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.

Swords & Crossbones

Description: Swords and Crossbones: An Epic Pirate Story is a comedic role play adventure. Duke A. Blizzardo the most feared pirate in all the seas has kidnapped your friend and employer. Hook up with a zany crew of swindlers, cut throats, and hooligans in this whirlwind adventure involving ancient treasure, pirate lords, tourism, killer parrots, and mad mad monkeys.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Blobsy

Description:  In this awesome endless arcade shooter you try to hold your ground against the massive forces of the slime king. With many different monster types and endless waves you will never go bored.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Sky Pets

Description: Let the fur fly with Sky Pets! Dive through the skies. Dodge dangerous obstacles. The stars fell from space and ripped apart the earth! It’s up to our pets to rescue the fallen stars!

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

LEGO® Scooby-Doo Haunted Isle

Description:  Play as Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, or Fred, and help Scooby-Doo find the missing pieces of the LEGO key, recover the lost treasures, unmask the villains, and solve the many mysteries of Haunted Isle.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Match Attack

Description: Help Doo-Bear on his quest to save his friends and girlfriend Nuna from the evil Dragor by finding card matches while being attacked. This game gets intense. This is match making with a twist. Fight by winning fast enough to reach Dragor himself and have an all out war til the end.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Cave Blast

Description: Little piglet is stuck in a mysterious cave only with his jetpack and mighty pistol. Help it survive for as long as possible while fighting hordes of evil monsters, collecting powerups and various crazy weapons.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Raft Bros

Description: Help the Raft Bros get all the fruits and save the wo- well, their salary at least! Test your rowing and fruit-grabbing skills with this *slightly* hard arcade game! Enjoy the blocky, tanned complexion of the wacky inhabitants of Isle Ponipo!

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Tap Rising

Description: The big scary Block.K has kidnapped your princess,and all of the sudden, blocks started to fall from sky! Chase the Block.K over the universe and set unbreakable record.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Bridge Constructor Stunts

Description: Build imposing ramps and loops to reach your goal in the diverse stages. But building structures alone isn’t enough this time: you sit behind the wheel of the vehicles yourself and have to maneuver them skillfully to the goal.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Mission-S

Description:   Mission-S has three helicopters (Hawk, Apache, and Viper). Each helicopter has a certain number of levels, so you must complete these levels before fighting with a new helicopter. This retro helicopter game is madly addictive and can get you extremely challenged.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1Zhu5K6
via IFTTT

How much would you be willing to pay for a pocketable camera that takes DSLR-quality pictures? Does $1,699 sound reasonable? A new company named Light is working on an Android-powered camera that features 16 lenses and sensors that work in unison to “capture more data in every shot,” resulting in computationally rendered 52-megapixel images. On top of that, the varying focal lengths (ranging from 35mm-150mm) of the 16 different lenses allow you to tweak the depth of field and focal point after the image has been captured. The Light L16 is essentially a mix between the HTC One M8 (minus the phone) and the Lytro camera with a dose of Hulk serum.

The Light L16 camera features a 5-inch touchscreen display, a xenon flash and a dedicated camera shutter button. The body of the L16 is roughly the same size of a Nexus 6, but the 16 folded optics, horizontally stacked camera lenses and sensors do increase the thickness substantially.

Gallery

The promise of a pocketable super camera is quite intriguing. The Light L16 will sell for $1,699 when it does on sale in mid 2016, but Light is offering a $400 discount to anyone who’s willing to reserve the L16 during the month of October. There’s no guarantee that the Light L16 will fare any better than the two different cameras Lytro has released, but it’s exciting to see startups willing to step into the imaging arena and challenge the entrenched players with new concepts.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1GykG5o
via IFTTT

Verizon’s unlimited data plan was a steal back in the day, but things are about to change for those who have been relying on Verizon’s $29.99 unlimited plans for the past few years. Verizon has confirmed that the monthly price tag for its grandfathered $29.99 unlimited data plan will increase to $49.99 starting in November. Customers who have managed to hold on to their unlimited data plans will be given the option to pay an extra $20 to retain their unlimited tier or pick between Verizon’s new S/M/L/XL/XXL shared data plan options.

While we know many of you have held on to your unlimited data plans from Verizon, we expect the price hike will force many to reconsider Verizon’s other data options or even look at T-Mobile or Sprint, as their unlimited data options are astonishingly cheap in comparison. We know that Verizon is trying to simply its lineup of services, but we have a feeling it will be losing loyal customers in the process.

Are you currently on Verizon’s unlimited data plan? Will you be switching to one of their shared data option, keeping your current plan for $49.99 or are you considering making the jump to another service provider?

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1MhizsS
via IFTTT

One of the worries that people often have is that of losing information. Whether it’s text messages, photos or something else, people don’t want to lose their digitally-stored information. To make it easier to preserve your information, WhatsApp has worked with Google to make it easy to create a private backup of WhatsApp chat history, voice messages, photos, and videos in Google Drive.

Creating a backup in Google Drive removes the possibility of losing your phone and losing all of your memories with it. The best part about it is that WhatsApp users simply have to enable the feature and choose how often to back things up, whether that’s daily, weekly or monthly. It’s extremely simple, private and useful, saving all of your memories and information even if something should happen to your phone.

The feature is only available on Android and will roll out over the next few months. Users should check their settings to see if its rolled out to them yet.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1j8OgsF
via IFTTT

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.

Adobe Illustrator Draw

Description: Create finished vector illustrations with easy and intuitive touch controls. Send your artwork as layered files to Adobe Illustrator CC or as flat images to Photoshop CC.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

 Recent News

Description: Recent is a smart news app that provides your news, customized, now. It’s powered by artificial intelligence that learns your interests, suggests relevant articles, and proposes topics you might like to follow.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

ClickMe – Reminder in a click

Description: ClickMe enables you to capture any reminder in a matter of seconds. Click#1: Capture the content. Click#2: Select a time frame. It’s that simple! Whether it’s a contact you need to get back to, a screenshot of that important e-mail from your boss that you must reply to, or a voice note for when you’re on your way to work.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Cosmic-Watch

Description: COSMIC WATCH is the worlds first and most advanced interactive 3D astronomical time device in the digital age!

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Adobe Capture CC

Description: Quickly capture, edit and share uniquely crafted design assets — including brushes, colors, filters and shapes — to use in apps like Adobe Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC. It’s Brush CC, Color CC and Shape CC, all in one place.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

InstantReplay Sideline Video

Description: It’s all about winning. Give your team the in-game intelligence edge it needs to crush the competition. InstantReplay lets you record from the pressbox, or any other spot, and immediately watch video of previous plays on the sideline.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

Core Watch Face

Description: Core Watch Face for Android Wear! Features of Core Watch Face :Choose design colors, Day & Month, Watch battery, Mobile battery, Weather, Daily step count, Heartbeat frequency, Unread SMS, Unread Email from Gmail, Missed calls.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

SHOWTIME

Description: A new way to get SHOWTIME® is here, and you can try it FREE for 30 days! Simply download the SHOWTIME app and sign up. 

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

go90

Description: Whatever you’re doing right now, there’s something better. Like watching, discovering, cutting and sharing television shows, live music and sports, plus the best videos from the web — straight from your phone. And all for free.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

 ZenWatch FaceDesigner

Description: ZenWatch FaceDesigner is an ASUS wearable application that’s fully-compatible with Android Wear. It lets you create exclusive watch faces for your ZenWatch in three easy steps.

//playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1ZcPBzC
via IFTTT

Google today introduced its own take on Facebook Instant Articles known as Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). The AMP project is meant to get you to web pages faster than you’d normally access them, while keeping all of the videos, GIFs, images, and ads intact.

The way AMP works is that participating publishers — which include the likes of The New York Times, Vox Media, BuzzFeed, The Wall Street Journal, and more — can have lightweight versions of their stories that load in an instant. When you click on this link, which is currently the only way to preview AMP, you can search for content and then be presented with a carousel of AMP-ified pages. Clicking on one of the posts will load all of the content quickly. Platforms like Nuzzel, Pinterest, and Twitter plan to support AMP, too.

Over time, Google plans to work with others to improve AMP HTML pages that continue to integrate animations, videos, and other rich content the way that the publishers intend. The same goes for ads, and Google notes that publishers can use their ad networks while using AMP HTML, and Google will work with them to ensure that AMP HTML’s speed remains intact. Finally, Google says that with AMP, it’s creating a new high performance (and free) global cache that’ll let AMP content be served instantly regardless of where the content was created or where it’s being read.

Lately we’ve seen several efforts at speeding up web content and offering consumers a better reading experience. Apple has Apple News, Facebook has Instant Articles, and Google now has its open Accelerated Mobile Pages project. In my use, AMP works pretty well, highlighting compatible web pages in a carousel and loading those pages pretty darn quickly. What will be interesting is seeing if Google’s AMP can catch on more than Apple and Facebook’s offerings due to its open framework that’s built on existing web tech.

Again, if you’d like to try AMP right now, click this link from a mobile device and then search for something like BuzzFeed or The New York Times.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1Lz15cB
via IFTTT

The Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P are official, and while they’re certainly affordable for their specs, some folks may want something even cheaper. Enter the Nexus 6.

The Nexus 6 is now available for $299.99 from eBay seller mobilepros1. The phone is the 32GB Midnight Blue model, and buyers will receive a new, factory unlocked phone. Free shipping is included, too.

Obviously the Nexus 6 isn’t the latest and greatest Nexus phone anymore, but at $300, it’s still a solid smartphone that’s got a large, Quad HD display. Plus, it is still a Nexus phone, which means you’ll get swift Android OS updates directly from Google, including the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update that’s rolling out now.

So, who’s buying?

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1PiFcxP
via IFTTT

Breast Cancer Awareness month is happening, so bring on the pink merchandise! HTC is now selling a pink One M9 smartphone to participate. It’s the same One M9 everyone knows, but it comes in pink with or without a ribbon imprinted on the back.

It seems that a portion of the proceeds will not be going to charity, as HTC has not stated so, but the company has donated $25,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The pink One M9 is just to bring awareness, show support, and potentially clean out some inventory. Still, the company’s donation is appreciated.

The price sits at $649.99 with or without the ribbon, but you also get a $100 Google Play gift card and a pink HTC Dot View Ice case for free. It’s a steep price, but if you like pink, now is your chance.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1LgDoQ7
via IFTTT

It looks like Nexus devices aren’t the only ones getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow right now. Though many companies have announced their plans for the Marshmallow update, some Android One devices in some regions are already receiving it.

Android One is a budget line of devices made for various countries, offering rock bottom prices and stock Android, which makes sense why they’re getting the update first. The Micromax Canvas A1, Spice Dream UNO, and Karbon Sparkle V are all getting the latest version of Android in India and the Philippines.

If you’re the owner of one of these devices, prepare for a ~340MB update and the latest and greatest version of Android. If you manage to download the update, let us know how it goes!

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1QXufjz
via IFTTT

As part of its move to simplify processes and make things easier for users, Google has added a very useful feature to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Users can now translate text directly within select apps. If a user has Translate installed on their device that’s running Marshmallow, they can simply go to a supported app, select the desired text and then press the translate option that will appear beside the options of copy and share.

The process is extraordinarily simple and should prove to be very beneficial, particularly for those who have formerly needed to copy the text and paste it into Translate just to see what something says. While not all apps are currently supported, the list does include some big names such as TripAdvisor, WhatsApp and LinkedIn. Other developers can easily add the feature to apps with custom text selection.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1Gv57Lu
via IFTTT