Facebook Messenger 2.6.1 - app

While Facebook for Android is the one-stop place to control a Facebook account, sometimes users just want to just talk directly with their friends without working through the whole app.

Facebook introduced their standalone Facebook Messenger app that focuses on contacting your friends directly.

Communicate with everyone

Facebook Messenger combines friends and mobile contacts to allow for group messages along with location-based functionality. The interface is simple and themed along with Facebook for Android, and also easy to use.

In version 2.0, Facebook rolled out SMS threading, a feature that makes chatting with your phone contacts much easier.

Since Facebook Messenger is focused on messaging, the app may seem a bit simplistic. It functions very similarly to other communication apps though, with the addition of location services. The group chat combines multiple users together and allows for messages to be collated in one window.

The latest update has included Chat Heads, a feature shown during Facebook's Facebook Home presentation for the launcher. It was not known ifChat Heads would be included outside the launcher.

Seamless integration

Facebook Messenger with Chat Heads simplifies using the app. If someone messages you, a small little circle will appear showing the face of the contact on your screen. You just tap on the contact and it will open the conversation.

If you have SMS enabled, you can also use Facebook Messenger to talk with phone contacts. Facebook contacts show up with a blue bubble and SMS messages show in green.

When you are finished communicating, you just swipe the icon down and remove the notification from your screen.

More of the same

The update to include Chat Heads does not add any different functionality to the app. The inclusion of Chat Heads makes it easier to communicate with Facebook and SMS contacts, but the majority of the app is the same.

Chat Heads is great because the notifications will sit above any running app. If you used Facebook Messenger before, the only noticeable difference is Chat Heads.

Worthwhile to replace the standard SMS app

Facebook Messenger does a great job in allowing you to communicate with friends on Facebook along with using the app as the primary SMS app.

Chat Heads adds a great new function by making notifications more transparent. If you communicate with friends through Facebook a lot, the app is worth downloading so you do not have to open the full Facebook app. Connecting your SMS contacts also makes Facebook Messenger also increases the usability.

What's new

- Instantly send stickers. Just tap the smiley and choose a playful kitten or another cute critter.
- Bug fixes.

Download Facebook Messenger 2.6.1

Skype 4.0.0.22082 - app

The Android version of Skype allows you to make free or cheap voice and video calls on your phone.

Features

This mobile version of the popular VOIP app uses a WiFi or 3G connection (WiFi only in the US) to connect you to friends and family via Skype. Besides calling, you can use the text chat feature to exchange instant messages with other Skype users.

Just like the desktop version, Skype for Android is very simple to set up and use. Once you've registered or signed in, you'll be given a virtual tour explaining exactly what you can do with the app. When getting started, you can choose to sync contacts. Contacts can be grouped, which makes things much easier if you have lots of friends.

There are still some features of the desktop version of Skype that are lacking from the app, such as group calls.

Usability

Skype's user interface is very clear and straightforward. There are icons at the bottom of the screen for calling and chatting, and a context menu for adding people or numbers. The main window in Skype 4 for Android is dedicated to contacts, allowing you to display all Skype contacts, favorite contacts and your recent activity. You can switch between these lists by swiping left or right across the screen.

Skype for Android includes video calling, allowing you to chat face-to-face with your buddies, even if they are using another platform. The app includes SMS support, allowing you to send text messages to mobile phones through it.

The interface of the tablet version of Skype for Android is really attractive and offers you easy access to all your contacts. The video chat window is excellent. It lets you display the sidebar during a call, so you can access other functions while you talk on video.

Quality

A problem with Skype on the Android is that it can't be closed very easily because there is no Quit option. Instead, you have to kill the app using an external task manager. The fact that it stays running is especially annoying given the fact that the app zaps your battery very quickly.

Conclusion

Skype for Android is very useful and offers an easy way to make cheap calls. However, it's still generally not as cheap as some other VOIP services.

Download Skype 4.0.0.22082

Voxer Walkie-Talkie PTT 1.2.2.0016 - app

Voxer is a cross-platform app that can turn your Android smartphone into a walkie-talkie.

There are a lot of mobile apps that let you communicate with other people. With the ability to voice chat, make audio recordings and text chat over Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G and more, Voxer is a great addition to this group.

Similar to Viber and Skype when it comes to voice chatting and call management, Voxer also incorporates text chatting like WhatsApp, making it a very comprehensive app.

You can log into Voxer by either creating an account based on your email address or by connecting to Facebook. If you go the Facebook route, Voxer will immediately let you know which of your Facebook friends who have iPhone and Android smartphones are already Voxer users.

From there, all you have to do is click on the name of a Voxer user you want to talk to. You can opt to send them a text message or else record audio for them. If they're using Voxer at the same time as you, they'll get the message immediately and you'll be able to chat back and forth with them using the Push to Talk feature just like a walkie-talkie. If they're offline, you can record an audio message that they'll receive once they log in next. In addition to one-on-one chatting, you can also do a group chat with Voxer.

Voxer's sound quality is adequate, although slightly tinny. This largely depends on the connection everyone involved has. If you want to practice before talking to someone in real-time, click on the "Team Voxer" friend. You can test run audio recordings and text conversations before jumping into talking with actual contacts.

Voxer is a great all-in-one text, voice chat and audio recording app.

Download Voxer Walkie-Talkie PTT 1.2.2.0016

Viber 3.1.0.1103 - 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, 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.

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.

How does Viber perform?

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.

We noticed some issues when cropping chat background images using the iOS version, which threw up some errors, but aside from this, Viber appears to be stable and reliable.

What's new in Viber 3.0?

Viber 3.0 features a redesigned user interface which looks great and really makes the app feel like an embedded part of the OS. There are also some new stickers (though the range is still pretty limited), and Viber 3.0 adds the ability to send video messages.

Another boon of the new version is its support for syncing with the desktop versions of Viber for Windows and Mac. Messages and chat history are now totally synced, and you can even transfer live calls from your phone to the desktop app.

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 3.1.0.1103

3D Galaxy Live Wallpaper 6.20.3.1 - app

Uncover an awesome and fully interactive galaxy on your smartphone! Personalize your home screen with stunning animations and beautifully rendered hd backdrops! Watch as the story unfolds with each new update! Enjoy features new to the latest version of 3D Galaxy Live Wallpaper: - A new, more powerful graphical engine - Rotating planets - Additional high resolution planets - Comets with dynamic lighting effects - Low battery consumption

Customize your 3D Galaxy Live Wallpaper by unlocking new settings and scenarios: - New hd backgrounds (multicolored, chaos, dark blue) - Planet colors can be changed - New animation: space station - summon a huge spacecraft to defend earth! - New animation: alien attack! - a giant mother ship launches its fleet, attacking the planet’s surface - Choose from manual scrolling or a dynamic camera view that follows the action

3D Galaxy Live Wallpaper stands out because of its new graphical engine and smooth hd animations, as well as its regular content expansions that will allow users to customize their experience with additional scenarios.

3D Galaxy Live Wallpaper can be used by anyone with an android smartphone; its intuitive interface makes it easy to use for people of all ages.

Apex Launcher 2.0.0 - app

Apex Launcher is a launcher for Android that "replaces" the original launcher on your device.

Adding more options and customization, Apex Launcher lets you modify your home screens more than what your device originally came with.

Some options included are customizing the home screen grid, better transition effects, and drawer apps sorting.

If you are tired of your original launcher, Apex Launcher is a good replacement.

Download Apex Launcher 2.0.0

Backgrounds and Wallpapers HD 0.1.2320 - app

Backgrounds and Wallpapers HD offers a huge collection of free wallpapers for Android devices.

There are more than 2,500 high quality images included in Backgrounds and Wallpapers HD, curated by OGQ. You can browse the wallpapers by category, recently uploaded, or daily ranking. Clicking an image will open a preview and then you can set it as your wallpaper or assign to a contact. You can save, share, or favorite an image.

Backgrounds and Wallpapers HD is a great collection of background images.

 

Download Backgrounds and Wallpapers HD 0.1.2320