Gadgetory

the Pelican ladies and gentlemen I'm Joe Hindy the android authority app guy and welcome back to Android apps weekly we got a lot of stuff to talk about this week so let's get started nova launcher is currently selling the prime version of their iconic launcher application for a mere 99 cents and our readers have informed us that it's even less in other regions we don't know how long the sale will go for but it's definitely going right now get it quick because it won't last forever the waffling by Google to release their contacts and phone application to the Google Play Store continued this last week first they were up and then Google took them down but at the time of the making of this video they are back up again they're totally free but it seems like you can only get them on select Nexus devices for right now amazon announced a new initiative called the streaming Partners Program the object of this is simple with your prime subscription you can access third-party streaming services such as AMC at Showtime stars indie flicks and others the big players like Hulu and Netflix aren't available to the surprise of well no one but this could make amazon prime a little bit more fun after a long wait google has finally released a family plan for google play music it'll be fourteen dollars and ninety-nine cents per month and can be shared with up to six family members in select regions you'll also get youtube read access that's an excellent deal for pretty much everyone and you can get it right now Dropbox announced that it was going to shut down its mailbox and carousel services in early 2016 while I know there are some people who will be upset about this the truth is that neither service really took off and they were never really as good as their competitor apps they will join Google helpouts as great ideas that very few people actually used for even more android apps and games headlines updates and new releases don't forget to check out this week's newsletter which is linked in the video description below we had a ton of stuff that we didn't get to include here that you may find interesting if you so choose you can head to the written companion which is also in the video description below and sign up for the newsletter using the form there and we'll send it to you every single Sunday okay folks here are the apps and games that made a big splash this week as usual if you want to check any of these applications out you can find those links in the video description below five miles is a new application that performs a lot of the same functionality as Craigslist it's essentially a classified service that lets you sell things post services and job openings and a whole lot more the app uses GPS and zip codes to find listings in your area and you can do things like post voice descriptions register with Facebook and there's even a built-in messaging system it's a little rough around the edges but do keep an eye on it because it's going to be awesome eventually swiftkey symbols is a new very different type of keyboard instead of words and letters swiftkey uses symbols to allow people to communicate this is a great application and can potentially be useful for those with autism or other various communication disorders it's a bit simplistic right now when users are already asking for more symbols but still this is a pretty great little thing snaps wipe drawer is a new application that kind of gives you a second notification shade except for this one has a bunch of widgets in it think of it like a little stash for your widgets so you don't have them cluttering up all of your home screens it can be configured to be available at any time you want it there are also some release date bugs but that's to be expected don't let that prevent you from giving it a shot because it is pretty nifty the age of empires world domination is the latest age of empires game to launch on Android unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try this one ourselves because it is only available in select markets right now but you can expect a full release sometime in the near future once all the kinks have been worked out we can tell you that it's going to be a freemium model which is different from prior titles so it won't cost you anything to try it after a long wait microsoft has finally released cortana to the wild as expected the application and service are a little rough around the edges but we have no doubt that microsoft will cure the bugs and improve the service over time much like google did with google now it's totally free to download and use so there's no harm in seeing it for yourself it's also worth noting that you must have a PC running Windows 10 and opted in to Cortana before you can use the application once again I'm Joe Hindy the android authority app guy while you're here why not subscribe to the android authority youtube channel if you're hanging out for a minute we have a couple of awesome videos for you to watch right over there and they're also linked in the video description below for you folks on mobile finally don't forget to check the written companion which is in the video description below and don't forget to sign up for that newsletter as always thanks for watching everybody and have a wonderful day you