Our Editor’s Picks column is here to help Android users discover fun or useful apps and games that pique your interest. What you’ll find below are some of the apps that we at AndroidGuys enjoy using ourselves. Some of what follows are new titles while a few are classics we can’t let go of. We hope that you find something here that you can enjoy yourself! Let’s get started!
Clash Royale
Clash Royale is a fast paced, card based PvP brawler. Collect Clash troops, and use them to wreak havoc on your opponent’s towers! Unlike many other freemium games for mobile, Clash Royale can give enjoyment to even those who don’t like to spend on in-app purchases. It’s an all-around fun and very accessible game you can play for five minutes or for hours at a time.
Download from Google Play Store
Polarr
Polarr is a photo editing app found on multiple platforms. It has both free and paid features, and with the recent update to version 2.0 users can share custom filters with a QR code, edit RAW images and access powerful curve editing. If you’re looking for powerful photo editing for your phone or tablet, this one is worth a look.
Download from Google Play Store
SnapSeed
Snapseed is *the* Android image processor. Designed for use for everyday people for everyday images, it’s no wonder so many people use it. It is simple to use, works wonderfully and does everything you may expect of it.
Download from Google Play Store
Instant Buttons
If you’re like me, you appreciate a timely use of a pop culture quote, or humorous sound effect. Instant buttons is a fantastic app designed for any occasion. It has a huge library of classic sound effects from your favorite movie to your favorite game. Fun to play around with, or to use for that perfectly timed joke or reference, definitely a silly fun app for all to enjoy.
Download from Google Play Store
Maestria
With graphics that call to mind Monument Valley, this beautiful game can get pretty tricky before long. Players travel 160 levels spread across eight worlds. The object is simple: get the bells to ring in the right order. But, don’t let the calm and soothing design fool you; the game gets tricky.
With very few moving parts to worry about, it’s a puzzle game that taunts you with its premise. You’ll be back again and again, and you will get stuck. But, you will likely return to Maestria and move forward a few more levels before running into another wall.
Download from Google Play Store
Chrooma Keyboard
Chrooma Keyboard is a Keyboard App very similar to Google Keyboard with a few cool additions. You can change colors to anything you want instead of just Light and dark. If you don’t want the color to be the same at all times, you can set chrooma to detect the color of the app you are using and change to that. Also, with the paid version, you can get autocorrect suggestions for multiple languages at once.
Download from Google Play Store
MLB.TV
A premium subscription to MLV TV isn’t cheap at $24.99 a month, but it does give you access to every single game for your favorite team through video or audio. You also have access to home or away streams, meaning you can always choose your personal favorite broadcasters to deliver the live feed.
You can watch/listen to every game from any Android device, as well as watch it live on my TV through Chromecast. If you love baseball, you need MLB.TV.
Download from Google Play Store
Sling TV
Sling TV is a cord cutter’s dream. An alternative to expensive cable or satellite packages, Sling is an online streaming live TV service starting at $20 a month. It offers ESPN, AMC, Cartoon Network and many other popular network channels, with add-on packages available for additional sports, entertainment and kids channels.
Compatible with your phone, tablet, and even gaming consoles, you can always have your shows at your fingertips. If you’re looking to cut the cord and still wanna keep your live sports and favorite AMC shows, this is a can’t miss app.
Download from Google Play Store
Pod Cast Player
What really makes Pod Cast Player, by Player FM, excel is the balance of how easy it is to use, but yet how powerful the app really is. They state in the FAQ for the app that they “do not accept that “ease of use” should equate to “dumbing” down and won’t compromise on either simplicity or power” That power comes in the form of Player FM “rethinking” how podcasting apps work.
Traditionally you have to subscribe to a podcast to listen to the episodes from it. In Player FM that’s not the case. Just Hit Play on any episode and it plays! I use this app every day and have not found a better way to Podcast!
Download from Google Play Store
Vanilla Music
An open source music player which we really like for its excellent feature set. It plays almost all formats (flac, ogg, mp3, wav, wmv, etc) and has no ads or additional purchases needed. Vanilla also supports external playlists and is easy to use, no matter where you use it. If you’re looking for an alternative music player, Vanilla Music is definitely one to consider.
Download from Google Play Store
Microsoft Outlook
For those of you who use Microsoft email for work, there is no better app to manage your account than the Microsoft built Outlook app. While Gmail rules for Google, it does not handle all of the features that Microsoft built into Outlook. Gmail is actually a terrible experience for Outlook users.
The Microsoft Outlook app syncs flawlessly, downloading emails on the fly. It also gives you full access to your Outlook Calendar within the mail services app, and even notifies you with a unique sound so you can differentiate if it is a personal email or work email based on the sound it makes. The best feature is the one that integrates Word and Excel into the app so you can view and edit files from within.
Download from Google Play Store
