Dial Zero is a call assistance app for the Android platform that helps you get directly to a live person when calling a toll-free number. The main page will allow you to search or browse through all of the companies in the Dial Zero database. Selecting a specific company will bring up a page that provides you with the title of the name of the company, their toll-free number, instructions on how to get a live person, and tips from other callers. You can actually press the phone number to initiate a call directly from the app. One weird thing I noticed was that the creators decided to include their apps comments in the actual app. Yes, you can read through the latest comments to see all of the most recent comments left by other users of this app. I found this to be an unnecessary inclusion into the app and it made me wonder whether that was the best inclusion they could come up with. Furthermore, few of these comments are informative. Read More
March 23rd, 2011 by Stratton Shifting Sands was brought to us recently and we gave it a go. Based on the classic “fall down” arcade games, Shifting Sands introduces a new twist by having you guide fifty pieces of sand through the gaps in rising platforms. Earn points by keeping as much sand from reaching the top of the screen for as long as possible, with a bonus for time. Compete against friends & family for high scores using the Scoreloop network. Basically you have the option of a couple different layouts…donkey kong….pac man etc. and the whole objective is to keep your sand on the screen. You have about 50 pieces of small sand that you need to keep in your possession. The screen moves up with obstacles as you tilt you phone back and forth. It is a good little game, the sand itself is nicely developed as the response is nicely done along with the gravity feel. Graphics of the game have a late 1980′s feel of early Mario Bros and donkey kong games. Fun little game, although a bit repetitive….but what game in the late 80′s wasn’t repetitive? Read More
March 4th, 2011 by Stratton Popies Lite takes you back to your arcade days when you needed to smack the crap out of those alligators (or moles depending on your preference) that popped out at you. Same concept here except you are smacking “Popies”. Make sure and run through the game a few times before you actually give up on it. Because once you get the hang of it you can really get on a fury. After awhile I felt like I had masterful thumbs. Then I realized that’s the way the game is setup…you get better…and the Popies get stronger. Simple layout, 6 squares and the little guys pop up randomly. As you progress through the game you need to make sure and upgrade your weapons as the Popies get stronger and stronger so your puny little wooden mallet just isn’t going to cut it. SillyCube did a really great job on the response aspect of this game. Way to go SillyCube…looks like you’ve got a hit on your hands with Popies! Read More
February 17th, 2011 by noah Got To Do is a very helpful app for managing tasks and thing to do, based on the “Getting Things Done” (GTD) Workflow. The app has a lite version and a paid for version which doesn’t have distracting ads and adds integration with other services. The notable features of the app include: * Folder/context/tag grouping * Task templates * Configurable Widget * Filtering, Searching, alarms * French, Spanish, German, Russian translations A cool functionality is that the summary screen can be configured to remove views you don’t use, this helps reducing clutter on the screen. The ability to filter and sort by tag within a context misses from the app but it’s something the creators say they will soon implement in future updates. The app is generally very helpful and it’s hard to find negatives except that there is limited visual feedback when a selection is made, both in the menu screens and in the task editing forms. Read More
February 11th, 2011 by Stratton Who hasn’t been to Denny’s at two in the morning craving Moons Over My Hammy? While waiting for that delicious grease creation one of the greatest games was created, Finger Football. Simple game of a folded up piece of paper to slide across the table and try to score a “touchdown” by landing your football on the edge of your opponents side of the table, if you score you attempt a field goal where you need to flick the football through your buddies fingers. I was really excited as I waited to download this game, sadly that excitement turned into disappointment as I began playing it. Jirbo did a REALLY good job on the 3D renderings of the room you are in. Thats about the only thing positive I can say though. The slide reaction is off and uncomfortable. The field goal attempting is the same way. Then there is no achievements to get so the game simply ends after one play through. No levels, no opponents. Don’t even get me started on its 20% successful open rate…ugh…nothing worse then an app that doesn’t even open. Developers have a long way to go on this, good idea…bad execution. Read More
February 8th, 2011 by noah If you’re the type of person who runs many applications at once or keeps forgetting to close running app, then Advanced task Killer is the app you need. Advanced Task Killer is also known as ATK, is a tool to used kill applications that are running. Having many apps can make your phone lag and apps may crash if you try to access them. This leads to saving battery life or closing apps that transfer data in the background. I’m undecided as to whether I really need this app or whether the Android OS is advanced enough to manage my phones resources for me and let me know when there is a problem. I did a bit of research and realized many people had diverse opinions on the app, with some calling it the most useless app since Android takes care of what it claims to do. Others called it the greatest app they’ve ever installed. It is free, so I leave it to you to decide. Read More
February 8th, 2011 by noah PowerAMP is a powerful music player for Android. Love it! The app ships with a set of utilities that produce top quality sound when you listen to music on your device. The app even has a widget for on screen, a ticker for when it changes tracks, and plays when you put your headphones in. Some other the notable features it offers include: - Support for nearly all major audio formats - 10 band graphical equalizer for all supported formats, presets - separate Bass and Treble adjustment - plays songs from folders and from system media library - downloads missing album art - 4 widgets, with album art and without it …and much more. However, the app gives all these great features as a trial version. I was reluctant to shell out $5 for the full version, given all of the other music players and new ones constantly coming out. It also needs a button for the library on the player screen, and the user interface needs some serious work to make it more attractive and easier to use. But the sound quality is the best I’ve experienced so far on an Android music player. Read More
January 25th, 2011 by Stratton I am so upset I didn’t find this android game earlier. Tank Hero is a solid game that I won’t be uninstalling anytime soon. Tank Hero has two modes, Campaign Mode and Survival Mode. I was able to play roughly 20 levels on Campaign Mode before it started to require a bit more focus and practice. In Campaign Mode you have stationed enemy tanks that you need to blast, Survival Mode launches waves of tanks at you and you simply need to survive through it. I love the controls in this game because you can pick up on them very quickly and there is still room to master them. Really need to learn to ricochet your missiles. As you move through the levels you start to face stronger and more equipped tanks to battle. Gotta give to ClapFootGames for the sound put into the game, I dig it. Keeps things moving along. The design and 3D renderings are nice and clean. Really a great game in Tank Hero, plus the cherry on top…its free. Don’t hesitate, get it. Read More
January 24th, 2011 by noah I have mixed reactions about the Evernote app. This app lets you remember and recall anything that happens in your life. From notes to ideas to snapshots to recordings, this app will let you save all that information and instantly synchronize it with the Web so that you can access it on PC. Everything you note is available on your computer on the Evernote website and if you make a note on the site, it syncs to your phone. The app is undoubtedly useful and I occasionally end up using it to jot down almost everything I have to remember. The user interface is also friendly and I especially like the dashboard which gives the user direct access to all the major functions of the app. The app has many features available for free but a premium version is available. Evernote Premium gives you bigger upload capacity, supports more file types, and offers enhanced security for roughly $45 per year. On the other hand, the app is a little bulky for a notepad. For one, its hard to retrieve notes and syncing or loading of notes often fails. The app frequently times out even when the Internet connectivity signal strength is good. The app also consumes around 5MB space on my phone, which is way above what other similar apps take up. This app will need quite some work to get it to a level acceptable to most users and I hope future versions will improve on the current drawbacks. Nevertheless, future versions promise to make it one of the handiest apps available to Android devices. Read More
January 20th, 2011 by Stratton Bubble Blast 2 is a puzzle game in which you burst bubbles to trigger a chain reaction in order to eliminate them. Now I know it has hundreds of thousands of downloads…but honestly I can’t quite figure out what the appeal is and I would bet that they have a high uninstall rate. I mean it is a cute game and at times fun, but not digging the graphics, ads everywhere, Magma Mobile news feed plugged into my phone now. Its just a bit much for me. Granted it is free and does provide some entertainment, I will give it that. Also on the nice side of things the developers are constantly updating it and translating it into additional languages, love the dedication to their product. The game itself is similar to that old arcade game…can’t remember its name right now…will update when I find that puppy. But basically it is a chain reaction game and you only have a few touches to start the chains. Different color bubbles show how weak or strong they are. So it is a puzzle game. Pretty good all around. Like I said though, it is free. So give it a go if you are into puzzles. Read More
