It's been a busy week here at Android Central — between travel and all of the news coming out of IFA in Berlin, we've had our hands full. But that doesn't mean we can't still bring you our great Apps of the Week column, where we show off apps that the Android Central writers are using, this Saturday.
This week we're looking at apps that will help get your ready for the NFL season, pick a new watch face for your Pebble and keep you entertained no matter what the situation. Stick around after the break and see how we did this week.
Sean Brunett - Buffalo Bills Mobile
This is opening weekend for the NFL season and we featured some essential apps for your Android device already. However, I didn’t want to feature individual team apps because there are too many; but I do want to promote my own team’s this week: Buffalo Bills Mobile. It is often difficult being a Bills fan. Since the glory days of the early 1990s, we haven’t done much as a team. Being a Bills fan sticks with you though, no matter the state of the team, so if you’re like me, you’re going to want to check out the official app. Opening the app will bring up a home screen that features the upcoming matchup and an aggregation of the latest media. This includes articles, sound bites and video clips. You can tap on the arrow in the lower right for more options such as statistics, roster, schedule, fantasy and a link to the bills store. It’s a crucial app to have for the 2013 season. We face the daunting Patriots this week, so let’s go buffalo!
Download: Buffalo Bills Mobile (Free)
Casey Rendon - YouTube Floating HD Player
Not all phones come with multi-window capabilities like Samsung's Galaxy series, but that doesn't mean everyone else can't enjoy that same idea. YouTube Floating HD Player allows the playback of YouTube videos the same way Google's YouTube app does, except it can also shrink a video and turn it into a floating window that can be placed on top of other apps. The floating window is resizable, and can even me minimized to the background without interrupting playback (useful for those songs that just have still pictures as their videos). I've found it especially handy on my Nexus 7, where I can place a music video on top of a lyrics webpage and still have plenty of screen real estate to play around with. The app is free on the Play Store in its ad supported form, and is also available without ads for $3.99.
Download: YouTube Floating HD Player (Free) / Paid ($3.99)
Jerry Hildenbrand - Canvas for Pebble
I've been tinkering with the Pebble for about a week, and I'm realizing that playing with watch faces and customizing things is just as fun (or frustrating) as it is on your Android home screens. I built a watch face with the SDK, then some readers turned me on to various online generators that deliver an end-product just as nice with less fiddling around. Then I found Canvas for Pebble in Google play.
It lets me sit and tweak what I see on my Pebble, right from my Android device. You can add all sorts of information, like the time (it is a watch, right?), the date, the weather, images and even a "now playing" line via a plug-in. I'm having a blast, and the app is 100% free. If you have a Pebble, and are at least a little bit creative, you need to check this one out.
Download: Canvas for Pebble (Free)
Simon Sage - Breach & Clear
Breach & Clear has found its way from iOS this week. It's a turn-based tactical combat game with a ton of great graphics and legit background. Players recruit and equip a team of their picking (ranging from Navy SEALs to SAS), equip them with a wide range of real-world weaponry and equipment, and play through five international locations with a bunch of missions in each. There are bomb defusal and terrorist hunt modes available right now, with an extraction type on the way soon. I'm really digging the amount of detail involved in gameplay here; facing is important, initial entry placement is important, and if you move just one square too far, it can mean a failed mission. Gamers that are into military sims will definitely want to try this one out.
Download: Breach & Clear ($1.99)
Chris Parsons - Iron Man 3
Although it was released quite a while ago now, I've finally sat down and spent some time with the Android version of Gameloft's Iron Man 3 official game and I have to say, if you've not given it a go as of yet, you really should. It's marked as a endless 3D runner but it's a bit more fun than it sounds because well, you get to fly.. as Iron Man! The game itself doesn't really play along with the movie so it's a bit different. In the end you get to play through 3 different locations, take on 4 different villains and over 18 different Iron Man suits can be obtained. Overall, it's a pretty sweet game to play through - keep in mind, you'll need around 1GB of free space for this one and there is a few nags for in-app purchases but not enough to drive you insane or make the game impossible.
Download: Iron Man 3 (Free)
Andrew Martonik - Digg Reader
Since Google Reader's shutdown I've been primarily using Feedly as my news reading service, with Press as my app of choice on my phones and tablets. If for some reason Feedly doesn't fit the bill for your needs, you may want to give Digg Reader a look as a suitable alternative. It has both a clean web interface and a very functional first-party app offering, which can't necessarily be said about Feedly.
The app offers one-touch sign-in with Google, Facebook or Twitter as a back-end syncing account, and keeps everything tied together between your devices and the web. I'm not 100 percent sure if I can keep Digg Reader around as a backup to Feedly just yet, but I'm giving it a shot.
Download: Digg Reader (Free)
Happen to miss previous editions of our weekly app picks? You can check them out right here. Our continuing weekly app coverage can also be seen right here as well.
Amazon reportedly tried to force Ecobee into sharing user data
As per a report from The Wall Street Journal, Amazon pressured Ecobee into collecting private user data. However, the Canadian smart thermostat maker refused to comply with the demand as it would violate its customers' privacy.
IFA 2021 follows MWC with a 'full-scale' in-person event for September
The IFA 2021 tech trade show organizers have announced that the event will be back in "full-scale" this year despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Google Pay is giving American Express cards the boot for no apparent reason
Google Pay users have been reporting that their American Express cards have been unexpectedly removed from their accounts.
The Xperia 1 II is our favorite phone for shooting video
If video recording is your thing, then look no further than the Sony Xperia 1 II — it offers a large screen, three great cameras, and extremely robust manual video controls.