MakeUseOf.com: “[ANNOUNCEMENT] Best Android Apps” plus 7 more

[ANNOUNCEMENT] Best Android Apps
Latest Hilarious Picks [MakeUseOf Geeky Fun]
Cool Websites and Tools [July 10th]
Thank You To MakeUseOf Friends!
Flickr Vs Picasa (Google Photos) – What Will You Use? [MakeUseOf Poll]
Hot Tech Deals – Dell Discounts + more
10 Free Albums From Folk To Punk [Sound Sunday July 10th]
5 Must Download New Free iPad Games

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 06:30 AM PDT

Today, we’re proud to announce the launch of our Best Of: Android apps page! From productivity to socialising; and health & fitness to games — we’ve got you covered.

We’ve listed 100 of the best Android apps on a single page as a centralised hub for all your Android needs.

We’ve asked you for suggestions, read through all of your feedback and taking into account all of the advice given to us, we’ve finally come up with a list of the greatest Android apps that we’re happy with.

We think that you’ll most definitely find most of the apps useful, plus a couple that you’ve never heard of but should probably start using!

Head over to our Best Of: Android Apps page and check it out!

As always, we’d appreciate your input and suggestions, so if you think that we’ve missed out your favourite application or perhaps should have added a couple more essential apps into the list; please feel free to voice out in the comments section. We would love to hear what you think about our list and whether or not you found it useful.

Please share our Best Of: Android Apps page with your friends on social networks and let the fellow Android users know about it!

[ANNOUNCEMENT] Best Android Apps is a post from: MakeUseOf

More articles about: downloads, Google, google android, mobile games, software pack

Add Your Website Here!

These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed.

Cool Websites and Tools [July 10th] is a post from: MakeUseOf

[1] ShrinkTheWeb – Website Screenshot Thumbnail Service

Ever wanted to add website screenshots to your website? ShrinkTheWeb is one of the best services for that, both in terms of performance and pricing. The free account gets you a whopping 250,000 impressions. See it in action in our daily Cool Websites and Tools series.

[2] LapDawg “" Hands-free Laptop Stands

The hands free laptop stand holds your laptop or books in any position you want with it’s unique 360 degree rotating joints. Perfect for holding them in bed while lying down. Made from anodized aluminum with a beautiful black matte finish.

[3] Walyou “" Cool Gadgets for Geeks

Walyou is a fun blog covering all sorts of new cool gadgets and other stuff every geek is likely to find entertaining. Everything from world’s largest Gunny Bears to E-hookah gadgets. Make sure to check them out.

[4] TrueKolor – Affordable Quality Logo and Banner Design

If you’re looking for a cheap, original and quality logo or banner, check out TrueKolor. We often contact these guys when we need a logo or a banner made, some of the stuff they did for us listed on their portfolio page. Highly recommended.

[5] Sendible – The easiest way to market your brand online

We’re strong believers of the service Sendible provides — we use it on a daily basis and it has never failed us! Sendible is an online marketing service to promote, grow and track brands through the use of social media, email and SMS messaging. It has the ability to post to multiple services at once, schedule social network updates and analyse their success. We love it!

Thank you, guys!

Thank You To MakeUseOf Friends! is a post from: MakeUseOf

More articles about: announcements, sponsors

Stray Dogg – Almost

Genre: indie, lo-fi, americana, folk

From their Last.fm profile: “After couple of solo performances as a singer songwriter, Dukat Stray a.k.a. Stray Dogg decided to form a band in the winter of 2011 with Ana (violin), and Jelena (piano), girls who are Music Academy (Belgrade) graduates. The band performed as a backup to Chinawoman and Scout Niblett after only couple of months practice, with a 4 song Demo only availible. The band needed another guitar player, and that's when Marko from the Belgrade electropop band Inje, joined Stray Dogg band to play solo guitar.”

Almost is a free download from Bandcamp.

Eastern Phoebes – Gypsy Paw

Genre: indie, pop, folk

From their Homepage: “Eastern Phoebes began as the home recording project of two lovers: multi-instrumentalist/producer/sound explorer Ry Smith and holistic health guru/yogi extraordinaire Meg Bayley. In January of 2010, Ry started recording songs he was writing in their loft apartment. He asked Meg to help sing and clap on a bunch of tunes, and the “band” was formed. They released their self-titled five track EP that summer, a CD-R enclosed in a handmade cardboard envelope complete with artwork by the couple’s go-to album artist, Andy Drake.”

Gypsy Paw is a free download from Bandcamp.

Jeremy Messersmith – Album

Genre: acoustic, folk, pop

From his Facebook Biography: “To call Jeremy Messersmith a musician is half-truth: He's also a storyteller, who has carefully crafted a trilogy of songs that narrate life. (…) The Reluctant Graveyard (out May 4) bookends this trilogy of lifelong (ahem, literary) observations with songs like "Lazy Bones" and "Organ Donor," and sonically continues on the'60 chamber pop path Messersmith set out with his sophomore release. He continues to share stages with notables such as Sondre Lechre and The Watson Twins, and has been featured on MTV and Ugly Betty. And while this collection of songs comes to an end, it's no doubt that the stories will live on.”

The Reluctant Graveyard Doctors Without Borders Remix is a name your price download from Bandcamp.

Cosmic Analog Ensemble – Navigations Nocturnes

Genre: instrumental, jazz, soul, classical, electronic, folk

From the band’s profile on the FMA: “Charif Megarbane, founder and songwriter of the band Heroes & Villains is the Cosmic Analog Ensemble. Whether with live instruments or with old samplers, Megarbane writes, produces and mixes all the material on his own. CAE’s releases are the result of hours of improvisation recorded with basic analog equipment across the globe. It can be described as library music, in reference to the abstract, obscure instrumentals of the 60′s-70′s. In that sense, the Cosmic Analog Ensemble cannot be pigeonholed: the only constant is the grit and the rawness.”

Navigations Nocturnes is a free download from Bandcamp.

Russell Dauberman – Demo

Genre: indie, acoustic, folk, punk

From his Facebook Biography: “I’m Russell from Bellefonte PA. I love writing music. I made this page so that I can show my music to others. I encourage any and all feedback. If you would like to listen to my music, I have a bandcamp page with songs that I have written and recorded. The link for the site is shown below. If you would like me to play a show, party, or anything at all, contact me on here or my regular facebook.”

The Demo album is a free download from Bandcamp.

The Rope River Blues Band – selftitled

Genre: lo-fi, americana, blues, pop

The band from Baltimore, Maryland conists of Matt Perzinski and Krestovsky. Active since 2006, The Rope River Blues Band have released four albums, the latest being the 3 track EP Looks(ee): This Psychedelik Wilderniss!, which can be downloaded from the FMA.

The Rope River Blues Band is a free download from the Free Music Archive.

mo-seph – The Other Place

Genre: experimental, ambient, electronic, trip-hop, techno

From his FMA profile: “mo-seph is Dave Murray-Rust and he gets computers and electronics to make noises that make him smile. He likes to hit things that go beep, and he’s been doing that for a long time in lots of different ways”

The Other Place is a free download from the Free Music Archive.

Careers In Science – WHATEVERWOLF

Genre: hardcore, nerdrock, punk

From their Facebook Biography: “Nerdy post-punk and hardcore influenced punk rock by way of Black Flag and Devo; fast, guitar-driven songs about giant monsters, suburban paranoia, and that moment when you realize you’re no longer a kid. Throw in a healthy dose of satire and video game references and you’ve got Careers In Science.”

WHATEVERWOLF is a name your price download from Bandcamp.

Grand Hotel Paradox – First World Problems

Genre: experimental, independent, punk

From their Facebook Biography: “Grand Hotel Paradox is a DIY & independent punk band. Grand Hotel Paradox makes music that experiments with harmony, rhythm and texture a little more than most punk music, whilst still giving precedence to lyrics.”

First World Problems is a name your price download from Bandcamp.

Joey Cape – Joey Cape’s Bad Loud

Genre: punk, rock

From the Bio on his Homepage: “Long-time singer-songwriter Joey Cape has drawn inspiration from the candle lit emotion of Kill Rock Stars era Elliott Smith and an upbringing steeped in acoustic acts such as Simon & Garfunkel and Cat Stevens; Cape's acoustic efforts stand up on their own and finally introduce him as a promising addition to the pantheon of great American singer-songwriters.”

Joey Cape’s Bad Loud is a name your price download from Bandcamp.

New to Sound Sunday? Past editions of Sound Sunday are available here.

Feel free to get in touch with me [tina at makeuseof dot com] to share free material, suggestions, and feedback or simply add your comments below.

Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers!

10 Free Albums From Folk To Punk [Sound Sunday July 10th] is a post from: MakeUseOf

More articles about: downloads, freebies, indie music, music, music albums, songs, soundsunday

Tiny Tower

Hands-up those who remember SimTower? No, nevermind, it wasn't exactly the most famous of the franchise that spawned a million sim games, but it was curiously addictive – and who doesn't have fond memories of building a wedding chapel on the 100th floor and having to cope with an ever increasing elevator demand? Riveting stuff. Tiny Tower is a bit like that, and maintains the same element of addiction thankfully whilst still adding a unique touch to the 'genre' of tower building.

free ipad games

What's different? Well, you have only one building type per floor, and it's much harder to build new floors. The mechanics also focus more on shuffling people around and restocking your retail ventures on each floor, as well as little hide and seek tasks when "someone is searching for an old friend". A key task is moving people to the appropriate floor in the elevator when new people or VIPs come to the tower.

As a ‘freemium’ game, there's always the option to speed things up, but your stores continue to earn cash even when you're not playing (and using up their stock levels!), and it doesn't feel forced like some games can.

Anyway, Tiny Tower is a well produced and addictive game with great core mechanics, and the 8-bit retro graphics add superbly to the game's charm. This weeks MUST DOWNLOAD!

Tiny Dish

I warn you now, this is not something a sane adult would actually want to play, but it's free and it might easily become one of your kids favourites. The premise is simple – you get a plate or two, a screen full of random foods, and you have to sort the correct foodtype onto that plate because mummy hates a messy table. Putting the wrong type of food onto the plate spits out another 10 or so random foods, so you really don't want to get it wrong so often.

ipad games

It did strike me that the objects were just a little too small for uncoordinated fingers though – perhaps children will find it easier. It didn't quite agree with the random mashing of my fat fingers!

The iPad version also has a versus (vs) mode, so if you really want give your child the pleasure of whooping your ass at food sorting, go right aead.

Marvel Kapow HD Free (demo)

I must admit I was expecting a cheap piece of marketing, but was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Though the demo only includes a limited number of levels, it does offer a good amount of gameplay and is good for all ages. In a variety of gameplay mechanisms that reflect arkanoid/breakout/space invaders/fruit ninja clones, each super hero is squared off against a villain. I won't embarrass myself by pretending to know who the characters are as I've never been much of a Marvel fan, but Wolverine's attack is of course slicing at the approaching enemies, while the guy with the American flag on his shield (god, I don't know! Captain Planet?) reflects the enemy shots back up. After a few levels you're forced to mix and match these play styles, choosing the appropriate attack for that enemy. It's a good, addictive mechanism, and definitely worth checking out before considering the full game.
ipad games

Unpleasant Horse

Quirky title of the week award! Unpleasant Horse is what happens when teams of developers from PopCap games play silly word games, and see what they can make of the outcome. After winning the code jam, the game was polished up and released.

First off, this game is utterly disgusting and depraved, so don't let your kids near it unless you're one of those cool parents.

ipad games

Bordering on ridiculously impossible, the game is about jumping your dark goth-horse around from cloud to cloud, capturing pretty ponies then dragging them down the the slicer, and gobbling up cute birds to get an extra jump. Be careful though, hang around too long in the slicer or miss the next cloud and you'll soon be greeted by a shower of blood and excruciating sound of bones crunching.

Definitely NOT one for the whole family, but oh so fun in a sick and twisted kind of way.

Battle Bears 1 – Free (demo)

Who said teddy bears have to be cuddly? Though the demo is only about 15 minutes long of one full level, it's absolutely gripping and intense throughout. With zero backstory or a ridiculous plot to worry about, you race through the level killing a variety of happy bears – the weakest kind of which shoot out rainbows from their decapitated necks when they die – using a variety of weaponry. A heavy metal soundtrack pounds on in the background, and before long the game has picked up speed, happy bears are spewing out of every door, and you're racing frantically to pick up bonus bullets and making full use of that rocket launcher.

Trust me, this is an intense experience not to be missed!

free ipad games

That’s it for this week. As ever, you can either post your suggestions for upcoming titles in the comments, or if you’re a developer and you’d like your game featured, then feel free to email me directly james AT makeuseof.com. Thanks for reading!

5 Must Download New Free iPad Games is a post from: MakeUseOf

More articles about: ipad, ipad apps, ipad games

word movie

Monday, July 11, 2011