Welcome to the 183rd edition of Android Apps Weekly! Here are the biggest headlines from the last week:
- YouTube and Daydream are teaming up to make better VR videos. Right now, most VR videos use something called equirectangular projection. It works for now, but the quality could be better. The idea these two companies are going with is called equi-angular cubemap projection. It’s a similar concept that video games use but for VR video instead. We’ll learn more about it as they release more info.
- There is a new Humble Mobile Bundle ready for download. It has a total of nine games, including Anomaly 2, Kingdom Rush Frontiers, Worms 4, and others. You can pay $1 and get four games, pay $3 and get four more games, or pay $5 or more and you’ll get every game. This is actually a really nice bundle with some very good games. It’s worth checking it out and you’ll be helping charity too!
- Google’s Family Link app is close to release. This new app gives parents more control over the smartphones of their kids. The app will let parents do things like lock kids out of their devices and monitor what they download from Google Play. That should help with things like accidental purchases. Parents can request an early invite if they want to try it out now. However, most will have to wait for the official release.
- We have heard some new information about Pandora Premium. As expected, it’s aim will be to do battle with the likes of Apple Music, Spotify, and others. It’ll also cost $9.99 just like the rest. What we know right now is that Pandora will start by sending out invites for people to test out the service. The whole thing should be rolling out in the near future.
- As it turns out, Google Assistant is not coming to Android tablets. By now, you’ve likely heard that it is coming to every phone running Android Marshmallow and up. Google announced this week that they are definitely not doing tablets. At least right now. That’s not to say that it won’t come eventually, simply that no plans to do so are currently there. Adjust your expectations accordingly.
For even more Android apps and games news, updates, and releases, check out this week’s newsletter by clicking here! There you can find the stuff we didn’t have time for here. That includes some news about Waze and Spotify teaming up, screenshots of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy game from Telltale, and more! You can sign up for the newsletter using the form below and we’ll ship the newsletter to you every Sunday! Also, don’t forget to check out the Android Authority app for even faster updates!
Dubspace is a free shooting game. The idea is to play as a dude who floats around in space. You have to shoot bad guys that show up, avoid obstacles, and move around as best as you can. You shoot to move and sometimes you have to wait to reload. It also features some pretty decent dubstep music so we recommend checking it out with headphones. The game is completely free to play with no in-app purchases. That makes it a good choice for those on a budget.
Supersonic is a new messaging app that uses your voice. It will listen to what you say and then convert it into text. That text is then sent to the recipient. It’s a fun little app and will do quirky things like change words to emoji when the situation calls for it. People can also just listen to the message if they want to. It’s a new app so there are some bugs here and there. We’ve seen some complaining about the contact management features as well. However, it’s worth a shot if this sounds like your sort of thing.
Ghosts’n Goblins is a port of the classic 1985 arcade game of the same name. It’s made by Capcom and unlike the broken Mega Man ports, this one works pretty well. It’s a side-scrolling platformer where you’ll have to run, jump, and fight your way passed obstacles. You’ll also have a casual game mode in case you want to play on an easier setting. There is support for Google Play Games services as well. It’s a tough old arcade game, but we had a lot of fun with it. It’s $0.99 with no in-app purchases.
Hangouts Meet is one of two new Google apps to augment Google Hangouts. This one is a conferencing app where you can create and join meetings with coworkers. It supports up to 30 participants, it’s fairly easy to use, and you can turn off video and just use your voice if you want to. The basic functionality is available for free although you will need a G Suite enabled account to use all of the features. It’s free to download if you want to try it out.
Clue is the classic board game that many of us remember from our childhood. For those who somehow don’t know, Clue is the game where you have to figure out who committed the murder, which room of the house it was in, and what weapon they used. This is a pretty faithful recreation and most haven’t had any problems with it. There are a few improvements that could be made, but overall it’s a solid experience. You can pick it up for $3.99 with no in-app purchases.
Thank you all for reading! If we missed any big Android apps or games news, tell us about it in the comments below! Don’t forget to check back next week for the next edition as well.
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