Chrome OS May Soon Get Direct Access to Google Play Store

April 25, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

There are two mobile consumer operating systems created by Google: the more popular Android and Chrome OS.

Android has gained more traction among users for its touchscreen optimization and for being so ubiquitous as a smartphone platform. On the other hand, Chrome OS was designed for the laptop or desktop platform, which means it doesn’t work on touchscreen.

For a long time the two Google platforms existed side by side, but catering for their own separate market. But over the last two years, rumor had it that Google was eventually going to push Android and Chrome OS together.

Even though people thought the platforms would merge, Google has always denied the possibility. However, the company’s executives are now saying the two will be closer aligned.

The way they operate has always been one of the most basic structural differences between the two platforms.

Chrome OS was designed to rely heavily on Google’s infrastructure – you can download and run apps on the device, but the Chrome OS platform caches data from the Google service in local storage and sync it when it gets an Internet connection.

One of the projects that would have seen Google’s platforms coming much closer involved giving Chrome OS the ability to run Android apps. Google – and outside developers – has already experimented with this, giving users some Android apps that can now run on the Chrome OS platform.

It’s called the ARC project, and it enables Chrome OS to run apps written for other platforms including Android and Windows; they only need a little tweaking first. Even though Google has held off any official news on the subject, it appears the company has indeed been quietly working on the project.

But more recently, Reddit user TheWiseYoda spotted something interesting: the option to “Enable Android Apps to run on your Chromebook” has appeared in the Google Chromebook settings.

The new option is not particularly exciting without the reference to the Google Play Store it contains. It would mean that over a million applications would become available for the Chromebook platform, linked directly to the Android collection.

If Google will eventually green-light this project, it would open up a potentially huge market for developers, while also expanding the functionality of our Chromebooks.

Nevertheless, it would be a smart move on Google’s behalf to allow Android apps to run on the Chromebook, bringing all sorts of good news for consumers who own both an Android smartphone and Chromebook.
Image Source: OMG Chrome

Must-Have Android Apps and Games

May 18, 2015 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

The AFP team had a tough weekend. We brainstormed from Friday night to Monday morning, and we have rounded up the best Android apps and games.

iOS users don’t despair, because some of them are available for Apple devices too.

Without further ado I introduce you to our list:

Must-Have Android Apps

Meerkat

If you’ve lived under a rock for the past year or so you should know that Meerkat is a fabulous app that lets the user stream live video directly to his Twitter followers. Periscope is the only challenger, but it lacks the stability that Meerkat offers.

Available on iOS too.

It’s a free app.

Microsoft Hyperlapse

Hyperlapse helps you create high-speed short-stories about you, your life, your friends, what you’ve seen on your daily commute – actually, about everything that you can capture with your device.

The craze is all about selfie time lapses – go figure, the selfie killer is a new selfie method.

It’s a free app.

Wear Fitness Personal Trainer

If you’re looking for the best fitness app that will track your progress, and keep you on schedule look no further. The WFPT, created by Vimo Labs, is your virtual buddy that will help you get rid of those pesky extra pounds – it’s also available for Android smartwatches.

Available on iOS too.

It’s a free app.

Fruit Ninja Math Master

$Must-Have Android App$

When I was growing up I didn’t have any apps/games that would teach me how to do math. I had to learn it the hard way by going to school, and sitting there for hours until 1+1=2 got crammed up in my brain. Now, with Fruit Ninja Math Master, you’ll be a genius mathematician in no time, and hard equations like (1+1)-(2+2)x(3/5) will feel like a Summer’s breeze.

It’s intended for children between the ages of 5 to 7 and it offers help with addition, subtraction, multiplication as well as sequences and shape recognition.

It costs about $4, and if your child is constantly with his nose in his device you should probably get this app – and also teach him, or her, about the outside world, a mythical land filled with other human beings *GASP*.

Available on iOS too.

It costs about $4.

DeeMe

We don’t know if people actually need another instant messaging service, but DeeMe also offers a photo editor. It encourages you to add your very own flavour in the mix – before sending a photo with DeeMe don’t forget to edit it, and get that perfect typography that yells <insert reader’s name here>!

It’s a free app.

Desire42

This is an app aimed to couples. Think of it as a safe haven for those nudes you want to send to Cristopher Hall tonight. It’s like a dare that goes back and forth. You take a picture without your clothes on, and I take a picture with all of my clothes on. Wait. How does flirting work?

It’s a free app.

Dreamstime: Sell Your Photos

Pair it with Desire42, and you’ll make millions sending your nudes to different stock photography services. But no, that would be horrible, and you shouldn’t pervert this really great app. As I said, you can sell snaps that you took with your phone to various stock photography services. That photo that you took of that weird tree might be worth 40$!

It’s a free app.

Must-Have Android Games

VoxelMaker

It’s basically a Minecraft clone. You build stuff with colourful blocks, and cubes, and you can export whatever you made to other software – like Photoshop, Illustrator, and so on. Tremendous potential is hidden in VoxelMaker, and your creativity is needed!

It costs about $4!

Seabeard

The best copy of Animal Crossing that has been originally developed for iOS. You can explore the world, perform various intriguing tasks like those seemingly easy mini-games that are in fact the work of the devil. Play with your villagers, and help them re-build their island.

Available on iOS too.

It’s a free game!

Knights of Pen & Paper 2

Ever heard of Paradox Interactive? They are the guys and girls behind great games like Europa Universalis, and Crusader Kings – grand strategy video-games that offers the player a chance of ruling the world.

Knights of Pen & Paper 2 is a role-playing turn-based retro-style laugh-inducing mind-relaxing mobile game full of dangerous adventures, and semi-appropriate cultural jokes. Take it with a grain of salt – everything is meant to be funny, and induce a chill mode. Don’t get yourself overly infuriated by humour.

Available on iOS too.

It costs about $4!

Lego Star Wars: TCS

If you’re in love with the Star Wars universe, and are between 5 and 80 years old, you should definitely play it. At first glance you might be fooled of thinking that it’s a child’s game – well, in fact it is, but don’t let society tell you what to do! Everyone can have a ton of fun playing through 2 Lego Star Wars games that were initially available for PC, and consoles. But be warned, before buying it, you need to have at least 735 MB of free space.

Available on iOS too.

It costs about $4!

Marvel Future Fight

It’s an average brawler, but because it’s set in the Marvel Universe it makes it a must-have game for the geek inside you! It consists a ton of characters from past, present and FUTURE comic books. It’s worth giving it a shot. I, for one, absolutely love the fact that I can beat up Spider-Man with Spider-Man – I don’t like Spider-Man that much.

Available on iOS too.

It’s a free game!

Earn to Die 2

Remember the first one? Gee, I do. That’s all that I was doing on my morning subway commute. A couple of my co-workers stopped talking to me a while back because I didn’t want to conversate back with them while travelling to our headquarters.

You smash zombies, and your goal is to squash zombies, in order to save the world from the zombie apocalypse. Zombies Zombie Zombies! What’s the deal with it? It seems like the media is filled with the undead horde – no, no, I’m not talking about Madonna. I loved the trend a few years ago, but now it just feels a little bit like beating a dead horse.

Available on iOS too.

It’s a free game!

Grim Fandango Remastered

Ow, I bought this the day it went live on the store. If you’ve ever played Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, or the Monkey Island franchise you should definitely give this game a try too. I want to live in Tim Schafer’s mind for a year, then come back and write a novel about the hilarious, and scary things that I’ve experienced. Also, I think Tim Schafer might be my spirit animal.

Available on iOS too.

It costs about $10!

Bears vs. Art

Yup. You read it right. Bears vs. Art. You play a bear who goes by the name of Rory. Rory wants pointless pieces of art to be eradicated from the world. It’s a fun, and clever puzzle game. I might have thrown my phone at the wall at one moment, but if you are a well adjusted human being, you’ll not get frustrated by this sweet game.

Available on iOS too.

It’s a free game!

Empires vs. Allies

Have you ever wondered what’s it like to have the perfect army? Destruction at your finger tips? Empires vs. Allies is a discontinued Facebook game – thanks FarmVille, and Zynga. Don’t let it being shut down fool you. It’s really fun, and addictive.

Available on iOS too.

It’s a free game!

Mortal Kombat X

Need I say more? It’s Mortal Kombat X on mobile phones, and it’s frikin’ FREE! No memory leaks, no horrible lag, and no bugs – gee, thanks developers for taking your time with the mobile app. No, why would PC users be angry at you. It’s not like you shipped a game that should have stood in development a little bit longer.

Available on iOS too.

It’s a free game!

Goat Simulator GoatZ

I remember pre-ordering Goat Simulator, taking a day off from work, calling all my best friends over, and just go full goat for a day. It’s really great, and you can set up a connection with your inner animal. Unfortunately, later on that day, I found that the goat isn’t my spirit animal – searching deep inside I found an ugly Blobfish with my name on it. I swore that I would never touch Goat Simulator.

Until now.

It has zombies!

Available on iOS too.

It costs about $5!

Image Source: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 ,18 ,19

Amazon Giveaway – Free Android Apps and Games

May 15, 2015 By Roxanne Briean 2 Comments

Everybody loves free stuff – the more, the merrier the world could become; and of course we love it when Amazon has a giveaway of android apps, and games.

The offer is available until this Saturday, May the 16th, and all of the free goodies can be redeemed on Amazon’s Android store – you’ll need their app installed on your device.

Games

Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series

Only episode 3 I’m afraid, so you’ll need to play the first 2 if you want to be sucked into the game’s universe. I’ve played the first two on my PC, and to be honest, they didn’t mark me, so I said meh when the third episode was released. A couple of friends of mine are loving the hell out of it, but for me, it lacks a proper dialogue, it seems like everything is happening way too fast, I’m not interested in the characters because they feel vapid, and when they die, I just don’t care.

The graphics are nice – and that’s a stretch. Their The Walking Dead game series was absolutely amazing from every point of view, too bad that this one lacks the ability to make me want to play it every day.

Five Night’s at Freddy’s 3

If you’re looking for something that would make you stay awake in bed late at night Five Night’s at Freddy’s 3 is for you.

The indie point-and-click survival horror game made its début on Android devices on March the 7th of this year, and has since received mixed to positive reviews regarding its gameplay, story, and the ability to scare your panties off.

Bloons TD 5

Your basic tower defence game that features cartoonish graphics – they praise themselves as having unrivalled depth and replayability. It also features 2 player co-op play. With 250+ random missions, I don’t think you’re going to get bored soon of its scenery. Tower defence games are the perfect pass-time activity while you’re waiting to get to work during your daily subway commute.

Biker Race Pro

Your run of the mill biking game. You got 96 challenging tracks, and pretty easy controls. It’s nothing special really. If you’ve played one of them, you’ve played them all.

Angry Birds Seasons HD

Well, I’m an Angry Birds fan. I’ve played all of them – I haven’t gotten into any leader-boards, but at least I’m having the time of my life saving my sweet babies from those vicious, and unconscious piggies. 550+ levels for pure enjoyment make this free game a must!

Sorcery 3

This is new to me. I haven’t heard of it until now. It seems like an adventure game that lets the player explore the world and fight monsters, and demons, mythological creatures too. IGN states that it’s -” Some of 2013’s best interactive storytelling”. Have I’ve been living under a rock? Need to download it as soon as I have some spare time on my hands.

Cooking Dash Deluxe

A casual game that gives the player responsibility over cooking stuff – 5 exotic restaurants for you to take care of, and a whole lot of recipes to make right.

Grudgeball: Enter the Chaosphere

Based on CartoonNetwork’s – The Regular Show, Grudgeball is your average dodgeball game at first glance, but once you spend a couple of minutes playing it you realize that you’re eating from God’s plate. It’s incredibly fun, so be careful how much you play it at work – it can get addictive, and you can say bye-bye to your productivity for the day.

Rebuild

After the zombie apocalypse has eradicated most of humanity, you are tasked to rebuild the world as you see fit. Gather survivors, defend your safe havens, reclaim one building at a time, rediscover technologies – humans can’t get pass the decade without a selfie stick – and the most important, and fun thing of all – kill zombies!

Peppy Pals Beach

A fun game for your children. Great visuals, funny cartoonish animals and surprisingly fun mini-games.

Amongst others.

Apps

Photo Studio Pro

125 filters, 40 effects, and basic transform operations like resize, crop and rotate. The great thing about it is that the developers are constantly updating it with various tools, filters, and effects.

Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson

An app that helps you get rid of insomnia, and to relax your mind and let go of your worries. At least, that’s what the descriptions says. I’m not a fan of apps that think they can help me with my sleeping problems. Listening to sounds has been proven to work, but interacting with an app, I don’t know, it sounds sketchy.

AVG Antivirus Pro

AVG is one of the greatest antivirus software available, and when it’s free you shouldn’t miss the opportunity of downloading it.

Smart Office 2

It’s an office suite that lets the user wiew, create, edit and share Microsoft Office documents – including PDFs. It has a ton of features. It usually costs $10, so be happy that it’s free!

G-Stomper VA-Beast Synthesizer

Get into making repetitive trance and house music NOW! Or don’t do that, because it’s horrible. It’s the perfect tool to create music on the go using your smartphone, or tablet, but please don’t create repetitive 4/4 club music. The world has had enough of Ancient Deep House Volume MLXVI.

Amongst others.

Don’t forget to check the full list of free apps and games available only for Android. Sorry Windows Phone, and iOS users, but Amazon is in love with a little green droid.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

You Can Now Play Hearthstone on Your Smartphone

April 16, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Blizzard’s Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft has been released for Android and iOS.

In an attempt to make me late all the time, and to stop me focusing in important meetings, Blizzard has released Hearthstone for smartphones – curses!

I’m not mad, it’s an incredible fun an addictive game, something that we definitely needed for our smartphones – I didn’t get into all that Candy Crush Saga games, or Subway Surfer, they really felt too casual for me.

The interface has been redesigned to fit smaller screens, and the content is pretty much the same – only your time will be wasted trying to put in a few more games before starting work, or during it.

If you’re not familiar with Hearthstone, let me tell you the essentials.

What is Hearthstone? It’s a digital collectible card game, or for short CCG, and it’s also free to play. Although it offers unlimited paid content, and limited free content – but don’t let that throw you off, even if you don’t pay for additional content you’ll still have tons of fun playing it.

It was released in March 2014, and it was received with open arms and overwhelmingly positive reviews. It’s easy to get into, and the tutorial explain every single thing you need to do in the game – of course, advanced tactics are to be practised over and over again. Superb card animations, great voice-overs, and well paced unlockables keep Blizzard’s motto true ” just one more game…“.

I’ve been playing since release day, and I think I have more than 50,000 games in my backpack. After all this time playing I can say that I’m not bored at all. I still find crazy card combos to win the game, and I still get my hiney kicked on occasion. I also have an arch nemesis that goes by the name KragKiller003 – one day, one day you will feel my wrath!

There are 9 classes from which you can choose from, and every class has a designated hero:

Druid – Malfurion Stormrage
Hunter – Rexxar
Paladin – Uther Lightbringer
Mage – Jaina Proudmoore
Priest – Anduin Wrynn
Rogue – Valeera Sanguinar
Shaman – Thrall
Warlock – Gul’dan
Warrior – Garrosh Hellscream

Almost all the classes from World of Warcraft, except Monk and Death Knight – we will probably see them in the near future.

Every class has specific abilities, unique hero powers, and class-specific cards – which include equipments, minions, and spells.

For example I can play the mighty Druid Malfurion Stormrage and use Shapeshift to give myself +1 Attack on my current turn, and +1 Armour. Then if I have enough mana crystals I can choose to play an additional card – maybe Swipe that deals 4 damage to an enemy and 1 damage to all other enemies, or probably I’ll play the Ancient of War card that lets me choose between inflicting 5 damage, or pumping up my health to +5 and giving the card Taunt. Taunt forces my enemy to attack that specific card until it’s no longer on the table.

But wait a second there. What are mana crystals? Think of mana crystals as food. You start the game with 0, and each turn you get another one until you hit the limit of 10. You use food, mana crystals, to put down cards, use equipment or spells. There are also some specific cards that give you mana crystals, but never above the limit.

I know it seems complex if you read about it, but download the app, it’s free, and start playing it. You’ll learn how to destroy your foes in no-time.

Will we meet on the battleground?

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4

Must-Have Android Apps

Must-Have Android Games

Games

Apps

Categories