Welcome back to Android Gaming Weekly, our weekly recap of new game releases. We still plan to cover upcoming releases and games we’re playing, but this column is dedicated to new games that you can start playing right now. Check out our top picks and let us know in the comments section if you have any suggestions for next week’s post.

Pac-Man 256

Description: Cherries are red. Ghosts are blue. Munch a power pellet. Get Lasers too! PAC-MAN 256 is the maze that never ends. But the Glitch is coming for you…

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The Path to Luma

Description:  SAM, our galaxy-traversing Sustainability Augmentation Model, needs your help on a mission to save the galaxy and the Chroma civilization! Explore and manipulate wondrous worlds to unlock the life-giving sources of clean energy hidden within each planet.

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LEGO® Batman: Beyond Gotham

Description: Play as Batman and join forces with characters from the DC Comics universe as you blast off to outer space to stop the evil Brainiac from destroying Earth.

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Football Clash

Description:  In this addictive football game you can play offline against your friends or against the computer. Choose your favorite team from 16 teams and win the big single player tournament. Get the trophy!

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UPong

Description: It is a fast reaction game. Where you are trying to push the ball as far as you can for a high score. You can use only small rocket (like in Pong). There are levels with different difficulty of obstacles.

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Clicker Heroes

Description: The massive hit game from Steam and PC browsers comes to mobile with new features! Clicker Heroes is the idle RPG that started the subgenre! Embark on your quest and begin a simple, yet incredibly fun adventure.

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Cartoon Survivor

Description: Cartoon Survivor is a vibrant 3D adventure runner set in a dynamic prehistoric world. You must run, jump and glide your way through hazardous obstacle courses full of feisty creatures like dinosaurs, mammoths, tigers and snakes.

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Tactile Wars

Description: Become the general of an army of mini-soldier pigments, armed with paint guns! The objective of this strategy arcade game is clear: CONQUER the other players’ territories with colourful blasts of paint!

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Party!Party!Party!

Description: Party!Party!Party! is a simple and compelling puzzle game. Join the hands, connect everyone together and complete the Party! With party puzzles ranging in difficulty from genial to Herculean, there is something to challenge everyone.

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Dinofour

Description:   Dinofour is an exciting, retro-styled, puzzle/platforming adventure! Play as four Dinosaur pals, each with their own unique special ability they must use to solve a series of challenging puzzles.

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Google today announced the newest Android Wear update, which adds a couple of major new features and another, smaller goodie specifically for LG G Watch R owners.

First up, Android Wear now supports interactive watch faces. These use complications to let you quickly access information from your main watch face. Google showed off three examples of these interactive watch faces:

• Bits: A watch face with lots of round circles that can display things like upcoming calendar appointments, step count, unread messages, weather, and more.

• Under Armour: A fitness-focused watch face that’ll display time as well as step count, distance, and calories burned.

• Together: A unique watch face that you can pair with a partner and then be able to quickly share photos, emoji, and more.

Google is also throwing Translate support into Android Wear with this update. This feature will let you speak into your watch and have your words translated into 1 of 44 languages. You can then show the watch to someone else, have them respond to you, and then flip your watch back to you to see what the other person said.

Finally, this update adds Wi-Fi support to the LG G Watch R. This feature was added to other Android Wear phones in a previous update, enabling them to receive notifications from their paired phone when the two devices are out of Bluetooth range.

So yeah, this is a pretty big update. Interactive watch faces will allow devs to create even more interesting, useful watch faces, and we’re looking forward to seeing what kind new faces are released following this update. Google Translate is another major feature, making it easier for you to communicate with someone else that’s using another language since you don’t have to fumble around with your phone.

Google says that this Android Wear update will roll out over the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for it.

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If you like selfies as much as Huawei does, then the manufacturer would like to introduce you to a brand new smartphone.

It’s called the Honor 7i, and it’s available right now in China. While the Honor 7i looks like a familiar device at face value, there’s a feature that might make some selfie-lovers, well, flip. Instead of including two separate cameras in their newest smartphone, Huawei decided to go with a camera that swivels, similar in idea to the Oppo N1. This camera actually extends a bit up from the top of the device when it’s swiveled to the front, though, as showcased in the image within this post.

The camera is a 13MP shooter with a f/2.0 aperture and a 28mm wide angle lens. There’s a dual-tone flash that’s installed on the swiveling part of the camera as well, so those selfies will have plenty of light enhancements when the time calls for it.

Another noteworthy feature: There’s a fingerprint sensor, but Huawei actually put it on the side of the handset, something quite different from other companies out there.

The Honor 7i includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor under the hood, and the display is a 5.2-inch 1080p HD panel. There are two models: a 16GB variant with 2GB of RAM, or a 32GB model with 3GB of RAM. Both come with a battery measured in at 3100mAh. It comes in silver or gold, and prices start at $250. It’s available right now in China, but there’s no mention on whether or not it will ever launch in other markets.

What do you think of the Honor 7i?

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Google Now On Tap was one of the more exciting announcements at this year’s Google I/O event, allowing Android users to access Google Now for immediate, contextually relevant information on anything they might be searching for or talking about on their Android-based device. Not to be outdone, though, Microsoft has updated one of its apps to bring similar features to Android devices — even before Google does.

Recently, Microsoft updated its Bing Search app for Android that offers what the company calls “snapshots.” With snapshots, users can press and hold their Home button with the Bing Search app installed, and a card will pop up over whatever app you might have been using. That card will show information based on what you were looking at, just like Google Now On Tap, and Microsoft indicates that information will be gathered from Wikipedia, Airbnb, Yelp and probably other sources.

Bing snapshots can even show more information about the weather, too.

If you want to try out Bing Search and the new snapshots feature, you’ll need to be running Android 4.4 or higher and have the latest version of the app on your device. For those that have been waiting to try out Google Now On Tap, this might be a nice alternative until that launches with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Unless you’re completely against using Bing, of course.

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MobileGo from Wondershare is kind of two products. The first, the MobileGo app for Android, is a device cleaning and optimization app with a bunch of features to help speed up and boost your phone’s performance. The second is a companion app for the PC that provides a slew of features and tools for managing your Android device.

You can use the free MobileGo Android app as a standalone product if you wish. It comprises an app manager and device optimization tools, as well as a section dedicated to troubleshooting system issues you may face.

The app manager allows you to see how much space each app is eating up and individually or bulk uninstall them. The optimization tools can provide a memory boost by clearing background processes and removing any junk files and caches that are unnecessary and causing lag. I’m always skeptical of how well these apps work as many background processes immediately begin running again after the scan has stopped, and it’s just the same with MobileGo.

There’s also a home screen widget that provides quick access to the RAM boosting feature with a swipe and a quick-access sheet of toggles providing access to your device’s settings and features like the camera and flashlight that can be slid in from the right. It replicates a lot of the settings found within the notification drawer, but there are some extras in there.

The “Mobile Pros” section, featuring Android FAQs and troubleshooting trips, is handy if your issue has been discussed by other MobileGo users. There are a number of device specific topics and recommended solutions, but I kept forgetting this section was present and defaulted to searching the web. Depending on your experience, you might find some useful tips in there.

In the MobileGo app, you can also manage your files, identify areas where the majority of your storage is being taken and selectively delete image, video and audio files. One neat feature of MobileGo is its ability to find similar looking photos in your library, easily allowing you to spot files that could be deleted to save space.

As far as the UI goes, it’s easy enough to understand. There are some features hidden away in the settings, but with a little exploration and you’ll have MobileGo figured out.

MobileGo goes beyond just a device optmization and media management app though. The app extends to the desktop with a Windows app that provides more tools for your Android device. On the desktop, you can backup or restore your device, manage your media and apps, transfer data between phones, and more.

To access all of MobileGo’s features on the desktop, you’ll of course have to be comfortable enabling USB debugging on the desired device. Once done, connecting is easily achieved over USB or Wi-Fi (with an on-screen QR code for easy pairing).

The management tools in MobileGo on the desktop are comprehensive. It’s great to have a tool that is able to manage everything from apps to contacts to media as well as backing up and restoring. For music, MobileGo plays nice with iTunes if that’s important to you and backing up is easily done with one click. You can even send SMS messages via your PC when your phone is connected and mirror your phone’s screen on your laptop or desktop machine.

Important for many is the ability to root their devices. Rooting comes with its own set of pros and cons, but MobileGo can root your device for you in a simple process that also requires only one click.

MobileGo’s desktop software works well enough and is straightforward. I only encountered a couple of bugs and hiccups during testing but like the mobile app, a little exploration goes a long way. MobileGo supports most handsets from all the major OEMs but if you’re unsure if yours is on the list, you can find out here.

The main drawback to using MobileGo on the desktop is the required Wondershare Passport account. Users can sign up for one with their email, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ credentials and use it across Wondershare’s products, but doing so might not be for everyone.

MobileGo for Android is available free from Google Play and the Windows client can also be grabbed for free from the MobileGo site.

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Sony has released a few different smartwatch models over the years, but they’ve also got the SmartBand, a life-logging wearable that can also alert you when your phone wants your attention. And today the new version of that device, the SmartBand 2, is official.

Like the original SmartBand, the new SmartBand 2 can track your activities thanks to its accelerometer and heart rate sensors. The wearable can monitor your pulse and heart rate levels, track your activities, automatically detect your sleep, and even wake you up with a vibration at a time determined by your sleep cycle. All of this information can then be viewed in Sony’s Lifelog companion app.

The SmartBand 2 can also alert you when notifications for things like messages, calls, and Tweets come into your connected phone or tablet. It does so using vibrations and pulsing RGB LEDs. The SmartBand 2 can control music on your connected device as well, and if you’ve got a Sony Xperia phone or tablet, the SmartBand 2 will alert you when you’re more than 10 meters away from your Xperia.

The Sony SmartBand 2 is compatible with devices on Android 4.4 and up, and Sony says that it’ll get 10 hours of continuous use, 2 days of normal use, and 5 days of battery life in Stamina Mode. The body of the SmartBand 2 is IP68-rated, meaning that it’s dust-resistant and can also withstand being in up to 3 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.

Sony’s new SmartBand 2 will be available in 60 countries around the globe starting in September 2015 at a price of approximately 119 EUR ($132 USD). It’ll be sold with black, white, pink, or indigo bands that are interchangeable.

There are countless smartwatches and fitness trackers out there, but the Sony SmartBand 2 appears to be a device that sits in the middle of those two markets, offering features from both while trying to be easy on the wallet. And while we can’t make any judgments on how well it performs until we get some wrist-on time with a unit, the SmartBand 2 looks like a nice little band that doesn’t scream “Hey, I’m a smart wearable!” So if you’re looking for a subtle device for activity tracking and notifications, keep an eye out for the SmartBand 2 starting next month.

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When offered the opportunity to review the ZTE Spro 2 smart projector, I jumped on it. Isn’t Android and Me an Android site, though? Yes it is, my friend. The Spro 2 runs Android in a way that’s very familiar way to all of us Android fans while being hardware that is mostly unique in the Android world. It runs Android, it has a 6,300mAh battery, it’s a mobile hotspot, and it’s a projector. Yes, please.

I received the ZTE Spro 2 exactly five days ago while on a little vacation to attend my brother-in-law’s wedding. It has already demonstrated the convenience of this type of device in two of the major ways it was intended: as a smart projector and a mobile hotspot.

On Friday, my wife and many other members of her family were setting up for the wedding. I was free labor. Kids were running wild everywhere. It was the complete opposite of a nice, relaxing vacation. Then the ZTE Spro 2 arrived. I found a vacant room, unboxed the Spro 2, signed in with my Google Play account, and immediately started projecting Big Hero 6 for the kids. The Spro 2 did not get me out of being used as free labor, but it was 50 times easier without kids getting in the way. The Verizon mobile connectivity of the Spro 2 and its 6,300mAh battery worked brilliantly. It even has a built-in speaker that was loud enough to be heard over a bunch of noisy kids. The portability of this device is fantastic. It saved the day, or at least a bit of my sanity.

On the way home from the wedding, we drove from Seattle to San Francisco. I’m too poor to fork out the money to buy plane tickets for my family of 5, so we drove. It’s about a 13 hour drive (without stopping) and the kids quickly grew tired of the apps I loaded onto the non-data connected Android devices we let them use for the trip. Good time to try out the Spro 2 as a mobile hotspot, right? The Spro 2 is available on AT&T and Verizon’s networks, and we were provided a Verizon-connected Spro 2. Again, the Spro 2 worked brilliantly on Verizon’s network. I think partnering with Verizon for this device was a brilliant move for ZTE. My kids love the YouTube Kids app, and they watched YouTube videos for much of a drive. Only one time in the 13 hours of driving did my kid notice an issue with connectivity, which was due to being in the middle of nowhere and not because of radio issues with the Spro 2.

The ZTE Spro 2 is currently residing on top of my headboard. The headboard has about an 8-inch shelf on the top, which is plenty of room for the Spro 2. I’m not sure how big the wall is that the Spro 2 is projecting on, but it’s a heck of a lot bigger than my 26-inch Vizio TV on the other side of the room. I have Hulu Plus installed on the device and have been using it to binge watch the full series of Seinfeld as I fall asleep at night. There’s also a companion app for the Spro 2 that allows me to control the Spro 2 from my phone. It basically mirrors what’s on the Spro 2 display, so any function the Spro 2 has can be handled from your phone. This makes the Spro 2 convenient to use from the comfort of my bed, only requiring you to be on the same network as the Spro 2 mobile hotspot.

I don’t have a nice screen to project on, but the Spro 2 projects bright enough and well enough that I can enjoy whatever video or show I show with it. It even has auto-focus and keystone correction, which is something I had never heard of until now. If you’re projecting on a surface that isn’t perpendicular to your projector, like projecting at an angle onto the ceiling, it automatically skews the image so it appears rectangular. Although the keystone correction is probably not unique to the Spro 2, the feature works well and it’s quite impressive, having never experienced it before.

The ZTE Spro 2 is running an overhauled version Android 4.4. It has a launcher that works conviently for its use as a projector, with a projector settings app that’s separate from the regular Android settings menu. I think the projector is a great application for Android. When using it, it feels like you’re using an insanely thick tablet with a 5-inch display that’s also a projector. I’m really digging the projector, and it’s making me really think I want to get one. I can totally see the convenience of a smart mobile hotspot projector for the traveling salesman or a family on-the-go, but that doesn’t sound like *most* people. I’m trying to decide if this Spro 2 at $500-$600 is worth it compared to a cheap $100 projector with a Chomecast stuck in it.

As a device, the ZTE Spro 2 is great. I have very few complaints about it, and those are mostly small annoyances. Here are the prices: The Spro 2 is available now from ZTE USA’s website and Amazon (Verizon version) for $599.99 plus tax, and from AT&T for $499.99 with no contract or $399.99 with a 2-year contract. Interestingly, I can’t find the ZTE Spro 2 on Verizon Wireless’s website. I’m not sure if the price is steep or not. I’ll have to do my homework to compare the specs to other projectors and mobile hotspots to form an opinion on the price.

So, now I need your help a bit. I still have more than a week still with the device, and I want to hear what you want to know about the ZTE Spro 2. I’ve never reviewed or owned a projector before, so if you have a feature you want me to test out or something you want to make sure I touch on in the full review, please let me know by commenting below.

How do you feel about the ZTE Spro 2? What do you think of the price? Would the Spro 2 be a great fit for your work or family life? Or does it seem a little excessive? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Rejoice, Verizon HTC One M9 users, because your Android 5.1 update is nearly here.

HTC’s Mo Versi says that the Android 5.1 update for Verizon’s One M9 has been approved and that it’ll begin rolling out tomorrow, August 20. Along with Android 5.1, the update will include a Stagefright patch and will enable bands 3 and 7 for roaming.

HTC One (M9) Verizon customers! Received approval for L5.1 which will OTA out tomorrow. Includes Stagefright fix,Band 3 & 7 enabled -roaming

— Mo Versi (@moversi) August 19, 2015

Verizon One M9 owners have had to sit idly by and watch One M9 owners on other carriers enjoy Android 5.1 for several weeks now, but thankfully that’ll come to an end starting tomorrow. And while updates like these are typically staggered, meaning that not every Verizon One M9 owner will get it tomorrow, at least we know that the update is at least starting to go out.

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HTC hasn’t exactly been innovating much in the last few years. Its flagship devices have been great, but the last three have featured the same name, the same exterior styling, and the same specs as every other flagship. It seems that HTC might know that it needs to freshen the brand up a bit, as it’s rumored that the next flagship will be called the HTC O2.

Along with a new name, hopefully we’ll be seeing a new design that will entice people to buy HTC devices again. Inside it’s rumored to sport a quad-core Snapdragon 820, which opts for four cores made with Samsung’s FinFET 14nm process instead of the more conventional eight cores. With that there will be 4GB of RAM.

The name definitely isn’t a bad one, though it might cause confusion wherever the carrier O2 operates. Maybe a better name should be considered. But at least HTC is changing things up. What do you think of this development? Leave a comment!

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Google released a new preview build of Android 6.0 Marshmallow just two days ago, but it seems something was forgotten or left unfixed. Now Google has posted new image files for the Marshmallow preview, bumping the build from MPA44G to MPA44I.

If you want to manually flash the new build, hit the source link to get it for the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and Nexus Player. If Google decided to release a new build so quickly, it’s probably important enough to update your device.

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