in a list of My wishlist in this life

Thief Lupin 2


Description: Play as Lupin , Chiyome and other master thieves as you make your way through 5 puzzle-filled worlds. Face off against vampires, giant puffer-fish, and other monsters in order to steal the most valuable artifacts from places such as The Neuschwanenstein Castle & Pyramids of Egypt.
Thief Lupin 2
7,105 ratings
Offers in-app purchases
by Bluewind
100,000 - 500,000 downloads
Appears in a list of My wishlist in this life

Hellraid: The Escape


Description: Hellraid: The Escape is a visually stunning action-adventure game with free updates, no in-app purchases or pay-to-win elements! Challenging puzzles, free exploration of the game’s world, and demons fought with brains instead of weapons make Hellraid: The Escape an exciting experience unlike any other in the Play Store!
Hellraid: The Escape
416 ratings
by Shortbreak Studios s.c.
1,000 - 5,000 downloads
Appears in a list of Hot 'n' New Awesome Games

Duke Dashington


Description: Duke is very fast on his feet, and he is determined to get the treasures inside before the ceiling collapses! Dash your way through dozens of deadly traps and puzzles, but be wary: You have only 10 seconds to reach the exit of each room, and Duke can’t stop moving without hitting something first!
Duke Dashington
6 ratings
by Adventure Islands
10 - 50 downloads
Discover more apps with Playboard for Android

Top 5 most popular Android apps from last week: HeadsUp, Moto Actions

Every week we cover new Android apps with Fresh Meat on Wednesday, followed by Android Gaming on Thursday and Top 10 App Updates on Friday. When Monday rolls around, we look back to see which apps were the most appealing to our audience. Read on for the 5 most popular Android apps from last week. These apps are ones that are most likely new and haven’t appeared in the Top 5 list more than 3 times.

1. Ready Contact List

Ready Contact List
App info: A beautiful contact list experience just hit the Play Store. Ready helps you to make calls confidently by showing the recent history related to the caller while the phone is ringing.
Ready Contact List
1,086 ratings
Offers in-app purchases
by Ready
10,000 - 50,000 downloads
Appears in a list of Apps I can't live without.

2. Moto Display*

Moto Display
App info: Moto Display gives you what you need to know, when you need to know it — without waking your phone. Information discreetly appears on the screen, so you don’t have to turn the screen on to look at the time or see notifications.
Moto Display
109 ratings
by Motorola Mobility LLC.
10,000 - 50,000 downloads
Appears in a list of customization and productivity

3. HeadsUp

HeadsUp
App info: HeadsUp is a fork of AcDisplay mainly focused on displaying notifications while your device is on. It will inform you about new notifications while you’re browsing, gaming or watching movies by showing a minimal, beautiful popup that you can open directly or perform an action on.
HeadsUp
1,902 ratings
Offers in-app purchases
by Artem Chepurnoy
10,000 - 50,000 downloads
Appears in a list of Free Apps, No Ads

4. Hangouts Dialer*

Hangouts Dialer
App info: Now call any phone number in the world from your Hangouts app using your data connection. Download and install the Hangouts Dialer to activate phone calling functionality in the Hangouts app.
Hangouts Dialer
32,844 ratings
by Google Inc.
500,000 - 1,000,000 downloads
Appears in a list of Material Design

5. Moto Actions*

Moto Actions
App info: Moto Actions responds to simple gestures without you having to touch the phone. Simply wave your hand above the phone to silence calls or snooze alarms. Or, open the camera with just two quick twists of your wrist.
Moto Actions
66 ratings
by Motorola Mobility LLC.
10,000 - 50,000 downloads
Appears in a list of customization and productivity

Note:  To ensure that all apps receive a fair chance to make the list, we will retire any app that has made the list for three consecutive weeks and will place it in our Android and Me App Hall of Fame. We will post this Hall of Fame list in a dedicated series. Any app with * next to the title indicates it will now be added to our Hall of Fame list and will no longer be listed in this article.

Chromecast app updated with custom backdrop support

chromecast-generic
Whenever your Chromecast is hooked up to your TV and you’re not actually using it, you may have noticed your Chromecast will cycle through beautiful fullscreen photographs, turning your TV into a digital picture frame. Wouldn’t it be great if you could take advantage of that feature and easily display pictures of your own? Thanks to an update rolling out to the Chromecast app today, you finally can.
Called Backdrop, Google originally announced the ability to change the source of images on your Chromecast’s idle screen back at Google I/O. So we’ve been waiting for this feature to finally roll out for some time now. Now that the update enabling a custom backdrop is finally here, here’s how it works: all you have to do is go into the menu in the Chromecast app, select Backdrop, and from there you’ll be able to choose what kinds of photos are shown and from what sources. Backdrop sources include:
  • Your favorite photo albums from Google+
  • Amazing artwork from galleries and museums around the world via the Google Cultural Institute
  • News and lifestyle images from The New York Times, The Guardian, Saveur and more (U.S. only)
  • Satellite imagery of some of the hardest-to-reach places on Earth from Google Maps
  • And even more beautiful photos from the Google+ community
The possibilities for custom backdrops through Google+ albums are practically limitless. Once you’ve downloaded the update, let us know what you’ll be using as your custom backdrop in the comments below.

Apple officially confirms an iPad event for October 16

The Apple event on October 16 is now official after the company sent out invites to the press. The event going to be held in Apple's Town Hall auditorium on the Infinite Loop Campus in Cupertino, California at 10AM PT / 1PM ET.


The invite containing the words "It's been way too long" leads to the event that will see the debut of Apple's refreshed iPad Air and iPad mini. Thanks to the plethora of leaks surrounding the two we know they're both packing the Apple A8 chipset with an M8 co-processor, Touch ID, Apple Pay. Both slates will be thinner than their predecessors with the iPad Air 2 measuring just 7mm (and sacrificing the vibrate/mute button because of it).
Additionally, the company is preparing to announce a new iMac line-up. It's going to tout new, higher resolution screens - 6400 x 3600, 5760 x 3240, and 4096 x 2304 pixels. It's also possible that Apple is ready to also reveal a 12-inch MacBook with Retina display, but we haven't heard much about it.
Mac OS X Yosemite Beta 5 and Golden Master Candidate for developers have started seeding today and we suspect Apple is going to be ready for the OS final release to coincide with the October 16 event. Expect updated iWork and iLife apps as well as redesigned iTunes 12.
The event is a little more than a week away, so stay tuned as we'll cover every bit of it.

HTC Desire Eye has 13MP selfie camera, S801 chipset

There was a lot of speculation what the Eye will be, well it turns out it's the new Desire flagship. The HTC Desire Eye can be seen as an upgrade over the HTC One (E8) as it takes the 13MP camera with dual-LED flash from the back and brings it around the front too.
That give the Desire Eye a unique face – a much larger than usual front-facing camera is positioned above the screen and it gets a dedicated dual-LED flash and a microphone. It's getting the same treatment as the back camera, which has a dual-LED flash and a microphone too. There's another microphone on the bottom of the device for a total of three mics used for better audio through noise cancellation.
   
HTC Desire Eye in Blue

Both cameras can record 1080p@30fps video. The one on the back has an f/2.0 aperture and a 28mm lens, while the one on the front has a wider 20mm lens but a smaller f/2.2 aperture.
HTC's trademark BoomSound speakers are harder to see but still on board. They flank the larger 5.2" screen of the HTC Desire Eye, an LCD with 1080p resolution. Besides selfie camera and screen size, the Eye also trumps the One (E8) with an IPX7 rating – water resistance up to 1m of water for half an hour.
The Desire Eye carries much better specs than most of the Desire family. It's powered by a Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2GB RAM and runs Android 4.4 with the latest Sense software and two camera-centric apps – Eye Experience and the new Zoe.
   
HTC Desire Eye in Red

Anyway, the phone also boasts LTE connectivity, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, NFC and a microUSB port. The port is left uncovered while maintaining the IPX7 rating, just like the HTC Butterfly 2.
The Desire Eye has 16GB of built-in storage, expandable by microSD cards (up to 128GB) and a 2,400mAh Li-Po battery. With front-facing stereo speakers, a large front-facing camera and a larger screen, the Eye is not the most compact device around, measuring 151.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm.
The HTC Desire EYE will be offered by AT&T exclusively at launch. Further availability and pricing details will be available later on.
The HTC Eye Experience app will help you use the two 13MP cameras to the fullest. Split Capture divides the photo 50/50 between front and back cameras, while Crop-Me-In creates a single photo with you photoshopped into the back camera image.
The impressive front-facing camera on the Desire Eye also targets high-quality video calls. To make things easier it can track up to four faces and keep them in place so people can relax and not worry about positioning while they chat. This even works with third-party video call apps like Skype.
HTC EYE Experience will roll out to the following models (full feature list to be confirmed at roll-out): HTC One (M7), HTC One (M8), HTC One (E8), HTC One mini, HTC One mini 2, HTC One Remix, HTC One Max, HTC Desire 612, and HTC Desire 816 in the coming months.
Then there's the new Zoe. Recent HTC phones came with just a promise for a new app for months on end but the wait is over. The new version offers collaborative video editing and it integrates with RE – HTC's new action camera. Zoe is not completely done even after all this wait, the new content engine will launch later this year.
    
HTC Zoe app will be available for all Android devices

Zoe is not just for HTC phones – not even just for Android. HTC will release Zoe apps to the general Android population and even iOS later this year.
    
iOS too