Moto G Google Play edition appears on the Play Store’s virtual shelves

Things were pretty quiet on the Google Play edition front following the launch of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 GPe units last June, but that changed with the emergence of the LG G Pad 8.3 and Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition hardware last month. Today the flow of GPe devices continues with a new offering from Motorola.Google just added a Moto G Google Play edition to the Play Store’s virtual shelves, giving consumers the opportunity to pick up Motorola’s new handset with a clean build of Android 4.4. The Moto G GPe hardware is the same as the GSM model that debuted last year, right down to its GSM/EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900MHz and 21Mbps HSPA+ 850/900/1900/21000MHz connectivity. The one big difference is that, just like the other Google Play edition hardware, this Moto G runs a vanilla flavor of KitKat and will receive updates in speedy manner.While the Moto G sold by Motorola does include a few custom apps, such as Motorola Migrate and an FM Radio app, the version of Android that it runs is fairly barebones. That’s why it’s kind of surprising to see Google introduce this Moto G Google Play edition. Having more choice when shopping for a new smartphone is always a good thing, though, so I’m not going to complain about getting the opportunity to snag a new Moto G GPe at the same price as Motorola’s store.

Moto X coming to the UK, France and Germany in February

 

The Moto X won our highly prestigious Editors’ Choice award for best smartphone of 2013 back in December, but one of the few downsides to the device is that it had to date only been available to buyers in the US, Canada and Latin America. Come February 1st that will finally end, with the UK, France and Germany all coming on board.Now the bad news is that Moto Maker won’t be available at launch, something non-AT&T Moto X fans will be able to sympathize with, but Motorola stated that they have every intention of delivering the Moto Maker experience as soon as they can figure out how to meet the same four-day turnaround that US customers enjoy. As was the case for most US customers, you’ll have your choice of black or white at launch. Phones 4u has indicated that they have a three-month exclusive on the white model.UK pricing has been announced at £380 unlocked or £25 a month. In France the Moto X will run you €429 unlocked. We will update this post when we receive word on pricing in Germany.The Moto G unquestionably remains the strongest international play from Motorola to date considering thegrowthpotential in the lower-end of the smartphone market, but it is good to see them bringing the high-end of their lineoverseas as well. And assuming they can extend the Moto Maker service internationally for the Moto X and, more importantly, for whatever will succeed the X later this year, that is a strong differentiator for them in 2014.

Top Free in Android Apps chat and calles free

WhatsApp Messenger

WhatsApp Messenger

Description

WhatsApp Messenger is a smartphone messenger available for Android and other smartphones. WhatsApp uses your 3G or WiFi (when available) to message with friends and family. Switch from SMS to WhatsApp to send and receive messages, pictures, audio notes, and video messages. First year FREE! ($0.99 USD/year after)WHY USE WHATSAPP:
★ NO HIDDEN COST: Once you and your friends download the application, you can use it to chat as much as you want. Send a million messages a day to your friends for free! WhatsApp uses your Internet connection: 3G/EDGE or Wi-Fi when available.
★ MULTIMEDIA: Send Video, Images, and Voice notes to your friends and contacts.
★ GROUP CHAT: Enjoy group conversations with your contacts.
★ NO INTERNATIONAL CHARGES: Just like there is no added cost to send an international email, there is no cost to send WhatsApp messages internationally. Chat with your friends all over the world as long as they have WhatsApp Messenger installed and avoid those pesky international SMS costs.
★ SAY NO TO PINS AND USERNAMES: Why even bother having to remember yet another PIN or username? WhatsApp works with your phone number, just like SMS would, and integrates flawlessly with your existing phone address book.
★ NO NEED TO LOG IN/OUT: No more confusion about getting logged off from another computer or device. With push notifications WhatsApp is ALWAYS ON and ALWAYS CONNECTED.
★ NO NEED TO ADD BUDDIES: Your Address Book is used to automatically connect you with your contacts. Your contacts who already have WhatsApp Messenger will be automatically displayed.
★ OFFLINE MESSAGES: Even if you miss your push notifications or turn off your phone, WhatsApp will save your messages offline until you retrieve them during the next application use.
★ AND MUCH MORE: Share location, Exchange contacts, Custom wallpaper, Custom notification sounds, Landscape mode, Precise message time stamps, Email chat history, Broadcast messages and MMS 

 viber
 

Description

With Viber, everyone in the world can connect. Freely. More than 200 million Viber users text, call, and send photo and video messages worldwide over Wifi or 3G - for free. Viber Out can be used to make calls to non-Viber mobile and landline numbers at low rates. Viber is available for many smartphones and platforms. Viber is compatible with and optimized for Android tablets! Use Viber on your tablet and phone simultaneously.
On Viber, your phone number is your ID. The app syncs with your mobile contact list, automatically detecting which of your contacts have Viber.
• Text with your friends
• Make free calls with HD sound quality
• Share photos, videos, voice messages, locations, stickers and emoticons
• Groups with up to 100 participants
• Download stickers from the Sticker Market, making messaging fun!
• Push notifications guarantee that you never miss a message or call, even when Viber is off
• Support for the Viber Desktop application on Windows and Mac
Localized to: Arabic, Catalan, Chinese (SP), Chinese (TR), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (BR), Portuguese (PT), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese
Viber is completely free with no advertising.
We value your privacy.
 Skype - free IM & video calls
 

Description

Say “hello” to friends and family with an instant message, voice or video call on Skype for free. Join the millions of people using Skype today to stay in touch with the people who matter most. There’s so much you can do, right from the palm of your hand.
Features:
• Find all your friends and family in an instant - With over 250 million people using Skype, you’re bound to bump into someone you know.
• Talk with your fingers - No matter where you are, your friends are always at your fingertips with free instant messaging.
• Call your world from Skype - Talk to your heart’s content with free voice and video calls to all your friends and family on Skype.
• Low cost calls to mobiles and landlines too - Keep in touch, even if they’re not on Skype, with low cost calls and SMS to mobiles and landlines on the other side of town or the world.
• Share your favourite snaps - Got a favourite photo to share? Send it over Skype to friends and family and you won’t have to worry about email size limits or expensive MMS charges.
• Chat with anyone, anywhere - Skype’s available on smartphones, tablets, PCs, Macs, and even TVs. Whatever device your friends or family use, Skype just works. Simple.
• Video messaging – Record life’s everyday moments and share them with the people who matter most, with free and unlimited video messaging over Skype.* Operator data charges may apply. We recommend using an unlimited data plan or WiFi connection.

Facebook Messenger

 

Description

Instantly reach the people you care about.Messenger is a fast, free and reliable way to stay in touch. It's just like texting, but you don't have to pay for every message (it works with your data plan).
Features:
Get to your messages without opening Facebook.
Chat with groups and make plans on the go.
Bring messages to life with stickers.
Send photos privately.
Keep the conversation going: with chat heads, you can chat while using other apps.
Text your phone contacts, even if you're not Facebook friends.
Share your location so people know when you're nearby.
Record voice messages.
Make free calls, even to friends in other countries.
Know when people have seen your messages.
See who's available on Messenger and who's active on Facebook.
Stay logged in so you never miss a message.
Turn off notifications when you're working, sleeping or just need a break.
Yahoo Messenger
 

Description

The official Yahoo! Messenger app for Android- Free Voice & Video calls (Beta) †
- Chat with Facebook friends
- Free international SMS ††
- Share Photos & Video
- Chat with Windows Live friends
- Stay online on Android & PC at the same time, receive messages only where you are active †††
********* Important *********
You need to install the latest Yahoo! Messenger Voice and Video Plug-in to enable the call features
† Video (Beta) requires OS 2.3 and the Yahoo! Messenger Plug-in (OS2.2+ for myTouch 4G and EVO)
†† SMS text messages can be sent for free to phone numbers in USA, Philippines, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Canada, Pakistan, Kuwait and Thailand
††† Currently supported with the latest Yahoo! Messenger for PC

Motorola Moto G first impressions

 

 

How good can an unlocked, $180, completely contract-free smartphone really be? In the past, paying that little for a phone meant you’d be getting junk. And that was all there was to it. But Motorola is challenging that stigma with the Moto G. A quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 4.5-inch HD display and stock Android sound great on paper. So how do they translate to the real world experience?

The general consensus on the Moto G seems to be that it is lightyears ahead of other devices in this price bracket. I’m going to go one step further and say, even after using it for just a short time, it can easily take on phones that, price wise, seem out of its league. I am very impressed with the Moto G.

Let’s start with the good. When you first open the box, you’re greeted with a smaller handset that certainly doesn’t feel its price. It’s solid and has inherited the good looks of the Moto X. Save for a little rattle of the power and volume buttons when you shake the phone, it feels fantastic. Compared to phones like the iPhone 5c and Galaxy S4, I much prefer the way the Moto G feels in your hand. You won’t be disappointed here.

Another area you won’t be disappointed in is the display. I don’t have the equipment to do in-depth display analyses between the Moto G and other phones; all I have are my own two eyes. But to my eyes, this is one of the best parts of the phone. Viewing angles are pretty good, colors are rich and density is more than sufficient. It doesn’t have the density of the Nexus 5, but it just might have better colors. And next to the iPhone 5c, it more than holds its own.

The last good thing I want to touch on, before this post gets uncontrollably long, is performance. I need more time for an accurate picture, but so far, this thing is fast. While web browsing could be better, everything else is more than fast enough. Games like Jelly Splash, which performs terribly on an old Galaxy Nexus, are fast with little load time and smooth animations. Switching between apps is a breeze. Google Now loads in an instant. Again, all I can say right now is that I am impressed.

As for where Motorola made price cuts, that’s easy. The camera is bad. It’s good enough to snap a grainy picture to send to your mom or maybe even post a filter-slathered Instagram picture, but it won’t be winning any awards. For the price, it’s alright. I’ve seen much worse. But it’s not good by any means.

And then there’s the lack of LTE. There’s no getting around this one. If you want ultra-fast data on your phone, you can pass on the Moto G. If you feel like you can live with HSPA+ and WiFi, don’t let it deter you. I was easily achieving 30 Mbps down on my home Wifi, right around where my MacBook tests at.

ap And Swipe Your Way To The Top Of The Charts In Popop

Popop (Free) by iGameMax is a fast-paced tapping game that will put your reflexes to the test. If you enjoyed games like Brutal Loop, then you will find Popop to be a similar addiction.
Popop features a beautiful, iOS 7-like design that just fits in so well with the overall aesthetics. The design is flat, and it features a lot of blurred background colors. The animations in the game are also quite smooth, especially on my iPhone 5s. The game does not feature a soundtrack in the background, but there will be musical notes that play as you pop circles, and a startling popping noise when tapping on the wrong thing. Of course, if you don’t like the sounds, they can also be turned off from the settings, which can be accessed by swiping horizontally to the third screen from the main menu.

The concept behind Popop is quite simple, and actually quite addictive. You will have five different “phases,” which are basically level packs. The game will come with Phase A with the initial download, but you can purchase the full game for $0.99. There are nine levels in each phase, so there’s a decent amount of content that you can get for your buck. In order to move on to the next level, you’ll need to clear the previous ones.
Each level will have colorful circles that you will need to “pop” for points. This can be done by tapping on them or swiping. In addition to these circles, there will be white lines or shapes that move across the screen. These are bad, and you need to avoid them at all costs. If you tap on them, you will lose one of your lives, which are indicated in the top right corner. You also need to be fast in the game, because if you let a circle go off the screen, that will also count against you. There is Game Center integration for those who want to be a little competitive with friends.

If you’re having trouble with a level, there are power-ups that are available to give you a boost. You can choose between getting more “PopAlls,” which will pop all circles, “PopFours” that pop up to four circles on the screen, or two more lives.

I’m enjoying Popop so far, as it is actually quite challenging from the get-go. I was a bit confused at first, though, because the game did not point out that you need to avoid the white, just you need to pop the colorful circles. I also believe that it could be a little more obvious with how many lives you have left, because it’s hard to notice the three little white dots in the top right corner as you frantically try and pop circles.

Still, the game is enjoyable and challenging, making it the perfect new addiction to pass some time. You can grab it in the App Store for your iPhone for free, with in-app purchases.

Quirky App Of The Day: Take A Trip Spinning In Your Wheel Through Forests, Clouds And Underground

SpinTrip (Free) by ablemagic is an adventure game with a strange mode of transportation. You roll around in a wheel. Getting around this way definitely poses some interesting challenges. Gravity is both a friend and foe. Ledges are a ridiculous obstacle, and there’s water and monsters to avoid. Luckily, you have “chibs,” which are just one of the unusual creatures you’ll find in this whimsical game.

These little creatures have special abilities. You roll over them to pick them up, and then they help you to use their abilities. You can float in water, saw through ice obstacles, or even walk up a wall. These abilities are limited. You can only use one chib for so long. However, there are often multiple chibs of the same ability throughout the level. You can see how many of each chib you have along the top of the screen.
There are also “gants” that have stolen the magical “shims.” The shims are magical orbs that you need to collect. They’re the whole reason why you’re having this adventure in the first place. In order to get them back, you have to fight off a gant.
What’s a gant? It’s a giant fur ball. You use the pink chib to blow bubbles at it until you deplete its health points. I don’t know what’s in those bubbles, but I’m going to guess that it’s a corrosive acid.
There are three worlds and 16 levels for you to explore. Canoo is like a strange ice and plant world. Groundedwoods lets you travel above and below ground. Dreamsky is up in the clouds. The worlds are all very colorful and bright.

As much as the story line sounds like it’s meant only for kids, the gameplay is pretty difficult. There’s no way to go back the way you came, you can control your speed, and you can get stuck if you haven’t found the right chib. Basically, adults can try their luck with the game as well as still be challenged.

Spin Trip is a universal app, and it’s available in the App Store for FREE!

Best iPhone Apps To Put You In The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas season is one of the busiest holidays of the year. Stresses can run high when you are shopping, driving in snow and busy traffic, wrapping presents, cooking, and visiting loved ones. Has this busy hustle and bustle left you feeling a bit like the grinch? It's time to get into the Christmas spirit and put some pep back in your step. We have gone through the App Store and chosen some apps to put a smile on your face, so grab your iPhone and peruse this jolly AppList.

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• Free

  Elf Dance by JibJab - Starring You! Cast Yourself & Friends as Dancing Elves for the Holidays

  by JibJab Media Inc.

  When the holiday season has left you feeling a bit stressed, one great way to get relief is with laughter. Elf Dance lets you turn your camera roll pictures or Facebook page photos into up to five hilarious dancing elves. Once you have chosen your subjects and added them into your "cast of elves," it will play a silly movie. You are even able to make your Elf Dance into an eCard. Share your creation with others via email or Facebook. This app is universal, so it will work on your other iDevices as well.
• $0.99

  Bogga Christmas Tree

  by Boggatap

  After making fun photos and videos, how about decorating a tree? Bogga Christmas Tree is a universal app that is suitable for you and your children. Decking out a virtual tree is perfect for this busy time of year because you'll have no messes to clean up afterwards. Choose from lots of different ornaments, colors, garlands, and other varied decorations. Change backgrounds, listen to the app's radio, or take a picture that will transform into a Christmas snowglobe.
• Free

  SomaFM Holiday Radio

  by SomaFM

  Further boost your jolly mood with SomaFM Holiday Radio. This app is commercial-free, providing you with holiday music in high and low bandwidth. There are three different channels with plenty of tracks, and one of the channels is kid-friendly. Listening to holiday tunes is a great way to chase away the blues, inviting the Christmas spirit into your home and heart.
• Free

  shopkick

  by shopkick

  Shopping is an important part of Christmas, so we cannot leave that out. Although you get wonderful feelings after buying thoughtful gifts for others, it does not always leave us feeling too happy after our wallets are empty. Universal app shopkick allows you to treat yourself, putting that smile back on your face. Simply go into a participating store, such as Target or Best Buy, and scan items. You'll get rewarded with "kicks," or points, just for scanning them. Your "kicks" will add up to earn you free items of all kinds. Tons of discounts and deals can be found within this app, so leave your coupons at home and just take your iPhone.
• Free

  Yummly : Recipes & Grocery Shopping List

  by Yummly

  All of that shopping has probably made you hungry. Yummly is the perfect app to help. This app puts over one thousand recipes at your fingertips. You are able to search all types of recipe sites, find recommendations based on what you like to eat or are looking for to make, and you can even create your own digital recipe box. Yummly will cut down on the stress of finding those cookie recipes that you love to bake on holidays. Just thinking about cookies baking will give you a warm, cozy feeling. This gorgeous app is the perfect helper to have on your iPhone this Christmas, or any day.
• $0.99

  Holiday Fireplace

  by Brandon Smith

  After you've found some great recipes, kick up your feet and warm up with Holiday Fireplace. Not everyone has a real fireplace in their home, but this app will make you feel like you do. The HD fireplace is gorgeous and relaxing to look at. This app also includes eight well known and jolly Christmas songs. Even better, you can stream the full HD fireplace and music right to your TV using Airplay. Holiday Fireplace is great for entertaining family, friends, or just you and your loved one.
• $0.99

  Mixologist™ Drink & Cocktail Recipes

  by Cocktail Recipes LLC

  Now that you are probably feeling more cheery in general, why not have some drinks? You have a full belly and are sitting by your "fireplace." Mixologist contains over 8,000 drink recipes, and one of them is sure to set the mood for you or your guests. Choose from one of the many drinks and cocktail recipes to relax and unwind from your long day or week. If you would prefer not to make drinks, Mixologist has a bar and liquor store locator. There are also non-alcoholic drinks for those who do not want alcohol (or are under 21 years of age), so there is a little something for everyone.
• Free

  Appygraph eCards: Personalized Digital Greeting Cards and Birthday Calendar

  by des p'tits bonheurs

  It wouldn't be Christmas without sending Christmas cards. Many people choose to send eCards and greetings more than traditional cards via snail mail these days. Appygraph is the perfect app to help you send beautiful eCards while saving paper, money, and time. There are over one hundred designs and tons of free cards available. It will only take you a couple of minutes to send gorgeous, personalized eCards via email or text. There is also a newer option to send via AirDrop, Twitter, and Flickr. We hope that you have fun with these apps and are feeling the Christmas spirit. From all of us here at AppAdvice, have a very Merry Christmas!