Android Phone Fans
Android Phone Fans |
- Android L Developer Preview goes live in AOSP for Nexus devices
- T-Mobile addresses FTC allegations that they knowingly charged customers for premium SMS services
- Hangouts’ hidden Google Voice integration discovered, screenshot and video leaks online
- Google buys music recommendation service Songza
- Google shuts down QuickOffice, updates Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides with Material-ish design and new features
- Best Android Phones [July 2014]
- 20 Best Android games from June 2014
- Rumors of a Samsung Galaxy S5 Google Play Edition continue to strengthen
- Vine introduces ‘loops’ for tracking video views, update now available for Android and iOS
- Samsung reveals four new affordable Android phones
- IFTTT adds Nest support, and boy is it awesome
- OUYA testing $60 all-you-can-eat game pass, MOJO gaming console gets OUYA
- Chainfire SuperSU root app updated for Android L preview
- Samsung officially announces the Galaxy S5 Mini
- Alleged Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact front panels leaked, show off alarmingly large bezels
| Android L Developer Preview goes live in AOSP for Nexus devices Posted: 01 Jul 2014 06:41 PM PDT Heads up Android developers: the source code for the Android L Developer Preview is now available in AOSP (well, populating anyway). While the kernel source and drivers weren’t provided, we’re sure Android’s community of developers are already chomping at the bit to sink their teeth into this. Of course, only the Nexus devices are supported with code for the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (WiFi and LTE), Nexus 7 2013 (WiFi and LTE), and Nexus 10. What can you do with this? Not much unless you know your way around Android code. Expect an influx of custom ROMs to hit the forums in the coming days — especially for devices like the Nexus 4 and 7 (2012) that we don’t expect will officially see Android L roll out over-the-air. [AOSP] |
| T-Mobile addresses FTC allegations that they knowingly charged customers for premium SMS services Posted: 01 Jul 2014 05:08 PM PDT We love the vast majority of the moves T-Mobile has been making as part of their Uncarrier movement. Since Uncarrier was first introduced, we’ve seen T-Mobile effectively abolish early termination fees, introduce an early upgrade plan, and even make data roaming free for their customers. But that doesn’t mean every move from Magenta’s camp has been sitting well with consumers. In fact, in a recent press release the Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against T-Mobile, charging the Uncarrier with profiting from fraudulent SMS subscription to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. The FTC alleges there were clear signs that the SMS scams were fraudulent, with the charges seeing nearly a 40% refund rate. It’s this part alone that should have sent up red flags at T-Mobile, but yet they did nothing. It’s this, coupled with a high number of complaints and charges buried in 50 page billing statements that the FTC believes T-Mobile should, at the very least, repay back some of these charges. The FTC is also looking for a court order to prevent T-Mobile from engaging in what they call “mobile cramming” (hiding itemized usage charges from 3rd parties). The always outspoken T-Mobile CEO John Legere issued his own response to “set the record straight” about the allegations from the FTC, calling them unfounded and without merit. What’s more Legere goes on to tout T-Mobile’s Uncarrier movement which has been all about the consumer, citing their recent decision to completely stop charging for subscription SMS services, offering full refunds for anyone that may have been affected. Of course, it’s entirely possible T-Mobile knew about the FTC’s investigation and changed policies to help in an effort for damage control — but that’s none of our business. Legere says T-Mobile has been first to take action for the consumer and looking at their recent moves, he’s not just blowing smoke. Legere calls the FTC’s complaint sensationalized and feels that they’re being unfairly targeted when the rest of the industry faced the same issue of unauthorized SMS charges. |
| Hangouts’ hidden Google Voice integration discovered, screenshot and video leaks online Posted: 01 Jul 2014 02:47 PM PDT After the iOS version of Hangouts recently received the ability to make Google Voice calls over WiFi or cellular data, we had a good feeling similar functionality would soon arrive for the Android version. But here we are, countless updates later, and not a peep from Google about introducing any such functionality in Hangouts for Android. Just as we were about to give up hope, a crafty user on Reddit discovered an interesting prompt hidden inside Hangouts: Google Voice integration. While not quite live yet, the prompt can only be seen after enabling “All butter bars” in the Hangouts debugging menu. After being presented with the usual “butter bars” the “Migrate Google Voice to Hangouts” prompt suddenly appears, with the description reading, “Receive voicemail and send text messages in Hangouts.” Sweet, geebus. Although it doesn’t appear the option to make VoIP calls using your Google Voice number is making the cut, Google Voice users have been screaming for Hangouts integration of any sort since last year’s overhaul. Guess all we can do now is wait around for Google to make things official. Let’s hope it wont be too much longer or at the very least, we get some of iOS’ other exclusive features like video messaging. Video proof of the upcoming feature can be found via the YouTube video below. |
| Google buys music recommendation service Songza Posted: 01 Jul 2014 01:19 PM PDT Amid reports that Google would soon buy up music streaming/recommendation service Songza (and the World Cup), Google is finally making everything official. Taking to their Google Play Google+ page, Google is welcoming Songza to the family, mentioning that the service would soon be infused into Google Play Music, with them exploring ways to bring Songza’s curation to YouTube and other Google products. Google didn’t attach a dollar amount to the deal, but it’s the latest in a stream of acquisitions the search giant has been engaged in as of late. Some are likening this deal to the recent acquisition of Beats by Apple. Google recommends users try out Songza for themselves, where the app can lives on (at least for the time being) in the Play Store here. |
| Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:52 PM PDT Earlier today, Google announced that they’d officially be closing the door on QuickOffice and in a round of updates that began last night, the entire Google Drive suite of apps is seeing an update on the Google Play Store to version 1.3.251.9 (yes, all of them). The update introduces new features to help fill the void left by QuickOffice’s soon departure, as well as compatibility with Android L and Google’s all new Material design interface. The apps now have a floating “create” circle button not unlike the one found on the Google+ app, color coded to fit the specific color theme of the app. Following closure of QuickOffice, the there’s new compatibility with files from Microsoft’s Office suite as well. Docs can now create and edit Word docs, Sheets can create and edit Excel — you get the picture. There’s also an in-app Help menu which should make things speedier when looking for, well, help. The updates are rolling out right now on Google Play with download links for easy updating provided below.
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| Best Android Phones [July 2014] Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:27 PM PDT As July opens with few new handset releases or announcements, our monthly ranking of the best Android smartphones available begins to settle into its groove. While no new devices enter our top 5 from last month, there continues to be some slight shifts. This month that's in no small part thanks to Google I/O and the announcement of Android L. Read on for our top picks. 5. Sony Xperia Z2A potential Verizon release for the Xperia Z2 had us feeling hopeful about this handset, which offers a truly beautiful combination of hardware performance and device design. Unfortunately it seems by the time the handset sees a proper US release (if it ever happens), the Z2 will be an afterthought. In other regions, however, Android users have been privy to Sony's latest flagship for some time. Regardless, this stylish handset has us hopeful for the future of Sony's Android lineup. 4. Nexus 5Just when we were ready to drop the Nexus 5 from our list, the handset gains some ground following last month's Google I/O. The lack of a new Nexus handset announcement helps, but it's the Android L developer preview that breaths a bit of life into the aging Nexus 5. Having said that, the Android L preview is just that — a preview. Still, it gives a glimpse of what to expect a few months down the road when the N5 will surely be among the first devices to receive a more polished build of the latest Android platform version, which includes a visual overhaul dubbed Material Design and plenty more. And that's the true beauty of the Nexus 5. Despite specs that are starting to look a bit subpar in comparison to some of the other devices on our list, direct software support from Google will surely keep the handset relevant for quite some time. 3. Samsung Galaxy S5Samsung's recently announced Galaxy S5 LTE-A didn't do much to improve the standard Galaxy S5's stock. The LTE-A edition was everything we hoped for originally, only a few months late. The good news is we can't beat ourselves up too bad about it. The more powerful edition of the Galaxy S5 remains exclusive to Korea, meaning the majority of the world only has access to the handset that launched earlier this spring. That phone features a brilliant Super AMOLED display and enhancements that include a fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor all wrapped in a hardware and software package that is — for better or worse — quintessentially Samsung. 2. HTC One M8HTC's decision to release the One M8 ahead of competing flagships from Samsung and LG may have backfired slightly as the buzz pertaining to these new device launches has over the ensuing months drowned out much of the praise initially heaped on the phone. We still continue to champion the device as one of the best Android handsets out there with its savvy hardware design and smart software implementation. The One M8 doesn't come with as many bells and whistles as the Galaxy S5 or LG G3, but its straightforward approach is one of the device's best assets. 1. LG G3While it still won't be officially available worldwide for a few more weeks, the Korean edition of the device reviewed by Phandroid earlier this month told us all that we needed to know. The LG G3 is hands-down the Android phone to beat. While focusing on simplicity, LG put its efforts into improving core aspects of the smartphone experience. The result is a device that includes a Quad HD display, powerful processing, strong battery life, and a camera with laser-powered autofocus. Put this in a totally sleek package with an innovative hardware button arrangement and we have a winner. Honorable MentionsVariety is the spice of life, they say, so why limit our options to five phones? To help you be the most informed smartphone buyer you can be, here are five more currently available handsets that just barely missed a spot among the best Android phones out there.
Phones to look forward toWith the first half of the year now in the rear view mirror prepare for some big handset launches to closeout 2014. It all starts this month with the launch of a few interesting, if not all that powerful in terms of hardware, Android smartphones. Amazon Fire PhoneAmazon’s long-rumored Android smartphone was finally announced last month and will ship out toward the end of July. The Fire Phone is far from a traditional Android device with Amazon's custom Fire OS, but it will have no problems running the apps and games we love. Beyond that, the Fire Phone offers several unique features including Firefly for indetifying merchandise, music, movies, and more as well as Dynamic Perspective, which bring a whole new means of interacting with information on your smartphone display. Add in deep integration with Amazon's digital content libraries as well as hardware compatibility with Fire TV and the retailer's line of Kind Fire tablets and the result is a device that could seriously shakeup the smartphone landscape. Nokia X2Similar to the Fire Phone, the recently announced Nokia X2, an upgrade from the Nokia X announced earlier this year, offers its own twist on the Android platform. While users can expect an experience that rests somewhere between Google's vision for their smartphone platform and Nokia's Windows Phone offerings, it's hard to argue with the €99 price tag associated with the device. The Nokia X2 will go on sale later this month. Rumor MillWhat's on the horizon for the rest of the year and beyond? The rumor mill is always spinning, and the buzz is especially fervent around followups to a few phones that have appeared on our list in previous months. In Hollywood the sequel is hardly ever as good as the original. Will the same hold true for these smartphones? Moto X+1For the past several months rumors have suggested Motorola could be announcing its Moto X followup at any moment. July has arrived and nary an official word about the Moto X+1 has been uttered. We do, however, continue to see leak after leak revealing more of what to expect from the phone when it does launch. It looks to be a major upgrade over the X with a 5.2-inch display, Snapdragon 800 processor, 12MP camera, and more. Sony Xperia Z3While we still await the release of the Xperia Z2 in the US, the first signs of the phone's followup have surfaced. A front display panel alleged to be from the Sony Xperia Z3 leaked last month, though we know little about the device (though its design doesn't seem to be a huge leap from the Z2). If Sony follows its normal scrip, we might not get an official unveiling until CES 2015. Samsung Galaxy Note 4With summer officially underway we can begin counting down the days until fall, the time of the year Samsung typically likes to show off its latest upgrades to the Galaxy Note handset line. While we still await more info to form a clearer picture of what to expect, rumors currently indicate that Samsung could be crafting a redesigned Note 4 that will feature a few drastic departures from previous entires in the series. Amazon Best SellersWe don't have room on our list for every smartphone out there, and while we tend to focus on the latest and greatest there are still plenty of older Android options that come with the benefit of reduced pricing. We've parsed down Amazon's Best Sellers list to include only phones that haven't already appeared in our rankings. Here is what that left us with.
What say you?Here at Phandroid we like to think we know a thing or two about Android smartphones, but opinions will always differ. Not much changed in our rankings from June to July, but was more of a shakeup in order? What do you have for your best Android smartphones? Let us know in the comments below. |
| 20 Best Android games from June 2014 Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:10 PM PDT
Angry Birds Epic
Blek
Boom Beach
Castle of Illusion
CYBERGON
Dragon Finga
Fluid SE
Great Little War Game 2
Hitman Go
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake
Qvadriga
Spy vs Spy
Super Gravitron
Superstar Soccer
The World Ends With You
Topia World Builder
VVVVVV
Walking Dead: Season 2
Wave Wave
Wordbase
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| Rumors of a Samsung Galaxy S5 Google Play Edition continue to strengthen Posted: 01 Jul 2014 11:33 AM PDT We’ve come to expect all the big flagship Android smartphones to have Google Play Edition tag-alongs by now. We thought it a bit odd to see the HTC One M8 get a non-Sense (no pun intended… OK, maybe a little) version of the device without seeing Samsung’s Galaxy S5 join in on the fun. We were tipped off to the existence of a possible Google Play Edition version of the phone when a Samsung Galaxy S5 with stock Android was used as the main image for the Samsung Galaxy S4 listing. We thought that was odd, but at the time it could have been nothing but a silly error by an inexperienced intern or something. But @evleaks has it on good word that the Google Play Edition Galaxy S5 is still happening, and that we will predictably seeing it at some point this year. There was nothing much else to go on, but this rumor creeping back up could indicate that we’re inching closer to a launch. Adding fuel to that fire is a graphic of Android phones that recently popped up on Google’s Android site. You’ll see it sitting right in the middle of a sea of other Google Play products, including the Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and the HTC One M8 Google Play Edition. Not lost on us is the fact that all these images in all these leaks show software navigation buttons when the Samsung Galaxy S5 already has a set of its own hardware to perform those functions. It’s likely just placeholder imagery while the marketing minds at Google find time to slap a proper image on these renders. We’re likely to see those buttons removed by the time the phone actually lands so don’t think much of it. Let’s hope an official announcement isn’t far out. |
| Vine introduces ‘loops’ for tracking video views, update now available for Android and iOS Posted: 01 Jul 2014 10:41 AM PDT Despite reports of a mass exodus of users leaving Vine in favor of rival services offered by Instagram or Snapchat, the video streaming social network has proven it has some staying power. Just about every few months we see a new update to the Android and iOS apps, usually ushering some new feature to keep it on the cutting edge of social. Their latest, geared more towards content creators than viewers, introduces “loop counts” for videos posted on Vine. Similar to views on YouTube, Vine creators can now see exactly how many times their video has been “looped” in real-time. For those unaware, Vine videos feature a continuous loop similar to a GIF, with loop counts now telling you how popular a video is based simply on the amount of times someone sat there watching it over and over again. Although not mentioned in Vine’s blog post, this could also be a way for Vine creators to finally gain the clout they need for potential advertising revenue. Without any incentive for Viners to continue creating content for the service, we can’t help but wonder how long it’ll be before ads similar to YouTube begin appearing for popular videos. Also update is Vine’s activity view, showing updates that make a little more sense than they did previously. The new Vine update is available now for both Android and iOS versions of the app. Download link provided below. |
| Samsung reveals four new affordable Android phones Posted: 01 Jul 2014 09:54 AM PDT Samsung’s looking to take care of those without a big budget. The company has announced four new smartphones that are designed to go easy on the wallet but still get you through a long day. Up on the stage are the Samsung Galaxy Core II, Samsung Galaxy Ace 4, Samsung Galaxy Young 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Star 2. Let’s take a look at the pertinent specs for each of them, shall we? Samsung Galaxy Core 2
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4
Samsung Galaxy Young 2
Samsung Galaxy Star 2
It’s nothing that’s going to make the cows come home, but we imagine that’s not what you’re looking for when you aim for these phones. We’re still tracking down availability information and we’ll update this post as soon as we have that for you. In the meantime be sure to ponder a possible future with these devices if you don’t fancy spending hundreds on something more powerful. |
| IFTTT adds Nest support, and boy is it awesome Posted: 01 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT If This Then That — otherwise affectionately known as IFTTT — is a wonderful service that can help automate tasks for tons of different web services. We highlighted many great uses of IFTTT in a previous article when Android support was first announced. Things are about get even better today if you own a Nest Home Thermostat or CO2 + Smoke Detector. IFTTT has added a Nest channel to their service and it already includes many great recipes to use with the smart home products. Popular recipes include setting your Philips Hue smart light bulbs to off whenever you let nest know you’ve left your home, turning your fan on for 15 minutes at sunrise, getting an email notification whenever your Nest battery is low, or text a neighbor whenever your smoke alarm detects an emergency. You can create your own recipe if any of the current ones don’t fit your needs. Many of this stuff is already possible with Nest’s built-in app, but if you want to connect to other services and use other conditions to automate any of it IFTTT gives you everything you need. All of this coupled with the Nest developers’ program makes the future of smart home very exciting. Makes me wish I had one of my own. |
| OUYA testing $60 all-you-can-eat game pass, MOJO gaming console gets OUYA Posted: 01 Jul 2014 06:58 AM PDT Are you a fan of OUYA? A couple of interesting developments have taken place within the past day or so. For starters, OUYA started trialing an all-you-can-eat plan that gave you access to any title you want from OUYA’s library of 800 games. The cost of admission is $60 per year, a pretty good value if you don’t mind dropping coin to play any game you want. OUYA wasn’t terribly clear about the terms of the program to start. We’re not sure what’s going to happen if you let your subscription expire — we imagine they’d cut off access to the freebies, but we can’t be too sure. We’ve reached out for comment and we’ll update should we hear more. OUYA only let a handful of people into the trial. Heading to their signup site will now simply urge you to submit an email address to hear more details in the future. Bummer, that, but we imagine not many people would be willing to sign up for a program that may or may not work out anyway. In related news, Mad Catz’ MOJO gaming console has received a nice update that loads up OUYA’s gaming service, giving you easy and quick access to OUYA’s library if you’re interested. Mad Catz says hundreds of OUYA’s games already work with their controller so it should be a pretty seamless experience. Other improvements include support for 4K resolution and Google Play Store access included by default (something you had to previously be rooted to get). You can head right here for the new firmware upgrade. |
| Chainfire SuperSU root app updated for Android L preview Posted: 01 Jul 2014 06:23 AM PDT The Android L preview is as easy to root as you’d expect, but for those who prefer one-click solutions it hasn’t been happy days. Thankfully Chainfire’s SuperSU app has quickly been updated to bring proper support for Android L. Not only does the app manage superuser access properly, it also has built-in autoroot functionality for the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 2013. The upgraded headed out to the Play Store yesterday, but if your installation is client-side you’ll want this flashable update file to apply within recovery. Chainfire isn’t rushing to make any sweeping changes right now considering things could change between now and the final release of Android L, but until that happens this is the holy grail. Let us know how it works out for you (and don’t blame anyone else but yourself if it doesn’t as anything you do to your device is your own responsibility). |
| Samsung officially announces the Galaxy S5 Mini Posted: 01 Jul 2014 05:39 AM PDT Talk about the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini at AndroidForums.com Not that we were worried Samsung wouldn’t come with a miniature-sized version of their 2014 flagship, but the official word is finally in — the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is real, and it’s coming our way real soon. As you’d expect, the device’s size isn’t the only thing being downgraded. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini doesn’t quite stack up to the full-sized Galaxy S5 in terms of power. That said, what we get is still pretty serviceable. Here’s what to expect on inside:
Not too shabby, eh? I remember a time when the Mini arm of this line was outfitted with the barest of specs in order to keep costs down and sell more phones. We’re certainly glad Samsung has decided to step things up a great deal. I mean, it’s not often you see compact-sized with freaking fingerprint scanners and heart rate sensors right?         On the software side you can expect Android 4.4 KitKat with Samsung’s latest TouchWiz UI. It features an extensive S Health suite of fitness apps, ultra power saving mode for longer lasting battery and more. You can read about many of these features in our Samsung Galaxy S5 review (assuming they work the same, though there’s no reason they wouldn’t). The device is expected to go on sale in Russia early this month, and should be heading to the rest of the globe as we head toward the end. Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue and Copper Gold are your color options should you decide to opt for one. |
| Alleged Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact front panels leaked, show off alarmingly large bezels Posted: 30 Jun 2014 08:26 PM PDT While many of us are still waiting our turn at the Sony Xperia Z2 — which, according to rumors, is still on its way to Verizon later this year — Sony could be gearing up to announce the next iteration of the flagship smartphone. Well, if these new “leaks” prove to be true. They’re not much, but some images of the front panels from the alleged Sony Xperia Z3 and Sony Xperia Z3 compact were obtained by the folks at Digi-wo, a site who reportedly has a good track record about these things. You’ll notice what appears to be some pretty substantial bezel around the displays. It’s nothing too major, but we can’t help but notice it looks like a step back from where Sony went with the original Z1 to the Z2. We don’t anticipate Sony will announced a follow up to the Z2 at least until next year (possibly at CES), but the fellas at The Xperia Blog believe it could be announced as soon as IFA 2014 in September. We’ll keep a look out. |
June is officially over, which means it’s time to take a look back at what goodies it brought. The summer months are usually a hot time for new games. June was no exception. We saw a bunch of awesome new games launch last month. If you were busy swimming and grilling you probably missed a few. We have a list of the best 20 games to launch in June. Download a few of these to pass time while you’re traveling on vacation or when the AC goes out. Previous months: 
Rovio's latest game starring the enraged fowl is a fantasy RPG. In Angry Birds Epic players take a team of birds into battle against the pigs. Each member of the team gets a turn to attack. Characters can level up with armor and weapons as they progress. If you've ever played a turn-based game you will feel right at home.
Blek is a puzzle game, but unlike anything you've ever played before. Players will have to draw lines through colored dots, while avoiding black dots. Lines drawn will be replayed, and repeated, to solve puzzles. Although seemingly easy at first, things really start heating up just as you're getting into the swing of things.
Boom Beach is a tower defense/attack strategy game where you fight an epic war against the evil Blackguard. You command troops to storm the beach of a fictional archipelago. The real fun, however, is in the online multiplayer. In this mode you build your own base and attack other players from around the world.
This game may star Disney’s famous mouse, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s for kids. Castle of Illusion first arrived as a great platformer in the 16-bit era. This month it made the leap to Android. When the evil witch Mizrabel kidnaps Minnie, it's up to Mickey to brave the dangers of the Castle of Illusions to rescue Minnie. The game costs $10, but you won’t ever be bugged with that “freemium” nonsense.
CYBERGON is a simple game with awesome graphics. You control a floating blue triangle on a Tron-like Grid map. The goal is to run your blue triangle into shapes of the same color. If you hit a different color you explode and the game is over. It’s a little like Snake, but you don’t grow, and the walls aren’t the only thing that kills you.
Dragon Finga is an awesome combination of marionette puppets and kung-fu fighting. You control multiple points of the character by frantically tapping all over the screen. For the more seasoned fighter there are combos and power-ups that can make your attacks even more effective. We love the look and feel of this game, but the typical “freemium” patterns hold it back.
The best way to describe Fluid SE is Pac-Man crossed with a racing game. Your job is to zip around a track and collect dots while avoiding ghosts. Plan your path perfectly so you hit speed boosts and prevent wasted time while backtracking. The graphics are really cool, and we love the unique take on a racing game. Pac-Man would be proud.
Great Little War Game was a hit on Android, so naturally the developers created a sequel. This is another turn-based combat game with a few new features. There is now splash damage from attacks, and the game can be played on portrait mode. The graphics also got fine tuned, but for the most part this is the same great little war game you enjoyed in the past.
“Hitman” may be in the title, but this game is nothing like the Hitman you’re expecting. Hitman Go is a board game-style puzzle game. Your job is to sneak around mansions, gardens, and more without alerting the guards or getting caught. Like most puzzle games there are optional objectives along the way. If you like stealth and puzzles this is the perfect game.
Monsters really love cake. In this game your goal is to retrieve Niko’s birthday cake. To do this you have to find your way through top-down puzzles. Along the way you will gain powers from friendly monsters to help you on your journey through Gogapoe Island. It’s cute, fun, and involves monsters and cake. What’s not to love?
Most racing games these days feature motorized vehicles. Those games are great, but what if we went back in time to before cars? Qvadriga is a unique racing game that uses the dangerous chariots of old. This was when you could actually be killed in a race. Qvadriga is great because there is a ton of strategy involved. It’s not just about who goes the fastest.
Spy vs Spy is an old game from the Atari starring characters from MAD Magazine. Since then it has been remade for countless modern consoles, and now Android. You play as either Spy or Spy (don’t worry it makes sense) and search an embassy for five specific items. The twist is that the other Spy is also searching for the same items. You can either find them all first, or kill the other Spy. Oh, and he is trying to kill you, too.
Super Gravitron was originally a mini game at the end of VVVVVV. The goal is to simply avoid flying blocks for as long as you can. That’s it. The game is so fun that the developer released it as its own game.
Cartoon Network has pumped out some great Android games. Superstar Soccer is their newest addition to the lineup. In this game you can soccer as characters from many Cartoon Network shows, such as Finn, Gumball, Ben 10, and many more. It’s a simple soccer game with power-ups and multiplayer fun.
The World Ends With You debuted on the Nintendo DS back in 2008. Since then, the game has gotten a facelift courtesy of flashy new HD befitting of our modern mobile devices. It’s a classic RPG with an awesome retro anime art style. The game is a big pricey at $18, but if you’re looking for a great RPG on Android this is the one.
On the 8th day the lord said “let there be touchscreens,” and it was good. Topia World Builder is a sandbox game that lets you play god. You can create worlds with all the animals and plants you choose. There is really no other objective than to have fun creating a world. Get creative and start building the perfect place.
VVVVVV is a 2D puzzle platformer. You control Captain Viridian, who is lost in an alternate dimension in search of missing members of his crew. Instead of jumping you are able to control the direction of gravity. This allows you to flip between floors and ceilings to get around the levels. The level of difficulty in this game is very high.
The uber popular Walking Dead games from Telltale are starting to trickle into the Play Store. This month we got Season 2 of the successful series. This game follows the same idea as the first season. Your choices determine the outcome of the game. It’s fun, scary, heart wrenching, and gory. Fans of the comic and TV show will love it.
Wave Wave is a puzzle game that seems to have been made to give people seizures. It has crazy music, brightly colored geometric shapes, rotating levels, and is just generally pure insanity. Which is exactly why it’s so fun. The goal is to simply keep your line on the path without hitting obstacles. As you can see in the GIF, it’s anything but easy.
Wordbase is a unique take on word games. The goal is to make it to your opponents base by creating words. Think of it like a word search, except every word has to be connected somehow. The first person to connect enough words to reach the other side wins. You can use words to block your opponent, and get power-ups to give yourself an even bigger advantage. It’s a lot of fun. Previous months: 
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