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Mojang’s Scrolls card-slash-board game launches on Android

When Minecraft makers Mojang announced that it would be making a new game based on a new IP, all eyes were on it. Almost all of those eyes probably rolled when it was revealed to be a card game, which meant somewhat competing with Magic: The Gathering and the more recent Hearthstone from Blizzard. Pushing through adversity, doubt, and a trademark lawsuit from Bethesda (owners of the Elder Scrolls line), Mojang finally releases Scrolls on PCs, Macs, and yes, Android as well.

Scrolls is touted to combine the best of both worlds of card collecting and trading games as well as board games. You collect scrolls, the in-game name for cards of varying creatures, spells, and structures. But instead of playing them in a rather boring card game, they actual do battle on a board with hexagonal tiles. And all scrolls, all 350 of them, are fully animated to make battles entertaining. And who do you battle? Well, either the game AI or other players around the world. Suffice it say, whether playing solo or against others, the game requires an Internet connection.

As with any card game, there is some trading, collecting, and buying to be had. Mojang's take on buying cards, however, is a bit interesting. Professed critics of pay to win schemes, Mojang implements a limit on how much you can pay with real world money in order to balance the game. They say you don't have to spend more than $5 to beat the game. All scrolls can be bought with in-game gold or traded with players.

Scrolls is now out on Google Play Store for free but, of course, with in-app purchases. The game is also available on PCs and Macs, for a price tag of $5, and players can battle with others no matter which platform they're using. Sadly, the game is available for Android tablets only, so smartphone users are left out, with no word on future availability.

SOURCE: Mojang

Pumpex BMX 2 lets you digitally live your biking dreams

If you've always wanted to someday do those ridiculous stunts that you see from your favorite bikers, you can now do so digitally and without hurting a single bone on your body (well, maybe your finger). Pumped BMX was a huge hit back in 2012 and now it's back with an updated edition of the app called, of course, Pumped BMX 2, now available on Android.

The game is in collaboration with long time BMXer Adam Hunt and this shows with the gameplay involved in the app. There are 50 levels and 500 challenges that you can try, all the while trying to pull off the craziest stunts possible. But lest you think they're just pulling these tricks up in the air so to speak, these are actually based on things you can do in real life. There are 16 legit tricks like kickouts, cliffhangers, etc, you can choose from and whether you can do it in real life or not, you'll be able to do so in this virtual world.

There are 6 authentic rider styles you can choose from, as well as 10 bike colorways so that you can personalize a bit your bike as well as your costume. And if you don't know anything about biking or controlling bikes from your smartphone or tablet, there's an excellent tutorial included in the app. Competitive players can also see how they fare up against other users in a leaderboard, which also includes actual BMX pros.

The 3D game is based on actual physics, also from the actual experiences of Adam Hunt so this is really the closest you can come to doing actual bike stunts. You can download Pumped BMX 2 from the Google Play Store for only $2.99.

Limefuel 20,000 mAh Battery Pack 58% off at Android Community [DEALS]

We’ve all been there: you’re out and about all day, using your phone for GPS, music, maybe streaming some video. Then, when you need it most, you run out of battery and your super-powered Android device becomes a useless brick in your pocket for all intents and purposes.

Well you can finally put that fear behind you with the Limefuel LP200X portable battery pack, which boasts a huge 20,000 mAh capacity, two USB ports to charge two devices at once, and an LED showing how much juice is left in the Limefuel. Normally $85, you can grab this battery pack for just $34.99 at the Android Community Deals Store - that’s 58% off.

To put the 20,000 mAh capacity into perspective, the Samsung Galaxy S5 sports a 2,800 mAh battery. Doing a little math, one full charge of the Limefuel is good for over 7 full charges of a Galaxy S5! It’s tough to find a high quality battery with that capacity (and this relatively small size), especially below $60.

Portable batteries come in handy for charging tons of stuff: phones, tablets, bluetooth speakers...basically anything that can be charged through USB, which encompasses almost every piece of portable technology these days. Whether you throw it in your backpack, leave it in your car, or use it on trips when you’ll have limited power connectivity, it’s extremely convenient to always have a charge at arm’s length.

Stay Charged! Pick up the Limefuel LP200X for $34.99 at the Android Community Deals Store!

Android Community Deals is brought to you in cooperation with StackSocial. Generated revenue helps fund this site. Deals are curated by StackSocial and are not representative of the opinions of the Android Community staff.

Action Launcher 3 launches with new Quicktheme feature

As promised, or forewarned, Chris Lacy's Action Launcher 3 has just been pushed to Google Play Store. Claimed to be more than just a simple "Action Launcher 2 with Material Design", this version is said to be a complete re-write and re-design, but still with the core features that have drawn users to it. It is, however, not without controversy, especially surrounding the new and perhaps slightly confusing pricing scheme that have also drawn a bit of ire against the developer.

Despite claiming to be more than just about looks, one of the most striking changes to Action Launcher 3 is indeed its looks. Aside from adopting the Material Design guidelines, one of the highlights of this release is Quicktheme. This feature dynamically changes the color scheme of Action Launcher depending on the wallpaper you are actually using to better match the overall look of screen. It even works with Muzei's dynamically changing wallpapers, dynamically also changing the colors for each new one. Of course, users can override that behavior and set their own preferred colors.

Other than that, you get all the same features that you might have loved about Action Launcher. This includes Covers, which lets you assign actions or a folder of icons on a single app shortcut, swiping to reveal the hidden feature and tapping to simply take you to the app itself. There's also Shutters, which is almost the same but lets you embed widgets instead of folders. Unfortunately, there are some features that actually didn't make it to this release, and might actually never be ported. One of these is 1-swipe and it's accompanying feature, Quickpage. These are unlikely to return given how much Android has changed underneath.

While those might be some pretty nice changes, it might not be enough to sway some users who have been rather disillusioned about Lacy's announcement of pricing changes. That said, the developer listened to the comments a bit and clarified the pricing scheme a bit. Moving forward, the free version, with IAP, of Action Launcher will only be available as Action Launcher 3. Those who want to use Action Launcher 2 will have to make a $3.99 purchase for the Action Launcher Pro app (unless they already purchased it before). Given the changes and some missing features above, there might be some who will prefer to stay on that version.

SOURCE: +Chris Lacy (1), (2)

Sony Xperia TX Also Gets Unofficial CyanogenMod 12 Build

The Sony Xperia TX is the slightly taller and thinner sibling of the late 2012 flagship device from Sony, the Xperia T, albeit lesser known. And like the Xperia T and the rest of the 2012 lineup, the Xperia TX was unfortunately given the no-go on any future updates after Jelly Bean 4.3. But as seen with unofficial Android 5.0 builds popping up for Xperia devices of similar age, such as the Xperia S and Ion, aftermarket developers always have these things covered, and the Xperia TX is no exception.

Android 5.0 on the Xperia TX comes in the form of an unofficial CyanogenMod 12 build courtesy of XDA Senior Member updateing, however it is still in a highly experimental state. This means that it may well be quite unstable in usage, with some features missing, and you may experience failures to boot up the device. On the other hand, features which are functional include:

Bluetooth

Google Apps

Camera

Calls

Despite the instability of the ROM, fixes for bugs are continuously being sought, and this progress as well as remedies for bugs can be seen and are provided in the forum post.

If you would like to check this out, head over to the Xperia TX CM 12 thread for more details.

The post Sony Xperia TX Also Gets Unofficial CyanogenMod 12 Build appeared first on xda-developers.

Crowdfunding site IndieGogo now has an Android app

Crowdfunding over the years has become a truly valid source of investment for products, music, movies, etc that normally might have a hard time seeing the light of day. IndieGoGo has been one of those websites at the forefront of this kind of service, and now, they have an Android app, all the better to follow your favorite projects and discover new ones as well.

While the iOS app has been in existence since July this year, it took its sweet time to finally arrive on the Android platform. But at least now, you'll be able to keep track of all the projects you've funded or are keeping a close eye on, whether it's a new gadget, an independent movie, or an artist's new album. You will also be able to find new campaigns from recommendations by the app, based on what you've previously funded or followed.

The search function on the app is pretty nifty as you can explore it either by category or by date of project expiration. And if you feel like sharing a particular campaign to your friends or on your social networks, the sharing option is pretty easy to follow (as all apps normally should have). You can also explore all the campaign perks that you'll be able to joy, in case you're still dillly dallying on whether to support the project or not.

You can download the IndieGoGo app from the Google Play Store for free. Of course funding projects will entail credit card details, but just like other crowdfunded projects and sites, you will only be billed once the project is successful and completed, depending on the project's settings.

YouTube app updated with Material Design and Offline feature

Search and watch videos on YouTube now with a new feel and whenever you want. Google has updated the YouTube app which allows you to watch videos offline where there is little to no internet connection and has also worked in the new Material Design. The offline feature is only available in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines as for now. Google is working on updating their other apps as well to fit into the new Material design.

Material Design sounds fancy, and it is. It's Android's new facelift with solid vivid colors, shadow textures, more animations, and more things that suggest new look and depth. With the new YouTube update, you can now search videos with filters like you do on the desktop version like: duration, HD, or closed caption.

The offline feature only applies to certain videos, but much of those videos are popular YouTube content in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. A new “offline” icon would appear on the video, where you would tap that to view for later when you don't have connection. The video is saved to watch later for up to 48 hours. You can now plan ahead of time when you know there's low/no internet connection in certain places.

YouTube is changing - and the change is good. Android users must be excited as they have been rolling out the latest Android Lollipop, new Material Design, and now new user interface Google apps. Alongside India, Indonesia, and the Philippines have been the first ones to experience the new offline feature. As stated by Google, the offline feature is just a start. What's in store for us in the future? What would make YouTube “that much better”?

SOURCE: Google

DOWNLOAD: Play Store

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