Best new Android apps for the week

posted by Daniel P. / Jun 11, 2012, 7:59 AM

These are lazy summer days, so developers are not really cracking at it on the Google Play Store, but there were some noteworthy additions for your Android handsets last week (June 4-10) nonetheless.

We’ve singled out a few of them with a short summary of the concepts behind the app - there is a murky but useful new YouTube downloader, Instapaper came for Android and a number of cool games like Tiny Robots made the cut, not to forget the powerful Android automation app on {X} which came from Microsoft, of all places.

Check out the slideshow below for some download ideas, and let us know if you came across anything interesting that wasn’t listed here, plus your experience with any of those so far.

Best new Android apps for the week ending June 10

YouTube Downloader Pro (free)

Instapaper

Tiny Robots (free)

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Fan of Adult Swim craziness? Then you'll love Monsters Ate My Condo with its raunchy humor in the same style.

A weird puzzle game that finishes all too soon.

Monsters Ate My Condo ($0.99)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pikpok.mamc

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YouTube Downloader Pro is probably the best app you'll find to quickly get vids off Google's YouTube servers.

Since Google's policies don't allow direct video downloads, don't expect the app to be clean as a whistle. It does want your account details in the beginning, which you should skip, and installs a few adware shortcuts, which you should get rid of. It also promises perks for positive reviews, like any borderline murky app does, but as for YouTube downloads - they are smooth sailing, and appear in your Gallery.

The app gives you all the available quality options for download, up to HD videos, gets them in popular format like MP4, and can also download just the sound as MP3.

YouTube Downloader Pro (free)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=download.youtube.downloader.pro7

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Instapaper needs no introduction as one of the good ways to save stuff you find on the web and read later without distractions like flashy ads and pics. It needs full screen mode and pagination in the next versions, but is pretty useful as is nonetheless.

Instapaper

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instapaper.android

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If you spent your school days glued to the space shooting arcade games of yesteryear, Tiny Robots will float your boat and then some. Very addictive till the end, it doesn't get any better than shooting alien robots for free to save civilization.

Tiny Robots (free)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.RunnerGames.game.TinyRobots_New&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5SdW5uZXJHYW1lcy5nYW1lLlRpbnlSb2JvdHNfTmV3Il0.

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Not for nothing, but Microsoft releasing an Android automation app? Just these words together in a sentence should make you take on {X} for a spin, and try to automate your daily Android routine with the help of one software giant from Redmond.

We fancy the concept for creating Android macros Excel-style, but don't like the fact that we have to log in with a Facebook account - more login options are promised for later, though.

on {X} (free)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.onx.app&feature=search_result

Monster Shooter: The Lost Levels ($0.99)

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"More levels, more enemies, more weapons" - that's the promise in the new ad-free version of what is probably the best mobile dual stick shooter.

With over a hundred missions on three different planets with 12 upgradeable weapons, hours of fun are guaranteed.

Monster Shooter: The Lost Levels ($0.99)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gamelion.mstll

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Evernote is well on its way to completely encompass your daily life, and its Food add-on now lets you record every step of a recipe for sharing online or with friends, snap memories of good restaurant chow and share your experience, as well as track your meals and calories if you are dieting towards your next fitness goal.

Evernote Food (free)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evernote.food

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The long-anticipated 3.0 update to one of the most popular widgets collection for Android - HD Widgets - has finally arrived in an Android ICS-native form, and brings with it plenty of new stuff to prettify your handset with. The update is free for current owners and includes a number of new clocks, themes and enhancements.

HD Widgets 3.0 Beta ($1.99)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cloudtv.hdwidgets

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If wacky racing titles are your thing, Paper Racer HD is defnitely for you. You can actually draw the car to race with and insert it into the game with a photo, then set it on a collision course race with other weird vehicles.

All while maneuvering amongst crashable small objects on what seems to be a giant notepad splashed with paint and doodles. Score.

Paper Racer HD (free)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blackcoalstudio.paperracer

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The latest in the Sony line of Android apps lets you create beautiful albums out of your years worth of photos, your real-time snaps, or galleries you have on Facebook and other online services.

Besides pretty frames, it has other handsome functions, for example creating a label with your kid's name and attaching it to each pic with them, for a nice little album regardless of the image source.

million moments (free)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sonydna.millionmoments

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Taking a page out of the Fish Live app book, Aqua Story plays into the new fad of water-y games (think Swampy), but it has actually been a favorite in Korea for a long time, with over 2 million active users. This explains its cartoon graphics style, which your kids are bound to love.

Now Aqua Story makes a debut on the world stage, and invites you to raise fish under various conditions, watch them evolve and share your achievements with the game's network, to the extent that your friends can come and clean your aquarium while away.

Aqua Story (free)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sundaytoz.mobile.aquastory.google.service

adidas - UEFA Euro 2012 Live Wallpaper (free)

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There is no shortage of apps that can follow the Euro 2012 soccer tournament and give you live updates on the results, including major players like ESPN, but this live wallpaper by Adidas is just for fun.

You can set your home country's flag in the middle, and enjoy directing the ball on the homescreens by tilting the phone in various directions. It's a hefty download and drains battery more than it should, of course.

adidas - UEFA Euro 2012 Live Wallpaper (free)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cellfish.adidas

Best new Android apps for the week ending June 10

Fan of Adult Swim craziness? Then you'll love Monsters Ate My Condo with its raunchy humor in the same style.

A weird puzzle game that finishes all too soon.