Friday, August 22, 2014

Fresh Meat: 10 new Android apps worth checking out

New apps need lovin’ too, right? Every day there are thousands of additions to the Google Play Store, but many go unnoticed and never receive the attention they deserve. We’ve shown in the past that this community can discover great apps and propel them to new heights. Our weekly Fresh Meat column highlights new apps with fewer than 100,000 installs. Browse our new Android app picks below and let us know which ones you enjoy.

Blur

Description: Blur is a custom launcher designed by Klinker Apps Inc. to bring you the most innovated experience on Android. With Blur, any developer can create a “Page” for their app that can be displayed right on your homescreen, just a swipe away.

The Art of Thinking Clearly

Description: The Secrets of Perfect Decision-Making, based on the million-copy bestselling book.

Rove

Description: Rove is an automated Journal. Automatically log your day and import your photos so you can save or share your best memories.

Afterlight

Description: Afterlight is the perfect image editing app for quick and straight-forward editing. Our simple design, paired with powerful and snappy tools, will give you the look you want in seconds.

Snap Clap

Description: With Snap Clap your mobile phone will become your personal photographer! Just place your device wherever you want, join your friends and clap hands. Your photo is ready! Simple steps to capture the best moments of your life! Snap Clap does the magic!

Snapshot

Description: Launch your camera instantly, also from locked phone! Just hold your phone as if you want to take a picture and turn screen (off and) on. Snapshot will automatically launch your camera app and you are ready to shoot!

Cabin

Description: Cabin is a private mobile network for families that lets you assign reminders, track locations and chat with your loved ones.

Ignore No More

Description: Ignore No More is an easy to install app that gives you control over your children’s phones. If your children ignore your repeated calls and text messages to reach them, you simply lock their phones until they call you back.

(Playboard) | (Play Store)

Zoe (Beta)

Description: Zoe is a simple way to create, share and remix professional quality highlight videos — and it’s even better when your friends pitch in. Choose the photos and videos you’d like to share, add a filter to give your highlight video a unique look and choose the perfect soundtrack.

Integrated Watch for Ingress

Description: Android Wear watch face with a nice Ingress theme. You can show off your level if you are level 9 or higher. Checkpoint and cycle countdown are included.

Coin's Bluetooth credit card stand-in will reach 10,000 lucky testers this fall

If you're one of the adventurous early adopters who pre-ordered Coin, you might finally get the chance to try it out. To recap: This Bluetooth-enabled piece of plastic acts as a stand-in for up to eight different cards, so that you only have to carry one when you're out and about. Until now, Coin has been available to beta testers, but only 1,000 of them -- a far cry from the multitudes who already placed pre-orders. (The startup sold 20,000 units alone in the first five hours its fundraising campaign was open.) Now, in an effort to fully QA the product before it hits stores, the company will expand its beta program to 10,000 people over the coming months. Which means you, dear reader, could finally get your hands on one.

As you might expect, the accompanying app will also become available, with the iOS version arriving next week, on August 28th, and the Android edition following a month later, on September 25th. Obviously, whichever OS you use, you'll need the application to store all your cards. By the way, this might be a good time to clarify that although the Coin device itself can store just eight accounts, the app can hold an unlimited number of cards. And that's not just credit cards, mind you, but debit, gift and loyalty cards, too. So, even if you choose not to put a card on your Coin device, you can still retrieve your card info at any time -- say, if you want to buy something online. The app has a clean UI too, with the cards arranged in a carousel. If you do need a certain card at the ready, you can swap cards on and off your Coin with the aid of a small connector that plugs into your phone's headphone jack. Basically, it looks like a Square reader, complete with a standard credit-card swipe slot.

After being treated to a brief demo, the initial setup process struck us as straightforward, if a bit tedious: You have to use your phone camera to photograph both the front and back of each card. You'll also have to manually enter some information to verify you are, in fact, the owner of the card. Then again, this is just a one-time step, and the actual device is very easy to use: Just press a button on your Coin to cycle through different cards. A small screen on the device itself will show you which card you're about to use -- the Visa ending in "1234," or maybe the Amex ending in "5678." If you're new to Coin, you might fear somewhat for the device's battery life, but the company claims it can last two years without a recharge, even with that low-power display. It's unclear what happens when the battery does eventually run out; CEO Kanishk Parashar says the company will have an upgrade plan in place by the time the first generation of devices need a refresh.

In addition to that first-time setup process, Coin will have other security features as well, including an alarm that tracks the number of times the card is swiped. You can also lock the device to just one card before you hand it over at a store or restaurant. A Bluetooth-powered leash will send you an alert if you start to walk away without your Coin. It also allows the device to automatically unlock when it's near a phone, but Parashar says that feature might not make it into the final edition. Also, if you use a chip-and-pin credit card (popular in Europe and other regions), Coin doesn't support those cards yet, but it's working on it. Stay tuned.

As a warning, entry into the beta program will favor people who pre-ordered the earliest. If you get a spot, you can either take it, or wait until the first-generation model ships early next year. If you do join the beta, the pre-order price you paid gets you a non-final, pre-production device; you can later buy the final edition for a discounted price of $30 (it will eventually retail for $100). That's important because if you choose not to participate in the beta, you're getting a final device for the pre-order price you paid. You'll miss out on early access, yes, but you also won't need to shell out an extra $30 just to get a complete, polished piece of hardware. Definitely something to think about.

Some other things you should know: Beta testers are entitled to a 50 percent discount on all Coin products for three years. And if you pre-order multiple Coins, you can also choose to give away the extras as gifts, and send them to your friends instead. Don't mistake this for a OnePlus One invite system, though; it's not like everyone will automatically have invitations to give away. In any case, we hope to test one ourselves, but until then, we've embedded the demo video below, in case you missed it the first time around -- noteveryone is an early adopter, after all.

Nokia Lumia 930

Dimensions	137 x 71 x 9.8mm
Weight	5.89 oz. (167g)
Screen size	5.0 inches
Screen resolution	1,920 x 1,080 (441 ppi)
Screen type	OLED ClearBlack; sunlight readability enhancement; high brightness mode; Gorilla Glass 3
Battery	2,420mAh Li-Ion (non-removable)
Internal storage	32GB
External storage	None
Rear camera	20MP Zeiss, OIS, f/2.4, wide-angle lens, AF
Front-facing cam	2MP sensor (1.2MP stills)
Video capture	1080p/30 fps (rear); 720p (front)
NFC	Yes (with secure element on SIM)
Radios	LTE Bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 GSM: (850/900/1800/1900) HSPA: (850/900/1900/2100)
Bluetooth	v4.0 LE
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974)
CPU	2.2GHz quad-core
GPU	Adreno 330
RAM	2GB
Miscellaneous	FM radio, GPS/GLONASS, micro-USB 2.0 HS, four-mic setup
WiFi	Dual-band, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Wireless Charging	Yes, Qi standard
Operating system	Windows Phone 8.1, Lumia Cyan