Android-Hen

It's pretty common for Android apps to playfully emulate hot new features from the iOS platform, but rarely have the done so as completely as Control Panel. This app apes the iOS 7 Control Panel feature, a swipe up settings toggle and shortcut screen. It even lacks substantial configuration options, thus completing the iOS illusion.

  

You access Control Center with a swipe up gesture, but it's actually just an invisible button at the bottom of the screen – that has the potential to be a bit awkward. The panel has toggles for WiFi, Bluetooth, rotation lock, Airplane Mode, cell data, and various other settings and shortcuts.

 

Control Center even has the same frosted glass look dominant in iOS 7. The swipe up gesture might prove troublesome on devices with on-screen buttons, but you can scoot the active area around a bit. This app is free, so it's worth a look if only for a laugh.

Just two more months, football fans, and your long wait will be over. Many NFL fans use the summer months to prepare their fantasy football teams and leagues, in the gentleman jock's alternative to Dungeons and Dragons. CBS has its own fantasy service (just like ESPN, Yahoo, the NFL itself, and starting in 2014, the official Android Police Fantasy Football Service) that was marked by an impressively awful Android app, lazily ported from the iOS version. CBS has scrapped the older app, listing and all, and thrown up a new version. It's a free download for Android 2.2 and up, though the fantasy service itself is paid.

 

The CBS Sports Fantasy Football app covers all the bases (or as it might be, yards) of the typical fantasy app: it ties into the CBSSports.com servers for access to your personal team and league info, with team roster building and trades. You can even switch between teams in different leagues, say, for your work friends and personal friends. For those who like to make things a little more - ahem - interesting, there's also support for pick'em games and survivor pools, so there's no arguing when you go to cash in. Scores are updated live, and there's live news for drafts, stats, and real-world projections. The user interface and stability appears to be much improved, and even (gasp!) follows Android design guidelines.

 

Humorously, CBS seems to be in denial about the terrible nature of the former app. The new description reads: "Building upon last year’s award-winning app, we’ve re-designed and re-built the app to make it easier for you to use, give you faster access to scoring and make it even more reliable." Which doesn't explain why the new app has a completely new Play Store entry, and the old one has disappeared. Luckily, AppBrain still has the old entry available, including its awful reviews. We'll post a screenshot here to preserve its former 2.6 out of 5 rating, for the education of would-be lazy iPhone port developers everywhere.

Compulsive couldn't be more simple: switch up the blocks, match the colors in sections of four or more, and clear the board, not unlike a slightly elongated version of Bejeweled. Graphics are incredibly basic (Jonny Ive approves) and there are no extras to speak of, but you can try and beat your friends' top scores via an integrated Facebook leaderboard.

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A palette of beautiful colors needs your help to get organized. This quick color matching puzzle game is easy to learn and difficult to put down. Ready to get Compulsive?

  

This game is a pretty shameless copy of Jetpack Joyride, right down to the upgradeable vehicles, this time substituted as pop culture costumes. But we're giving it a pass on the lack of innovation (and rampant pushes towards in-app purchases) because it's a perfect application of Nyan Cat into a mobile game. You won't find the "real" version of Nyan Cat in there (is it possible to copyright an Internet meme?) but all your Reddit pals will appreciate it nonetheless.

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Jump from one roof to the next! Upgrade your cat! Get your stolen food back!

   

Twin-stick shooter fans, this may just be your ultimate mobile game. Inferno+ uses the standard control scheme and Tron graphics that seem to have become compulsory since Geometry Wars, but crams more screen-filling enemies and seizure-inducing special effects on screen than any other game we've seen thus far. Upgradeable ships and gameplay-changing special weapons don't hurt either. You need to see the game in motion in the video below to truly appreciate it.

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The spectacular twin-stick action-RPG blasts onto Android! Welcome to Inferno+, the highly-anticipated title from Radiangames, creator of Slydris, Fireball SE, and Ballistic SE. Blast your way through 40 atmospheric levels. Explore the gauntlet of stylish environments, destroy hordes of enemies, and upgrade your ship along the way. With 3 difficulty levels, 20 achievements, and New Game+ mode, you'll be in for hours of enjoyment.

  

  

Iesabel fits neatly into the top-down dungeon crawler genre, not taking too many risks as far as concept or gameplay goes - it uses point-and-click style instead of direct control. What it does have in its favor are some genuinely nice graphics (Tegra 3 or better hardware is strongly recommended) and cross-platform multiplayer co-op. Four difficulty settings and thousands of in-game items will feed the compulsive loot needs of action RPG gamers everywhere.

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In the times of darkness, only the mightiest of heroes can save the world. Stand out against the evil all by yourself in epic single player mode, or form an unstoppable team with up to 7 of your friends in an extraordinary co-op mode. Swarms of bloodthirsty monsters, loads of epic gear to collect, dozens of skills to obtain and the most beautiful world in any Action RPG Hack n Slash on Android, await you. Grab your sword and fling yourself into action now.