Best Android Apps Of 2013

Android is the world's most popular mobile platform. And it is no different in India. The operating system's popularity has made it a hot favourite of developers too. The Google Play Store now boasts of over a million apps. While this offers huge variety to app lovers, it also makes selection difficult.

So here's help: Google's list of best apps for 2013. We bring you nine best apps from the list, picked from categories across gaming, productivity, widgets and more.

 

Umano – Best app launched in 2013

Umano, named the best app launched this year, combines the best of a podcast and news/articles by reading aloud stories. You can use this app to stay abreast of news and other developments while cooking, working out at the gym or driving.

 Instead of relying on text-to-speech technology, the developers of Umano hired voice actors to read aloud all the articles. According to them, this makes the app more engaging.

 

Fifa 14 – Best game of 2013

Fifa 14, the official app for the football franchise, has been adjudged as the best gaming app of 2013 by Google. The app includes 33 leagues, over 600 teams and more than 16,000 players to choose from.

You can stay up to date on your favorite team, build your own fantasy league team and play football with peers. Though the app is free, you will have to pay in order to access Manager, Tournament and Kick Off modes.

 

Day Frame – Best innovative app of 2013

The best innovative Android app of the year is Day Frame, which turns your smartphone or tablet into a digital photo frame when you are not using it. The app will pull photos from various accounts, including Facebook, Flickr, Google+, Instagram and Drop box.

You can filter the photos that will appear in the slideshow as per category. You can even choose when the app will be active by customizing the timer, battery and bandwidth settings.

 

Asphalt 8: Airborne – Best graphic game of 2013

Racing game Asphalt 8: Airborne has been named the best graphic gaming app of the year. An arcade game, it offers 47 cars and nine racing tracks to choose from and allows you to compete with up to eight racers in multiplayer mode. The stunning visuals and high-fidelity car motor sounds add to the immersive gaming experience, according to reviews.

 

Beautiful Widgets – Best designed app of 2013

The title of best designed Android app of 2013 goes to Beautiful Widgets, an app to customize the home screen with over 2000 themes. The app includes widgets for clock, weather and toggles and allows you to customize them the way you want.

You can check the temperatures in various cities from the same screen or use the whole screen just to see weather forecasts for coming days. It also allows you to resize widgets, add graphics and change transparency levels.

 

Zen Day – Best app for everyday life for 2013

Zen Day, a productivity app, is called the best Android app for everyday life fir the year. It includes a calendar and to-do list that lets you keep track of scheduled tasks via a 3D wheel.

The app syncs with Google Calendar, Google Tasks and Ever note and uses color coding to differentiate between upcoming tasks and meetings from older ones. Not only can you prioritize tasks, you can also rate how well you performed them with this app. Zen Day allows you to set deadlines as well as reminders for the same.

  

Rip Tide GP2 – Best game with Play Game service of 2013

Rip Tide GP2 has been named the best game with Play Game service for the year; Play Game is an Android service to share the gaming experience with their friends. It is a jet ski racing game that is known for its graphics and gameplay.

The app has 9 hydro jets, a number of stunts and playing modes like Race, Hot Lap, Elimination and Free Style. You can play in a four-way battle with your friends and compare achievements online.

 

Candy Crush Saga – Best immersing game of 2013

Google has rated Candy Crush Saga, a popular game on Facebook, as the best immersing game of 2013. It is known for its circus-themed animation as well as a map-view for all stages. You simply have to match three similar the candies to clear them off the board. Candy Crush Saga keeps the game challenging by limiting the number of moves you can make or setting goals for each stage.

 

 

Smasung Chrome Book

                                    

        Chrome books are light and portable laptops that are powered by Google's Chrome OS instead of Microsoft Windows. ​ These laptops cannot run programmes available for Windows computers.

The search giant Google announced the launch on its India blog, "Starting today, people in India have more hassle-free options with the launch of the Samsung Chromebook... In addition to giving you more Chromebook options, we're also announcing more store locations. The entire range of Chromebooks will now be available from select Reliance Digital and Croma stores in five more cities — Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore — in addition to Mumbai and Delhi."

Google has partnered with Tikona and Airtel to provide a range of cellular and broadband offers.

Samsung Chromebook features a 11.6-inch display with a resolution of 1366x768p and runs on 1.7GHz Exynos 5 dualcore processor. The Chromebook packs 2GB of RAM, 16GB of Solid State Drive (SSD), weighs 1.1kg and offers over six hours of battery life. Like all other Chromebooks, Samsung version too comes with 100GB of free Google Drive storage.

Acer C720 is powered by Intel Celeron 2955U processor based on Haswell architecture. It has a 11.6-inch screen and weighs 1.25kg. It has 2GB RAM and 16GB SSD for storage. The laptop claims to offer a battery life of over 8.5 hours.

HP Chromebook 14 is also powered by Intel Celeron 2955U. It has a 14-inch screen and weighs 1.85kg. It has 16GB SSD and 4GB RAM. Chromebook 14 claims a battery life of over 9.5 hours.

 

NEW DELHI: Google has announced the launch of Samsung Chromebooks in the country. ​Priced at Rs 26,990, Samsung Chrome book is the third Chromebook in the country after  acer C720 or HP Chromebook 14. ​

7Cool Alternatives To Apple Iphone 5s

While Apple's new flagship boasts better performance, a great camera, a fingerprint reader and various new software features, it has a hefty price tag starting at Rs 53,500.

If you want similar features but don't want to spend as much, here are some smartphones that you can consider:

 

Samsung Galaxy S4

Price: Rs 40,690

The Galaxy S4 has a gorgeous 5-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixel. It weighs 130g, has a width of 7.9mm, and a plastic body. The hardware includes an octa core processor (1.6 GHz Quad core + 1.2 GHz Quad core), 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, with support for 64GB microSD card. The 13MP rear camera delivers stunning results that can beat those of the iPhone. The 2,600 mAh battery manages a day's back-up with moderately heavy usage. Our favourite features in the S4 are the IR remote, screen and various air gestures.

 

Nokia Lumia 1020

Price: Rs 45,999

It's easily the king of camera phones. It has a 41MP sensor and delivers unmatched image quality. It also has optical image stabilisation, Xenon flash, manual focus, along with 4X loss-less zoom. The phone runs Windows Phone 8 OS on a 4.5-inch display. It's powered by a dual core processor, has 2GB RAM with 32GB non-expandable storage, and a 2,000mAh battery, that easily lasts over a day on mixed use. Its also comes with various apps and services, including free navigation and music subscription.

 

Google Nexus 5

Price: Rs 28,999

The Nexus devices are known for their top-end hardware at a great price. Their new flagship, Nexus 5, is no different. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad core processor, 2 GB RAM with 16GB storage (non expandable). It has the latest Android 4.4 OS without customisation, delivering zippy navigation and good performance.

It has a responsive 4.95-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixel. It has dual cameras - 8MP rear camera that does full HD video and a front 1.3MP camera for video calls. The unibody design looks good and has a built-in wireless charging support.

 

Sony Xperia Z1

Price: Rs 38,999

The Xperia Z1 is a beautiful phone that sports an aluminium and glass unibody design. More impressive is the IP58 certification for dust/water resistance. Its 5-inch full HD display uses Sony's Triluminos technology, but is not the best of the lot. The highlight is its camera, a 20 MP Exmor sensor and Bionz image processor with Sony G lens. The camera delivers good results and comes with several software features: live video streaming, effects and Info eye. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad core processor, 2GB RAM, and 16GB storage (expandable).

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Price: Rs 46,900

Samsung's flagship device is the most powerful Android smartphone available today. It runs an updated Exynos octa core processor (1.9 GHz Quad + 1.3 GHz Quad-Core) with 3GB RAM, and has a 32GB internal storage (expandable via microSD cards). Its 5.7-inch super AMOLED display (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) uses Wacom's pressure sensitive digitiser technology for precision input using the S Pen stylus. The device's faux leather rear panel gives it a premium look, while the 3,200 mAh battery lasts two days on a full charge. It comes with the same 13MP camera as the Galaxy S4.

 

HTC One

Price: Rs 42,990

In our opinion, this is the only phone that gives the iPhone serious competition in terms of design and build quality. HTC One has an aluminium unibody with a 4.7-inch full HD display. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Quad core processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage (non-expandable). While the 2,300 mAh battery lasts just a day, the smartphone is loaded with impressive features, such as dual stereo speakers with built in amplifier, IR port and a revamped user interface. It is the first device equipped with HTC's ultrapixel camera, along with optical image stabilisation, which takes images with 4MP resolution and provides good details and natural colours.

 

LG G2

Price: Rs 40,490

LG's flagship device comes with a unique design. It has the power and volume buttons on the rear panel just below the camera, where your index finger usually rests. The phone has a stunning 5.2-inch display (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) with a surprisingly slim bezel. Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad core processor, 2GB RAM and 32GB non-expandable storage. What is more impressive is that despite its slim 7.9 mm design, the G2 manages a 3,000 mAh battery that easily lasts two days with moderate usage. LG has incorporated optical image stabilisation in the smartphone's 13MP camera, which delivers superb images matching those of the iPhone.

YOTA Smart Phone(Dual display)

                        

                Russian manufacturer Yota Devices has launched the world’s first smartphone with a touchscreen in front and an e-reader on the back. While the e-reader screen is made using E-Ink display that does not harm the eyes and is touch-enabled, the other screen uses a standard LCD panel.

YotaPhone’s LCD touchscreen measures 4.3-inch and has 1280x720p resolution. The E-Ink panel also measures 4.3-inch but has display resolution of 640x360p. 

The E-Ink display of YotaPhone also enables users to see notifications like messages, calls, reminders, appointments, weather etc even when the smartphone display is not turned on.

Key specifications of YotaPhone are dual-core 1.7GHz processor, 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. It is powered by Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) software and runs on a 1,800mAh battery.

The 13MP rear camera and LED flash in YotaPhone are placed below the E-Ink display on the back; a 1MP camera is used in front.

The manufacturer pre-installs its proprietary gestures and Put2Back apps in YotaPhone. Connectivity options in the device include 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.The manufacturer has launched YotaPhone at 19,000 roubles or 499 euros in the Russian, European and Middle East markets. The company has not announced when the device will be launched in the US and major Asian markets.

LG G Curved Smart Phone

                           

 

                    LG’s curved smartphone -- G Flex -- is going international! The curved phone, earlier available only in South Korea, will soon start shipping to other countries.

LG has announced that the G Flex will be available for pre-orders in Singapore from December 8 and Hong Kong from December 13. It will hit other “key markets” of Asia by the end of the year.LG G Flex will be available in Europe early next year and hit the US market thereafter. It will reportedly be available with US telecom carriers AT&T, Sprint and T-MobileLG G Flex has a 6-inch flexible OLED screen that is curved along the horizontal axis. Though the screen is flexible by itself, the glass casing does not allow it to be bent at will. However, the phone still bends if sufficient pressure is applied on it as the glass film is thin enough to be bent slightly. The G Flex’s curved screen provides the same viewing experience from 1 feet away that a 55-inch HDTV does from 10 feet, LG claims.

Though LG G Flex missed the bus in claiming the title of world’s first curved screen phone, it still has a feature that no other gadget offers. LG has used a self-healing technology on the phone’s back, which allows it to heal small scruffs and scratches on the rear panel within 5 minutes.

This self-healing is due to a molecular substructure coating on top of the phone’s back panel and depends a lot on the room temperature; hotter the room, faster the healing. However, deep cuts that pierce through the coating will not be healed.

 

Key specs of LG G Flex include a 720 display, 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and 3,500mAh battery. Just like LG G2, the new G Flex has the power key and volume buttons on the back, positioned below a 13MP camera with LED flash.

Nokia Lumia 1520

 

                

          With a six-inch, super-sensitive, full HD display and great readability in sunlight, the Nokia Lumia 1520 is the perfect canvas to tell your story on. Take amazing photos with a 20MP Pure View camera and let Nokia Storyteller organize them into stories using interactive HERE maps.

The Nokia Lumia 1520 is a powerhouse of productivity. Built-in Microsoft Office means you can view and edit Word, Excel and Power point files without losing any original formatting. Save documents to SkyDrive and return to them whenever it suits you.Tell a different story by reframing and re cropping high-resolution photos. Add captions and explore a whole range of creative effects and filters with exclusive photo editing tools. The Nokia Lumia 1520 comes with all the exclusive features of Windows Phone 8, like Live Tiles and People Hub. And they're all Optimised for the big screen, making your Windows Phone 8 experience even better. The Nokia Lumia 1520 is a formidable business smartphone with built-in Microsoft Office, respected business applications like Microsoft Exchange, Office 365 and Lync, as well as enterprise-level security to give you peace of mind.


  Clear specifications:
                          Display size: 6 ''

Display technology: Clear Black, IPS LCD 

Display resolution: Full HD (1920 x 1080) 

Touch screen technology: Super sensitive touch 

Main camera sensor: 20 MP, Pure View 

Flash type: Dual LED flash 

Processor name: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800 

Processor type: Quad-core 2.2 GHz 

Arctic Tablet

             

               5.0 Inch HD Android 4.2 Quad Core IPS Phone featuring a HD resolution of 720p, 1GB RAM and 4GB Internal Memory proves that this phone is a wholesale winner in the quad core smartphone market.
                 This phone uses the latest Android operating system, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. This version of Android is faster than previous versions and allows more control over the way you want to customize your phone. Access the wealthy Google Play store and install any application such as YouTube, Facebook, Angry Birds or Twitter and the “Arctic” will run it with ease.

Enjoy the texture and quality of the display due to the “Arctic” having a high quality resolution of 1280x720. This high quality is also helped by the fact that the “Arctic” boasts about IPS. IPS panel (In-Plane Switching technology) is a screen technology used for liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Advatnages of IPS are that IPS panels display consistent and accurate color from all viewing angles and also IPS panels can process high speed signals without data loss by using copper wiring with low resistance values.

In additional to all this, the "Arctic" comes standard with GPS to help you to navigate through the urban jungle, Bluetooth for hands free calling and wireless music streaming, Wi-Fi, and 3G Tethering.

   This tablet is not yet released in India but in other countries............

The wireless Iphone photo printer

                  

                           This is the printer that connects wirelessly to an iPhone or Android-powered phone and prints vibrant color photographs. An iPhone running a free app transmits pictures over a home Wi-Fi network to the printer, allowing you to print from anywhere in the home. In less than a minute and without ink cartridges, it prints 4" x 6" borderless photographs at 300 dpi resolution in up to 256 gradations and 16.7 million colors. The pictures are printed on patented paper embedded with yellow, magenta, and cyan dye crystals, producing rich, vibrant photographs that are waterproof and resist fingerprints, dust, and scratches. It can also print pictures directly from PictBridge-enabled cameras. Includes paper cartridge for 10 prints; additional paper cartridges sold below. Compatible with all iPhone (including iPhone 5), iPad, and iPod touch models running iOS 3 and up and Android-powered devices running OS 2 and up. 7" L x 6" W x 4" H. (3 lbs)

         Its price is ranging from $219.95 only..........

FITBIT Flex (Crazy Bands)

                       

    The  Fitbit Flex is a simple-looking device that's capable of some complex tasks. This water-proof wristband tracks number of strides, distance covered, calories burned, and uses LEDs to show your progress, with each of its five lights representing 20 per cent of your goal. Its free online tools - and apps for Android and iOS - allow you to follow your progress through graphs and charts. You can log your workouts and weight, create a food plan to eat smarter, and before you know it, you'll have a complete picture of your progress.

   At night, the wristband measures sleep quality. Its online Fitbit dashboard reveals how long you slept and the number of times you woke up, to help you learn how to sleep more soundly. Flex also has a silent alarm that gently vibrates to wake you at your desired time.

   The band automatically syncs your data to your computer or smartphone via its wireless sync dongle or Bluetooth to give you real-time access to your stats throughout the day.

   The best part, this band shares its data seamlessly with over 30 popular health apps, including MyFitnessPal, LoseIt!, SparkPeople, Sleep Debt, Microsoft HealthVault and FitStar. And if your friends have a Fitbit Flex band too, you can challenge and compete with them on Fitbit.com. Yes, this band does all of this and more. All you have to do is put in the exercise

It costs about rs;6,600 only............