Apologies if you missed our best Android apps of the week feature last week – it was rained off thanks to the quite frankly awesome Android Keyboard replacement piece we put together (if you haven’t checked that out already, we suggest you do so without hesitation). Never fear though, as this week we’ve got five amazing downloads that more than make up for the forced absence.
Just in case a week without an Android apps update has addled your brain, here’s how you can obtain these digital delights. Using the QR codes shown below – and the trusty Barcode Scanner application that is available for free on the Android Market – you can use your phone’s camera to take you directly to the respective app’s page. Luddites will be pleased to learn that clicking the link on each app’s title will achieve the same result.
With a name like that you get no prizes for guessing which massively successful iOS game Burn the Rope is trying to emulate, but putting aside the shameless name-copying for one moment, it’s clear that this is a thoroughly addictive puzzle title. You’re presented with an arrangement of ropes which must be burned away to complete the level. Tapping anywhere on the rope ignites the flame, and to keep it burning you have to make sure it’s always moving upwards. To do this you have to frantically tilt your phone – sometimes moving it through a full 360 degrees. Burn the Rope is one of those games that just seems to soak up all your spare time, and therefore effortlessly makes its way onto our Best Android apps of the week list.
Previously a favourite on Nokia handsets, Molome is a photo-sharing application which allows you to apply cool filter effects to your shots and then share them with friends, family and other members of the rapidly-expanding Molome community. The filters are pretty varied, and the whole app is covered in a deliciously twee aesthetic – there’s even a cute owl mascot to guide you around. With notifications to tell you when someone in the community ‘likes’ your work and the challenge of earning badges from your uploads, Molome is a pretty neat and innovative way of rewarding you for being creative with your Android phone’s camera, and the perfect stop-gap while we wait for Instagram for Android.
From the creators of the insanely popular Game Dev Story comes this highly addictive take on what it must be like to step into Frank Williams’ shoes and run your own F1 team. Starting from the back of the grid you have to build up your marque’s standing by winning single races before moving onto full seasons which place incredible demands on both your cars and your drivers. A slow drip-feed of unlockable vehicles, parts and mechanics makes it a genuine struggle to put down your phone, and even when you’ve seen everything the game has to offer, there’s the challenge of beating your previous high score. Absolutely essential – we demand that you download it immediately.
Ever wondered what it’s like to kill a man from hundreds of yards away with a powerful sniper rifle? If you answered yes to that question then remind us not to walk anywhere near your apartment late at night, and download this harmless digital replication instead. In Contract Killer it’s your job to rid the city of bloodthirsty criminals using a wide range of weapons and a network of informants who supply you with prospective hits. You only have a limited amount of energy to use each day, and this slowly recharges over time. You can use in-app purchases to overcome this limitation, but to be honest, it lends the game a long life span as the challenge is spread out over weeks instead of days. With its brilliant graphics, intuitive controls and neatly-paced action, Contract Killer hits the mark as one of this week’s Best Android apps.
After what seems like an eternity, the official Android eBay application has received a significant update. The most obvious change is the fact that it has undergone a complete visual overhaul, and consequently looks a lot less like the back end of a particularly grubby badger. As well as being pleasing to the eyes, this revised app also sticks in the long-awaited listing support, allowing you to sell items on eBay using nothing but your phone. It even allows you to scan barcodes to list your goods even faster. We’re not entirely sure we’d want to do all of that through our humble phone’s touch screen, but it could prove very handy for those moments when you’re away from a computer and desperately need to make some cash.
Apologies if you missed our best Android apps of the week feature last week – it was rained off thanks to the quite frankly awesome Android Keyboard replacement piece we put together (if you haven’t checked that out already, we suggest you do so without hesitation). Never fear though, as this week we’ve got five amazing downloads that more than make up for the forced absence.
