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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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Marsbot
Marsbot is a new app from the makers of Foursquare that helps you discover new places to go.
Download from Google Play
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Surfy Browser
Surfy Browser is a new browser in beta that includes security and privacy features, and tons of features.
Download from Google Play
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The Bug Butcher
The Bug Butcher is an action shooter where your job is to exterminate bugs. Lots of bugs. Also, giant bugs.
Download from Google Play
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Plants vs Zombies: Heroes
The latest game in the mega popular Plants vs Zombies franchise features heroes with ridiculous powers!
Download from Google Play
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Wallpapers
Wallpapers by Google is a new wallpaper app that was originally featured on the Pixel. Unlike the Pixel Launcher, this one is available to most people and includes all kinds of awesome, high resolution backgrounds!
Download from Google Play
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Headlines this week
- The Elder Scrolls: Legends was briefly available in the Google Play Store this week. Apparently, the game was never meant to be uploaded to the Play Store. It's actually a tablet test version of the game. For those who don't know, Legends is a card dueling game similar to Hearthstone or Clash Royale. The difference being that this takes place in the Elder Scrolls universe. It was released a while back on PC if you want to try it out for now.
- Google Play has updated their metadata rules to help apps be more user friendly. Some of the new rules include carpet bans on nudity, violence, vulgar language, and drug use. Along with the new rules, Google has released a new set of guidelines for apps to follow. Some of those includes a higher focus on what makes an app special, less keyword stuffing, and a focus on making the content suitable for a general audience. These rules have already gone live.
- Google revealed the winners of their 2016 Material Design Awards this week. There were a few categories, including Charming Engagement, Focused Efficiency, Expressive Layouts, Creative Navigation, and Brand Infusion. The winners of those categories were Fabulous, Aribnb, Kitchen Stories, C Channel, and Asana, respectively. All winners will be officially recognized for their achievement at the SPAN LA conference on October 27th.
- Candy Crush is set to get a TV show soon. Reports say that the show will feature teams of two people who will be running around on a giant, interactive game board in order to play Candy Crush. It'll be produced by Lionsgate and air on CBS. Word is that it'll be on the day time schedule alongside shows like The Price Is Right and Let's Make a Deal. There's no word yet on when it'll air, but it's going to be interesting, that's for sure.
- Google Assistant now features a surprise trivia game! Unfortunately, only owners of the Pixel and Pixel XL can get in on it.
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App Updates and Announcements this week
- Android Pay has added an additional 30 banks to its supported list. Most of them are smaller institutions. It was also launched in Hong Kong this week!
- Plex has received a huge update to version 5.0. Included in this update is a redesigned sync management screen, synced playlists, and tons of other tweaks, performance updates, and more. The addition of the Plex Media server to the app is probably the most notable change. There are also additions and improvements for Android TV and Fire TV. It's one of the best home media streaming services out there and remains so after this update.
- A new update to Google Keep will let you pin your notes. These notes will always appear at the top of the list so you can find them quickly!
- OneNote got an update this week and it now supports Nougat's multi-window feature. There were also several other tweaks, improvements, and things added.
- The Google App is currently beta testing a new feature called the Upcoming tab. This tab will scan your Gmail and Calendar and provide you with a quick snapchat of what's coming up on your schedule.
- The GlassDoor app received an update this week. Along with it came a new feature that can calculate whether or not you make enough money.
- Pokemon Go received a new update this week that will not stop you from playing in cars. If the game detects you going faster than 30mph, the game will cease to function normally and you won't see any Pokemon while driving.
- Google Flights received a minor update this last week that will help you find the cheapest flights. It's a web-only service, but it should work for everyone!
- Chrome Remote Desktop is already a powerful tool and it's getting better. The latest update now adds audio streaming between devices!
- SwiftKey received a backend update this last week that adds AI-powered predictions for Spanish, French, and German. This is in addition to English and other languages that were already supported by the new prediction engine.
- Gameloft has officially launched a page for their upcoming Asphalt Xtreme title. That means that an official release is likely around the corner. You can pre-register on Google Play, iTunes, and even Microsoft if you want to.
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App Deals and Additional Releases
- Minecraft: Story Mode's Episode One is now free in the Google Play Store. That means you can download and play through the first episode before you decide to buy any additional episodes!
- Google has launched a Canary build for Google Chrome to the Google Play Store. These are super early releases and will likely feature tons of bugs. However, you will get to see the very latest stuff being tested for Google Chrome on Android.
- Google's Pixel Launcher; has been officially released on the Play Store. The good news is that it's there. The bad news is that you won't be able to download it unless you have a Pixel device. This is very similar to how Google did the Google Launcher so we wouldn't be shocked if this were made available to everyone sooner or later. For now, it's a good sign that it's in the Play Store and Pixel owners will certainly get faster updates this way.
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