Android Fan Network’s Weekly App Picks – November 24

Here are Android Fan Network’s Weekly App Picks from the AFN staff for the week of November 24. They may be apps we can’t live without or apps we just discovered. Either way, we think they are worth sharing with you. If there is an app that you think we may enjoy, send us a tip so we can take a look.

Flickr - Gavin


I use my cell phone more as a camera than I actually use it to make calls. I hate carrying around a camera on vacation or short trips, so unless I am going to need a real camera for low light scenes, it does not come with me, less clutter and one less battery to charge. Needless to say that means I end up with lots of photos on my phone. And odds are, if you are reading this article, you have flashed a ROM or two before and know about having to back up all of your files before going down that road. If I have a few GB’s of photos, that gets old. I have auto uploading on for Google+, but I am limited to 15GB before I have to pay extra, and I am cheap so paying extra just is not going to happen.

Flickr to the rescue. Flickr gives all users one terabyte for free. Yes, one terabyte. Package that with the option to only upload while on Wi-Fi, to upload as private, and to upload full resolution and you have a winner!
Get it on Google Play

Desktop Visualizer – Praneeth


Desktop Visualizer ( DVR ) is a free application on Google Play Store that allows you to map an icon or image to any application. It can also make shortcuts or widgets on your home screen on your Android device with the image of your choice or icon of any other application.

Any application or action can be mapped to any image and it can be added to home screen as a widget of any dimension. Say you just want to place a call just by tapping an image of your favorite contact, you can do that by mapping image to direct dialer action, choose a contact and add that widget to any of your home screens.  Other options include backup & restore of widgets, install custom icon packs and add-ons like Direct Phone call, Image Slicer, Image Crop, Size Config tool etc.
Get it on Google Play

Quadropus Rampage – Sean

Quadropus Rampage

Quadropus Rampage is a game from Butterscotch Shenanigans that is absolutely bonkers and downright fun to play. The general jist of the game is that you are a psuedo squid type creature who needs to defeat some angry sea god named Pete. As you plummet deeper into the sea, obviously enemies increase in difficulty, but so do the weapons and power-ups too.

Those of you that have played Borderlands will appreciate the some of the game’s weapons such as Butterscotch Bat of Flatulence or Enlargened Goat of Salami. Yes, they are off the wall and yes, there are even crazier items you come across in the game, but I’ll let you find out on your own.

Quadropus Rampage

Ways of descending further can happen one of two ways. First, you can defeat all enemies in the level and use a portal that opens to safely travel to next depth, or you can just jump right off the edge of the level and skip it entirely to the next one. Doing the latter of the two will hurt you when you hit the next level so be careful.

The game itself is free, but there are in-game purchases that can be made for those that wish. There are two types of currency; in-game Doubloons which are coins that can be used for upgrades and the like. The other way for purchases is good old-fashioned cash.  you can pay to unlock all abilities,(I fell for this), or just play through and build up money on your own.

The game level design is vaguely reminiscent of Q-bert of old (those of us that remember the good old days) and the overall gameplay is quite hilarious and non stop. Quadropus Rampage is extremely addictive and highly recommended to lose yourself in for a little while.

Get it on Google Play

Duolingo – Derek

DuoLingo

I’ve never been one to want to learn a new language, but Duolingo has changed that. Duolingo is straightforward. It doesn’t hide that it’s a learning app, but at the same time, it feels as though you’re playing a game.

Last week, I started out with Italian. Since I’m mostly Italian, I figured it would be a good idea to learn the language of my people. Duolingo starts you off with basic lessons such as learning the words boy, man, and girl, and then it will give you a basic verb and conjugations of it. It then unlocks more and more categories for those looking to become more fluent. If you are already fluent in a language or at least know enough that you aren’t considered a beginner, you are able to unlock the more advanced categories by taking a shortcut. You earn points for the categories and lessons you finish which then levels you up. It can also be a friendly competition by adding friends, but as you can see in my screenshots, I’ve no friends. (*le sigh*)

It all sounds fantastic. Right? There is one limitation though as you can only practice 5 languages at the moment. The incredible news is that it is 100% free! There are no in-app purchases or any ads or trickery. I recommend you try this yourself, and get some friends involved, too!

Get it on Google Play

Pages Manager – Dave

pages manager
This week I was going to try to be witty and clever with my app pick, but had a quick change of heart when I realized how often I use Pages Manager for my Facebook Fan Pages on a daily basis. These days everyone has a Facebook Fan Page,  including us, and trying to get stats on your page posts, seeing comments, likes and also very important, how many views your post has gotten since you’ve posted your news without the Pages Manager app has to be done from a PC.

The Pages Manager app is an easy way to keep your Fan Page up and running while you’re on the go. You can post your daily thoughts or news if it should be for business or pleasure, checking stats on it is an absolute breeze being able to see how many people have seen, like, shared or commented on your post. There’s also a quick one click boost button that can be used to advertise and get that particular post seen by more people. The more you spend on boosting the post the more exposure it will get one way or another (boost is the only part that costs money, the rest of the app is absolutely free).

It’s all around a very useful app that I use multiple times a day. I own a restaurant and help run Android Fan Network and it makes it very convenient to pull my phone out of my pocket, click the app and get all of the information that is absolutely needed to keep the Fan Pages flowing and being seen.

If you’re a business owner with a Facebook Fan Page and are looking for an easy way to keep it up to date and keep track of all the stats, look no further. Pages Manager has got you covered.

Get it on Google Play

Image Credits: Android Fan Network