Welcome to the 464th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Happy holidays, and here are the top headlines from last week:
- Our own Andrew Grush takes a close look at gaming on Chromebooks. He found that it was actually quite good, and there was hope for Chrome OS as a gaming platform. However, there are still some kinks to be ironed out, as noted in his article linked above. Try reading.
- YouTube announced that they are partnering with the NFL to distribute the NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. Google is reportedly paying $2 billion per season for the deal, so we hope lots of people find it interesting. This is a huge deal for YouTube TV as it dramatically increases the platform’s sports selection. Apple is considered the favorite to win the contract. We guess the NFL decided to side with Google on this one.
- The number of our readers using Chrome OS is staggering. We posted a poll last week, and over 50% of respondents said they use a Chromebook every day. However, we also think that Chromebook owners are more interested in the article than users of other platforms. Still, it’s heartening to see that Chrome OS is alive and well among our readers.
- Our very own Kaitlyn Cimino wrote an article this week on sleep tracking data. It’s a great read, especially since people get so stressed over data like that. His advice is, basically, to stop worrying about it and let the chips fall wherever they are. A good night’s sleep is important, but you can’t get a good night’s sleep if you’re always worried about getting a good night’s sleep.
- Elon Musk posted the poll on Twitter this week. He asked if he should step down as head of Twitter, and then said he would abide by the poll results. The poll ended with 57.5% of respondents saying they wanted him to step down. Hit the link for more details, but if he can’t find someone to take over the job, he probably won’t back down.
Miko Era
Price: Free to play
Era of Miko is an MMORPG, and it has some potential. You start the game as the strongest Miko Emissary, and you are tasked with raising other Miko. The gameplay is okay. You walk around the open world, interact with NPCs, defeat the bad guys and do your thing. The graphics are also fairly average. It doesn’t look great, but it doesn’t look terrible either. On the plus side, it has a manual option for people who are fed up with all the auto-play MMORPGs that have come out lately.
It’s free to play like most games in this genre, and it’s honestly too early to see where this is going. It can be good, or it can fail. We know the developers may have to fix all the lag issues many players are experiencing.
reWASD Junior
Price: Free / $7-$40
C. Scott Brown wrote about his experience with reWASD this week. For the uninitiated, reWASD is input mapping software that lets you remap basically any button to do basically anything else. It comes with an Android app which, as long as you’re connected to the same network as your PC, lets you remap your stuff using your phone. Its features are extensive and too numerous to list here, so check out the article linked above to learn more about them. This app is not new, but it’s still cool.
Northern Kingdom
Price: Free
Northern Kingdoms is a tower defense game. Players build walls to keep enemies out so archers can take out the bad guys. It’s not the most complicated game, and there are many ways to win each round. You can also upgrade your tower, which adds a bit of depth. The game also features no in-app purchases, no ads, and offline play. This isn’t the most immersive tower defense game on mobile. Still, this is definitely the best free tower defense game with no ads or in-app purchases we’ve seen.
Expiration Date Reminder
Price: Free
Expiration Date Reminder is a simple app with a simple premise. You put things in your pantry, fridge, etc., with expiration dates. The app then alerts you when the expiration date is reached. The app lets you add an unlimited number of items for free, and the UI is pretty easy to use. You can also use it with medicines, subscriptions, food and anything else you can think of. This is a new app from an independent developer, so we don’t know how stable it will be on every phone, but it works great with our test device.
1 Bit Congratulations
Price: Free / $2.99
1 Bit Survivor is a roguelike with elements of survival horror. It uses low-resolution graphics and frenetic action to keep players engaged. Your goal is to survive 28 days and save your pet cat. Some of the game features include offline play, three unlockable character classes, and no microtransactions. In terms of gameplay, it’s similar to many other roguelikes, except that this one uses first-person animation for some of the player’s actions. It’s not much, but it does add a bit of visual flair. The game is cheap, and we think it’s pretty good.
If we missed any news or a major Android app or game release, let us know in the comments.
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