Chrome Beta 35.0.1916.122 - app

Chrome Beta is a test version of the Chrome browser for Android.

Chrome Beta requires Android 4.0 and higher just like the official app. The app allows Google to test features and updates before they are pushed to the stable Chrome browser. Chrome Beta is slightly unstable and has bugs because of the experimental updates that are being tested.

Features

The newest features in Chrome Beta updates with saved passwords and autofill entries taken from your synced desktop browser. This update also includes "an experimental data compression feature" for bandwidth savings.

Quality

While you should be able to browse normally, Chrome Beta is not meant for normal use. When Google announces a new feature in Chrome Beta, you will be able to test it and help Google develop features in its official browser.

What's new

Our latest release contains stability and performance fixes. More information can be found on the Chrome Releases blog at http://goo.gl/CCPRW

Installation

Clicking the download button will take you to the Google Play Store, where you can download this app.

This app cannot be found through search on Google Play

Difference between versions

Chrome Beta is not a finished app, expect bugs and possible crashes.

Twitter 5.10.0 - app

Twitter, the official Android app for the service, has moved into version 3, presenting some pretty major interface changes.

Probably the biggest change to Twitter for Android is the appearance. It's really grown up, losing the multi-access homepage and launching instead straight into your timeline. It looks more sophisticated too, with a streamlined user interface while still using the recognizable blue header and black and white layout.

As far as Twitter for Android goes in terms of features, it parallels the online site, but sticks to the basics. The standard areas exist like the main timeline, @mentions, and your profile, but Twitter added a hashtag "#Discover" feature allowing you to browse what is trending. Tapping on a tweet now shows the @reply, retweet, favorite, or share options and lists who has performed any of the options.

Among Twitter’s nicer features is a cool tool to search your telephone contacts for Twitter users, and varied suggested users for you to add. You can also modify your profile pretty well from the app, while Twitter for Android also lets you create as many public and private lists as you want.

Twitter for Android supports multiple accounts, easily switchable from the taskbar. The configuration settings are still limited, especially in comparison to apps like Plume and Tweetcaster. Even so, if you’re a low-spec Twitter user who likes to keep things simple, the official Twitter app for Android might be right up your street.

Twitter for Android does its job very well, focusing on working like the online site.

qeep 2.7.2 - app

qeep is a free mobile application that connects you with your friends and allows you to make new ones online.

What does qeep do?

qeep acts like a normal social network in the way you can view profiles, exchange messages, play games, 'nudge' people, etc. One of the main benefits of qeep is the fact that it's free to send a mail through the service (called a 'QMS') making it cheaper than a regular SMS message (of course, it's only free if you have a data plan or are using WiFi).

We were impressed by the speed in which you can get up and running with qeep. You just need to choose a username and a password to get started. Your profile information, photo and personal data can be entered at your leisure and you can start using the qeep network without it.

The qeep interface is nicely laid-out (if you excuse the garish purple and green color scheme), and all the things you can do are displayed neatly on the Homepage. From here you can invite friends, view qeepers who are currently online, view photoblogs and read the big pinboard.

What's so special about qeep?

Photoblogs and the pinboard are perhaps the two most interesting aspects of qeep. The photoblogging function allows you to quickly upload a picture you've just taken on your device's camera or one stored in the memory, and add text to it. Your photoblog will then be available for everyone else in the qeep community to see.

A word of warning about this service: not all of the photobloggers on the site are using it for innocently putting up pictures of their pets or great landscapes they've just seen. Let's just say there seem to be a lot of pretty 'liberal' qeepers out there.

The 'pinboard' function in qeep is a Twitter-style feature, whereby you can quickly jot down some text explaining what you're up to and your friends and other users can come along and view it. Another fun feature (if somewhat childish) is qeep's gifts, which are virtual presents you can send to a friend to brighten up their day.

qeep is a very well-implemented social networking service for mobile phones. Like most social networks though, it generally attracts a certain type of person. And as a result your enjoyment of it depends on who you are. qeep feels very much like it's aimed at teenagers or young adults, preferably with an open mind!

If this sounds like you, then qeep is well worth installing on your phone.

Download qeep 2.7.2

KakaoTalk 2.0.8.0 - app

KakaoTalk is one of the best VoIP and SMS apps available.

How KakaoTalk works

KakaoTalk started as an SMS service that could connect users from different parts of the world but now it also allows for free voice calls. Using your phone number, KakaoTalk creates a user profile that is connected to it allowing for calls and messages.

You can also create a KakaoTalk profile so other users can find you. For friends who live in different countries, it is easier to use a username than using the general search. The app also allows for group messages and photo sharing.

The Plus Friends feature lets you "connect" with many Korean pop stars which is kind of a gimmick, but shows updates from pop groups in South Korea. KakaoTalk's best use is when you are traveling overseas and still want to connect with friends via Wi-Fi without costly international rates.

Other useful features of KakaoTalk include the ability to send multimedia (photos, and voice and video messages), participate in group chats, and apply voice filters, featuring characters from Talking Tom and Ben.

There's plenty of fun to be had with KakaoTalk, thanks to mobile game add-ons and a wide range of amusing emoticons that you can insert into yor chats.

Fast and functional

The service that KakaoTalk offers over data or Wi-Fi connections is great, since Wi-Fi is usually available in most countries, KakaoTalk is the best way to stay in contact with friends back home through voice and text. It is less bloated than Skype and offers a quick interface and function.

The verdict

KakaoTalk is one of the best SMS and voice apps available.

AppGratis 3.0.8 - app

AppGratis has been tested by Softonic, but it still doesn't have a review in English.

Download AppGratis 3.0.8

Spotify for Windows Phone 8 3.0.0.0 - app

Spotify is a music streaming app that lets you listen to millions of songs on your Windows Phone device.

Unlimited music on tap

You can use the app to listen to anything from Spotify's huge and expanding library. You can sync with playlists you have on your desktop, create new ones, or just listen to tracks, albums, or artist selections. In order to use Spotify for Windows Phone you must have a premium account with Spotify.

Spotify is getting better and better at music discovery and there are plenty of ways to expand your musical awareness through the app. For example, the combined Search & Browse section allows you to explore curated playlists based on different genres of music. There are thousands available and it's a great way to check out sub-genres of the type of music you like.

The Discover feature of Spotify is a more simple way of discovering new stuff you might like. It recommends artists, songs, and albums based on your listening habits, and what people nearby are listening to.

Playlists are a key feature of Spotify. You can use the app to listen to playlists you've already created via the mobile, desktop or web versions of Spotify. And there's more you can do with playlists too, including editing, sharing, or even making them collaborative, so others can add songs to them.

Spotify supports offline listening, which is a godsend for saving on mobile data. Simply mark a playlist as 'Available offline' and the tracks will be cached to your device so you can listen to them without a connection.

The Radio feature within Spotify is another neat way of discovering tracks and artists you might enjoy. You can listen to stations based on a genre, or build stations around artists, tracks, and even playlists that you've been playing.

You can change the audio quality of tracks in Spotify in the Settings menu. Even on the 'Normal' setting the quality is pretty good but if you want crystal clear quality you can ramp it up to 'Extreme' (though obviously this puts a load on streaming performance).

Classy design

We love the design of the Spotify interface for iPhone, which was recently revamped in version 3.0.0.0 of the app. The interface is not only clear and easy to move around, but it looks modern and stylish too.

The Spotify app is generally easy to use. It features a slide-out sidebar listing all the main features of the app. Playlists are more fiddly to edit than they are in the iOS version of the app, for example, and there's no way to easily reorder tracks in playlists from within the app.

What's new in Spotify 3.0.0.0?

Spotify for Windows Phone has undergone a big change to bring it closer in line with the more mature versions of the app, for iOS and Android. The app has been redesigned with a slicker, more modern user interface.

The Spotify app has been loaded with the new Radio and Discover features, as described above. It's now a fully featured audio discovery and playback app.

A joy for music lovers

Spotify really gives other music discovery apps a run for their money with its hip, functional interface and impressive song library.

Download Spotify for Windows Phone 8 3.0.0.0

Badoo 2.38.0 - app

Badoo has been tested by Softonic, but it still doesn't have a review in English.

Download Badoo 2.38.0

Yahoo! Mail for Android 4.0.2 - app

Yahoo! Mail has been tested by Softonic, but it still doesn't have a review in English.

Nimbuzz 3.1.0 - app

Nimbuzz allows you to make calls, chat online, exchange instant messages and send files from your phone for free.

Making long distance or international calls from your mobile phone can be so expensive that it's almost better to not stay in touch. Install Nimbuzz on your phone, and you'll be able to talk to people all over the World much cheaper - or even for free.

Nimbuzz pulls all your contacts from your social networks and IM services together in one place. This means you can exchange messages with all your friends on networks such as MSN, Skype, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, Jabber, Facebook, or MySpace.

Managing your contacts

The user interface in Nimbuzz combines all of your contacts from all these various networks into one place, and you can see who is online at any time. Everything is presented in a very neat and clear way: contacts are ordered alphabetically and each has a different icon depending on which network they belong to.

You simply need to tap on a person's name then select an icon to chat, call the, view their profile or send multimedia. The call option is only available for the services that support VoIP (Google Talk, MSN, Skype, etc.) but the voice quality is generally very good if you have a strong signal.

Talk using Nimbuzz

Talking on Skype isn't always a great experience with Nimbuzz. We experienced problems connecting with the other person sometimes, and there was often a strange echo on the line.

One great innovation from Nimbuzz is the NimbuzzOut service. Similar to Skype's SkypeOut service, this allows you to call mobile and landline numbers internationally at significantly reduced rates. Nimbuzz also supports free SMS messaging and it can import all of your phone contacts into the app for faster access. There's even a plush dialer built into the app so you don't need to use the default Android keypad.

There are a few things that annoyed me about Nimbuzz. For instance, it didn't seem to display my Facebook contacts in the Contacts list. The chat feature is also lacking in smilies, which is criminal for a modern day IM app. We would also like a video chat feature, please Nimbuzz!

Despite these glitches, Nimbuzz is still a very proficient mobile app that brings all your online and offline contacts together in one place.

Download Nimbuzz 3.1.0

avast! Mobile Security & Antivirus 3.0.7550 - app

avast! protects your Android from the dangers of the network with its Mobile Security & Antivirus system. It integrates an anti-malware scanner, great anti-theft capabilities and various features to protect your privacy.

Virus scanners, anti-theft, backup and much more

The antivirus scanner analyzes the apps on your device as well as doing it in real time for those you've just downloaded. In addition, it also switches so it can scan the entire contents of the SD card.

You can initiate scans on-demand or schedule them for a certain time. The antivirus software updates daily on an automatic basis.

The Web Protection module on avast! Mobile Security & Antivirus protects you in real-time while surfing the Internet, notifying you of any risks if you happen to access pages containing viruses or you seem to be at risk of phishing.

avast! Mobile Security & Antivirus also includes a firewall, but in order to use it, you have to have root privileges.

In Application manager you can see which apps take up more space, check how much of the system resources they use (memory, CPU, threads, services) and which permissions they use.

Talking of permissions, the Privacy Adviser should be mentioned. This provides an overview of the permissions required by the apps that are installed on your phone. You'll discover which ones can trace your location, which can access and read your texts and multimedia messages and your address book, and so on. It's therefore a useful tool to identify and possibly uninstall apps that are invading your privacy.

avast! Mobile Security & Antivirus also has an filter for SMS messages and calls, which is useful is you want to create a blacklist of unwanted numbers.

The anti-theft module allows you to create white lists of trusted SIMs (the only ones that can be used on the phone) as well as the option to perform remote operations that will safeguard your privacy. In the event of theft or loss, in fact, avast! Mobile Security & Antivirus allows you to use remote SMS commands to erase data, lock your smartphone, activate an alarm, get the GPS coordinates of where the phone is located, and much more.

The application also integrates with avast! Mobile Backup (to be installed separately) by creating a backup copy of the contacts/address book, call and text message log and photos.

For safety reasons and to avoid undesired changes in the settings, avast! Mobile Security & Antivirus allows you to set a password for accessing the suite.

Well-structured interface

The interface of the app is simple and elegant. The suite is packed with features, but is also well-organized and intuitive, even for the less experienced user.

Full suite to ensure the security of your Android device

avast! Mobile Security & Antivirus is an excellent product to ensure the security of your smartphone or tablet.

It's easy to use and configure, it offers an extensive set of features, ensures low consumption of resources and doesn't affect the battery life.

Users who want that little bit more, can also optionally subscribe to the premium version for a fee, which enables new features (Ad Detector, Geo-Fencing, Block applications, backups of audio, video and apps, and more).

Angry Birds Go! 1.3.2 - app

Angry Birds Go! is a Mario Kart-style racing game featuring the characters from the popular Angry Birds series of games.

From tree trunks to race tracks

Angry Birds Go! is a completely different kind of game than we're used to from Rovio's feathered heros. Previous titles like the original Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, and Angry Birds Star Wars have all be strictly based around catapulting birds into heavy objects. Angry Birds Go!, on the other hand, is a straight-out karting game in the same vein as the classic Mario Kart and mobile karting games such as Tiki Kart 3D, Shrek Kart, and Sonic and SEGA All Stars Racing.

Angry Birds are go!

The basic principle of Angry Birds Go! is simple - get around each track as fast as you can. The game rarely gets boring, thanks to the variety of race modes, drivers, cars, courses, and power-ups. There are even real world toys that can be used with Angry Birds Go!, such as Telepods and a tie-in with Angry Birds Jenga!

You start Angry Birds Go! as Red Bird in a basic kart and must play through the various race modes in each stage in order to unlock the new character from that stage and open up the next stage (progressing further opens up new content packs). All of your favorites are in there, including Stella, Bomb and The Blues. You can even play as one of the pigs!

The race modes in each stage include: Race (standard race against other characters where you must finish third or above), Time Bomb (finish the race before the bomb goes off), Fruit Splat (splat a given number of fruits before the finish line), Versus (head-to-head with one other character), and Champion Chase (battle against the unlockable character where you must win three times to 'own them). There are five Races, Time Bombs and Fruit Splats per stage.

There are also various new challenges to complete once you've finished the races on a particular stage, as well as Facebook integration so you can challenge your buddies' high scores. There's no online or head-to-head multiplayer over WiFi like in Sonic and SEGA All Stars, nor a 'battle mode' like in Mario Kart.

The idea of Angry Birds Go! is to collect coins as you race. These can be exchanged for upgrades to your vehicle or new karts. You'll need to keep upgrading since the entry requirements for races demand increasingly high engine power. You'll also accrue gems, which can be exchanged for speed boosts, power-ups, and replenishing energy. Besides winning gems and coins from racing, Angry Birds Go! offers you the chance to purchase them through the game.

The freemium model of Angry Birds Go! isn't as crippling as you'll find in other big free to play games. Coins needed for upgrading your kart can be won by replaying levels, but gems are harder to come by. The main use of gems are to rejuvenate the energy levels of your drivers, which run out after a few races. You won't be able to play with a driver unless you wait a few minutes or pay to boost their energy. The waits aren't generally that long, and if you have plenty of characters unlocked it's not so bad.

How to play Angry Birds Go!

Playing Angry Birds Go! is great fun, thanks in no small part to its simple control system. You can choose between tilt or touch steering, both of which are very easy to use. The cars auto-accelerate and holding the screen will throw your kart into a drift. These simplified controls really lend themselves to the younger market, making Angry Birds Go! a great game for kids.

Aside from steering you'll also need to think about various other things to get you round the track in first place. Things that can help include boosters that shoot you forwards when you drive over them, a speed burst button (the effect of which varies with each driver), and various fun power-ups such as catapults, instant repairing, and permanent boost.

Angry Birds enter a new dimension

Angry Birds Go! is the first game in which the Angry Birds appear in 3D. The graphics look fantastic, with a slick cartoon feel that fits in nicely with the fun and frantic image of the Angry Birds brand.

The overall presentation is very slick, and Angry Birds Go! also gives you access to a wealth of video content, including new episodes of Angry Birds cartoons.

The verdict

Angry Birds Go! is a fun and slick kart racing game with bags of personality. It's a pity there isn't any multiplayer action, though.

Download Angry Birds Go! 1.3.2

Find My Friends 3.0 - app

Find My Friends is a clever geolocation app which allows you to pinpoint the location of friends or family on your mobile.

You need an iCloud Apple ID to sign in but then you just select the contacts or email addresses of the people you want to track. Your target will however need Find My Friends installed on their device and has to accept the invite via the app.

There are obvious privacy implications with Find My Friends although you can use temporary sharing for a specific time period.

Download Find My Friends 3.0

Spider-Man 2 1.0.0.0 - app

Spider-Man 2 for Windows Phone is an action-packed web-slinging game starring everyone's favorite arachnid superhero.

Your friendly neighborhood mobile game

Spider-Man 2, based on the movie, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, is an open-world adventure which improves upon the gameplay of the first game. You swing and dash across the city of New York, completing objectives over a series of chapters.

The action in Spider-Man 2 is essentially based around whizzing above the city on your webs, then splashing down to kick some butt or help out someone in need.

There are side missions which allow you to earn credits to purchase items or unlock new skills. Although it's a paid game, you may find yourself having to make payments - or at least 'grind' by repetitively playing side missions - in order to defeat certain opponents to progress through the story.

Many of the famous bad guys from the comics and movies feature in Spider-Man 2, including Electro, Venom, and the Green Goblin. The stories in each chapter are nicely woven around the dastardly antics of a particular villain, making the story mode a joy to play. Side missions are fun at first, but they soon become repetitive and a bit dull, which is frustrating when you need to play through them to earn coins.

Spider-Man 2 features an 'Arena' mode which is a fun free-for-all romp in which you must defeat as many baddies as you can before you die. Your performance is measured against others' online with game currency up for grabs.

Taking control of Spidey

The controls in Spider-Man 2 are simple to master, especially if you played the first installment of the game. The left of the screen acts as joystick, allowing you to move Spidey in every direction, whereas the right side is used for looking around.

The jump button doubles-up as a web-slinging control, the mechanism by which you can fly atop the skyscrapers in the game, which is the easiest way to get around. It's great fun when you pull it off, but riding webs can take some getting used to, and changing direction while you're flying is particularly fiddly.

Fighting in Spider-Man 2 is based around three action buttons. You can use these to throw together combos to deadly effect, and new moves are constantly added as you power-up Spider-Man's skills.

Just like the movies

Spider-Man 2 is beautifully presented and has the feel of a classic console superhero title. Spider-Man himself is beautifully drawn and animated, whether he's soaring through the skies or socking it to bad guys.

Although not nearly as detailed on the ground as the Grand Theft Auto games, the version of New York in Spider-Man 2 is spectacular in its scale and variety.

The cinematic musical score fits perfectly with the action, and the voice acting is a big improvement on the previous game. Spidey's off-the-cuff quips are very true to the quick-witted nature of the superhero, but his comments soon repeat to frequently and what was amusing quickly becomes annoying.

Performance in Spider-Man 2 isn't perfect. The frame rate lapses at times, and the game can be laggy when a lot of characters are on screen at once. Also, it's a game that will place a real strain on your battery.

Spider-Man 2 requires you to be connected to the internet at all times, which is increasingly common in modern mobile games. Unfortunately, during my tests, I experienced several connection issues with the game, which left it game hanging or prevented it from loading. This seems a common complaint from users and hopefully it's an issue that will be addressed by Gameloft in the near future.

One for Marvel fans

Despite its quirks, Spider-Man 2 will delight fans of the Spider-Man comic books and movies. However, some people will understandably balk at having to pay for in-app purchases to unlock items and progress in a paid game.

Download Spider-Man 2 1.0.0.0

Hot or Not 3.3.0 - app

If the name "Hot or Not" rings a bell then it's because it was a popular site launched in 2000 that allowed you to rate the "hotness" of random members of the public on a scale of 1-10. The website died years ago but the concept has now been reinvented in a Hot or Not dating app for iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone. Note that confusingly, Hot or Not is also called "Hot or..." by the developer but it's exactly the same app.

Tons of potential hotties to choose from

The idea is very simple. Once signed-in, you can scroll through countless photos of Hot or Not members. You simply tap the Heart symbol at the bottom if you think they are "Hot" and the "X" symbol at the bottom if you think they're not. If someone you've 'hearted' 'hearts' you back, a "Connection" is made and you can then send messages to that person.

There are around 5 photos of each member and a brief bio with age and languages spoken. The profiles are Geo-matched to your current location so most of them should be within around 100km of where you are. Be warned that some of the photos in Hot or Not can be quite suggestive. While most members upload normal dating profile photos, some are more suggestive than others although no nudity is allowed.

Based on your Bio, Hot or Not tells you which of your Connections you have common interests with, how many friends in common you have (based on your Facebook friends list) and what their overall rating is from other connections they have made. If someone rates you as hot, you receive a notification of who it was with a running total of how many members think you are hot stuff.

The main problem with Hot or Not is that many of the profiles seem to be inactive. After waiting 24 hours for a reply for some of my Connections, I received no responses. Whether that's because my Connections thought I was a definite Not rather than Hot, or whether it's because the profiles are inactive/fake isn't clear. So although there seems to be an infinite number of members on Hot or Not, actually getting in touch with them isn't easy.

Confusing sign-in process

The sign-in process to Hot or Not is a bit misleading. You're given the choice of either signing in with your Facebook account or email address. However, if you choose the latter, it asks you for a password - which of course you haven't got. There seems to be no way to sign-up for an account from the app using an e-mail address so I was forced to sign-in with my Facebook account although Hot or Not state on their website that they will never post anything on Facebook without your permission.

Other than that, Hot or Not is very easy to use. In particular, anyone that's used Tinder will recognize the simple interface of Hot or Not which has is uncannily similar.

Not that hot

Hot or Not doesn't really offer any compelling advantages over dating apps such as Tinder, especially considering the user base is far smaller. However, if you're looking for love and haven't had much success on other sites, and if you can get someone to respond to you, Hot or Not is worth a try.

Download Hot or Not 3.3.0

TapCash 1.1.38 - app

TapCash offers you a way to make money for free, by downloading sponsored apps and games through the app.

Each app or game that you download, install and run rewards you with a certain amount of credits. Once you have enough credits you can exchange redeem them for PayPal cash vouchers or Amazon gift cards. You can earn extra credits by sharing TapCash with friends.

You won't make millions, and you'll end up with lots of unwanted apps, but TapCash is an easy way to make a quick buck.

Twitter 5.8.1 - app

Twitter, the official Android app for the service, has moved into version 3, presenting some pretty major interface changes.

Probably the biggest change to Twitter for Android is the appearance. It's really grown up, losing the multi-access homepage and launching instead straight into your timeline. It looks more sophisticated too, with a streamlined user interface while still using the recognizable blue header and black and white layout.

As far as Twitter for Android goes in terms of features, it parallels the online site, but sticks to the basics. The standard areas exist like the main timeline, @mentions, and your profile, but Twitter added a hashtag "#Discover" feature allowing you to browse what is trending. Tapping on a tweet now shows the @reply, retweet, favorite, or share options and lists who has performed any of the options.

Among Twitter’s nicer features is a cool tool to search your telephone contacts for Twitter users, and varied suggested users for you to add. You can also modify your profile pretty well from the app, while Twitter for Android also lets you create as many public and private lists as you want.

Twitter for Android supports multiple accounts, easily switchable from the taskbar. The configuration settings are still limited, especially in comparison to apps like Plume and Tweetcaster. Even so, if you’re a low-spec Twitter user who likes to keep things simple, the official Twitter app for Android might be right up your street.

Twitter for Android does its job very well, focusing on working like the online site.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 1.0.1.0 - app

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an action-packed battle game for Windows Phone starring the formidable super hero.

All-American heroics

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier you play the part of famous patriotic hero. With the help of sidekicks from the S.H.I.E.L.D Strike Team you must take down the hoards of dastardly villains who are tearing the city apart.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a fun hack-and-slash romp, although it breaks little new ground. Besides walking around bashing bad guys with your fists you can attack with a range of bombs and weapons. This includes the ability to throw your shield at enemies (which is a lot of fun I might add).

The game has a strategic element to it, too. As you progress you must recruit new S.H.I.E.L.D agents to help you tackle the increasingly mean opponents. You'll need to upgrade these as you go, using game currency, which can be earned or purchased. Captain America himself is upgradeable, too.

Other strategic aspects of Captain America: The Winter Soldier include a Research facility where you can tool up your team, and HQ buildings, which when upgraded allow you to accommodate more team members.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier includes a challenging asynchronous multiplayer mode, where you can join a clan and battle it out with other players. Online leaderboards give you an incentive to fight on to be the best.

Taking control

Controls in Captain America: The Winter Solider are well explained through the interactive guides in the first couple of levels.

The game uses the same tap-to-move control system as Gameloft's previous game, Thor: The Dark World, though there's an on-screen joystick in the corner of the screen if you prefer. The tap-to-move is simple enough to get to grips with though, and the attack buttons are comfortable to use.

Some may find the portrait-only view in Captain America: The Winter Soldier to be a bit strange to get to grips with. At times it's confusing to focus on where the enemy threat is coming from, and moving downwards (i.e. back on yourself) can feel disorientating.

Comic book style

Captain America: The Winter Solider looks fantastic. It really captures the spirit of the original comic books, from the bright colors of the action to the text that pops up when you hit someone to announce a sound effect ('kerrpow', 'thwack', etc.).

Many of the popular characters from the Captain America stories crop up in the game, including Black Widow, Falcon, King Cobra, and Taskmaster.

The booming cinematic soundtrack fits perfectly with the action in Captain America: The Winter Solider, and the sound effects are good. Unfortunately there's no voice acting in this particular Gameloft super hero game, and all the cut scene dialog is text-based.

Another super hero hit from Gameloft

Captain America: The Winter Solider will appeal to Marvel fans everywhere. It's packed with action involving many favorite characters, and there's plenty of life in the game to keep you playing for a while. However, some hack-and-slash purists may be uncomfortable with the portrait mode, and it can take a while to get used to playing in this viewpoint.

Personal (Love) Diary 1 - app

If you want to save all your lovable memories, thoughts and personal quotes, then Personal (Love) Diary is the best app for you.

Write and save daily thoughts into love diary.

No need to save data, it has auto save function.

Edit or Delete your personal love diary content any time.

User friendly option to switch previous, current and next date.

View love diary notes by date.

Go to date option for fastest switch one date to another.

You can continue and edit your love content where you left.

Small in Size.

Hope this personal love diary app help you to store your precious memories!

This app is useful for those who love writing. You can also use this app to make any note or text by date. By simply entering the date, you can directly go to the particular date when you have written some text.

Download Personal (Love) Diary 1

Spinlister 2.0.3 - app

Spinlister has been tested by Softonic, but it still doesn't have a review in English.

Roomorama 3.21 - app

Roomorama has been tested by Softonic, but it still doesn't have a review in English.

Download Roomorama 3.21

Sidecar Ride 3.0.5 - app

Sidecar Ride has been tested by Softonic, but it still doesn't have a review in English.

Swarm by Foursquare 1.0 - app

Swarm by Foursquare helps you find out where your friends are and hook up with those who are nearby.

The app offers a quick way to check who is close by right now from your Foursquare friends. If you'd like to hook-up you can very quickly send a message to all of those who are currently nearby.

Swarm is arguably easier to check in with than the original Foursquare app for iOS. However, if you like the gaming aspect of Foursquare (leaderboards, mayorships, etc.) you won't find them in Swarm.

Download Swarm by Foursquare 1.0

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars 3.0 - app

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is a portable sandbox action adventure set in the violent, corrupt and fictional Liberty City. Guide Huang Lee on a revenge mission full of car-jackings, shootouts and drama.

Welcome to Chinatown

This iPhone version of the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP game is excellent. Like many other games in the GTA series, there's no shortage of things to do. The story line naturally guides you through Lee's story and the game won't leave you bored.

Aside from the missions, mini-games, and story lines, you can still go on your guilty-pleasure GTA rampage.

Console controls on a mobile?

*The biggest issue with Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, like many iPhone games, is control. The on-screen joystick and buttons can take some getting used to, and are nowhere near as accurate as physical controls.

However, a lot of effort has clearly been put into making Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' controls as comfortable as popular, and with a little practice they feel fine.

That Rockstar look

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars looks great, with its top-down 3D graphics that bring a huge city to life.

The soundtrack and sound effects are also excellent, and an improvement over the DS version. What hasn't changed it that all the cut scenes are presented with semi-animated cartoon sequences that are subtitled - there is no voice acting.

Hit the streets

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is one of the best handheld games of this generation. Just be warned - it's not suitable for children!

Drag Racing 1.6.21 - app

Drag Racing is a simple, yet original, driving game for Android in which you have to beat a single opponent over a short strip of track.

There are a wide variety of real-life cars to choose from in Drag Racing, and the object is to tune them up to keep winning races. By winning races you gain money and respect points, which you can then use to upgrade your car or buy a new one. If you're lacking in respect points you can buy more through an in-app purchase.

The key to winning races in Drag Racing is by shifting gears at the optimum moment. The game controls consist solely of holding the accelerator at the start then tapping the stick shifts on the side of the steering wheel as the RPM goes up.

There are all manner of different races you can enter in Drag Racing. In single-player mode you can choose to race over two distances in four difficulty levels, moving up through levels as you complete them all. Drag Racing's online mode includes, Face to Face, Driver Battle, and even a Bet and Race mode where you can stake respect points on the outcome. There's also a Pro League where you can test your skills against a group of other online drivers.

Graphically, Drag Racing isn't that impressive. The side-on viewpoint and uninspiring animation makes the game look very two dimensional, but at least the sound effects are realistic.

Drag Racing is a fun and addictive Android racing game that's ideal for adrenaline junkies.

Muslim Dua Series 1.5 - app

This is an application covering knowledge about Islamic Duas related with daily tasks and some from special occasions. Verses are not blindly dump into this app rather collected after a huge research through number of authentic sources. Application provides you an easy to use interface, which is beneficial for your kids as well while mobile handling.

1. All duas are given in prominent Arabic script along with roman transliteration to make it easy in reading. This is the fact that every person is not good enough with reading Arabic version, which can be minimize a little through transliterations available below each prayer.

2. Translation of supplications is also provided in five different languages. Including Russian, Spanish, French, Chinese and English. Just select your language and it will translate it in your native language.

3. Reading of verses with Arabic is a way of getting some extra rewards. This is the reason because of which this application provides you an option to listen these verses, which are recorded by expert recitals.

4. You can also maintain a list of duas as per your preferences. This gives an easy access to theses verses.

5. Sharing of this application is also available either through email or social networking.

All the verses are properly categories for better understanding.

This application provides number of variation for translation which lacks in other apps.

Swarm 2014.05.15 - app

Swarm by Foursquare helps you find out where your friends are and hook up with those who are nearby.

The app offers a quick way to check who is close by right now from your Foursquare friends. If you'd like to hook-up you can very quickly send a message to those who are currently nearby.

Swarm is arguably easier to check in with than the original Foursquare app for Android. However, if you like the gaming aspect of Foursquare (leaderboards, mayorships, etc.) you won't find them in Swarm.

Download Swarm 2014.05.15

Viber 4.3.3.67 - app

Viber allows you to make free calls and send free text messages from your Android device to anyone who has the app installed.

What can you do with Viber?

Viber works in a similar way to Skype, using VOIP to let you talk for free to other Viber users over 3G or WiFi. It also supports free text messaging, like WhatsApp Messenger, allowing you to send and receive short messages from your Viber friends.

There are plenty of features within the chat interface of Viber that help to liven up your conversations. You can send photos and videos, share your location, add emoticons, and choose from a range of fun stickers to insert into the conversation.

You can customize the background of the messaging screen, choosing a photo from your collection or taking a new one. This background isn't shared with the person you're talking to, however.

Another boon of Viber is its support for syncing with the desktop versions of Viber for Windowsand Mac. Messages and chat history are now totally synced, and you can even transfer live calls from your phone to the desktop app. Viber can be used across tablet and phone devices simultaneously.

How to use Viber

Unlike Skype, you don't need to sign up to Viber to use it. You just register your phone number once, and you'll receive an SMS message with a code. Enter this code into Viber and that's it. You'll never need to sign in again.

All of your phone contacts are automatically imported into the app, and a Viber logo is displayed next to any contact who also has it installed. You can then just click on their name to call them for free - regardless of where in the world they are, or even what phone they are using. If a contact does not have Viber installed, you can still ring them through the app, although you will get charged at the cost of a regular call.

The Viber interface is very clearly laid, making it very obvious how to use the app. The program could do with some more features, though, such as conference calling and video calling.

Viber features push notifications to ensure that you don't miss messages or activity.

The quality of calls with Viber is generally very good, and rivals Skype in this respect - although of course, quality isn't usually as crisp as a cellular call. One downside of Viber is that it doesn't give you the option to make video calls like you can with Skype.

What's new in Viber 4.0

Viber 4.0 adds a new 'Hold & Talk' feature, allowing you to send instant voice messages in real time. This is a feature that was popularized by apps like Voxer and Zello, and which is also built into WhatsApp. It's fun to play with and adds a new dimension to your chats.

Also added in the latest major update to Viber is support for up-to 100 participants in group chats (though obviously having this maximum could get messy), the ability to choose conversation backgrounds from the background gallery, and more than 1,000 new Viber stickers from the sticker market.

The verdict

Aside from the fact that you can't make video calls with Viber, it's just about the perfect chat app for your mobile. It looks fantastic, makes it easy to chat with friends for free and is a lot of fun to use!

Download Viber 4.3.3.67

Subway Surfers 1.23.1 - app

Subway Surfers is a Temple Run-style game where you have to escape from a railway inspector angry with you for spraying graffiti over the station.

Keep on running

The objective of Subway Surfers is very simple. You automatically dart up the screen along the train tracks, and must avoid all the obstacles in your path, such as trains, buffers and carts. 

Along the way you need to collect coins which can be exchanged in Subway Surfers for special items such as coin magnets, hover boards and even paint-powered jet packs. These power-ups really help to make the game more exciting, and often they are needed in order to overcome a particularly tough part of the game.

The game allows you to challenge your Facebook friends and also gives you the possibility to earn more coins for Subway Surfers by inviting friends via Facebook.

Controls in Subway Surfers

The touch controls in Subway Surfers couldn't be simpler. You can dodge by tapping left or right, jump by swiping upwards, or duck by swiping downwards. Running is done for you, so these touch controls are all you need to worry about. You can activate power-ups simply by running into them then using them to perform special feats.

Vibrant environment

Subway Surfers is a good looking endless running game. The 3D graphics are bright and colorful, and there's plenty of fun and humor in there. Sound effects and music are used to good effect too.

The verdict

Subway Surfers is a fun reworking of the Temple Run format, which is addictive to play and will keep you coming back for more.

Instagram 5.0.11 - app

Instagram lets you take photos and videos with your iOS device, apply a few special effects and share them with family friends on its own social network - or via other social networks.

What can you do with Instagram?

You take your pictures, add a customized filter, and post it to Instagram’s community or through Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare or Tumblr. Through the Instagram app, you can give “likes” and give or receive comments on your pictures.

Instagram has a Facebook-style feed, in which you can view all the photos uploaded by yourself and the people who you follow on Instagram.

The latest version of Instagram for Android allows you to tag people in the photos you upload, in much the same way as you would with Facebook. This will then show up in their Instagram feed. Instagram supports geo-tagging so you can add your location and see where others took their uploaded pictures.

The best thing about Instagram are the filters included in the program. There are 20 to choose from (Lomo-fi, Earlybird, Lily, Apollo, Nashville, 1977...) with different color, brightness and lighthing effects. If chosen wisely, you can obtain really awesome results.

Instagram also includes support for videos, allowing you to capture up-to 15 seconds of footage to share via the Instagram network. As with photos, you can choose from a range of effects to apply to your videos to get them looking great.

Instagram includes a photo and video messaging feature called Instagram Direct. It allows you to capture images and video then share them with Instagram friends. You can send messages via Instagram Direct to up-to 15 of your contacts at once.

The service is very easy to use, and if you have many friends on Instagram it could be a more practical alternative to sending multimedia messages via other services like WhatsApp or Snapchat.

Is Instagram complicated?

The Instagram app is very easy to navigate. There are icons at the bottom of the interface which represent the different features of Instagram: the photo feed, photo/user search, photo capture, news feed (recent activity on the network from you and those you follow), and profile settings. When viewing pictures on your profile you can choose to display as a list or as a series of tiles for easy navigation.

The presentation of the photos themselves in the photo feed is very clear, and likes and comments are shown underneath each picture. You can like or comment on a photo with a single click of an icon. However, it's a shame you can't open images full screen (i.e. you can only ever see them within the feed).

Applying filters and retouching your photos in Instagram is very simple. You can snap an image through the app or choose one from your phone then view live previews of what each effect will look like. Cropping and editing effects are basic but easy to apply and preview. Unforunatley there's no 'Undo' feature though so if you make a mistake you have to start right back from before you started editing.

So, is there a catch? The answer is unfortunately yes. Instagram saves photos at a maximum resolution of 600 x 600 pixels, which makes no sense since your iPhone or iPad's camera is capable of much better quality.

Now with video messaging via Instagram Direct!

You can now navigate between images in your photo album when uploading them to Instagram. Your photo album will appear at the bottom of the screen, where you can scroll and change between photos in the preview screen without having to navigate to the photo album every time. This makes the process of choosing which photo to upload much easier.Swiping up or down will show you more or less of your photo album and preview images.

Get yourself on Instagram

The Instagram app makes it easy to apply fun effects to your photos and share them with your friends. Although it requires you to sign-up to share images, the possibilities of what you can do with your pictures are vast.

Download Instagram 5.0.11

Adobe Air 13.0.0.111 - app

Adobe Air has been tested by Softonic, but it still doesn't have a review in English.

LINE 2.2.20 - app

LINE lets you call, chat and send photos to others for free, from your smartphone or computer

Cross platform

LINE allows you to make free calls to other users of the service. This includes the ability to make calls between the BlackBerry, Android, iPhone versions of LINE. The application is easy to set up, allowing you to register with your phone number or email address (the latter option only gives you access to text chat, though.

No video calls

The call function of LINE works very well. Although the option to make video calls is missing, the sound quality when making calls is excellent. There is a slight delay in calls both via WiFi and 3G, though the quality is still better than both fring and Skype.

Group chatting

Text chatting in LINE is easy, with support for group chats of up-to 100 people, and a good selection of emoticons to add to your conversations. Unlike WhatsApp, LINE allows you to chat between the desktop and mobile versions of the application.

Conclusion

LINE is a viable alternative to apps like WhatsApp and Viber allowing you to make free calls on your phone with good audio quality.

Download LINE 2.2.20

FastTube 1.9.4.50 - app

FastTube for BlackBerry is an application for viewing your YouTube videos on your device without having to open the browser.

With FastTube, you can do the same things you do via the YouTube website: search for videos, watch highlights, add comments, indicate whether you like a video or not, create playlists, and much more!

A window on YouTube

FastTube makes it easy to watch videos on your BlackBerry. A list of the most popular videos is displayed when you open the application. From the search bar, find videos with the help of the auto-complete function that recommends results as you type.

Additionally, the left corner gives you quick access to the categories available for similar videos such as Entertainment, Video, and Music.

As for the player, it displays the same information about videos as the original YouTube page, with buttons to share a video with your friends through BlackBerry Messenger, indicate if you Like or Dislike a video, and choose between standard definition or HD playback quality.

Other nice features are the playlists, for viewing videos without interruption, and the list of favorites with videos that you've liked.

At your fingertips

As for the organization of the available features, everything is accessible from the bottom and side, where you can easily and instantly access all features that FastTube offers.

Fast and fluid

As the developer confidently points out, FastTube is fast and fluid. What you see depends on the quality of your connection, but generally playback works well and with no delays.

In summary

If you're a regular on YouTube but would rather use a client instead of taking over your web browser, this application makes it easy, including all the features of the web version.

The only downside is that to sign in to your YouTube user account, you'll need the paid version, although it's not required to use the other functions of the website.

Photo Studio 1.2.10.136 - app

Photo Studio is a free photo editor for BlackBerry phones. It allows you to correct and adjust images, and apply effects to them while you're on the move.

You can use Photo Studio to edit photos that you take with the camera or that are stored on your BlackBerry already. Once you've loaded the image into Photo Studio it's very easy to work with. The current image is displayed on screen, with a toolbar underneath where you'll find all of Photo Studio's tools.

Among the settings you can tweak in Photo Studio are color, brightness, contrast, hue and saturation. Tweaking is generally done just by moving a slider left or right to adjust the levels. There are also tools for resizing, rotating, and cropping photos, plus a red eye remover.

Users will likely be impressed by the large range of image effects to choose from in Photo Studio, as well as all the different frames you can apply to your photos through the app. It would've been nice to have the ability to add text to images too, but hopefully this will be added to Photo Studio in a future release.

When you're done editing an image in Photo Studio you can either apply the changes you've made to the original image, or save it separately as a screen dimensions image to your memory card.

All in all, Photo Studio is great for making tweaks and corrections to photos you take on your phone.

Pou 1.0.180 for BlackBerry 10 - app

Pou is a virtual pet app for Blackberry. Pou is a strange alien creature who you must feed, clean, and play with to raise strong and healthy.

A modern day Tamagotchi

Pou starts his life as a small blob. When you run your finger over the screen, Pou will follow it with his eyes. At the bottom of the screen you'll see your various inventory objects, and at the top, the statistics.

The first and most important thing to do is feed Pou. You simple drag food into his mouth to satisfy his hunger. You'll notice that this will improve his mood and reduce his appetite. However, at the same time it will get him dirty. To solve this problem you'll need to start visiting the rooms of the house.

House, you say? Yes, Pou lives in a house complete with kitchen, laboratory, games room, and a bedroom. In the kitchen, Pou gets his food; in the bedroom he sleeps; and the games room he plays, obviously. But what about the laboratory? Well, here is where you can clean Pou and make him better.

You can personalize Pou's appearance to suit your tastes, which requires you to buy objects from the store within the app. Some items cost more than others. You can accumulate game currency over time, but if you run out of patience you can buy stuff with real money.

After a few hours of playing, Pou will have passed its set level of development and will stop being a kid anymore. If you want to take a photo of him you can - or you can choose to send your Pou to visit your friends' Pous.

Owning a pet is never easy

One of the reasons for the huge success of Pou is its simplicity. The creature doesn't move and his eyes follow your finger around the screen. Washing, dressing and feeding Pou is simply a matter of dragging objects onto him.

The indicators help you to not lose sight of your pet's needs, and the two slide-out menus allow you to quickly change the wallpaper of a room or change the selected object.

In the mini games within Pou the controls are just as simple: sliding rows of colored Pous, jumping platforms, or collecting falling food just requires you to slide your finger in one direction or another.

If you haven't got the time to spend with Pou 24/7 don't worry because the app will display plenty of alerts in your notification bar. Pou will keep asking you for food, company, or to be cleaned.

Simple, small, and adorable

The first impression you get when you play Pou will probably be underwhelming, due to its basic colors and simple animations. It's fair to say that graphics aren't its strong point.

After some minutes, however, it's easy to get used to the simple, almost Nintendo-like feel of Pou. In fact, the initial ugliness actually encourages to get to work on personalizing your virtual pet.

In terms of sounds, Pou's "No" is becoming quite a catchphrase, and his chewing noises is catchy too. The developers searched for an endearing effect from the beginning - and they found one. Pou can repeat anything you say in a funny voice, just like you can do with apps like Talking Tom Cat.

The verdict

Like it or not, the success of Pou as a virtual pet is now rivalling that of the Tamagotchi. As with any real life pet, the novelty of playing with Pou wears off after a while but this game is adorable while it lasts.

Wattpad 4.3.2 - app

Wattpad is an eBook reader that gives you access to more than 100,000 titles, which can be downloaded and read on your phone.

A handheld library

If you're a fan of reading, Wattpad is an app that will provide a lot of enjoyment for you. A huge community of users helped contribute to this staggering collection of works, and you can even add your own ebooks if you like.

Finding stuff to read with Wattpad is very straightforward. You can search for a book by its title, category, and/or language of origin. If you're looking for inspiration and ideas of what to read then check out the What's New and What's Hot categories. You can also check out reviews from readers of books on Wattpad. Books that you grab are added to your Wattpad library, which appears whenever you launch the application.

What does it offer?

There are lots of features within Wattpad designed to assist your reading. You can set the background and text colors, change the font and its size, and flip between landscape and portrait mode. When reading you can tell Wattpad to auto-scroll through pages, flick through pages by tapping the left and right side of the screen, and move to a certain percentage of the book.

Unfortunately, there are no page numbers so it's impossible to browse to a specific page, which is quite annoying. Also, it's not possible to add bookmarks.

Wattpad uses your internet connection to access the library. You can choose to read an eBook online, or download it for offline viewing on your phone. Either way, it might end up costing you a lot of cash if you don't have a flat rate internet as part of your phone's data plan.

What's new in WattPadd (4.1 and) 4.2

Version 4.2

- New messaging UI
- Sharing reading lists/stories
- Delete/flag inappropriate comments
- Expanded notification centre
- Bug/crash fixes

Version 4.1

- Notification center: get notified for new followers, when someone votes or comments on your story, replies to comments and more
- Quote sharing: Share story quotes to your favorite image sharing network
- Message users you're not following from inbox
- Navigate easily between inline comments

Don't judge a book by its cover

Wattpad is a fantastic app to have on your phone if you're a keen reader. Although the user interface is rudimentary compared with iBooks or the Kindle, the range of books it offers for free is astonishing.

Download Wattpad 4.3.2

Instagram 5.2.1 - app

Instagram lets you take photos and videos with your Android device, apply a few special effects and share them with family friends on its own social network - or via other social networks.

What can you do with Instagram?

You take your pictures, add a customized filter, and post it to Instagram’s community or through Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare or Tumblr. Through the Instagram app, you can give “likes” and give or receive comments on your pictures.

Instagram has a Facebook-style feed, in which you can view all the photos uploaded by yourself and the people who you follow on Instagram.

The latest version of Instagram for Android allows you to tag people in the photos you upload, in much the same way as you would with Facebook. This will then show up in their Instagram feed. Instagram supports geo-tagging so you can add your location and see where others took their uploaded pictures.

The best thing about Instagram are the filters included in the program. There are many to choose from (Lomo-fi, Earlybird, Lily, Apollo, Nashville, 1977...) with different color, brightness and lighting effects. If chosen wisely, you can obtain really awesome results.

Instagram also includes support for videos, allowing you to capture up-to 15 seconds of footage to share via the Instagram network. As with photos, you can choose from a range of effects to apply to your videos to get them looking great.

Instagram includes a photo and video messaging feature called Instagram Direct. It allows you to capture images and video then share them with Instagram friends. You can send messages via Instagram Direct to up-to 15 of your contacts at once.

The service is very easy to use, and if you have many friends on Instagram it could be a more practical alternative to sending multimedia messages via other services like WhatsApp or Snapchat.

Is Instagram complicated?

The Instagram app is very easy to navigate. There are icons at the bottom of the interface which represent the different features of Instagram: the photo feed, photo/user search, photo capture, news feed (recent activity on the network from you and those you follow), and profile settings. When viewing pictures on your profile you can choose to display as a list or as a series of tiles for easy navigation.

The presentation of the photos themselves in the photo feed is very clear, and likes and comments are shown underneath each picture. You can like or comment on a photo with a single click of an icon. However, it's a shame you can't open images full screen (i.e. you can only ever see them within the feed).

Applying filters and retouching your photos in Instagram is very simple. You can snap an image through the app or choose one from your phone then view live previews of what each effect will look like. Cropping and editing effects are basic but easy to apply and preview. There's also a handy image straightening feature that lets you correct pictures that were taken at a jaunty angle.

Unforunatley there's no 'Undo' feature in Instagram's editor, so if you make a mistake you have to start right back from before you started editing.

Optimized for Android!

Instagram has released an update that allows for Instagram to run faster and smoother on Android phones. The profile screen now loads twice as fast and the required memory for Instagram has been cut in half.

Instagram also has had its layout simplified and optimized with less intrusive icons.

Get yourself on Instagram

The Instagram app makes it easy to apply fun effects to your photos and share them with your friends. Although it requires you to sign-up to share images, the possibilities of pictures are vast.

Download Instagram 5.2.1

Hill Climb Racing 1.16.0 - app

Hill Climb Racing is a combination distance and physics arcade and puzzle game.

The point of the game is to drive as far as possible while keeping the car from flipping over and killing the driver. You have a depleting gas gauge and use the gas and brake to move. Depending on the terrain, you could flip the car very easily, because some environments require you to traverse over big hills.

Hill Climb Racing has car upgrades paid by the coins you collect during each playthrough. The challenge and addictiveness of the game is trying to drive as far as possible while trying not to get defeated by the physics.

Graphics in Hill Climb Racing are simple, but animate very smoothly. There isn't any slowdown and that works to make the gameplay experience really fun. You may get frustrated at certain points, but the game is still fun to play.

Hill Climb Racing is an addictive casual game.

Download Hill Climb Racing 1.16.0

Pou 1.4.39 - app

Pou is a virtual pet app for Android. Pou is a strange alien creature who you must feed, clean, and play with to raise strong and healthy.

A modern day Tamagotchi

Pou starts his life as a small blob. When you run your finger over the screen, Pou will follow it with his eyes. At the bottom of the screen you'll see your various inventory objects, and at the top, the statistics.

The first and most important thing to do is feed Pou. You simple drag food into his mouth to satisfy his hunger. You'll notice that this will improve his mood and reduce his appetite. However, at the same time it will get him dirty. To solve this problem you'll need to start visiting the rooms of the house.

House, you say? Yes, Pou lives in a house complete with kitchen, laboratory, games room, and a bedroom. In the kitchen, Pou gets his food; in the bedroom he sleeps; and the games room he plays, obviously. But what about the laboratory? Well, here is where you can clean Pou and make him better.

You can personalize Pou's appearance to suit your tastes, which requires you to buy objects from the store within the app. Some items cost more than others. You can accumulate game currency over time, but if you run out of patience you can buy stuff with real money.

After a few hours of playing, Pou will have passed its set level of development and will stop being a kid anymore. If you want to take a photo of him you can - or you can choose to send your Pou to visit your friends' Pous.

Owning a pet is never easy

One of the reasons for the huge success of Pou is its simplicity. The creature doesn't move and his eyes follow your finger around the screen. Washing, dressing and feeding Pou is simply a matter of dragging objects onto him.

The indicators help you to not lose sight of your pet's needs, and the two slide-out menus allow you to quickly change the wallpaper of a room or change the selected object.

In the mini games within Pou the controls are just as simple: sliding rows of colored Pous, jumping platforms, or collecting falling food just requires you to slide your finger in one direction or another.

If you haven't got the time to spend with Pou 24/7 don't worry because the app will display plenty of alerts in your Android notification bar. Pou will keep asking you for food, company, or to be cleaned.

Simple, small, and adorable

The first impression you get when you play Pou will probably be underwhelming, due to its basic colors and simple animations. It's fair to say that graphics aren't its strong point. 

After some minutes, however, it's easy to get used to the simple, almost Nintendo-like feel of Pou. In fact, the initial ugliness actually encourages to get to work on personalizing your virtual pet. 

In terms of sounds, Pou's "No" is becoming quite a catchphrase, and his chewing noises is catchy too. The developers searched for an endearing effect from the beginning - and they found one. Pou can repeat anything you say in a funny voice, just like you can do with apps like Talking Tom Cat.

The verdict

Like it or not, the success of Pou as a virtual pet is now rivalling that of the Tamagotchi. As with any real life pet, the novelty of playing with Pou wears off after a while but this Android game is adorable while it lasts.

Download Pou 1.4.39

KMPlayer 1.0.9 - app

KMPlayer is a video player for Android that supports a wide range of different file formats. The application, from the team who brought us KMPlayer for PC, allows you to watch movies and series on your device through a simple interface.

Why use KMPlayer for Android?

The main advantage KMPlayer has over the stock video player that comes with Android is that it supports more file formats and codecs. This means you'll be able to play video in formats such as divx, mov, mkv, as well as a host of others that aren't compatible with the stock player.

KMPlayer has a number of helpful features that make life easier for you as a viewer. Its media library feature auto-detects video files, as well as allowing you to explore files on your internal or external memory. You can edit file extensions and folder names from within the application.

When playing video, KMPlayer gives you a number of ways to control what you're watching. You can lock/unlock the screen, fast forward and adjust the volume using gestures, and change the video speed to slow it down or speed it up. Video can be played from where you last got up to.

How easy is it to use?

KMPlayer supports touch gestures, allowing you to control the volume by swiping up and down, or swipe through a video by sliding your finger from left to right. The media browser is very clearly laid out too, making it easy to browse through folders.

While it's easy to use, I would argue that KMPlayer is still some way behind other third-party video players for Android. MX Player, for example, offers a wider range of touch gestures, has more playback settings, and reproduces certain formats more seamlessly than KMPlayer, where quality is sometimes cracked or distorted.

VLC for Android is another good media player, which can handle vast amounts of formats and is lighter on resources. VLC is still in beta, however, so KMPlayer is a more stable option.

Watch videos from your PC with KMP Connect

The latest version of KMPlayer for Android comes bundled with a neat new feature called KMP Connect. The function allows you to watch videos from your PC on your mobile device, over the network.

To access the service, you need to download the latest version of KMPlayer and follow the instructions for KMP Connect when you install, which requires you to set a password and enter the server name. You then use these details, along with the PIN number set by KMP Connect, to connect up to your PC on your Android device and watch movies. No encoding is required, which is cool.

Good, but not the best

KMPlayer is easy to use and supports pretty much every video format you'll come across. However, it lacks some of the features and settings of other players, and playback performance is erratic.

CALC 3.1.1 - app

CALC is an ultra-intelligent, multi-functional scientific calculator that makes doing math look like art.

CALC features advanced scientific & basic calculator functions, unit & currency conversion, and an elegant user interface. CALC also includes a quick timer to help your track your remaining time during a test or workshop.

CALC is really clever CALC can do live math expressions: From a simple expression like "1+2" to more advanced expressions like "3+(3x9(80+sin(90)))"

Advanced calculator

By swiping left and right on CALC, you can easily access over 50+ advanced math functions

History log

CALC remembers what you have calculated. Swipe up, and you can see all your previous calculations and perform aggregate functions

Built in converter

Convert your results in 21 common categories, including currency and one extra custom category where you can define your own units and conversions

Colors

6 lovely themes for you to choose

Tap and hold a math expression to edit it. Shake your device to undo. =D

Last Inua 1.0 - app

Last Inua is a beautiful and emotional platform adventure game set in a demon-ridden Arctic landscape.

A touching story

It begins as a heart-warming tale of an Inuit father and son struggling through ice worlds to save the world from an evil demon named Tonrar.

The game calls you to combine the talents of strong and heroic father, Ataataq, with the supernatural powers of his scrawny son, Hiko. Both characters brave the harsh icy environments together, and you need to switch between the two to help them find their way through each level.

The way the father and son interact in Last Inua has a tendancy to tug on your heart strings. It's very understated yet manages to encapsulate the bond between a boy and his dad, such as the way each will turn around and call out for the other when they are far behind them.

Puzzles and platforms abound

The gameplay in Last Inua is based around negotiating your way to the end of a series of frozen levels. In each, you'll need to jump platforms, bash through ice blocks, and work out how to negotiate various obstacles, which include ghosts, yetis, and toxic black goo.

You control both Ataataq and Hiko and can switch between the two with the touch of an on-screen button. Each will follow the other until they reach an obstacle which they cannot pass themselves. Then it's generally a case of sending one adventurer off to clear a path for the other.

Ataataq is adapted for jumping, bashing through ice, and scaling walls. His offspring Hiko can't do any of this, but has magical powers such as the ability to build bridges, mend things, and fly through certain parts of a level.

There isn't much variety between most of the levels in Last Inua. The wilderness is very similar in each, and the type of puzzles and actions needed to get through don't change much.

An achievable quest

Last Inua is not a complex game to play, and even if you're not used to these type of platform adventure games you'll pick it up very quickly. Some of the puzzles take a bit of thinking (which you often need to do quickly!) but in general it's a game that's easily finishable. In fact, Last Inua is more about enjoying the artwork and the story than being tested by complex gameplay.

Controls in Last Inua are based around an on-screen joypad in the bottom left, and one action button that serves for multiple moves, such as jumping, bashing, or flying. An icon with the character's face allows you to instantly switch between father and son.

Artistic exellence

Last Inua is a visual treat. The artwork is worthy of an award, with beautifully drawn backgrounds and well realised characters that are really believable. In fact, this means that many of the monsters and demons in Last Inua are a bit too scary for younger children.

The animation is extremely lifelike, although the movement is a bit too slow and this can make Last Inua feel frustratingly sluggish at times.

The sound in Last Inua is almost as impressive as the visuals. The hauntingly emotional classical music score perfectly fits the mood of the game; you could argue it even sets the mood. Sound effects are so realistic that you almost feel like you're out there in the frozen tundra with them.

A frosty story with lots of warmth

Last Inua is probably a bit slow and straightforward for those who like their platform games to be filled with on-screen action at all times. However, the playing experience is unquestionably enticing, and if you're not charmed by it then you must have a pretty cold heart.

Download Last Inua 1.0

UC Browser 3.5.0.410 - app

UC Browser is a web browser designed for speed. The app can quickly load websites with its built-in boosting tools and allows you to move from site to site with little problems.

Where UC Browser fails is the actual web browsing experience. In the default view, UC Browser scales everything vertically. All content on a page is consequently skewed into a vertical viewing scheme, making a lot of it difficult to read or understand the flow of the content. Even standard format sites look horrible when browsing on UC Browser.

A site with a mobile browser view works much better, but do not expect multimedia content to function well. UC Browser has a very limited set of options and the actual view cannot be adjusted for viewing content in the app. You can only select to view in full-screen which does not help reading content.

UC Browser is best for just reading text, but should not be considered a full function browser.

Download UC Browser 3.5.0.410

Angry Birds Seasons 4.0.2 - app

The latest version of Angry Birds Seasons is a festive-themed version of the mega popular Angry Birds iPhone game.

Fly through the seasons

Including Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day, Spring, Easter, and Summer versions of the game too, Angry Birds Seasons plays exactly the same as the original.

Take aim...and fire!

Your mission in Angry Birds Seasons is to destroy the pigs that are wedged in a series of elaborate constructions. You do this by aiming and catapulting your birds at the structure in order to smash it and hit the pigs.

The touch controls are easy to get to grips with and even very young gamers should have no problems figuring out what to do.

Watch the birdie

The graphics in Angry Birds Seasons are up to the high standards we expect from Angry Birds games. Characters are bright and chirpy and the variety in the backgrounds of the various themes ensures you never get bored of looking at the game.

Winter wonderland

The most recent update to Angry Birds Seasons, has 25 frosty new levels, with one added per day of advent during the festive period of 2013. These latest levels are full of Christmas cheer, with different festive elements such as Christmas trees and candy canes livening up the gameplay and adding cool backdrops.

The icy waters add a new dimension to the gameplay, and will keep you challenged and entertained for quite some time.

The verdict

It's a shame the developer doesn't experiment even more with the gameplay as well as the graphics in these seasonal updates. That said, the difficulty of the levels in Angry Birds Seasons is enough to keep you distracted until the next update!

Angry Birds Seasons is a fun update to the popular series of games, and the latest winter-themed version is good, frosty fun.

Download Angry Birds Seasons 4.0.2