BabyPhone Mobile: Baby Monitor - Android App Featured

BabyPhone Mobile: Baby Monitor by Papenmeier Software UG - Android App Featured   

We at Android Review Center like smartphones. We really do. We firmly believe that android smartphones (yeah, even the other kind too) can really make our lives better. They mainly serve as mobile communications centers, mobile offices and mobile entertainment centers. However, we do realize that there are (few ...) things more important than smartphones and there are apps that break the mold on the main three utility kinds we just outlined.

Well, we actually found something that was more important than smartphones. Babies. Yeah, we know. Anyone who has grown kids or is too young to have kids is now shuddering but babies are important, at least to their parents. And they are also a very time consuming thing, as even at night or during the day when they take a nap, the parent must be at hand at all times to make sure the baby isn't crying out of hunger or a full diaper. 

So it is with great pleasure we introduce BabyPhone Mobile, an very innovative app that tries to let parents of babies take back some control of their lives.

What does BabyPhone Mobile do? This app turns a mobile device into a listening device or monitor for the baby in question. In other words, this app uses the smartphone's sensors to detect and transmit noises such a baby crying to speech and pictures on demand to a receiving mobile device or desktop. Of course, as the app transmits over cellular data connection, range is not a factor.

BabyPhone Mobile has a range of nifty features to make it all the better. First and foremost, it allows the user to calibrate the microphone of the mobile device used as monitor. This is important because sensitivity can change because of different smartphone cases, location of the monitor device and the room's acoustics. BabyPhone works with the monitor device on standby to conserve battery (though make sure your device can transmit during standby!) and sounds an alarm if the battery runs low.

Another very useful feature is the ability to install the software on a desktop or laptop that is hooked to the internet, thus receiving the input from the monitor on a computer and not on a mobile device. Of course, the controlling software allows the user to take a picture of the baby whenever he or she wants to.

What does that give us? The app gives parents the ability to go about their chores in the house, even relax and watch a movie while all the time keeping tabs on their sleeping baby. For parents, this ability is priceless. Ask any parents of a young baby how utterly priceless this is for them!

Just as a side note, the app does require a small subscription fee to be able to use it freely (it can run sessions of up to half an hour for free).

Google Play Link
Website Link

Emu Rush - Android App Featured

Emu Rush Free by Slinky Studios - Android App Featured   

We at Android Review Center strongly believe that android smartphones should serve as mobile offices, mobile communications centers and as entertainment centers. Now, when we refer to entertainment centers, two main roles come to mind. Consuming media (movies, music etc) and playing games. 

Games, for Android or in general, can be divided into two main groups. Complex games which require gaming sessions measured in hours (even for smartphones) in which the player must gather resources, design and build a base and finally go out and tackle missions or other players of the games. And then there are the simpler arcade games which are just as important as the complex games.

We would like to introduce Emu Rush, an app firmly entrenched in the arcade game types.

Emu Rush appears simple but simple does not mean easy. The player must control the huge flightless birds running across the screen in this endless running game. The birds must beware of different obstacles strewn across their way and of the portals, because hitting the portals will cause the birds to change their running lane.

Emu Rush is not an easy game. Jumping and dodging obstacles in the correct timing is crucial for the survival of these birds. The player must concentrate entirely on this game in order to be able to act swiftly enough to avoid the things trying to hamper the birds in their running. 

Emu Rush uses simple graphics and music which are just perfect for these types of games, allowing the player to concentrate fully on the task of controlling the birds and not providing distractions that may hinder the player and the tireless birds. Of course, the birds themselves are quite cute (although their real life counterparts are bone ugly. Trust us on this ...).

Emu Rush is just perfect for those seeking to relax for a few minutes, flex their fingers and hone their minds and reflexes in this fast running game, comparing results with players around the world and fighting to reach the next achievement. A perfect arcade game.

Google Play Link

Cut-Fall-Crush by app-artist - Android App Featured

Cut-Fall-Crush by app-artist - Android App Featured   

Google Play has millions of apps by now, which is just a sign of how much Android Smartphones have proliferated and enhanced every aspect of our lives, from communications to working to consuming media to playing games. Of course, that huge number of apps (with hundreds more being uploaded into Google Play every day) poses a problem of its own.

That problem comes from originality, or lack thereof. With so many apps out there, it is the sad truth that only a small proportion represent truly new and unique ideas. A large part of the apps are just copied ideas from other apps and even though they may have introduced improvements on the original idea, still sheer originality is priceless.

That is why we are excited to introduce Cut-Fall-Crush, an app with a very original idea and even more original graphics.

What is Cut-Fall-Crush all about? The game itself is quite simple, though mastering it at any level is another thing altogether. The player gets o select a shape out of a possible selection of four and then he or she needs to cut the swinging rope at the right time and try to hit shapes of the same color to crush them while avoiding the laser beam.

The game is much harder than it looks because the shapes move and tumble when hit and the player must guess and estimate which piece will end up where to make sure all the right pieces will eventually be hit. In addition, a laser beam crosses the screen and the player must time all swings as to avoid his or her pendulum from being destroyed by the beam. 

One of the great things about this game is its original graphics. All the displays and UI are designed in a luminous neon sign form, filling the screen with color limited to the contour lines of the shapes and objects being displayed on the screen. In fact, the graphics are very reminiscent of the unique visual style of Tron, both the original and the sequel.

Cut-Fall-Crush requires a keen mind and the ability to strategically plan ahead to make sure the pieces roll where they are supposed to, not to mention the difficulty arising from the pendulum's momentum and motion. For those who want a mental challenge and enjoy otherworldly, beautiful graphics, Cut-Fall-Crush is perfect.

Google Play Link

Super Penguin Hop - Android App Featured

Super Penguin Hop by Viekas - Android App Featured   

Arcade and platform games are among the games we love the most here on Android Review Center. It is true that Android Smartphones should be used as mobile offices and mobile communications centers but their third role as entertainment centers is just as important and arcade games are (or at least, should be) very entertaining.

 

What's so fun about arcade games? Well, first and foremost is their simplicity. You can't ALWAYS play complex strategic games where you have to advance 9 levels and wait two months before you can field a decent army, or a virus infection game that makes you learn enough medical vocabulary to shame a Center for Disease Control professor to shame.

Well, does Super Penguin Hop have what it takes to make it a good arcade game?

Super Penguin Hop is quite a simple game, though it has its subtle and interesting complexities. The character the player gets to play is a cute penguin running for its life while being chased by a voracious seal. Yeah, seals are not always cute. Try googling Leopard Seal. Anyway, our penguin must jump over and through obstacles while staying out of the jaws of the pursuing seal.

Movement is by flapping the penguin's wings by a simple touch on the screen, though as penguins are not renowned flyers to say the least, the player must watch his or her energy bar. Now, the bird can jump through ice packs but not stone blocks and the player must carefully guide the penguin through to safety. 

The game has several strong points. Its music is retro and fun! You'll start humming it too after a few minutes of playing the game. The characters and the game's environment are also simple retro style graphics but the studio has put enough details into each to make every player feel for his penguin and fear its pursuers. 

So, everyone on the lookout for that quick game that can be played for a few moments to relax, is both simple and challenging, and has very engaging retro style graphics and music, he or she cannot pass up an opportunity to test a great arcade game. Just be careful of the seal's ravenous jaws!

Google Play Link

Borjikos Adventure by GIZGIZA - Android App Review

Borjikos Adventure by GIZGIZA - Android App Review

Borjikos Adventure GIZGIZA - Android App Review. It seems to us that almost all the games out there on Google Play can be put into two categories. Kids games and destructive games. So, if a game isn't for kids, than it is a game meant for destruction, either of the enemy clan or the evil invading aliens or whatever. Even if there's no enemy per se, still the player character will die a gruesome death if it won't jump at the right moment.

There are so few games with little to no destruction in them. Even Minecraft has it's own type of violence. Of course, there are the gambling type games but they CAN be destructive to the player's bank account ... Anyway, we were more than thrilled to stumble upon Borjiko's Adventure, a game with no destruction, death, falling down or any kind of violence whatsoever. 

But really, can a game with no violence be fun to play?

First of all, what is this game all about? The game revolves around Borjiko, a kind of alien or monster who innocently enough travels around the world and in each place he arrives to he has to play a match 3 puzzle where he has to assemble the necessary ingredients to prepare on of the location's national or traditional food, selecting ingredients out of a large existing pool of things to use.   

Whenever our lovable monster solves a puzzle, he / she / it receives stars and with those stars Borjiko unlocks new countries that he can fly to and try to find the ingredients to those new places' national foods. Of course, each new country appears with its own distinct graphics and maps.

So we launched our small army of people who review apps to give this app a try. We noticed something interesting right then and there as we found out more people than usual were happy to try this particular game. Gameers, naturally, but also people interested in cooking.

First thing we found out was that people actually found this game to be pretty interesting and engaging, even though it appears to be quite simple. People were quite happy trying to find out the ingredients and even more happy to discover special and unique dishes of different locales. 

The reviewers were also quite happy and liked the game's graphics which are a blend of accurate drawings done in a cartoonist style creating a very pleasant atmosphere to the game while still maintaining accuracy as to the dishes and ingredients.

We also got a lot of favorable reviews that mentioned the sheer number of locales, places, ingredients and dishes. This creates an almost inexhaustible game that gave reviewers a fun game that never runs out, even as updates keep adding more and more.

And now for some tips and tricks. When going over ingredients of dishes from a specific country, try finding out the common ingredients used there. They are used in almost ALL the dishes there. Examples include cheeses in some places and sea food in others.

Another interesting thing we found out was that the game actually gave some people incentive to go out and research the recipes for dishes they saw and liked on the game, making them learn more about the country and the dish in question.

Last but not least, this made for some very interesting talks as to the dishes and the places they come from. It sounds kinda of stupid, but talking about dishes is ALWAYS interesting and people always want to learn more about them. You just don't have to tell them you learned all that information from a game ...

Our reviewers liked the game, its graphics and its quite original concept and many reported it had some interesting and beneficial side effects, which we outlined above. 

• Score: 4.75. Almost perfect but we want the recipes put into the game as well!
• Description: A match 3 type puzzle where the player must match ingredients in national dishes of different places and countries.
• Good Points: Very nice and pleasant graphics. Huge amount of ingredients and dishes. Interesting and quite unique concept.
• Bad Points: None really, except we would have wanted to have the recipes available along with the dishes inside the game.
• Experience: The game is easily playable and there is no learning time, per se. It does get more difficult at advanced levels but that's where the fun lays.
• Longevity: Since the game is about food, and there are almost endless number of ingredients and dishes, this game is here to last.
• Link to Google Play

Feed The Alien - Android App Featured

Feed The Alien by Pinfloy Mobile Games - Android App Featured   

The wonderful and fun part about games for Android Smartphones is that with such a big pool of app makers, the variety and imagination seen right there on Google Play is astounding, as if it affords us a glimpse into the very pool of human ingenuity. Therefore, we at Android Review Center love above else games and apps which are inventive and unique.

Now, we know and love alien games but one way or another, they usually have one very specific point of view, that of the murderous aliens attacking humanity while us poor humans must use every available means to defend ourselves. Consequently, most of aliens depicted on these games are usually blood thirsty monsters of some kind.

This is why it brings us real pleasure to introduce Feed the Alien, a game that definitely goes in other directions than most other games.

Feed the Alien is quite a simple game, though mastering it and playing it well are quite difficult. In the game, we are presented with one alien, quite a cute one eyed green bugger that is really harmless. However, our green skinned alien is hungry and out job is to send the alien food to prevent it starving.

But throwing food is not quite as simple as it sound. We the players must aim the food to reach the immediate proximity of our hungry alien or he won't be able to reach the food. In addition, we must overcome obstacles, monsters and other hardships while sending the food flying towards the alien. This is not as simple as it sounds!

The game makes, Pinfloy Mobile Games have made a real effort to make a game that is both pleasing to the eyes and addictive, with cute and professional graphics coupled to fun gameplay that requires both good fingers and some thought to puzzle through the harder levels.

Feed the Alien also has a large number of interesting features, starting from galactic credits that with sufficient number can buy more lives to special foods with special effects. This game is a non violent game (quite rare these days!) and is the first chapter in a game series that should be interesting to follow.

Google Play Link

Empty Fridge - Android Featured App

Empty Fridge by Chabislav - Android Featured App  

The reason we don't tired of location, reviewing and writing reports about apps is the endless variety, imagination and thought put into those apps. Of course, sometimes we happen to chance on a real star, an app for Android Smartphones that really shines, showing us that the app's maker really had imagination and flair or just created a REALLY useful app. Sometimes, it is one and the same.

First of all, we have to outline the problem and it is one that is actually very close to home and affects everyone, from bachelors to students to teenagers coming home from school to exhausted parents to elderly folk. The problem is, what do we do with the few ingredients and leftovers that are ALWAYS present in everyone's refrigerator?

The problem has been solved by an ingenious app called Empty Fridge, and we'll reveal how exactly it solves it.

The app's operation itself is laughable simple, which is a sign of a great app since a great app even with complicated algorithms does not have to possess an overly complex user interface. Anyway, with Empty Fridge we just have to input a list of ingredients (those that we have in our fridge, of course. That's the whole idea) and the app gives us a list of recipes.

After we receive the list of recipes, we choose one of the presented recipes from the list and then we can see the whole recipe, complete with directions, phases and every kind of instruction we might need in order to actually make the recipe.

Now, the benefits of Empty Fridge should be obvious to everyone. Instead of throwing away things we have in the fridge or (some might consider this even worse ...) just stockpile things and ingredients we don't know what to do with, Empty Fridge gives up a viable alternative in the form of a recipe that actually uses the things that we already have. 

During October 2014 Empty Fridge has received a major update, solving all of the known bugs, improving the user interface and the recipe finding algorithm to enable it to find more recipes with the things we need. Empty Fridge let's us save money and time by letting us reuse things we have, and that's what good Android Smartphones are for.

Google Play Link

Super Jet World - Android Featured App

Super Jet World by Elevated Vision - Android Featured App  

Let's face it, the amount of adventure most of us get to enjoy during the year is quite limited, mostly having to do with a reckless driver on the freeway. We get up, go to work, get home, go to sleep and then the recycle begins anew the next day. People with spouses and especially kids get to have a little more excitement in their lives but it is still not what one would call an adventure. 

Adventure consists of getting to new places, exploring them, battling or at least escaping the attention of various evil monsters. A large part of what adventure consists is not knowing what is coming next, what kind of crazy scenery we will find and what crazier beings are there to defend it and protest our arrival. 

Super Jet World is a kind of adventure, a simple action game that nevertheless manages to take us to fantastic places.

The game itself is quite intuitive and easy to learn. The player takes on the character of an old war vet who pilots a jet aircraft, controlling it simply through touch motions on the screen. The pilot must take his jet through some really wild environments while things become increasingly difficult as creatures, monsters and conditions themselves worsen by the minute.

We talked earlier about adventures and Super Jet World is a real adventure. The player gets to explore underground caverns, erupting volcanoes, unpredictable jungles and even outer space. Of course, every environment has its own dangers and specific native life, making exploring dangerous yet thrilling.

The makers of Super Jet World made a real effort to produce a fun and interesting game. On of their most interesting features is the ability to custom the jet our pilot is using, a feature not commonly seen on action games. The player can select colors, shapes and even the flag the jet flies behind it, all to suit the player's tastes and desires.

The game also has a plethora of other useful features like a catchy and slightly retro sounding music, a leadership board and the ability to allow the player to challenge his or her friends to a friendly competition and the game itself has several modes of play, from campaign to survival, making the player pilot the jet in increasingly difficult conditions, really testing the player's reflexes and piloting ability.

Google Play Link

Just Get 10 by Veewo Games - Android App Review

Just Get 10 by Veewo Games - Android App Review

Just Get 10 by Veewo Games - Android App Review. Puzzle games are fun, and in fact are one of the most popular game types for Android Smartphones. They are relatively easy to understand and learning how to play them takes very little time and then the challenge remains, which is a challenge to the mind and not how fast you can move your fingers.

The draw back to a lot of puzzles is the fact that there are SO many of them on Google Play, from shape matching to riddle solving to mathematical problems. In fact, it has become increasingly difficult to find a really original puzzle game, and there's a limit to how much one can play the same type of puzzles over and over.

This is why we were thrilled we were able to find quite an original puzzle game, Just Get 10 by Veewo Games. 

What is Just Get 10? On first glance it bears some resemblance to standard Bubble Shooter games. The player gets a board with numbered and colored tiles and then he or she must combine tiles with the same number that are added to create a tile with a bigger number. The player must keep doing it until he or she reaches the value of 10, or higher if her or she can manage this. 

So, we gave the game to our reviewers and sat back and waited for their reviews. First of all, it must be mentioned that some reviewers tried to get their kids to play the game, with surprising results. Kids loved the colorful game and older kids managed to advance quite nicely, solving some difficult boards faster than the adults. It's always nice to have kids play games that require thinking rather than just a click fest.

Adult reviewers were usually impressed with the visuals and the music that come with the game, citing a very pleasant experience playing it and solving the puzzles the game present. Most reported that the game was ideal for playing for a few moments at a time, then making a task switch and returning to the game in an hour to advance some more.   

Our reviewers felt the game was very good for enhancing basic math skills and for drilling those geometric skills, since the player must combine the right tiles in the right order to create the sums where they are needed or the player will be stuck and unable to advance.

The best advice our reviewers gave about playing Just Get 10 was to plan ahead. It is not enough to combine every tile you see in order to great the sums of numbers to advance. The player must plan ahead a few steps at least and figure out how he or she is going to keep adding numbers to get to 10. Without planning ahead, the player cannot have any chance of success.

In conclusion, our reviewers all pointed out the professional looking graphics and music of the game. combined with an innovative design and challenging gameplay, Just Get 10 is not only attractive to adults but also to kids. 

• Score: 4.7. Great puzzle game. 
• Description: A puzzle game where the player must combine numbered tiles to reach the sum of 10, or higher. 
• Good Points: Very professional graphics and music. Innovative game design. Helps develop math and geometric skills. Fun and challenging.
• Bad Points: None, really. We would have liked to see in future version some other shapes of boards, not only rectangular ones. Perhaps also a game of subtraction and not only addition. 
• Experience: Learning to play the game was easy and straight forward. The first few boards were quite easy and then the game starts to be challenging, but nothing a moment or two of thought cannot solve.
• Longevity: Adults usually kept this game installed for long, because they loved the challenge and the simple game design. Kids loved to play it, but with longer breaks between game periods.
• Link to Google Play