Tap Tap Revenge 4 Review

Some iOS to Android ports are playable, some aren’t and then there is Tap Tap Revenge 4, the Android port edition. We find what bothers us, what we like and what needs changed before anyone spends there hard earned cash on any song packs.

Title: Tap Tap Revenge 4 | Developer: Tapulous | Genre: Arcade | Players: 1 | Version: 4.1.3 |Size: 11MB | Price: Free (More songs cost extra)

Tap Tap Revenge is a lot like DDR for your fingers. You tap colors, stars and other animations to music that’s popular now, and that you’ve heard a quarter million times on the radio. As long as you play well, you’ll earn an exponential multiplier. Instead of adding to all the colors as you advance, the multiplier functions for a certain amount of time before ending.

As you progress, gain experience and waste hours playing, you will be rewarded with more songs or coins, which can be used to redeem songs or other things for customizing your avatar. The song collection is disappointing and the free songs are even worse most of the time.

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We mentioned this, and we’ll say it again:  this is a port of an iOS game, and it smells like it in more ways than it should. While you can use the back button within the interface, this is only true sometimes, however, when this isn’t true (and even when it is), there exists a home icon that takes you back, duplicating functionality while not following Android design principles. Many developers have ported their games to Android successfully all the while retaining the quality of the game and using Android design features. This isn't true here at all.

Like many iOS ports Tap Tap Revenge 4 runs a 5.9-6.7MB service on the phone at start up, that serves as far as we can tell – no purpose. This was more commonly seen before Android had the power behind it that it goes so quickly. It uses this RAM/CPU time to get your location and advertise to you. There is no paid version of Tap Tap Revenge 4 available on the Market without the ads plastered on the menus.

To further demonstrate how poorly this game was ported, some song pack purchases open the browser, connecting to the iOS app store website where you proceed to not buying the song pack. We’re not sure if this is something that’s being worked on, or if the iOS links are there simply as placeholders because not enough content exists for the Android version of the game. However, this is pure speculation. As a result, it appears in-app purchases are not fully functional within this game, combined with a lack of developer support. There have been few to no updates for Tap Tap Revenge 4.

We know we sound like we’re ranking on this game, but it’s because it is truly that bad. Menus are impossible to use, gameplay feels standard at this point from playing DDR, and graphics are under-done, even for what looks like a guitar-hero clone. Don't download this for free, unless you like 30 second trials of songs and bad free music.

Dragon Fly Android Game review

Are you bored with playing all the android games then, try this Dragon Fly! If you are familiar with Tiny Wings one of the massive hits on iPhone/iOS then you know how addictive it is. Dragon, Fly! for Android features same game-play style where you Slide and fly over the beautiful hills. The amazing graphics will definitely amaze you every time while you playing, it will kill your time and make you addict so be aware this game. The one touch controlDragon, Fly! Android Game start as a newly hatched dragon pup you are still too young to fly. That however is not going to stop you from embarking on your very first adventure. The realms are full of curvaceous hills. Slide along them and time your touches with precision to build momentum and take off into the sky. Be quick though! Dragon mum is anxious about your whereabouts and has headed out to end your journey and bring you back to the nest. With beautiful graphics Dragon, Fly! is super smooth on Android, thanks to advanced 2D physics engine delivering 60 frames per second even on medium level devices. Before you knowtime will pass so quick. Fly! Fly! Over the Hills and over the Sky!   Dragon, Fly! game for Android was developed by Four Pixels  Package name: com.lsgvgames.slideandfly.apk File size: 2.8MB

Gameloft launches subscription service, HD Android games for 99p only

We’re quite fond of French developer Gameloft. They’ve ripped off – or paid homage to, if you prefer – various home console classics to great effect, yielding the likes of Halo-esque N.O.V.A. and Asphalt 6: Adrenaline Rush.

As detailed on their UK blog, Gameloft is launching a subscription service thingy for Android users, meaning you can score an HD game every week for 99p. Gameloft’s HD efforts usually cost £2.99, so that’s a meaty saving of 66%.

And it gets better, Gameloft fans. You get a free game of your choice when you sign up, so that’s effectively two HD Gameloft games for 99p.

Still want more? If you sign up before midnight on August 29 you’ll be entered into a draw to win an LG Optimus 3D. The winner will be announced in one month, and you must still be subscribed at that point to be in with a chance.

Interested? Simply go to gameloft.co.uk on your Android phone and click “Club Buy 99p”.

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 for IFA 2011

The team at Samsung blew the top off of the Android world back in November of 2010 when the released the first real Android tablet effort across the world – what the tech world’s next big convention IFA 2011 may hold is the next generation of this very model with an added 0.7-inches and a Super AMOLED display. As we know from leaked details contained in Samsung’s own official “Unpacked” app for IFA in Berlin, they certainly will be releasing what’s called the Galaxy Tab 7.7. Aside a “Galaxy Note” device that’ll likely have something to do with a stylus for mobile devices and the “Wave 3,” a Bada device with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display,, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 would be the second reported upgrade to a device already out on the market with slightly lesser specifications.

What we can expect from the Galaxy Tab 7.7 was revealed earlier this month on August 11th where we got our hands on a leaked roadmap of Samsung devices which also let us in on possible specs for the first Ice Cream Sandwich device, the Nexus Prime (though we don’t call it that in the roadmap article, learn about how it was confirmed twice just yesterday on our sister site Android Community.) What this leaked roadmap tells us is that the tablet will be the next Android tablet in line to run Google’s official tablet-ready mobile OS Android 3.x Honeycomb.

In addition, this same roadmap lets us in on the idea that this tablet will come in two versions: P6200 and P6210 (or P6100), the latter being a Wi-Fi only device while the former will be an HSPA+ device (we’re hoping for the 4G LTE version sooner than later, if you know what I mean.) Next we believe this tablet will have a 3 megapixel camera on the back, a 2 megapixel camera on the front, and will have a rather impressive display to tote along.

Possible Galaxy Tab 7.7 Refresh for IFA 2011 via DroidLife

Note that the photos above (at least one of them) have the Android menu row of soft keys, this indicating that the device will not be running Android 3.x Honeycomb.

Now here’s where it gets a bit more interesting: this device is said to have a 1024 x 600 pixel display – that’s all well and good on it’s own – but what we MAY be looking at here is a massively impressive (compared to current tablet-sized displays) Super AMOLED screen. Though back on the 12th of Augustthe folks at Samsung insisted that the roadmap and some other details of future devices seen on several blogs were not accurate, we’ve got to keep considering what was noted:

Some media have been reporting that Samsung is preparing to launch nine new smartphones and two new tablet devices. While Samsung is continuously working on new devices for our customers, the details being cited are not accurate in this case.

We appreciate the interest in our upcoming mobile devices and will share more information once its available.

Prototype 7-inch Super AMOLED Samsung Mobile Display at FPD 2010

Beyond (or perhaps in spite of) Samsung’s words here, details on a 7-inch Super AMOLED display have been popping up since November of 2010. Inside that month we got to see a lovely glance at an early vision of a 7-inch Super AMOLED Galaxy Tab-style display. On the other hand, on May 2nd, 2011, we were again told by Samsung that there’d be no Super AMOLED tablets inside 2011. We shall see!

Note that we will of course be up and ready at the Samsung event (and many other events) during IFA 2011 in Berlin next week. Stick with us for coverage galore!

UPDATE: also note that Samsung’s official IFA 2011 website is now up and running – at the moment with just a placeholder image, fully functional soon I’m sure.

[via OLED-Displays]

6 Android Apps to Manage Fantasy Football

Use Your League Site’s App

If you use NFL.com or Yahoo’s Fantasy Football site to manage your league, then you should definitely get that site’s app.

NFL.com produced an Android app that you can use to join a league already set up or start your own. Once you set up or join the league use it to rank your players for the draft and then change your lineup each week. As the teams play Sunday, keep track of your player stats in real-time.

If you use Yahoo Fantasy Football, then get their app. It handles all that the NFL.com app does. ESPN has a league as well. All three of them are free to download from the Android Market. Lesser known online leagues might also have an app so search for your site’s name in the Android Market.

Apps for Finding Great Players

Once you snag your site’s app, then get one of these apps or all of them for keeping track of which players to play, who to pick up as a free agent or who to drop from your team.

Aside from having a terrible app icon (see right) My Fantasy Football Guru helps you learn about player news as it happens with live, in-game alerts sent to your Android phone. If you play in a league that allows in-game player changes, this can really help.

Aside from that, it alerts you to injury news and gives general advice for putting the best team together to play so well in your league that you will start “Battles between friends, in-laws, roommates, co-workers, co-coaches, and strangers” (taken from their app description).

NFL Fantasy Cheat Sheet gives you information about various players and recommends the best picks for your fantasy league. Some leagues ask you to pick an individual defensive player and this app provides info on defensive players, something not all apps do.

The app projects which players will be the best at the end of the year, which helps you decide between players to possibly pick up in your draft or free agency during the season. The app will cost you $2.99, but it is highly rated on the Android Market and on the iOS App Store.

Watching Games on the Go Via NFL Sunday Ticket To Go

Of course you will be watching your players and the best way to watch a lot of NFL games on Sunday comes from DirecTV. You will have to pay through the nose for the privilege since it costs nearly $400, but having all those games available makes Sunday awesome for the hard-core football fan. The Red Zone channel shows no commercials and cuts live to games when one team is in scoring position or shows highlights of turnovers right after they happen.

Too bad you find yourself away from the TV on some Sundays. NFL Sunday Ticket To Go takes care of this problem by providing mobile apps that stream the games. You used to need an iOS device to enjoy it, but this year DirecTV added Android support. The app gives live game scoring and streams the games to your Android phone or tablet so long as you are not also watching a game at home.