ColorNote

First on our list of note taking apps is called ColorNote. This is a solid app that has pretty much all of the features you could need in a note taking app. You can take regular text notes or list notes as you may require. They can be organized by color so if you want all your business notes to be red and all personal to be blue, you can do that. The app even has functionality to search via color so if you want to see all your red notes, you can. People seem to really like it and that’s why it’s here. To check it out, use the button below.

Evernote

Evernote not being on this list would be blasphemous. It’s not only the most popular on the list, but also the highest rated. It is packed full of features as well. You can take regular text notes, list notes, picture notes, and voice notes. There are cloud storage options. It doesn’t have all the theming options of some of these apps. People generally use Evernote for its features, though, not for theming. It’s a top notch app and we’re talking just the free stuff. There are even more features if you go premium. To download it, hit the button below.

FreeNote

It wouldn’t be a complete noting taking apps list if we didn’t include something for the stylus crowd. FreeNote is among the most popular note taking apps and it’s also the only one on the list that focuses around handwritten notes. Some people enjoy writing out notes by hand and some, especially tablet owners, find it easier than typing on the keyboard. FreeNote offers a variety of stylus note taking options. The free version will hound you to buy the paid version every now and then, but otherwise they both work just the same. To check it out, use the button below!

Google Keep

Yes, folks, we are once again singing the praises of Google Keep. That’s because it’s a truly simple and powerful note taking app. You have all the best options for note taking apps. Text notes, list notes, voice notes, and picture notes. The voice notes are compatible with Google Voice Search, so you can open that up and tell it to take a note. You can organize them by color and even check them online at drive.google.com/keep. It’s simple, it’ powerful, and it has all the features note takers need without all the extra stuff. Use the button below to check it out.

Note Everything

Note Everything is the first app on this list to utilize folders for note storage. So not only can you take apps, but you can use folders to get things organized. Along with that you can take all the usual types of notes. Picture notes, voice notes, list, and text notes. The app looks like it was designed two years ago, but it’s still one of the most popular and solid note taking apps for Android. To give it a shot, use the button below.

SomNote

Last on our list of note taking apps for Android is called SomNote. SomNote’s main feature is its folder system. You can not only create folders within folders within folders, but you can also choose folder colors. So while ColorNote and Google Keep select your note color to help organize it, you can use this exact same thing for folder color. There are really only a couple of ways to take a note. There are text notes and then text notes with attachments. Since you can attach a picture you take with your camera right there, it technically allows for picture notes. It looks nice and works well. The button below will take you to it in the Google Play Store.

The Best Note Taking Apps for Android Leaderboard

If you take a look at the leaderboard, you can see how these apps stack up against one another. Frankly, there aren’t many surprises in the list except maybe that Google Keep is the lowest one on there. These ratings aren’t our choice, they are based on the Google Play Store ratings. So this is how the people have rated them. There is no bias on our part.

All of these apps are great for note taking. There are countless other options as well. So if there are note taking apps that you feel that we missed and should be included, feel free to comment down below and let us know! We’re always happy to hear from our readers.

Mother’s Day Wallpapers

We’ll start out with something nice and simple. Our first app, called Mother’s Day Wallpaper HD 2013, is a wallpaper app that has a bunch of Mother’s Day specific wallpapers. Simply open the application, pick a wallpaper, and apply it. This obviously isn’t going to be your coup de grâce, but it could be helpful in setting a mood or just another way of telling your mom that you love her. It’s free in the Google Play Store and you can grab it using the button below.

Mother’s Day Poems

There are very few moms out there who don’t appreciate some well written poetry being dedicated to them. To help with that, there are a few Android apps out that have some Mother’s Day specific poetry in it. You could use this as something to read to your mom or even use excerpts from the poems in a card if you can’t think of one. Poetry is always good for meaningful events like this, so you can never go wrong by borrowing some. To check out one of the higher rated Mother’s Day Poetry apps, click the button below.

Mother’s Day Cards

Getting anyone a card for any occasion is one of those social norms that pretty much everyone do. In many cases, you may buy someone a present and give them a card with it. How many times have you bought flowers with a card? Exactly, people do it a lot. Instead of surfing e-card websites, you could always use our next Android app, called Mother’s Day Cards, to quickly browse through some cards to find a good one. You can send them via email or messaging if you’d like. There’s no social share option but you’re not sharing the latest meme, you’re sending a card so we can understand that slight oversight. To check it out, use the button below.

Mother’s Day Games

Most people aren’t thinking of picking up their mom a video game. However, with the rise of Facebook flash games over the last few years, mothers who once hated the idea of video games are spending hours a day on Farmville. With that in mind, the developers of the app Bakery Story have updated the game with a few additions to give it more of a Mother’s Day theme. If you think your mom may like a Facebook flash style game and want to give her one to try with the holiday in mind, use the button below to check out Bakery Story.

Mother’s Day Shopping

Last on our list is probably the holy grail of Mother’s Day Android apps. We’re talking about an app called Mobile Coupons & Deals and they have really gone that extra mile to help everyone find something nifty for their mom. You can check out coupons and deals from dozens of stores. So if you want to get your mom cloths, jewelry, bathroom stuff (i.e. Bed, Bath & Beyond), and even some electronics deals from stores like Best Buy, the options are there. Most of us are probably buying our moms something and what better way to shop than search all the stores all at once? To check it out, use the button below.

Mother’s Day Leaderboard

If you take a look at the leaderboard, you can see how these apps stack up. Keep in mind, this is how they were rated in the Google Play Store and not our personal rankings. So there is no bias on our part. Also, there are alternatives to all of these apps so if you try one out and you don’t like it, it is not the end of the line. There are more poetry apps, more card apps, etc. These were just the highest rated.

As always, we value your input. If there is an awesome Mother’s Day app that we missed, feel more than free to comment and let us know. Happy Mother’s Day!

Deskbar Launcher

First on our humble list of Android apps today is called Deskbar Launcher. This fun little launcher turns the bottom of your home screen into a more traditional desktop-style task bar. It most closely emulates a Windows experience. You tap the circle at the bottom left and it opens a little app drawer where you can launch things. If you have a phone with soft keys, waiting a couple of seconds will make the launcher disappear so you can use your soft keys as usual.

While it works well on phones, this app is really best used on a tablet. It’s something a little different from the traditional Android launchers and will help fans of traditional task bars feel more at home. To give it a shot, check out the button below.

Hoppit

Some Android apps that are gaining a lot of popularity are location discovery apps. They are essentially apps that help you find new places in your general area. Hoppit falls into this category. Their tagline claims they are the Pandora for restaurants. After a brief review period, it’s not too far off.

The only real big problem is that it doesn’t have a lot of cities. They’re mostly large metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, or Chicago. So if you want to give it a shot, you’ll need to see if it supports your area. If it sounds like something you’d like to try out, click the button below!

Little Professor Math for Kids

Learning math is a valuable skill. Pretty much everyone needs at least a cursory education in mathematics. Next on our list of Android apps, called Little Professor Math for Kids, is a really good way to teach kids a little math skills. It’s a pretty neat little app. It’s a calculator that also asks simple arithmetic questions for kids to answer. So if you need a calculator, it functions as one. If you want to brush up on your adding and subtracting skills, it can do that too.

Despite its simplicity, it’s garnered a high rating on the Google Play Store and people seem to really enjoy it. Of course, it’s geared for kids. So keep that in mind if you give it a shot. If you want to try it out, click the button below.

Math Helper

Hey, while we’re on the topic of math Android apps, how about one for adults? This one is called Math Helper and it’s for people who are into more advanced math subjects like calculus, advanced algebra, and even some trig and physics. It’s a growing app and there aren’t a whole bunch of subjects, but some of the stuff it does have can be really useful.

There is also a calculator attached so it’s not just a reference guide. You can use the calculator to enter problems as usual or you can use the problem solver in the app. For instance if you want to find out the solution to a matrix using the Gauss method, you can. When you plug in the numbers, it doesn’t just show you the answer, but also shows you, step by step, how to get the answer. This is infinitely useful for any high school or college student getting into some more complicated math. Really, I wish I’d had this 2 years sooner. If you want to try it out, click the button below.

SayIt

The longer a person owns an Android device, the longer the list of Android apps they download and keep around. Some of us have over 100 apps. Sometimes it gets tedious scrolling through the app drawer to find them when we need them. That’s where Android apps like SayIt comes in. This voice app will open apps when you ask it to and that’s all it’s designed to do.

What makes this impressive is that it’s accuracy. Whether it’s system apps or downloaded apps, SayIt recognizes the name and opens the app. Just to be thorough, this was downloaded on a Nexus 4 with 150 apps. SayIt recognized all of them on the first try. If you want to give it a shot, the button below will take you there.

TeamSnap

Team work has gained a lot of popularity over human history. From teaming up to kill buffalo to teaming up to build Android apps, teams are an essential tool for getting anything done more quickly and more efficiently. Philosophical nonsense aside, TeamSnap is an app that’ll help you manage a team. It’s geared toward sporting events, but you can really use it for any kind of team as long as you don’t mind the team members being referred to as “players”.

Essentially, you enter in names, positions, emails, phone numbers, etc and build your “roster”. Then you have all that info readily available if you need it. This is especially useful for things like beer league hockey teams or high school sports teams where contact details can be tough to keep track of. Click the button below to check it out.

The Battery

There are a thousand battery monitors and widgets out there, but it’s tough to find one that can really separate itself. The Battery is able to do this with a variety of features and is complete with a number of HD widgets that are colored for any theme. It sounds like an advertisement but that’s really what The Battery brings to the table. Features and HD widgets.

It can perform a number of things like battery stats, process management, and toggles for things like Bluetooth and WiFi. It’s an app with a lot of promise and if you’re tired of all these battery apps and want to try something different, give it a try! You can find it using the button below.

Diamonds in the Rough – Android Apps Wrap Up

That about does it for our apps list this week. As always, feel free to leave a comment telling us what you thought of our selections this week. If you felt an app should be included that we didn’t include, feel free to comment with some random apps that you enjoy. Don’t forget, we do this every week so check back next week for some more Android apps goodness!

Everyone loves it when an Angry Birds game gets released and we here at Android Authority are no exception. The latest Angry Birds game, released yesterday, is called Angry Birds Friends and if you’ve been craving some fresh Angry Birds action, you will not be disappointed. Unless you don’t use Facebook, then you may be a little disappointed. As per the norm, our review video is at the bottom.

Game Features

Of course, what everyone is going to be talking about is the ability to play with friends over Facebook. This both amazing and terrible news. It’s amazing because Angry Birds Friends is a multiplayer game. It’s terrifying because there is no Google+ support. Yes, it’s probably more important that they got Facebook integration down first, since it’s still the most popular social network on Earth, but we would’ve liked to have seen some Google+ integration as well. With Facebook integration comes the usual Facebook stuff. You can send invites to your friends, send them gifts, etc to get them involved and playing with you.

The gifts come in the form of power ups. There are a number of power ups in Angry Birds Friends including slingshot power ups, replacement birds, bird power ups, and even a laser sight to help you target things better. Even during the tutorial these power ups were immensely helpful and you’ll be gifting your friends power ups just so they’ll gift them back to you. Especially the bird replacement, which can make a 2 or 3 bird level into a 1 bird level.

As for the game play, it’s everything you’ve come to know and love from Angry Birds. You shoot the same old birds at the same old piggies. The only difference is that there are new levels, it certainly looks better, and, of course, tournament play! When engaging in tournament play, you can open a tab on the right side to see who is in the lead. While it may appear as though you’ll be facing a friend one on one, what Angry Birds Friends really falls under is a single player game with a leader board.

Essentially, there are several levels that you can play every single week. Your Facebook friends who also play this game play the same levels each week. Your score appears on the right hand side along with your friends. The one who scores the highest on those several levels by the end of the week wins. So this isn’t like a blow-by-blow multiplayer game between two people. This was slightly disappointing. There is a strong pro for it, though, and that’s that if you don’t want to wait for a friend to get online, you don’t have to.

In terms of mechanics, it’s almost identical to the old Angry Birds. The old birds make appearances and the newer birds that have been introduced in later versions are re-introduced as well. So when you get down to the core of the game, you’re playing the same old Angry Birds that you’ve always played. Nothing special there but you have to appreciate the consistency because it’s still enjoyable.

Graphics and Sound

Graphics and sound in Angry Birds Friends is about on par with most of the games in the series. The graphics are sharp and in focus with a lot of colors. The sound is whimsical and fun, just like always. The levels are zoomed out more than they usually are so you can see the whole stage a lot better without being required to pinch to zoom to see it all. The powers and upgrades alter the appearances of the birds, the slingshot, and other parts of the level. Due to it being zoomed out more, when things go boom, it’s a lot more fun to watch things go flying around.

We wish we could’ve spent more time on graphics and sound in Angry Birds Friends. However, it’s nothing you won’t get in other Angry Birds games.

Is Angry Birds Friends a big deal?

Well of course it is, silly! It’s an Angry Birds game. They’ve been downloaded like a billion times. Since Rovio has had a couple of disappointing games recently, like The Croods, having a nice, solid Angry Birds offering is just what they needed to bounce back and become the darlings of Android gaming once again. Like the rest, you can expect this game to get millions upon millions of downloads and join its brethren at the top of the Android downloads list.

Obviously, what separates Angry Birds Friends from the pack is the Facebook integration and multiplayer. We think people who aren’t busy being outraged that it’s not available for other social networks will enjoy this aspect. Angry Birds Friends turns what was once a game dedicated to sitting alone, playing alone to sitting alone, playing alone, but with a leaderboard to see how your fellow lonely people are.

If you haven’t tried Angry Birds Friends yet, but want to, just click the button below!

Of course, that is just our interpretation. We’d love to know what you think of the new Angry Birds Friends.

Cut the Rope – Time Travel HD

First on our list on the best apps of the month list is called Cut the Rope – Time Travel HD. This fun little puzzle game revolves around the story of an adorable little green monster who is transported through time. To bring him back, you have to get him some candy!

The game play is pretty simple. You cut ropes and chains, use superpowers, and other in game mechanisms to get the candy to the little monster and his time travel buddy. Instead of the traditional 3-star rating based on score, the 3 stars are actually in the level and you must collect them in order to earn all 3. This is kind of nice as you don’t have to repeat the same level over and over again, wondering what the max score is. I’m underselling this here. This game has a 4.9 rating in the Google Play Store as of this writing. It’s that good. To get it, click the button below!

Dungeon Hunter 4

Next on our best apps of the month list is Dungeon Hunter 4. As the name implies, it’s a dungeon crawling RPG where you hunt things. Also, it’s the 4th one in the series. This one has gone over much better with reviewers tan the previous 3 versions. In fact, some have stated that this is the game that the prior 3 versions should have been.

The graphics are very good, the game play is fun, it starts out quick, and just feels like a good game. You can choose your character class and there are cinematics that are near the standard for mobile games. Also, as all RPGs should have, Dungeon Hunter 4 actually has a decent story line. To check it out, click the button below!

FL Studio Mobile

Fans of FL Studio rejoice because the next app on our best apps of the month list is a mobile version of the popular FL Studio. Called FL Studio Mobile, it’s audio composing software that lets you either put songs together based on samples or let you program, literally, note for note on every instrument to compose your own music. It has a lot of tools, a lot of instruments, and a lot of functionality. This is good because you’ll be asked to fork over $19.99 for it.

There are a few features missing from the desktop version. Including your own samples seems to be giving people problems and some have problems installing it and opening it. These issues aside, you’ll get most of the standard FL Studio experience in mobile form. If you want to grab it up, click the button below.

The Floor Escape

Yes, we do have two simple puzzle games on our best apps of the month list. This one, like Cut the Rope above, is extremely popular and very highly rated in the Google Play Store already. The premise of The Floor Escape is you must solve a puzzle to open an elevator to escape to the next floor. What or who you’re escaping from remains a mystery, but it’s a fun little puzzle game nevertheless.

The game does a good job of both not repeating puzzles very often and utilizing as many tools as necessary to construct puzzles. You’ll be tapping, clicking, dragging, tilting, and pretty much everything else an Android phone can do to solve the puzzles. Some of them are kind of tough too. To grab it up from the Play Store, click the button below.

Iron Man 3

Well, the world is saturated in Iron Man 3 propaganda and Android is no different. You can already get an Iron Man 3 live wallpaper and Gameloft has released a video game based around the premise of the movie. Unlike a good portion of video games that are based on movies, Iron Man 3 by Gameloft is actually pretty good.

This is a free running game so you’ll essentially just be moving forward the whole time. You use your various Iron Man weapons to kill enemies while tilting your phone to avoid obstacles. It’s very fast paced and has great graphics for a mobile game. The only issues we ran into was the menu was a little laggy, even on our resident app-testing device, the Nexus 4. Tiny issues aside, people seem to really enjoy this game and it’s definitely worth checking out. You can grab it for free in the Play Store using the button below.

Ninja SMS

With the tagline “Text like a Ninja”, we really couldn’t find a reason not to put Ninja SMS on our best apps of the month list. It’s a fairly useful application too and well worth the $1.50 if you text a lot. The only possible negative point is that it could be annoying to people who hate texting.

The app will pop up a window in the middle of the screen whenever someone texts you. It doesn’t close the app you’re in and doesn’t require you to do so. You just tap the window, reply to the text, then go back to what you were doing. This takes substantially less time than closing the app out, opening the text app, replying, then closing the text app and re-opening the app you were in. You can change the themes a little bit but otherwise it’s a fairly simple app. To grab it, check out the button below.

Split Camera for Instagram

Most would expect a best apps of the month list to include nothing but apps with the greatest graphics. However, sometimes apps are so instantly loved that we are forced to include them. This is the case for Split Camera for Instagram. It’s not the most glamorous app and it doesn’t even have that many features. However, it has half a million downloads and a decent Play Store rating since release.

It’s a pretty fun app to use too. You can essentially take two pictures and combine them into one. The effect being that looks like a side-by-side picture. So you can take a picture of you pretending to hold a gun like a secret agent and then one of you crying because you’re not a secret agent. Then upload it to Instagram. You can also upload to any social network you subscribe to, so it’s not limited to Instagram. Up for taking some pictures that are a little different? Click the button below to get this app.

Swype

Now before you take to the comment section to tell us that Swype shouldn’t be on the best apps of the month list because it’s been around for ages, please hear us out. Swype has been included in flagship phone after flagship phone for years. Getting the Swype beta is pretty easy and takes only an email to sign up. Despite being on most smartphones these days, you have to remember something. This month marked the first month where Swype was available in the Google Play Store.

The classic swipe to text keyboard is available on the Google Play Store for merely $.99. This is a great price for perhaps one of the most iconic keyboards every to grace Android. Not a keyboard comes out nowadays that isn’t immediately compared to it and SwiftKey. If you’ve been waiting a long time to pick this up, it’s waiting for you at the Google Play Store. Just click the button below to go get it.

Best Apps of the Month Wrap Up

If you take a gander at our leader board, you can see how these apps have stacked up against one another this month. It was a total surprise to use that games like Cut the Rope and The Floor Escape did so well but the ratings system doesn’t lie. They’re really getting 4.9 and 4.8, respectively. Those are impressive numbers for how many downloads these games have. Of course, these are how reviewers in the Google Play Store have rated them. There is no bias on our part.

If you think we’ve missed an app that belongs on this list, feel more than free to comment below to let us know. We’re always happy to hear your input!

The site is called root-android.org. Here’s how it works. You shell out $30 to get access to the Member’s Area. There you can download software that can, according to the site:

The Auto Rooting software is specially designed to work with all Android devices in the world today. This includes all Android tablets, phones, computers, and e-Readers. It does not matter what version of Android you are running, The Rooting Software works with all of them. – root-android.org

What a preposterous claim, right? There are a variety of reasons not to trust a site like this. For starters, there is an animated woman graphic in the bottom right corner that tries to talk you into that. They might as well put picture of palm trees in their banner and claim that they made $5400 a month working from home. Aside from questionable marketing tactics, we have three really good reasons why you should never buy or use this software.

Not all Android devices can be rooted

The very biggest claim this site makes is that it can root anything. However, as anyone familiar with the rooting culture can tell you, that is a big honking lie. It’s kind of hard to put trust and faith into a product that, right out of the gate, makes promises it cannot hope to keep. Not all phones can be rooted. For that matter, there are a number of devices that have very complicated root methods.

There are a number of instances where devices cannot be easily rooted. When OTA updates come in (Especially HTC Devices), they usually patch up all known root exploits and developers have to find a new way to obtain root. Or if the device isn’t popular enough to be rooted by the developer community and current exploits don’t do the trick. When the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 were released, their locked bootloaders prevented root for a period of time before developers found a way around it. The point is that there are times when phones can’t be easily rooted and there are even a few rare instances where root cannot be a achieved at all. Most of the time it’s temporary but it does happen. In these instances, this $30 software will not work for you.

You can get all of this and more for free

If someone offered you a good, free meal, would you turn it down to go spend $30 on the exact same meal in a restaurant? No? Of course not, because that’s not what sane people do. Every single root exploit that you can find in this $30 software is available free of charge at one of the Android development sites. Whether it be XDA Developers, RootzWiki or one of the other places, you can find all these root exploits for free. Not to mention that taking what’s already free and making people pay for it is just plain unethical. Look at what they did to water.

On top of taking free software and making you pay for it, they’re also taking away recognition to developers. People worked hard on some of these exploits. Those crazy people at unlimited.io keep hacking HTC phones despite HTC’s best efforts. What about those XDA devs who unlocked the Verizon Galaxy S3 bootloader and then shortly thereafter, the Verizon Galaxy Note 2 bootloader. These are names you should know because these are the guys doing the real hard work to get you rooted so you can have full control over your own devices. Did we mention they do it all free of charge?

You should learn more about what you’re doing

Would you start tearing parts out of your car before you learn how an engine works? Would you hire a chef who’s highlight cooking achievement is making Mac’n'Cheese right “most of the time”? No, of course you wouldn’t. Under that same line of logic, you shouldn’t go rooting your device without knowing what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. It’s not like putting decals on your rice burner just to be cool. You’re gaining access to sensitive parts of your device where, if you’re not careful, you can really mess things up.

So this $30 software gets you root. Do you know how it gets you root? If you’re running a potentially risky exploit to root your phone, you should probably know what that exploit is. It could help you troubleshoot if a problem arises. Now, this may sound hypocritical because most popular devices these days actually have one click roots (that are free, by the way) where they don’t necessarily explain the exploit.

The difference is that these are posted in forum threads where you can simply post and ask what they did. Most developers have no problem explaining what they did. In fact, the only time you’ll see a dev hide their methods is when they don’t want their methods to be patched. In many cases, these one-click methods and tool kits are open source, so you can go read the source code and see exactly what they did for yourself. More importantly, if you have trouble, you can post in the thread that you had trouble and someone will usually point you in the right direction. They may not be overly nice about it all the time, but usually they help get the problem solved. The point is that if you’re going to force your way into the secure and sensitive parts of your device’s file system, you should know a little more about what you’re doing and you should probably know where it came from so you know where to go to get real help.

Summary

It may sound like we’re being overly harsh here, but we assure you we’re not. This website is making you pay $30 for stuff you can find for free. They’re most likely using root methods that were developed by someone else and were intended for free use. They’re hiding everything they’re doing behind a pretty user interface so you really have no idea what they’re doing to your device. Worst of all, they’re claiming their service can do things that it cannot do. When it’s all added up, it equals a disaster for your Android device. It’s essentially like being put under by a doctor for surgery and when you’re about to pass out, you see him pop the “how to perform surgery” video into his DVD player.

If our logic just isn’t hitting that nerve, check out what their customers actually have to say. Devices not being rooted, 30-day money back guarantees not being honored, and all sorts of other seedy behavior are being reported. So if you are thinking of using this, or know someone who is thinking about using this service, our best advice is to not use this service. Nothing good can come of it. So get the word out and let’s help keep people from being ripped off!

There are an endless number of apps on the Google Play Store. It’s nigh impossible to sift through all of them, let alone find the good ones. So, if you’re in a “hell, why not?” mood today, take a gander at this week’s roundup of random apps we thought were pretty nifty, and that you might enjoy too!

Jester Chess

We would be lying if we didn’t admit that this made the list strictly because of its claim that it brings the sexy back to chess. Frankly, we had no idea there was any sexy in chess to begin with and that tagline did a great job of making us want to try this app out. What we found wasn’t sexy, exactly. However, what we did find was a pretty entertaining chess game that focuses less on chess as a whole and uses the pieces to form puzzles.

Here’s how it works. Each level, there are some random chess pieces on the board. Your goal is to take all the pieces until there is one left standing in as few moves and in as little time as possible. As with all Android puzzle games at this point, you get a 3-star rating based on how well you do. It’s simple, it’s fun, there are a 100 puzzles in the free version of this game, and you can get a whole lot more for a buck. We went searching for random apps, and we found a chess game that’s only sort of a chess game. To give it a shot, download it below.

Star Defender 4

Recently, we did an app list for the most underrated games for Android and in that list there was a space arcade game. As it turns out, it wasn’t the only space arcade game worth checking out. In our search for random apps, we came across Star Defender 4. Star Defender 4 takes a much more classic and retro approach to arcade space shooters and one that fans of the old arcade days will no doubt enjoy.

This is a top-down shooter that is actually pretty fun to play. You use your finger to run across a fire bar to shoot and move. There are power ups, fun weapons that destroy a lot of bad guys at once, and some pretty decent looking bad guys and backgrounds. Is it the next Angry Birds? Probably not, but it’s genuinely a blast to play and the graphics are actually pretty decent. It’s $1.99 in the Google Play Store, but you can try it free before you buy it. Check it out below.

Ocean – Coloring Puzzles

Something that’s quite hard to find is a good kids game on Android. Most of them are either way too simple or way too short. During our search for random apps, we may have found one that’s actually pretty decent. Ocean is an ocean themed coloring book and puzzle game that’s will hold the attention of the kids for at least a little while. There is some nice music, the backgrounds are interactive, and kids can choose between putting puzzles together or coloring on their own.

Unfortunately, you have to unlock the full app in order to get all the puzzles, but you’ll know if it’s worth it long beforehand because your kids will either like it or not right out of the gate. Also, the developers, MagisterApp, have identical apps for farms, the Savanna, and Christmas. So if your child gets tired of ocean themes, there are actually 4 other apps to choose from. To check them out, follow the button below.

NFLWeather & Scores

Yes, the NFL season has been over for a few months. Really, though, if you’re a football fan, the NFL is a year round thing. There is, after all, the draft, the free agent signings, and all the summer events that lead up to the start of the next season. The next on our list of random apps, called NFLWeather & Scores, is a great app to have if you’re an NFL fan and want to be prepared for the next season. This very simple, yet deceptively useful, app tells you the dates of each game scheduled for a given week and the forecast for that game. So you’ll know if your favorite team is playing in the sun, the rain, or the snow. Should you want additional details about the games, they’re available as well.

Again, this is a really simple app, but a very handy one. If you look up the game details, you’ll get the kickoff time, which TV network it’s on, where the game is being played, the surface (grass or turf), and other tidbits of info. It’ll even tell you if it’s in a dome or an open stadium. You won’t get in depth coverage like you would from ESPN, but if all you want is the schedule, the forecast, and some fun facts about each game, this is what you want. It’s available from the button below!

Foodster

Who doesn’t love a good meal now and again? During our quest to find the best random apps, we happened to find a nifty little app called Foodster. The app features a whole bunch of recipes. Not only that, but it’ll help you build grocery lists to make these various meals. There is even a function to build whole meals out of leftovers and odds and ends in your kitchen. Really, anyone who enjoys cooking or food in general should check it out.

Unfortunately, during my review, I found out that the app is shut down until June. Apparently, Pinterest bought out the service Foodster was using to share recipes and run the app so it’s gone down for re-tooling. So we can’t recommend it right now because it doesn’t do anything at this time. However, when it comes back (if you remember), do at least check it out. Foodies and people who like to cook could use more apps like this one so we hope it comes back sooner than later. You can use the button below to check out the app, but do remember that it’s down for a couple of months.

Firestorm

Didn’t get enough arcade action with Star Defender 4? That’s fine, because the next app on our random apps list brings even more arcade goodness to Android. This one is a little more simple and slower than Star Defender 4 and the graphics aren’t as good. However, it is still quite a fun and challenging game to play.

In this game there are no levels. It’s kind of like Tetris. Bad guys fall from the top of the screen until they finally manage to kill you. As per the norm there are power ups that increase everything. So it may start out a little slow but it gets faster and more interesting the longer your streak goes. It’s a buck in the Google Play Store and you can find it using the button below.

Debate It!

So, who likes to debate on the Internet? That was a joke, because practically everyone has their own opinions on everything. That’s okay for the next item on our random apps list. It’s an app called Debate It! and it allows you to input your opinion on important topics from the around the world and read what other people had to say.

What’s fun about it is the vote structure. You and five other participants input a short answer to a big question. Then people find these “games” and vote for whoever has the best answer. It’s a nifty way to express your opinion and see what other people have to say on the matter. Getting a vote gives you points and the person with the most votes wins the debate. If you like taking part in things like this, this is a fun app to try out. You can find it using the button below.

Diamonds in the Rough Random Apps Wrap Up

That about does it for our apps this week. As always, feel free to leave a comment telling us what you thought of our selections this week. If you felt an app should be included that we didn’t include, feel free to comment with some random apps that you enjoy. Don’t forget, we do this every week so check back next week for some more random app goodness!

App Features

First we’ll talk about the features of the Android Authority app. Essentially, you can view pretty much any content on the app that you can on our website. The latest news, opinions, features, app lists, device reviews, and everything else we do is right there in the app just like it is on the website. To start, you slide to the right to open up the menu. In the menu you can navigate across the app and read or view the various things we’ve released.

To start, we’ll talk about the content itself. In the menu, you’ll see options to check out the latest articles, the latest videos, and the latest episodes of our podcast, Android Authority on Air. Each in their own category so if you want to browse around for some older stuff too, it’s all there at your disposal. The app updates periodically in the background so when we post new stuff, the app will get it quickly.

Below that are a few ways to better organize our content for you. You can find articles written in the last 24 hours if you’d rather sort through our stuff that way instead of the full list. You can also read all articles you have not yet read. If there are any articles you like so much that you want to add them to your favorites, you can view your favorites under the All Stars menu.

Underneath that you’ll find all of our social media links so you can follow, like, or subscribe to us anywhere we have an internet presence. Feel free to do so! It’s also a second great way to keep up with all the content we produce since very nearly all of our stuff ends up on our social media sites as well as our official website.

Finally, at the bottom, are settings and tools. You can view any file that you download from us, force sync to see if there is anything new, switch themes from light to dark (and back to light again), and then a settings menu. Everything here is pretty much self explanatory. The settings menu is mostly sync settings like only syncing over WiFi and things like that.

General Use

If you check out the review video, you can see that the Android Authority app runs pretty well. We tested it on a plethora of devices and so far it’s been smooth for everyone. The app makes it really easy to view all the latest Android Authority content whether it be articles or videos. There is a little quirk, though. To comment on articles, you must visit the site. There are links to do so within the app so if you feel the need to comment, just click on the Visit Website link where you can leave your comment. Otherwise, everything else is accessible from within the app. This includes sharing to virtually anywhere using the sharing button at the top.

Additionally, you can also translate text into another language should you need to. So even our readers from other parts of the world can enjoy this app. The list of supported languages is quite long, so there is a very high probability that your language is supported. You can also change the text size so it’ll be a little easier on your eyes when you read it. You can even copy the article link should you want to share it somewhere the share button doesn’t cover.

Android Authority App Wrap Up

All in all, it’s a very solid and well put together app. I’m not just saying that because I work here, either. Everything is fluid and straightforward. It’s not easy to get lost in this app or not know what to do. There are a lot of options for theming, comfort, and language support. Really, if you like Android Authority, this app is worth checking out.

Of course, we live to serve you, the tech enthusiast. We wouldn’t be anywhere without our readers and, as always, we want to bring you the best news in as many formats as humanly possible. It’s all about options right? So if you have any suggestions for our official app or want to leave us some feedback, feel more than free to leave a comment below, on the YouTube video, or even in the Play Store to let us know how we’re doing! If you want to try it out, just search “Android Authority” in the Play Store, or check it out directly here.

Oxford Dictionary Support

When it comes to the English language, there are some options as to which dictionary you want to use. There are a lot out there, but arguably one of the most respected is the Oxford English dictionary. Now you can have that dictionary support in OfficeSuite Pro 7. Simply use the menu to navigate to the dictionary list and you can find it there. You can also find it if you open any document, click on a word, and choose the spell check option. It should have an option for the Oxford Dictionary.

The only caveat is that the dictionary costs $49.99 to download. That’s quite a bit for an add-on and costs more than three times as much as the app itself. For a limited time, though, they’re letting the add on go for $4.99, or 90% off. That’s just at the time of this writing and we don’t know how long the promotion will last. So if this is something you want, best to get on it quickly!

Google Search Support

Alongside the Oxford Dictionary add on above, OfficeSuite Pro 7 now gives you the ability to Google Search words right out of a document. Simply click on the word and a little box will pop up. The left icon will take you to the in-app dictionary while the right button will open a web browser and Google Search the word in question. This is an excellent tool if you need to know what a word means quickly or if you just want to Google Search things.

Unlike the Oxford Dictionary add on, this one comes with the app so you don’t have to pay any additional money. Being able to Google Search words right from app can save some people a lot of time and it’s a pretty nifty feature for an office app.

Camera Support

Perhaps one of the most nifty new features is the ability to snap a picture of something and have it plugged into a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation without being required to leave the app. Using the menu, you can open the camera app, snap a quick picture, and it’ll automatically be added to your file. This can be very useful for people who need a visual aid on the fly but don’t have one readily available.

One the picture has been added, they can be moved, re-sized, rotated, and pretty much any other basic manipulation you can think of. Also, as stated, this works for all the various kinds of documents you can create so no matter which function you use the most, it’ll work.

Excel Enhancements

One thing that got a lot of revamping was Excel. There were just so many things added to Excel that we’ve decided to list them all in one spot. OfficeSuite Pro 7 now has a much cleaner Excel UI that also includes font formatting and cell dragging improvements. Perhaps the neatest new feature is the ability to re-arrange Excel spreadsheets. This may not seem like a big deal, but people who regularly use Excel will tell you that those sheets can be organized quite a bit.

Overall, the updates, improvements, and additions offer a much more cogent and reliable Excel experience and maybe the most stable Excel experience on Android.

Other Improvements

There were some other improvements that we didn’t review, but are still worth mentioning. There is now dual screen support, better compatibility with QuickSpell, and some PowerPoint improvements. The PowerPoint improvements include link support and shadow support. When you look at the list as a whole, OfficeSuite Pro 7 has a lot of great refinements, enhancements, and additions. It really helps the experience of the app and makes the whole experience more fluid and natural.

OfficeSuite Pro 7 Summary

OfficeSuite Pro 7 was already a popular and trusted office app for Android. With these improvements, it’s evolved into a more complete experience with fewer rough edges. Really, there are few office apps that can stack up to the features and stability of OfficeSuite Pro 7. You can find the app in the Google Play Store for $15 here. Or, if you prefer, you can give try it out with the free trial found here. If you don’t have an office suite app yet or you just want to find a new one, this is one of the best.

Download Bestiary Live Wallpaper from the Google Play Store here

Bestiary Live Wallpaper

First on our list of random apps this week is Bestiary Live Wallpaper. This unique wallpaper puts a beastly creature on your home screens that moves around, floats, swims, etc for your enjoyment. Each creature is uniquely shaped and with varying colors and patterns. The background behind the creature is matched with the creature so you have a comprehensive experience with each one. It’s really quite nice.

In the free version, you can only cycle through and pick a monster with its corresponding background. If you opt to pay for it, you’ll unlock all the settings and have more control over which monster goes on which background. Either way, it’s a pretty nifty live wallpaper and fans of monsters should really enjoy it. To download it, click the link above.

Download Coach’s Eye from the Google Play Store here

Coach’s Eye

As any sports nut can tell you, game video is crucial for improvement. Giving players a look at what they did wrong and what they did right can help shape their training and shore up their weaknesses. On smartphones, though, it’s difficult to get a good sports video and it’s even harder to find good tools to turn that video into a training tool. Coach’s Eye looks to relieve both of these problems.

Coach’s Eye allows people to take a video, then analyze it, create a training video, and use it to help train. It might come off as a sports only kind of app, but really it’s good for any activity that you may need to slow down and take a closer look at. It’s still a pretty niche app, like most of our random apps, but it can be pretty useful.

Download Around the Rock Disc Golf from the Google Play Store here

Around the Rock Disc Golf

This fun and different member of our random apps list is all about the not-so-well-known sport of disc golf. For those who have never played, you’re essentially playing golf with a frisbee. You start out at a predetermined spot and you try to throw your frisbee into a basket in as few throws as possible. It can be a fun and relaxing way to spend a day in the sun. Especially if you can’t afford golf clubs but still love the concept of golf.

It’s a difficult game to master. Gamers only have a single shot to get it in the basket but get scores based on how close you get. Once you get the controls down, you can fly through rounds. It’s no Angry Birds or Temple Run, but if you’re tired of games like Angry Birds or Temple Run, then this is a fun little distraction that costs $1.99.

Download hiTask from the Google Play Store here

hiTask – Team Task Management

Project management is among the largest growing fields in the world. Businesses will pay a person well for spearheading a project and pay more if you’re successful at it. As any good project manager knows, you have to be organized to do well at project management and next on our list of random apps helps do just that. It’s called hiTask it’s a tool any project manager should at least try out.

There are a range of basic features like task creation, assigning tasks and resources, etc. There are also some more advanced features like generating project reports. It utilizes cloud storage so you can sync between your mobile device and your computer or, at least, sync between mobile devices. The only caveat is that subtasks aren’t a feature yet, but according to the hiTask team, it’s in the works. So this is definitely an app to keep an eye on and it’s free.

Download Go Laundry! from the Google Play Store here

Go Laundry!

Next up on our random apps list is an app called Go Laundry! This useful little app is designed to help you keep track of your laundry so you can busy yourself with other things instead of waiting around for the washer and dryer to finish. It can be useful for people cleaning their houses, but it can be even more useful for people who have to deal with a shared laundry room. If you live in an apartment, are in the military, or in college and you don’t want to leave your laundry unattended in the public washer and dryer space too long, this is definitely worth checking out.

It features a simple interface where you can set a number of timers based on what you’re doing. So if you have multiple loads in there, you can set multiple timers. It’s a very new application, so there are still some kinks to be worked out. For instance, you can only set the timer for up to 99 minutes. Some people have washers and dryers that run for longer than that. Otherwise, it’s hugely useful if you fall into that group of people who need to keep track of their laundry. You can download it for free form the link above.

Download Grammar & Spelling Keyboard from the Google Play Store here

Grammar & Spelling Keyboard

There are a lot of keyboard options out there, but few put the focus and energy into grammar and spelling than the next app on our random apps list this week. Called Grammar & Spelling Keyboard, this keyboard focuses on learning how you type and will help correct your spelling and grammar. Unlike many, it actually won’t touch your words until you tell it to as it checks text as a whole as opposed to word by word. So if you like to type quick and correct later, this could be a good keyboard.

Unlike apps like SwiftKey, which can learn your style before you even start using it, Grammar and Spelling Keyboard requires a break in period where it’ll learn your mannerisms and typing style. Other than that, it seemed to work fairly well. If you’re in the market for a new keyboard and want to try something a little different, the download link is above.

Download Social Network OverView from the Google Play Store here

Social Network OverView

Last on our random apps list this week is Social Network OverView. Called SNOView for short, it’s a social media aggregator that populates your feed with pretty much whatever you want. You can customize your feed however you like and have it include things like RSS feeds and social media profile feeds. It works with Twitter, Google+, and Facebook as well. So if you follow a lot of news and want a place where it’ll get put into one gigantic feed, SNOView could be what you’re looking for.

There is a free and a paid version so if you want to try it out first then you have that option. If you’re big into social networking and RSS, this is a fun app to play with and can save time if you’re frequently jumping from one social network to the next. To check it out, the download link is above.

Random Apps Wrap Up

Thanks for tuning in for our Diamonds in the Rough this week and be sure to tune in next week for more random apps goodness. If there is an app you think we should have covered this week or you just want to tell us about a random app you like, feel more than free to leave a comment and tell us about it.