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Click the image above to watch the video on YouTube!
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Android Apps you shouldn't miss this week
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5217
5217 is a new app that allows you to work on a 52 minute schedule with 17 minute breaks to be more productive.
Download from Google Play
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The Rock Clock
The Rock Clock is a new alarm app that features Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. It's a hell of a way to stay motivated.
Download from Google Play
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UNCHARTED: Fortune Hunter
Nathan Drake makes his Android debut with this free-to-play puzzle-adventure game with over 200 puzzles to play!
Download from Google Play
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Battleborn Tap
Battleborn Tap is a new free-to-play game based on the popular PC and console series Battleborn!
Download from Google Play
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Google I/O 2016
Google I/O 2016 is fast approaching and the official app has been released. You'll be able to use the app to watch various events, plan your events (if you're going), see what's on the docket, get notification reminders, and pretty much any other tool needed for Google I/O!
Download from Google Play
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Headlines this week
- Humble Mobile Bundle is back this week with perhaps its best offering ever. Some of the hit games available in this one are This War of Mine, Adventures of Poco Eco, Broken Sword 5 Episodes 1 and 2, and Goat Simulator Goat Z. You'll have to pay $7 or more to get every game, but the total value of these games is well over $50. Definitely check this one out.
- In an effort to compete with Spotify, Apple Music is now 50% off for students. This comes after a variety of updates that helped improve functionality and stability which has made the app pretty decent. If you're a college student, the price for you is now $4.99 and you can start taking advantage of that immediately.
- The "paid apps for free" pirates have plead guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Their contributions to the piracy market cost developers an estimated $17 million. This is the first time mobile piracy has ever been prosecuted, but we won't know how bad the sentence will be until August 1st.
- Rockstar Games is having a sale on all of their Max Payne and Grand Theft Auto titles. This is an excellent time to pick up some of the better mobile games available today and you can get a few of them for up to 50% off. We don't know how long the sale will last so grab it while you can!
- Nintendo came out an explained why they chose Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem as their flagship games for this fall. They stated it's because it allows for the greatest diversity in game play while still using games that are popular and loved by players. We don't know how these games will be yet and Nintendo could do good if they make these games right.
- VR is continuing to get games support as the game Please, Don't Touch Anything is making its way to Oculus Rift and Gear VR sometime this month. If you have either headset, this is a fun little game that is worth a look when it gets released.
- Folks in India got some good news from Google Play this week. The Google Play Store will start rolling out support for carrier billing here soon, starting with Idea Cellular and expanding over time.
- Researches have found over 272 million email accounts that have been compromised with the usernames and passwords available to practically anyone for about a dollar. The numbers are quite staggering and affect people using Mail.ru, Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft predominately. Just as a security measure, it's probably a good idea to update your password sometime soon.
- Amazon is attempting to bolster their Amazon Underground platform by offering a $5 credit when you download select games. Some of the games include Fruit Ninja Academy, Flow Free, Simple Solitaire, and Simple Sudoku. The $5 credit can be used on physical products on Amazon and you'll have 10 days to spend it.
- The rumor mill is circulating a story that YouTube may be creating a paid cable television service that's slated for release in 2017. According to rumors, the service will be called Unplugged and it's been in progress since 2012. Apparently, all that's holding up the works is Google getting all the stations they want on the service on board.
- WhatsApp was banned again in Brazil this last week and came back up shortly thereafter. Initially, it was meant as a 72-hour ban as punishment for encrypting all of its messages. The ban was lifted about 24 hours later and everything is back to normal. For now, anyway.
- AR games are quickly taking off with the hype around Pokemon Go being so ridiculous as it is. Another developer is creating a monster battling AR game that is now on Kickstarter. It's called HoloGrid and the idea is to create a grid on AR and then populate it with monsters which you can have attack each other. It's interesting, that's for sure.
- PieMessage is a new application that allows you to have iMessage on your Android device. Unlike most, which uses remote servers that could be a security risk, PieMessage uses your Mac computer as an intermediary and sends the messages from your Mac to your phone. It requires your computer being on at all times, but it does work.
- Google acquired Synergyse this last week for an undisclosed amount. The Chrome extension helps people learn how to use various things and Google will likely use it to help people learn Chrome, ChromeOS, and Google apps faster.
- Facebook Messenger is reportedly getting self-destructing messages. The idea, obviously, is to make messaging more secure and secretive for those that want a feature like that. We don't know when this will roll out or even if it's real, but it could be a fun feature.
- If you really liked the merged tabs and apps feature in Chrome Browser for Android, here's a tutorial on how to re-enable it.
- This week's Android Customization post by Johnny Feist will show you how to use Tasker to make your phone wake when you shake it!
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App Updates this week
- Evernote received an update this week that added a few new features, including document scanning and annotation.
- Waze received an update this week that allows you to change the navigation voice to T-Pain and it's hilariously awesome.
- Netflix has been busy adding some new features and one of the new ones this week is the ability to configure the service to use less of your mobile data. This is great news for those who have limited data caps. You can find the new settings under App Settings, then Cellular Data Usage.
- Periscope got a bit update this week that allows you to save your live broadcasts for other uses.
- Google Slides received an update this week that allows you to do Q&As where the audience can ask and vote for questions. Nifty!
- Nova Launcher 4.3 has left beta and is now available to everyone. It includes a number of Android N style features, including Night Mode, theme elements, and, of course, bug fixes and performance improvements over 4.2. Grab it while it's hot!
- YouTube has received an update this week that adds the autoplay feature for upcoming videos to the app.
- Opera Mini for Android received an update that now adds ad blocker support.
- Twitter got an update this week that adds a new Connect tab. It's a relatively old feature, but it's becoming official on mobile. The company has also promised better follow recommendations.
- Uber has added Android Pay support to its platform so you can pay with that on your next ride.
- Google Keyboard got a sizable update to version 5.0 this week that includes an emoji bar, one handed mode, adjustable height, and many more.
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