11 new and notable Android apps from the last week (8/22/17 - 8/28/17)
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous week or so.
Apps
MaskIt - Customize your icons!
With the current state that Android's icons are in, it's no wonder that many developers are creating fixes for Google's shortsightedness. Just like Adapticons, MaskIt - Customize your icons! gives the power back to the user. Now anyone can change the style of their icons by choosing their own mask shape. This way you can make all of your icons match with ease. Just keep in mind that you will need a launcher that supports third-party icon packs and you should be all good.
Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs
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With MaskIt you can renew your icons. You can customize your apps in four different styles, all in one application.
- Google Pixel (round)
- iPhone IOS 11
- Xiaomi MIUI 8
- Samsung Galaxy S8
PhET Simulations
PhET Simulations is an app from University of Colorado Boulder that contains science and math simulations for teaching STEM topics. While the app does not include PhET’s Java or Flash sims, there is a concerted effort to convert them all to HTML5. Luckily there are over 45 simulations included with the app. Whether you are a parent, teacher, administrator, or student, PhET Simulations has a simulation for every user.
Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs
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Whether understanding atoms, exploring energy, or mastering multiplication, there is a sim for every learner. Perfect for at home, in class, or on the road, this app delivers all PhET HTML5 sims (over 45 sims) in one easy-to-use package. Developed by experts at the University of Colorado Boulder, PhET sims are used by millions of students every year.
nPlayer
nPlayer is the newest video player on the block for Android and boy is it a doozy. Not only can it stream from remote devices, but it supports a plethora of formats so that you will never need to convert your video files to something more compatible. Heck, it even supports DTS audio. While I am an avid MX Player Pro user, I may just have to switch it up and see how well nPlayer holds up to the closest of scrutiny.
Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs
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** nPlayer officially supports DTS (DTS HD ), DTS Headphone:X. You don't need to convert video files to MP4 to play them in your mobile device. nPlayer enable you to play all kinds of video formats and codecs without file converting efforts. You don't need to store video files in your device with limited storage space. nPlayer's powerful and various network technologies will help you to stream them from remote devices.
Pronounce - Free offline Text to Speech
Pronounce - Free offline Text to Speech is an offline tool for word pronunciations and text-to-speech. This is ideal for users trying to learn a new language or conversing in a foreign country. Considering that you don't even need an internet connection to use this app, users won't ever need to worry about roaming fees while traveling.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
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From the developers of 2Do, we bring to you a beautiful new tool that helps you focus on words, their correct pronunciation and nothing else. With Pronounce you can master speech, or adopt that accent you thought you never could. No adverts. No sign-up. No access to contacts or location. No privacy invasion. No strings attached. You get the picture.
Libre Music
While there is no shortage of media players on the Play Store, I am always happy to see one that is open-source. This is where Libre Music comes in. It is a completely free and open-source media player that supports all the standard formats. The material design stylings and inclusion of light and dark themes also helps to place it above many other options. While I am sure everyone already has a favorite media player they enjoy using, Libre Music is definitely worth checking out for those looking for a change.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
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Libre Music is a free and open source media player that lets you simply enjoy your music by being fast, easy to navigate through, and having various other features such as:
- Support for all popular music formats (MP3, FLAC, WAV, etc...)
- Support for CUE sheets and CUE sheets embedded in audio files.
- Modern, simple material design
- Light, Dark and Black themes
- More to come.
LINE Creators Studio
Have you ever wanted to create your very own stickers for sharing on social media or through your favorite texting app? Well, it would appear that LINE Corporation has created such an app with the release of LINE Creators Studio. Simply import any picture on your device into the app and then trace the area you would like to cut out as a sticker, the app will do the rest. Once you save your newly created sticker to your device, you can then go about sharing it with whoever you please.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
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LINE Creators Studio is LINE's official app that lets you easily create LINE stickers from photos and more. Sell your sticker creations on LINE's Sticker Shop and share them with the world. Turn your beloved pets, friends, or kids into original LINE sticker sets. Create unique sticker sets for a private group of friends or family and make your LINE chats your own. (All stickers must pass a review process before they can be sold.)
Croatia in VR – Ancient Pula
Two weeks ago there was a VR app for exploring Ancient Jerusalem included with the weekly app roundup. This week we see the release of Croatia in VR – Ancient Pula, a VR app for exploring Croatia. So if you happen to own a Daydream or Carboard compatible device and you would like to explore Croatia, I would suggest purchasing Croatia in VR – Ancient Pula and checking out everything it has to offer. Considering that all of the data contained within the title has been researched and is backed-up by archaeological evidence, at the very least it will be a learning experience.
Monetization: $3.99 / no ads / no IAPs
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Experience Croatia in a way that has not been possible for 2,000 years. Step into the shoes of a Roman, and see Pula exactly as they would have seen it in the 2nd Century A.D. The Lithodomos VR app allows you to explore 7 incredible places in Pula whilst you are walking around the modern city, or by viewing the app from the comfort of your chair anywhere in the world.
Fingerprint Gestures-Selfie & Secret Pics
Fingerprint reader gestures have been all the rage ever since the Huawei Mate S introduced them. Well, if you happen to own a device with a fingerprint sensor I am sure you don't want to be left in the dust. So check out Fingerprint Gestures-Selfie & Secret Pics, a new app that gives you plenty of options for customizing how any and all fingerprint gestures work. Not only can you set it to take photos with a simple swipe, but you can also control your music with a litany of different swipes.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $0.99 a piece
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Fingerprint Gestures allows you to perform custom actions on your device using fingerprint sensor of your mobile.
- Gesture Up
- Gesture Down
- Gesture Left
- Gesture Right
Manufacturer And Tie-In Apps
Page Marker
Android Police coverage: ASUS releases Page Marker, a Pocket-like offline page and article saving app [APK Download]
Apparently, ASUS is taking a stab at offering a Pocket-like service for their Android users with the release of Page Marker. It was originally introduced as part of the ZenUI 4.0 update, but thankfully ASUS has released the app onto the Play Store for easier updates. So yeah, if you own an ASUS device and enjoy reading saved web articles offline, then Page Marker may be a good free choice to the other paid alternatives.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
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Page Marker help you easily save, read and organize interested web articles in one place. Save the internet articles you like on your mobile phone. Sync all your favorite content to Google Drive to store the clippings. Read and organize the collected articles anytime and anywhere, even without internet.
ZenUI Safeguard
Android Police coverage: Asus releases the ZenUI 4.0 Safeguard app on the Play Store [APK Download]
Another ASUS app that just made its way to the Play Store is ZenUI Safeguard. It is a title that allows you to quickly call for help by reporting your location through ZenUI Safeguard's SOS function. Basically, if you find yourself in an emergency, you can use this app to call for help to your personal emergency contacts.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
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Only available for ASUS ZenUI 4.0 phones. ZenUI Safeguard includes the features SOS and Report Location. SOS allows you to make an SOS call or send a preset SMS with your location information to your message group during emergencies by quick pressing the power button three times. Report Location allows you to share your real time location to your contacts anytime.
SAMSUNG SLP
SAMSUNG SLP is a new app from Samsung that allows you to control your Samsung Smart Lighting Platform. The way it works is you set up what type of lighting you would like in your office or home through the app. Do you want the lights to turn on as you walk in the door, well, you can do that. If you want to set all your lights to dim by afternoon, you can do that too. All your lighting needs will be controllable through this app as long as you set up your space with the required equipment.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
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Samsung Smart Lighting Platform is designed for integration with LED lighting systems to make it much easier to transform luminaires into smart, digital nodes. This Internet of Things (IoT) platform incorporates processing capabilities, firmware, connectivity and an open architecture connected to sensors for collecting data and creating new applications.
Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!
If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.
Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.
- the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago
- it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop
Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: oh.no.its.the@androidpolice.com.
1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.
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