|
Click the image above to watch the video on YouTube!
|
|
Android Apps you shouldn't miss this week
|
|
|
|
|
YouTube VR
YouTube has released their official application for Daydream. It's sure to be a favorite with the VR community.
Download from Google Play
|
|
|
Android Auto
Android Auto isn't necessarily new, but it was rolled out to a ton of new devices this week. Worth a shot!
Download from Google Play
|
|
|
|
Astral Frontier
Astral Frontier is the latest jRPG from Kemco Games. It's an old school jRPG with some throwback fun!
Download from Google Play
|
|
|
PinOut
PinOut is a pinball game from the makers of Smash Hit and it's already one of the better pinball games.
Download from Google Play
|
|
|
|
|
|
Microsoft Selfie
Microsoft's ambitious new app called Microsoft Selfie aims to be the selfie app of choice. It's features light photo editing capabilities and tons of filters. It's having some early issues which should be ironed out eventually.
Download from Google Play
|
|
Headlines this week
- Facebook had a glitch this week that accidentally declared everyone dead. It only lasted about an hour. It affected a random assortment of people including Mark Zuckerberg. It was only around for about an hour but it has since been resolved. Facebook hasn't announced how or why the bug happened yet. Rest assured, your friends are probably still alive.
- It was announced this week that Google Chrome has been installed on two billion devices worldwide. That includes desktop and mobile. It's the first Google product that has been installed on that many devices. According to Google, about one billion of those installs are active users. Fun fact, Google now has seven services with over a billion installs. They are Chrome, Gmail, Google Play, Android, Maps, Search, and YouTube.
- The CEO of Niantic stated this week that there were still secrets inside of Pokemon Go that nobody has figured out yet. Of course, he didn't give any information as to what they may be so take that for what it's worth. Some have theorized that it has something to do with Ditto although there isn't much proof to go on. It could also have something to do with the 100 new Pokemon that were found in the APK of the latest update.
- Amazon has been ordered to reimburse customers $86 million due to unauthorized in-app purchases. This is the final verdict from a court case that started back in 2014. The court case revolved around kids being able to use them without parental consent. Both Google and Apple have had similar suits filed against them with $19 million and $32 million fines respectively. We bet Amazon is going to be more careful moving forward.
- The latest Humble Bundle is now live! The theme for this one is board games. You can pay $1 to get two games, $3 to get up to six games, and you can complete the bundle for a $5 or higher donation. There are a few really good board games up for grabs, including Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, and Catan. It's also a fantastic deal since Ticket to Ride alone costs $6.99. Of course, it's also a great way to give to charity.
- Xposed users were wondering if the framework would make it to Android Nougat. The developer released an update to let everyone know that it's in the works. The bad news is there are quite a few hurdles that need to be passed before anything stable can be released. Whether or not Xposed makes it to Android Nougat will depend on if these hurdles can be passed. Good luck Rovo89, we're all rooting for you. Pun intended.
- Vine has had some issues here lately but things may be looking up. Twitter is looking to sell off Vine instead of merely shutting it down. They're currently in talks with a few companies that may be interested in the service. Rumor has it that Twitter has narrowed down the suitor list to five potential candidates. We'll see how that turns out when more information surfaces.
- Square Enix reportedly made over $1 billion in sales mostly thanks to mobile games. The mobile game portion of sales were over $700 million alone. This is mostly thanks to titles such as Mobius Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Final Fantasy Record Keeper, and the assortment of expensive console ports from years passed. With Final Fantasy XV coming out later this month, we're sure that'll add to the pot and help balance things out.
- Google Play now officially has a trending section. This is a section dedicated to music, movies, books, etc that are hitting it big in the Play Store at any particular time. It's a good way to check out some new stuff and see what everyone else is talking about. It should be rolling out to everyone now.
- Google is instituting a new Safe Browsing policy where it will label repeat offenders. The idea is that sites will get the warning, reform, and then go back to their old ways once the warning was gone. Now, those sites will be labeled as repeat offenders and there will be warnings stating that. Here's hoping that helps sites reform for the better permanently.
- Google also purchased Leapdroid this week. Leapdroid has shut down development for now as they plan for their next step with Google.
- If you're looking for some excellent Daydream VR apps, we've got an early list of really good ones for you!
- Some recent stats have come out that show that the number of encrypted email users have doubled since Trump's victory as president.
|
|
App Updates
- Minecraft is getting a pretty significant update here soon that will a allow players to finally fight the Ender Dragon. This brings the game one step closer to the PC version.
- Google Photos received an update this week that allows you to create animations even while offline.
- Instagram is getting an update soon that will allow for live video streaming. The CEO confirmed as much earlier this week.
- Microsoft has introduced a new beta program for Skype. As a beta tester, also known as an Insider, you'll be able to test out the latest Skype stuff if you want to.
- Samsung Pay has officially extended its reaches to Canada via CIBC. Rejoice Canadians!
- Facebook is reportedly testing live video filters that will work similarly to Prisma. It's only available in a few countries at the moment.
- Twitter has received an update that officially includes Nougat multi-window support, shortcuts, and more.
- Skype now has what is called SMS Relay where you can read and reply to SMS and MMS messages on Skype from your phone number. This is a pretty big deal.
- YouTube is getting an interesting update that allows creators to pin comments to the top of their comment section. The idea is to make the comment section suck less. However, Google underestimates the potential for trolling in the comment section and this likely won't change anyone's behavior in a significant way. The good news is that content creators can help bury those comments at least a little bit by pinning good comments to the top.
- Google's Messenger app received an update this week that gives RCS functionality. Currently, it's only available on Nexus 6P and Pixel users on the Sprint network.
- Adobe Lightroom was updated to version 2.2 this week. Included is full RAW file support in preview mode.
- Yep, Android Pay added even MORE banks this last week!
- Facebook Messenger is now officially rolling out advertising. They'll come in the form of messages that can be sent to you by various brands that fork out for the ad space. It sucks, but it's reality now.
- Google Maps Map Maker is officially being retired. Some of its functionality will be rolled directly into Google Maps which is a good thing.
- Instagram was updated again this week. The new update includes Boomerang videos, mentions, and links to stories, along with more small tweaks.
- The latest WhatsApp beta is out and it includes two-step authentication!
|
|
Additional app releases, announcements, and deals
|
|
|
|
|