Category Archives: Apps of the Day

Apps of the Day: Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack, Teddy Tumble and More

Posted by on September 15, 2011 No comments

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Wouldn’t you be frightened if a gun were in your pocket? I mean, I know I’m sane enough to not take it out and shoot anyone, but the idea that I can possibly shoot myself while looking for a dollar for the soda machine doesn’t really bode well with me. Of course, Plaxico Burress ended up surviving but I’m sure those two years he spent in jail for being so awesomely stupid could have better gone to other things (such as convincing the world that he’s not a one hit wonder). Apps of the day!

Messy Pocket – Ever wanted a pocket on your phone even if your phone should really be in your pocket? Messy Pocket simulates, well, a pocket. Not that it’s the most exciting simulation in the world, but you can put many things inside. You can put anything from the common stuff like coins, keys, photos and candies to the you-might-be-crazy-if-you-have-this-stuff-in-your-pocket stuff like guns, bullets and condoms. It’s a free download – try it out and see if you can’t get that last one out of your pocket. [Market]

Teddy Tumble – What a unique puzzle game this is. One of your cheery stuffed teddy bears are stuck in a washing machine, and instead of crying about it he’s willing to help you scrub those clothes clean. Guide him around 90 levels inside the washing machine so he can collect all the detergent he needs. Once you get it, help him get to the clothes so you can start your laundry. It looked weird at first, but you won’t want to put it down after trying it. It’s free, too. [Market]

Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack – Need a helping of Serious Sam on your Android phone? The folks at DevolverDigital have released it in the Android market for a low $.99. Here’s one of the sale lines in the market: “Direct your kamikaze horde toward certain death in more than 40 levels of mobile action. Either fall at the hands of Serious Sam’s bombs and rockets or go out in an honorable blaze of glory in the service of Lord Mental. ” That alone should do it for you. Get going! [Market]

Apps of the Day: Manilla, Help Out, and More

Posted by on September 14, 2011 1 comment

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Every day we peruse the Android Market looking for the best, worst, interesting, and most unique apps in an effort to sift out a few gems. We call it Apps of the Day. We can’t guarantee that every app featured below is a real winner, but each is worth at least a quick look. It’s all in an effort to help you, our faithful readers, get the most out of your Android handsets. Read on to see what we found today!

Manilla - Weighed down by bills? Can’t always remember when your next payment is due? It’s a challenge for many, and quite a few services have emerged to help folks tackle the mountain of accounts and bills, but not many do it as easily and efficiently as Manilla. With a simple interface and quick setup time, you will be on your way to managing your accounts in no time. Now instead of checking many sites or filing through the mail, one quick look at Manilla is all you need. Set up alerts and you will never get hit with a late fee again. [Market]

Cave Escape - Perhaps I’m just nostalgic for the days when I used to play games on my TI-83 calculator during high school algebra, but I’m a sucker for any sort of Fall Down-type game. Cave Escape follows the basic concept but spruces it up with a new look. You control a spider diving deep into caves, discovering powerups and avoiding hazards along the way. [Market]

Help Out - Help Out is a deceptively simple puzzle game with graphics reminiscent of something from the Katamari franchise. In help out you are faced with colorful puzzles, the goal being to free a big-eyed, smiling block in the middle. A focus is on customization, allowing you to mix up which of the goofy characters greet you during each puzzle. What looks like an easy solution can often take much longer than anticipated. [Market]

Apps of the Day: R-Type, Detour & More

Posted by on September 12, 2011 No comments

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I don’t know what it is about me, but I don’t need alarm clocks. I have an internal clock, whatever that means and however that works. If I go to sleep dead tired at 2am and need to be up at 6am, my body will wake up at 5:30am just for the hell of it. Or no matter how much I drink the previous night I always find a way to wake up just in time for opening kickoff on a Sunday afternoon. I wake up early even when I don’t want or need to. It drives me crazy. But I’d rather have my brain working for me when I’ve retired into a deep trance at night than forget to set my alarm because, gasp, I was too tired or drunk to remember. Gotta love the human body. Apps of the day!


R-Type – For those moments when you’re feeling a bit of gaming nostalgia and want a game that has aged quite while, DotEmu has brought back the classic shooter R-Type. You’re getting 8 levels with 8 different bosses, two difficulty levels and tons of different weapons and power-ups. I’m already in the time machine. Only $2.99 to download. [Market]

Detour – Detour is an interesting application unlike any other “places discovery” service. Instead of you searching for places in a set radius from where you are, it asks you where’s point A and point B and allows you to specify the types of business you want to see along the way. This sounds perfect for those who need to get to work, a party or anything and need to make a stop to get something without being led too far off the path. It’s free in the market. [Market]

Early Bird Alarm – Can’t say we need anything other than the default alarm clock app, but one worker who professes he has too hard a time getting up in the market has spent all those sleep-full nights dreaming up the perfect app to help him out. Early bird alarm goes beyond the “solve a math problem” or “fill in the blank” alarm that can be achieved in one second. One option will force you to scan QR codes, while another will make you say a phrase (the developer suggests something to remind the user that they need to get up for work). It’s even more flexible than most alarm clock apps with more alarm repeat configurations. Might as well give it a try for free (especially if you’re on the verge of losing your job because of this problem). [Market]

Apps of the Day: Hooked & Ravid

Posted by on September 8, 2011 1 comment

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Here’s a quick app of the day for you guys with two apps that really caught my attention. Both are free and both are sure to be useful for many so make no delay in checking them out.

Hooked – This one’s a pretty nice candidate for apps of the day simply because it can lead to you finding more good apps or games. It’s called Hook and it takes your gaming interests and uses it to find games in the Android market that may interest you. There are many apps and games discovery apps, but one that actually goes by what you like and not just what’s most popular is one I’ve really been waiting to see. Go ahead and find the free download at the link ahead. [Market]

Ravid – There will never, ever be too many options when it comes to video apps. Ravid isn’t so much on the video chatting side of things, but they do bring easy and fast video messaging to the masses. You don’t have to sign up to any service and your friends don’t have to have the app in order to receive the video messages. What more needs to be said for $0? [Market]

Apps of the Day: Marriott Hotels App and Shadow Cave

Posted by on September 1, 2011 1 comment

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I really do wish I could travel more. The dark forces of the world won’t allow me to break away as often as I’d like to, but I imagine having an app to book all of my travel needs would make it that much easier to just say “yes” (though I’m sure it won’t be as easy on my wallet).

When are we going to get one app for all services, though? Car rentals, planes and hotels – I want it all. And more than that, I want the ability to complete and pay for my reservation right within the app.

You see, if you lay it out all in front of me within one easy app, I’d be more inclined to book. But if I’m fumbling around a website or if I look at prices on my phone only to have to transer over to the desktop anyway, I’ll talk myself out of it by the time I even enter which airport I want to fly out of.

Come on, travel industry, just give us one all-inclusive app. That’s not too much to ask is it? Apps of the day is below.

Marriott Hotels – If for whatever reason you just have to stay at a Marriott hotel whenever you travel, they’ve gone and released their own Android application for you to make booking and staying a lot easier. You can book rooms at any of Marriott’s hotels, see photos and maps of the hotel, manage your rewards accounts and a whole lot more. Pretty much, this is the most fully-fledged app from any hotel. Go on and download the free app in the market now. [Market]

Shadow Cave – Shadow Cave is a very interesting game. It’s a puzzle game at its core but it’s not what you’d expect out of the genre. You guide a light – I like to think of it as a small firefly – through extremely dark caves trying to guide it through narrow tunnels and corridors without allowing it to be smashed or smash into a wall. Nine levels will get you through a boring stretch of time and the developer says he’s adding another chapter with more levels soon. And for free, this one’s definitely worth a download. [Market]

Apps of the Day: Tumblr, Onavo, and More

Posted by on August 30, 2011 No comments

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Every day we peruse the Android Market looking for the best, worst, interesting, and most unique apps in an effort to sift out a few gems. We call it Apps of the Day. We can’t guarantee that every app featured below is a real winner, but each is worth at least a quick look. It’s all in an effort to help you, our faithful readers, get the most out of your Android handsets. Read on to see what we found today!

Tumblr - Tumblr has completely revamped their Android application, launching today with a new look and several key improvements that should make updating your micro-blog from your smartphone easier than ever. Along with a new user interface catered to the software and hardware of Android devices, users can now manage multiple blogs with a single swipe, more easily share content from their phone, and scour their address book for additional tumblr friends to follow. The update offers an immensely improved experience over the old app. [Market]

Onavo Lite - While it doesn’t quite feature the data-shrinking power of the currently unavailable full version of Onavo’s services, Onavo Lite gives Android users a peek into the data consumption of their applications, allowing control over how apps use data and when they can use it. If an app unexpectedly turns into a data pig, Onavo’s got your back. We’re still waiting for the ability to reduce overall data consumption without reducing a phone’s workload, but for now that feature remains iPhone-only. [Market]

SnaPanda - Dictionary apps are pretty useful when you come across a word you don’t know the meaning of, but the trouble is they aren’t all that intuitive. Enter SnaPanda, a clever take on looking up words that mixes Google Goggles-esque text recognition with a dictionary, allowing you to literally tap a word on a book’s page and find the definition. Focus your phones camera on the area of text containing the word, tap the specific word, and let SnaPanda do the rest. [Market]

Apps of the Day: Tetris Free and Epson iPrint

Posted by on August 29, 2011 1 comment

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I remember growing up as a child and not liking Tetris. Not because I wasn’t into puzzle games or because I couldn’t get very far, but because I could never figure out how to clear multiple lines of blocks at the same damn time. It sickens me. I do well enough to survive and conjure up a nice score, but I can’t imagine how awesome it’d be to potentially quadruple that score and get into the Guinness Book of World Records for being good at an old game for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, my nostalgic juice for this game has long run out. Now excuse me while I go back to playing Madden 12. (Oh, and apps of the day is below.)

Tetris – While Tetris is not new to the Android market by ANY stretch of the imagination, we wanted to feature it here today because, well, it’s now free. After EA busted tons of Tetris clones long ago to put the spotlight on their own version, they failed to garner interest with the high price they demanded players pay. Well, it’s free now so no need to worry about opening the pocket book. We only suggest you don’t fall into too deep of a nostalgic trance. [Market]

Epson iPrint – Frustrated that your iOS-owning buddies are able to print from their phone to their wireless-enabled Epson printer? Well they’ve finally brought the application over to Android giving you all of the same functionality you’ll need to print documents and images from your phone. Built-in Dropbox, Box.net and Evernote integration makes the application especially productive and useful for those who are hooked up to “the cloud”. You’ll also be able to scan a photo or document on the scanner and send it to your phone. And if that’s not enough, you can check the printer’s status and ink levels from your phone. I don’t know about you, but I’m wanting an Epson printer all of a sudden. [Market]

Apps of the Day: Radarscope and A.I.type

Posted by on August 25, 2011 No comments

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There’s this tropical storm headed for New York called “Irene” apparently. She’s said to be bringing 10 inches of cold, cold rain. And you would think those below the ground would have an easier time getting around the city, but that isn’t the case at all. It’ll supposedly flood the subway system as their pump system is inefficient for large quantities (yes, 10 inches is considered large) of rain, meaning subways will probably be too flooded to use. It sucks. But with one of the apps below, you can track all of this and prepare for the worst. Sorry, but a weather app won’t actually allow you to control the weather. We’ll leave that to Haarp. Apps of the day!

Radarscope – For all you budding weatherman out there, you can get your meteorology fix on the go with Radarscope. NEXRAD level 3 radar data allows you to track storm and wind patterns and get live updates on thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods and more – all on your phone. 155 different radar sites are at your disposal and you can play back the 6 most previous radar images in any given area to get a look at patterns and trends of 5-10 minute intervals. I don’t know about you, but I got excited just reading all of that. And it’s $9.99, but it seems to be worth it so give it a shot if you’re into this sort of stuff. [Market]

A.I.type – This is like a really souped up autocorrect keyboard. A.I.type claims to use learning technology so advanced that it will cut your keystrokes down by 75%. It will also apparently learn your language of choice, even if the keyboard doesn’t support that language (though we can’t imagine that’d be so easy for certain languages). Users in the Android market have compared it to Swype, saying it bests the popular swiping-based keyboard based on how easy it is to use and how fast it allows them to type. The beta is free in the market so give it a chance if you’ve got a minute. [Market]

Apps of the Day: Sleipnir, Classic Notes Lite, and More

Posted by on August 24, 2011 No comments

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Every day we peruse the Android Market looking for the best, worst, interesting, and most unique apps in an effort to sift out a few gems. We call it Apps of the Day. We can’t guarantee that every app featured below is a real winner, but each is worth at least a quick look. It’s all in an effort to help you, our faithful readers, get the most out of your Android handsets. Read on to see what we found today!

Google Docs - Google Docs has been updated with support for 45 new languages. Also included is a new “Web Clipboard” feature that allows you to snap a photo with your Android handset and have it stored in the cloud for quick pasting into a Google Doc from your home computer. The updates don’t do much to create a deeper experience, and for the most part Google Docs still retains the feel of a slightly polished portal for the Google Docs website. Still, if you are a frequent user of Docs on the go, the Web Clipboard feature might be something to check out. [Market]

Classic Notes Lite - While most note taking applications focus on adding features upon features, often missing the point that at their core they should be easily accessible and easy to use, Classic Notes Lite + App Box manages to provide a minimalistic interface that doesn’t sacrifice quality. It’s really simple to open the app and jot down a note or list, but buried beneath a deceptively bland user interface is a whole mess of features and tools that create one extremely useful application. Aside from taking simple notes, Classic Notes Lite allows for calculations and conversions, geotagging, search, and phone use information all in one place. Download it to take some notes, but begin poking around and open up a world of uses. [Market]

Sleipnir Mobile Web Browser – OK, so you’re probably thinking, “we can’t possibly need another Android web broswer.” But here us out on this one. Sleipnir, though still in its beta phases, shows a lot of promise with a polished user interface and web surfing actions based around gestures. For instance, drawing a clockwise circle mimicking your standard browser’s refresh button quickly reloads the page. Tabs can be navigated with simple side-to-side swiping. While the finished product might not be totally there, the concept is. [Market]

Apps of the Day: Ask.com and Drawdle

Posted by on August 23, 2011 No comments

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Remember when Ask Jeeves was cool? And you wanted the actual Jeeves character to be your uncle or something? Yea, me neither. Sorry about your misfortune in the search engine market, Ask, but Google’s got that locked up for the time being. We love what you’ve done with the new place, though, getting back to the roots of your name and allowing a self-propagating community to spread knowledge to anyone who seeks it. Kudos. Apps of the day is below.

Ask.com – Ask.com slowly transformed into a questions and answers portal after Google pimp-slapped all search competitors out of the game a while ago. Jeeves wasn’t at all happy about that. But as Ask looks to go up against Yahoo Answers, they have decided to take their platform mobile. Ask questions, get answers. Or answer them if you feel you’re up to it. And some questions will even garner instant answers like “what’s the weather in New York?” Go ahead and download it for free. [Market]

Drawdle – Doogle games are fun, but when you’re doing the doodling yourself, well, they become a lot more fun. That’s why Drawdle drew me in as soon as I laid eyes on it. (See what I did there?) In Drawdle, you drop shapes – doesn’t matter what, really. You can then fling those shapes into a paint balloon that’ll paint other shapes. Spikes will spoil your artistic side if you aren’t careful, and rubber bands are at your disposal to help you out in your quest to be the next Picasso. Free version is available at the link ahead. [Market]