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Best Android Apps and Games 2019

The importance of mobile apps in our daily life is undeniable. We are so encompassed that now and then we use one or the other app. Among the tons of Android apps available on the Play Store, the following are the exceptional apps Google Play has listed under various categories:

Best Apps of 2019

User’s Choice App of 2019: Spotify

Spotify is a digital music streaming service that gives you access to the content of various artists from all over the world such as millions of songs, podcasts, and videos. Spotify is a premium android app but you can have access to its basic functions which includes playing music which is totally free. It can be played across a range of devices such as computers, phones, tablets, speakers, TVs, and cars. You cannot download music from Spotify in the traditional sense besides you can save it to listen offline.

Best Everyday Essentials of 2019: Boosted: Productivity and Time Tracker

With an easy to use interface Boosted a productivity and time tracker app helps you improve personal and work productivity. This android app comes with multiple features such as time tracking and organizing the activities. You can also view history of your activities in a chronological timeline. Furthermore, you can also back-up and restore your data to Google Drive.

Best Personal Growth App of 2019: Meesho

Meesho is a social commerce platform which enables small businesses and individuals to start their online stores through social channels namely WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram etc. It is used by women entrepreneurs, housewives, college students, as well as shop and boutique owners, and anyone looking for a part-time job or home-based jobs.

Best Hidden Gems of 2019: Appy Weather

Appy Weather is an impressive weather app, in particular, the personal touch the developers have provided. You can avail the information in brief or detail as the app provides information in both ways. The app recognizes your current location to avoid manually switching locations as you travel. There’s a feature named Toast Notification which alerts you when it is expected to rain or snow.

Best Apps for Fun of 2019: Ablo

Ablo is a social media chat app that lets you connect with the world and relate with new people across all parts of the world at any time and in any language. With Ablo’s built-in translator there is no language barrier. You just need to type in your language and send. The receiver on the other end will receive a translated message. Overall, the app is engaging, addictive and a great pastime.

Best Games of 2019

User’s Choice Game 2019: Call of Duty Mobile

The game is a rival to the most popular mobile game PUBG Mobile. Both games are published by the same Tencent Games. It is the part of popular Call of Duty franchise from the world of PC and Console gaming which is free to play on mobile. This android game comes with five online multiplayer modes such as Free-For-All, Frontline, Team Deathmatch, Hardpoint, and Domination along with newly introduced Zombie Survival mode.

Best Competitive Game of 2019: Brawl Stars

Brawl Stars is a fast-paced multiplayer battle game developed by the makers of Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Boom Beach. It comes in multiple game modes such as Gem Grab, Showdown, Heist, Bounty, Brawl Bawl including limited-time special events. But you cannot select a particular game mode to play as they are randomly selected.

Best Indie Game of 2019: #Drive

DRIVE is an endless driving videogame inspired by road and action movies from the 70s and 80s. As simple as possible, allowing the player to pick a car, pick the place and just hit the road. Just be aware not to hit anything else. No matter where we drive, no matter what we drive or how fast we drive. We simply chose to drive.

Best Casual Game of 2019: 1945

1945 is a long-run shooting game which is a remake of classic arcade experience which includes 16 types of famous WWII combat planes. The game controls are easy to learn and use which gives you the old feeling of playing an arcade game. It comes with great visuals, additional modes, and exciting campaigns.

Best Innovative Game of 2019: Alt-Frequencies

The makers of “A Normal Lost Phone” and “Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story” has launched a new audio mystery game Alt-Frequencies. The players sail through the radio frequencies trying to uncover government conspiracy acting as a media manipulator. It’s an interesting android game put together with a clean look and convincing set of radio stations.

Angular vs Flutter: Which is better?

To start with we should consider and think why we are comparing Angular and Flutter! When there are other technologies that we could compare. The answer is both the frameworks are developed by Google.

Angular is a hybrid framework which is good to build a web application as well as a mobile application but it gets complex when it comes to creating specific framework application for mobile.

If Angular is used to make a mobile application for android, then to build the same application for iOS, it should be rebuild from start.

To overcome this problem Google came with another framework called “Flutter” which is a single code-based language. Flutter is a framework and SDK that allows you to build native mobile apps for iOS and Android with one language.

Angular uses the typescript language and HTML structure to control and to build new web application whereas Flutter simply uses DART programming language which is similar to Java in syntax along with HTML5 CSS3 and JavaScript, these are the modern frontend UI specific development method of web pages.

Compare to Angular, Flutter is faster in performance however when it comes to usability Angular is more stable as Flutter has been in the development stage, that also means that there will still be some bugs, missing features that need to be added in the framework.

If we look into Architecture and Functionality point of view

Components of Angular

Angular creates Applications using components like:

Data binding,
Type Components,
Service Components,
Provider Components,
Filter Components,
Dependency Injection

Which works as Building blocks of User Interface.

Components of Flutter

There are four components that create the “SDK” platform and make Flutter Architecture vastly usable:

Flutter Engine
Dart Platform
Foundation Library
OS Design Specific Widgets

Though angular is a renowned open-source Framework and highly used as of now. But in the coming year, as Flutter gets it upgrading we may see this framework for developing cross-platform apps.

Uber Cargo Store App: A new way to shop while riding

People generally ride longer distances such as to and from the airport or sometimes the ride gets prolonged due to city traffic. To make this time more productive (from a business point of view) and entertaining for the ride-sharing passengers Uber has launched Cargo Store App a shopping app in collaboration with Cargo. Uber and Cargo first partnered on 19^th July 2018 expanding their operations to San Francisco and Los Angeles. The aim was to sell goods to their passengers such as snacks, chocolates, gums, chargers, beverages, and other beauty products from the car console.

Cargo app was first launched in June 2017. Since its launch, it has partnered with a bunch of big industry players such as Grab & Go, Coca Cola, and SeatGeek.

How do Cargo Store App works?

Riders can download the app from the App Store or Google Play Store. After downloading the app riders need to slide into Uber and scan the QR code on Cargo Box. Now the rider can start shopping from the app. Once the purchase is complete Cargo will start shipping the items directly to the rider’s home without any delivery charges within two to five business days.

Riders can also enjoy the in-ride entertainment such as watching movies on Movies Anywhere App from Universal Studios which the riders can purchase between $5 and $10 each or in a bunch for $15 and $20.

Products:

From the app, riders can shop Electronic products as wells as Cosmetic products such as:

Apple AirPods
Apple Watch Series 4
Away: The Carry-On
Amazon Echo
Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones
Christian Louboutin Nail Colour
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
Echo Dot – Charcoal
Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6
Glossier the Makeup Set
Mophie Charger
Nintendo Switch
Oculus Go
Quip Electric Toothbrush Set
Ray-Ban Wayfarer Classic
Tabletop Foosball
Voluspa Crisp Champagne Candle
Wander Beauty Gold Eye Masks

The only hurdle while using this app is you can only use it when riding Uber. You have to be in the car with a driver who has installed a Cargo console and then you can download the Cargo app to shop. According to Cargo CEO Jeff Cripe, about 30,000 Uber drivers in 10 U.S. cities have downloaded the cargo consoles.

Benefits of Cargo Store app for Rider and Driver:

Making a purchase will benefit riders to get 10% value back in the form of Uber Cash which they can utilize on future rides or while shopping on Cargo app during Uber rides.

Whenever the rider purchases from the Cargo Box in-car driver will earn 25% of the total purchase. If the purchase is made for the first time through a new app then the driver will earn extra $1 for each first purchase. Even though shopping costs money it is still a win-win situation for both Riders and Drivers.

According to a survey, millennials in 2019 make 60% of their purchase online. Undoubtedly online shopping is gaining an edge over traditional shopping. This new partnership might help Uber to step into the e-commerce business.

Nintendo brings Dr. Mario World for iOS and Android

In the month of June, Nintendo announced that it is going to launch its latest smartphone game Dr. Mario World on 10^th July. But Nintendo launched the title a day earlier to the launch date. Dr. Mario World a game series originally debuted on NES and Game Boy in the 90s is now available on both Android an iOS. Even after 30 years of its launch, it feels the same with some new twists in the game. The only difference you will feel while playing is game controls. On previous games, controllers were used to moving the capsules whereas now it has become easier with touch screen controls.

Game Developers:

Dr. Mario World is developed by Nintendo EPD a division of Nintendo in collaboration with Japanese company LINE and South Korean company NHN Entertainment.

About the Game:

Dr. Mario World is basically a single-player free-to-play puzzle game where you control your character with swipes and taps on your smartphone screen. You have to play this game within a time limit terminating the viruses with the help of a limited number of color-coded capsules. To eliminate the viruses you have to match the appropriate capsules with the right colored viruses. The objective of the game is to completely remove the viruses from the board before running out of time and capsules.

It is a vast game with multiple locations to explore and characters to meet. The game consists of various Dr. Mario characters such as –

Dr. Bowser

Dr. Toad

Dr. Peach

Dr. Bowser Jr.

Dr. Luigi

Dr. Toadette

Dr. Yoshi

Dr. Ludwig

Dr. Wendy

Along with Dr. Mario characters, there are even more assistants such as Goomba, Green Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant, Spiny Cheep, Hammer Bro, Paragoomba, and others. All these characters come with different skills that can make the virus busting easier.

Dr. Mario World has a multiplayer option wherein you can play against each other or together. You can watch the progress of your friends and family and also you can give them power-ups within certain intervals to help them out. Play the various mini-games that pop up at times to access new characters and earn new skills. There are optional in-game purchases during the gameplay which could cost you $1.99 to $69.99 per item.

Device Compatibility:

To play Dr. Mario World on Android devices, the device should be running on Android 4.4 KitKat or later versions of Android. For iOS users, the device should run on iOS11 or later versions. As of now, the game supports English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Korean, and Chinese.

Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall a role-playing game for iOS and Android

One of the most famous and most loved fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones broadcasted its last season in May 2019. There is also news about a prequel in making to Game of Thrones. Transformation of such a famed product into a game is an added advantage for the fans. Acting on that, on 27^th June 2019 Behaviour Interactive, HBO, and GAEA announced Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall.

Game Developers:

Behaviour Interactive, is one of the biggest independent video game developers. Creative director Justin Jones the man behind Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes has created Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall with Behaviour Interactive. GAEA a game development company from China and Behaviour Interactive worked together for about two years to develop this game.

About the game:

Game is set a few decades before the timeline of the show, just after Lord Commander Brynden Rivers disappears while ranging beyond the wall. In this game, players will deal with the events in Westeros.

Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall is a role-playing game. Players playing as Lord Commander need to assemble and lead the heroes into battles against the wildlings, giants, and other dangers of the North. Players can recruit the characters from across the seven kingdoms and command a castle of the Night’s Watch in an attempt to protect Westeros. They also have to manage the characters as they have different strengths, abilities, and traits that make them unique.

After the disappearance of Lord Commander Brynden Rivers (a.k.a Bloodraven and eventually as the Three-Eyed Raven) from Night’s Watch, players follow his footsteps beyond the wall into the dark mysteries through the eyes of first ranger Alvar Spyre and his right-hand man Dramon Blackwood.

Players can use the mysterious powers of the Weirwood Trees to visit key moments from the history of iconic characters Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Jaime Lannister, Melisandre, and Tormund Giantsbane. With the help of this feature, players can collect different costumed versions of these characters across various game events and further use the characters in other gameplay modes including combat.

With detailed hero interface, players can customize their units by using different traits, equipment’s, and skills. An important Meta layer also exists in the game where players send their ravens to fetch items, tactics, and abilities to strengthen their roster.

Pre-registration rewards:

Players can start registration for the game on its official website and it is also available on Google Play Store and App Store. Pre-registrations for Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall from the official website will receive bonus characters and items along with the game updates, interviews and more.

More players pre-register the greater will be the rewards.

For 250K registrations 10,000 copper pennies.
For 500K registrations 10 Shards of Jon Snow, The Old Bear’s Steward.
For 750K registrations a Knight of Vale.
For 1M registrations 10 Shards of Daenerys Targaryen, Breaker of Chains.

The developers did not give any official date for the launch of the game but will release sometime in 2019. The game will be available in China as well as other territories.

Google Maps new feature help you discover popular dishes in a restaurant

Google Maps help you discover popular dishes

Trying out a new restaurant is a bit confusing as you don’t know what they serve the best. To make things easy, Google has rolled out an update to Google Maps on Android which will highlight the restaurant’s most popular dishes.

This feature uses a machine learning algorithm to display dish suggestions. The dish suggestions are based on the reviews and photos shared by the diners. The dishes which are more talked about and reviewed by the diners are displayed as the most popular dishes of the restaurant. In order to do so, it matches the dish with the photos uploaded by the customers. It will help businesses with good reviews to grow more, but the restaurants with few or no reviews will get no benefit from this feature.

Once you tap on to the Restaurants icon in the Explore tab, Google will give you suggestions of the restaurants nearby you. You can select the restaurants from the suggestions and the dish suggestions will appear in the Overview tab. Tap on a dish you like and you can also see the reviews given by the other diners. Along with the Overview tab, a Menu tab and a Photo tab has been provided. Menu tab displays the dishes with popularity in addition to other dishes served by the restaurant. Photos tab lets you see the photos of various dishes uploaded by the customers.

Recent additions to Google Maps:

Last year, Google rolled out a “For You tab” in Google Maps for more personalised suggestions such as to recommend places which user would like to visit, dine, shop, and more. In addition to this, Google Assistant was also brought to Google Maps this year in January. This helped drivers to get around, find local business listings, and send messages both from Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

Things Google Maps can do for you:

Transportation direction
Creating a map
Measuring the distance and ETA
Mixing maps information
Finding your location
Setting routes
Getting traffic information
Verbal instructions
Location sharing
Location editing

From being just a navigational app to becoming a more robust app for businesses, Google Maps has evolved a lot with such minor but useful additions. People around the world who want to help others in using Google Maps have contributed in making this feature possible by clicking the photos of the dishes from the restaurants they have visited and shared them on google maps.

Google has rolled out this feature on google maps for Android devices worldwide and for iOS users, it will be made available in coming months.

Kotlin: The future of Android App development

Every now and then we can see major or minor technological updates. Tech giants hold developer conferences (Google I/O or Microsoft Build) to share the updates and announce upcoming products. In this process, Google has introduced a new programming language for Android app development named as Kotlin. JetBrains is behind the development of Kotlin and is currently working to bring Kotlin to iOS and embedded systems as well making it a one-stop language for all application areas.

Kotlin is a statically typed programming language based on Java Virtual Machine which is compatible with Android and is concise, expressive, and designed to be type- and null-safe. Kotlin works smoothly with the Java language, therefore, making it easy for the developers to use Java language and incrementally adding Kotlin code. Above all, it makes development faster, easier and more fun.

Advantages of Kotlin:

Concise:

In many cases, Kotlin is way more concise than Java such as solving the problems with fewer lines of code. This improves readability and code maintainability which helps developers to write, read and change the code more effectively. Type inference, smart casts, data classes, and properties help Kotlin to achieve conciseness.

Safer Code:

Kotlin code prevents common programming mistakes by design which results in lesser system failures and application crashes. Whereas, these common errors occur while using Java. With Kotlin, developers can think about potential problems with their code in a detailed manner, in other words, it will help them to write stronger codes.

Better support for functional programming:

Functional programming was introduced in Java 8, but Kotlin has better support for it. It is a development model that allows developers to solve tasks more easily and consistently. Performance can be improved with the help of lining which is not possible in Java.

Lesser error and bugs:

Whenever possible Kotlin compiler aims to fail fast which greatly facilitates searching for bugs and can prevent them in the first place. Therefore, it performs many checks, avoiding runtime errors and reducing the cost and effort of fixing errors.

Code base shrink:

Technical debt is a deadweight carried by the developers because of the shortcuts made in programming, often to reach a deadline. It slows down future development resulting in reduced productivity. With Kotlin, code base shrinks while increasing the quality at the same time and if implemented correctly it can also reduce lines of code by 20-30%.

Faster development tasks:

With the number of handy features, Kotlin facilitates everyday development tasks something that Java does not offer. Default parameter values, object declarations, extension functions are some of the features which speed up Android app development time while keeping the code base more maintainable.

In addition to Java, Kotlin is the most strongly supported Java Virtual Machine language in the Android ecosystem. Kotlin is interoperable with Java as both generate the same bytecode, therefore, you can start using Kotlin in your existing project with all your old Java code.

Once you understand the syntax, Kotlin is way more readable and short as compared to Java. In conclusion, Kotlin makes a developer’s life easier than any other language.