Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous week or so.

This is the app roundup. The game roundup from this week can be found here and the tablet app roundup here.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info. Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Apps

Google Currents

Android Police coverage: Google Introduces 'Currents' - A New Way To Enjoy Your Favorite Sites On The Go

Formerly rumored as Google Propeller, Currents is finally here to take on Flipboard and other competitors. It is very clean and fast, but I did hit a few snags that I'm sure will be fixed when things calm down a bit.

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Google Currents delivers beautiful magazine-like editions to your tablet and smartphone for high speed offline reading. Editions are all free and include:

Publisher editions - Publishers such as Forbes, Techcrunch, Saveur, Popular Science, Good, 500px, Fast Company and more have produced hundreds of editions including in-depth articles, videos, fine photography, slideshows, live-maps, and social streams.

Google trending editions - Google Currents uses Google search technology to hourly build a set of editions tracking the five most recent trending stories in categories such as world, entertainment, sports, science, and more. Each story is presented through a fresh edition of articles, videos, and pictures,

Your favorite blogs and feeds - Instantly, turn your Google Reader subscriptions, or any of your favorite blogs/feeds into a beautiful edition with a magazine feel.

Each edition is available for high speed offline reading, and provides quick-touch sharing. Google Currents self-adapts to differently sized phones and tablets, with your subscriptions synchronized across devices. Google Currents - a reading experience not to be missed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LOcUkm8m9w

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

avast! Mobile Security BETA

Android Police coverage: Avast Launches Mobile Security App With Root Functions, Firewall, Free Theft Aware Integration, And More - A Strong Contender For The Best Overall Security App On Android

Android Police coverage: ITAgents, Creator Of Theft Aware, Bought Out By Avast - Updated Android App Coming Soon

Theft Aware is now part of Avast, and it's free!

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Full-featured Antivirus and Anti-Theft security for your Android phone. Protect personal data with automatic virus scans and infected-URL alerts. Stop hackers by adding a firewall (rooted phones). Control anti-theft features with remote SMS commands for: history wipe, phone lock, siren activation, GPS tracking, audio monitoring, and many other useful tools. Your ‘invisible’ app hides itself, making it extremely hard for thieves to find and disable. A standalone yet tightly integrated component of avast! Mobile Security, avast! Anti-Theft is the slyest component on the market. Formerly known as Theft Aware, the Anti-Theft portion of avast!

Features:

Antivirus

Privacy Report

SMS/Call Filtering

App Manager

Web Shield

Firewall

Anti-Theft (formerly, Theft Aware)

Other features:

App Disguiser - after downloading avast! Anti-Theft, user can choose a custom name that disguises the app (e.g. call it “Pinocchio game”) so that it is even harder for thieves to find and remove.

Stealth Mode - once anti-theft is enabled, the app icon is hidden in the app tray, leaving no audio or other trace on the target phone – the app is ‘invisible’, making it difficult for thieves to detect or remove.

Self-Protection - extremely difficult for thieves to remove (especially on rooted phones), Anti-Theft protects itself from uninstall by disguising its components with various self-preservation techniques. On rooted phones it is able to survive hard-resets and can even disable the phone’s USB port.

Battery Save - Anti-Theft only launches itself and runs when it needs to perform tasks. This preserves battery life and makes it very difficult for thieves to shut it down.

SIM-Card-Change Notification - if stolen and a different (unauthorized) SIM card inserted, the phone can lock, activate siren, and send you notification (to remote device) of the phone’s new number and geo-location.

Trusted SIM Cards List - establish a ‘white list’ of approved SIM cards that can be used in the phone without triggering a theft alert. You can also easily clear the trusted SIM cards list, to leave the one present in the phone as the only trusted one.

Remote Features - SMS commands provide you the following REMOTE options for your ‘lost’ (or stolen) phone:

Siren, Lock, custom Display properties, Locate, Memory Wipe, covert Calling, Forwarding, “Lost” Notification, SMS Sending, History, Restart, and more.

OnLive

Android Police coverage:

Play console-class games on demand with the free OnLive app. OnLive cloud gaming is a revolutionary new concept in video games that instantly delivers the latest top-tier high-performance games on demand through the Internet to your Android tablet or phone with the simplicity of streaming video.

On Demand Gaming

Access Everywhere

Unique Game Platform Experiences

Play with Touch or OnLive Wireless Controller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbt799xIRJk

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

BaconReader for Reddit

Android Police coverage: Reddit Client 'BaconReader' Acquired By OneLouder Apps And Finally Released To The Market

BaconReader is an intuitive, beautiful, feature-packed client for reddit, made specifically for Android users. BaconReader brings full access to reddit content, along with all of the essential features “redditors” have come to expect in a package that’s easy to use even for those who’ve never tried reddit before. With features like subreddit grouping, keyword and domain filtering, and direct picture uploading to compliment its brilliant interface, there’s no question that BaconReader is the best reddit client around.

Amazon Student

Android Police coverage: [New App] Amazon Releases Android App For Students - Compare Prices, Buy, And Trade In Your College Stuff; Six Months Of Free Prime In Tow

College Students, keep Amazon.com in your back pocket. The Amazon Student App allows instant price-checks on textbooks and more. Simply scan a barcode to check a price, or use one-click access to scan items you want to buy or sell back. Amazon’s convenient trade-in program can turn your books, games, movies, and electronics into Amazon Gift Cards. Plus, join Amazon Student to get FREE Two-Day Shipping for six months with Amazon Prime shipping benefits.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

RedditSync

RedditSync is a great new way to enjoy Reddit on the go. Easily sync your favorite subreddits for later offline viewing. RedditSync aims to bring you the fastest mobile Reddit experience out there and after a round of refactoring will be completely opensource (and free!).

exfm music

Exfm for Android is the best way to discover the latest and greatest music on the web and from top Tastemakers. You can share music you are listening to via your favorite social networks and see what your friends are listening to in real-time.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

i.TV

See what’s airing on TV and available on Netflix, schedule your TiVo DVR, and look up show information on IMDb and Wikipedia.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Remote Release by Chainfire

Android Police coverage: Chainfire Releases 'Remote Release' Into The Market, A Free, Light Version Of DSLR Controller

Remote Release allows you to "remote release" your Canon EOS DSLR from your Android device with only a USB cable. Remote releasing is using a remote control to activate the shutter of the camera. This is to prevent shaking the camera, and is often used with bulb shots and/or tripods.

This app is the little (free) brother of DSLR Controller; see http://dslrcontroller.com/ and http://market.android.com/details?id=eu.chainfire.dslrcontroller. Remote Release also has a discussion thread on XDA-Developers.com:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1369684

Nordstrom

Android Police coverage: Nordstrom For Android Makes Shopping High-End Fashion That Much Easier

With the Nordstrom app, the latest looks are always at your fingertips. You can:

• Browse personalized product recommendations, search your favorite brands and make purchases on the go.

• Get product information and read customer reviews.

• Find a store near you and see if the item you want is available there.

• Scan bar codes in Nordstrom stores to check product information and availability.

• Track in-store events and share them with friends.

• Create a Wish List and find the Wish Lists of your friends.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Daily Mail Online

Daily Mail Online - news, gossip, sport, pictures from the No.1 newspaper site. The Mail Online app pre-loads the latest news and showbiz gossip to give you words and pictures instantly, even if you are offline, on a plane, train, Tube or merely without reception.

FedEx Mobile

Android Police coverage: FedEx Releases Mobile App – Create Shipping Labels, Track Shipments, And A Lot More

FedEx® Mobile provides up-to-date shipment tracking information. Simply input your FedEx tracking number and you can quickly retrieve the status of your shipment without the need to log in. You can also personalize your view by nicknaming shipments, adding notes or creating a watch list for monitoring important shipments. Shipments that you’ve sent using FedEx Ship Manager®, added to My FedEx® or tracked with FedEx Desktop may also be viewed and managed with your Android® mobile device. We’ll even let you know if select delivery exceptions have occurred.

Foxit Mobile PDF

Android Police coverage: Foxit Software Throws Its Hat Into The Android App Arena, Releases 'Mobile PDF' To The Market

Foxit® Mobile PDF delivers industry leading capabilities to view and annotate PDF documents on the go. Mobile PDF is based on the same technology as Foxit Reader, the desktop PDF solution for over 100 million users. Now, with the Foxit Mobile PDF, you can work on your PDF documents anytime, anywhere, and with any Android device.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

SoundTracking

SoundTracking is an easy, fun and expressive way to share the soundtrack of your life with your friends and followers. With a few taps of your phone, identify a song instantly and then share the song snippet, a photo and your geo-location all in one special music moment that you can share into Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. You and your friends can follow, like and comment on each other's daily music tastes and even play songs in Rdio or Spotify.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Dolphin Companion

Extend your smartphone’s battery life so you can browse (or chat) as much as you want without having to worry. Only compatible with Dolphin Browser HD v7.2 and higher.

Keep your battery use under control with Dolphin smart alert.

Allow you to see how and when your battery life is running out.

Next Release: Say goodbye to spam sites. Security features coming soon.

AWS Virtual MFA by Amazon

AWS Virtual MFA is an Android application that enables you to use your smartphone as a multi-factor authentication device with AWS Multi-Factor Authentication (AWS MFA). This is an optional feature of your Amazon Web Services (AWS) account that provides increased security when accessing AWS. This feature requires the user to present a valid authentication code provided by their MFA device, in addition to their username and password, before they can sign in.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Personal

Personal (www.personal.com) is a private, personal network and data vault that allows you to organize, search and control access to your digital information and online identity. Called a “life-management platform” by The Economist, Personal puts the power of your data conveniently at your fingertips. Enter or import data once and use it forever. Instantly grant select access to trusted friends, colleagues and companies – and turn off access with a click. Security and privacy are baked into Personal, and our revolutionary legal agreement makes you the true owner of your data. Make your life Personal.

Carrier IQ Detector by Lookout

Determine whether or not your phone contains Carrier IQ mobile diagnostic software. Security researchers have recently determined that a number of consumer mobile devices contain pre-installed software from Carrier IQ. While this software appears to be designed to help mobile network operators improve coverage through metrics tracking, it does not provide a clear opt-out path for users. Additionally, it can be difficult for non-technical users to determine whether or not their handset is affected. We've developed the Carrier IQ Detector to aid in this process in an effort to keep mobile users fully informed about what their phone is doing.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Camera360：Fantasy Creative

The group of Camera360 for Android produce a new Scene Template APK---Fantasy, which mixes Sketch with photos. The conflicts between simple lines of sketch and colors of photos can definitely take you to see the charm of sketch, as well as the super wonderful scene of facts and fantasy.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Photo Effects Plugin for FriendCaster

FriendCaster Photo Effects Plugin by Aviary provides hundreds of filters, effects and enhancements options for your Facebook photos. Along with FriendCaster you can now apply these effects and publish to Facebook in seconds.

KODAK Document Print App

Android Police coverage: KODAK's New Print App Makes Mobile Printing Quick And Easy

The KODAK Document Print App lets you easily send web pages, Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, text files, and most image files from your Android device to any KODAK AIO printer.

HighlightCam Social -- Beta

HighlightCam makes it easier than ever to share your life with friends and family - except you can make it even better than real life, because now you can add special effects and the perfect soundtrack. Instantly share your pictures and videos, create minimovies, or pool footage with your friends and make a minimovie for everyone. And for that extra-special touch, add special effects and music from our library of 40,000 songs or from your own device. (Who doesn’t want their own soundtrack?!)

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

TiWi Weather

Totally Interactive Weather Info brings the most attractive and user-friendly weather presentation to mobile. Get current conditions, 7-day & hour-by-hour forecasts, text forecasts, weather alerts and interactive radar.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

FreeConference Mobile

FreeConference Mobile provides immediate access to everything you'll need to start conferencing, conveniently and easily, including features that give you control of:

-scheduling

-adding participants

-SMS and email invitations

-Quick Connect to conference calls

-managing groups and contact lists

FreeConference Mobile automatically connects to your existing FreeConference account, or you can sign up within the app.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Hub by Yahoo

Android Police coverage: [New App] Yahoo's Hub Creates Group Chats Using Text Messages - With Several Limitations

Hub (beta) is a fast and easy-to-use messaging app that allows you to send text messages and have group conversations for FREE. There are no text messaging fees – messages are sent over WIFI or using your data connection. And it doesn’t matter what phones your friends have, they don’t need the app to reply.

• Local and international SMS messages: Send text messages to other Hub users or any mobile phone for free†

• Group Messaging: Enjoy group conversations with several friends at once

• Privacy: Easily view and add participants to any conversation thread

• Message any phone: Your friends can reply with any SMS enabled mobile phone

• Instant notifications: Get push notifications for incoming messages so you never have to miss a conversation

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

AT&T Toggle

Android Police coverage: AT&T Toggle Hits The Android Market – Keep Business And Pleasure Separate With The Click Of A Button

AT&T Toggle separates and safeguards business data on employees’ mobile devices, creating a distinct work mode apart from the typical personal mode in a single smartphone or tablet.

Personal mode: When not working, send text messages to friends, watch TV shows and movies, and play games on your mobile device as you otherwise would. Personal activities remain segregated.

Work mode: If it’s time to buckle down and focus on business, employees can enter their work environment. In this mode, users can access corporate email, applications, calendars and more, just as they would on a company-provided device.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Live Wallpapers

Sparky Tweets Live Wallpaper

Cute.

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Sparky Tweets Live Wallpaper: tweets on your home screen. You can see your friends tweets on your home screen easily. You can take a peek on what’s happening on your time line without even unlocking your phone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pINLLI2YTnM

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

WTF Apps Of The Week

Dick

Dick, a highly NSFW game showed up and was quickly kicked out of the Market a few weeks back. Since then, we've been waiting for the APK to surface, and the author finally graced us with all its glory a couple of days ago. See [Download] Highly NSFW - "Dick" Returns As A Downloadable APK After Android Market Ban for the NSFW video and download links to possibly the most WTF app of all time.

The SFW (kind of) version of the video is embedded below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luq4aSPiVjw

Techno Kitten Adventure

Teh kitteh (or should I say tech kitteh?) flying around like mad among rainbows, dolphins, and other psychedelic things - what's not to like? Say hello to Jetpack Kitteh, Butterfly Kitteh, and Dream Kitteh.

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Navigate a kitten by jetpack, fueled by hopes and dreams, through a fantastical world of techno music.

Battle Duty: Modern Field 3

In a similar vein, next up we have Battle Duty Modern Field 3. And you can actually play it. In conclusion, "derp."

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Battle Duty: Modern Field 3 is an epic game (parody/satire) featuring recent big hits such as 'Cowadoody' (Call of Duty) and 'Battlederp' (Battlefield) series.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!

If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.

Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.

the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago

it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop

Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: [email protected].

1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.