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Get the ball in the hole in Ultraflow

"Minimalist yet complex" is something that we often find in the description of a lot of games now (thanks a lot Flappy Bird and its ilk). One of the latest games to sport this tagline is Ultraflow, and if you're up to the challenge of trying to put a small ball in a hole (we're looking at you, golfers, or virtual golfers at the least), then you might want to check out Ultraflow, a new game now available on Android devices.

There is no other motivation for the small ball except to get into the hole. But it becomes more difficult because you only get a certain number of bounces to complete each level. And each level is "oddly shaped" so it presents a challenge in itself. And as you progress through the 99 levels, of course everything becomes crazier with rotating platforms, angles that will make you doubt your ability to simply get a ball in that whole, different terrains, etc.

The non-linear, abstract, 2D game relies heavily on physics as you try to get to your goal, while racking up the points. If you're feeling a bit competitive, there is a Google Play Games Achievements board which you can also see how you stack up against the others also playing the game.

Ultraflow is available to download for free from the Google Play Store. The best part? There are no in-app purchases needed and there are no ads throughout the gameplay to distract you from your game.

Hand-drawn Steampunker game now available on Android tablet

The steampunk "movement" is a reimagining of 19th century Western civilization, specifically the Industrial Revolution or the Victorian Era in Britain, in science fiction and fantasy literature, which has crossed over to movies, TV shows, and even cosplay. The theme and look has also sometimes been adapted by game developers, but none more so than Steampunker (the name is a dead giveaway), an award-winning game that has now launched its Android tablet edition.

Named as app of the year by some game award-giving bodies, Steampunker is a 2D point-and-click adventure game that has a very distinct look. It boasts of "unique hand-drawn graphics" that makes it even more enjoyable to play, along with the actual gameplay that you get to experience. The main protagonist is Vincent, and through him, you get to solve puzzles, fly to the moon in a rocket, defeat robot enemies, all while getting points and exploring a fantastical world.

The game has five chapters in its story, with more than 30 puzzles and brain teasers, which includes a bit of math, and a knowledge of mechanical things like fighting a steam leakage and such. It also involves a bit of hidden object search, which is challenging and sometimes difficult, given the nature of the game's graphics. But if you like looking deep into hand-drawn artwork, then it would be rewarding for you to explore these puzzles.

Steampunker Tablet Edition is available at the Google Play Store for $2.81. That's already a pretty good deal, given the painstakingly created graphics and artwork that the game has. And there are no in-app purchases available, so everything is all in with that price.

Naughty Kitties are no nonsense cuties, will save Cat’s Planet

Cats are cute but kittens are (errr...) the cutest. Sometimes I believe the cats own the Internet what with the thousands of cat memes and videos going viral these past few years. They are adorable so anything they do will sell. I’m not sure if these Naughty Kittens will make you feel all warm and fuzzy though but they have one good aim and that is to save Cat’s Planet from the attack of the aliens.

Kittens are the main characters. No adult cats in the game because they’ve been annihilated by the aliens. Kittens are trying to run away but the group of naughty kittens want them to fight the enemies. This isn’t an ordinary tower defense game but expect to see some fire-breathing cats on spaceship and more.

The Naughty Kittens will have to do endless running. Playing the game is also easy with a simple “Drag & Drop”. Drag a young kitty warrior to join your troops and let them fight for the planet. Always check the kittens’ energy bars and see if they can still fight for you. Replenish their energies to finally finish the mission.

Naughty Kittens game boasts of a cute art style. You can play and use different breeds of cats with different weapons and ships to unlock.

Download Naughty Kittens from the Google Play Store

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Take the temperature (baby or otherwise) effortlessly with Wishbone

When your baby seems to be sick and colicky, taking their temperature can be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately for parents and health professionals, technology has made it possible for this part of childcare a bit easier. You've seen a lot of "smart thermometers" out there, but this new Kickstarter project claims that it is the smallest in the market. Will Wishbone make your wishes come true (well, at least when it comes to attending to a sick baby)?

The wishbone shaped (hence the name) device is a non-contact thermometer that you can directly connect to your smartphone when taking the baby's temperature. The developers say that it can detect body temperature in just under 2 seconds and can give you an accurate reading. When you use their app on your smartphone, you'll be able to store the historical data so you can use it to analyze what's wrong with the baby. Couples who are trying to conceive can also use data culled from using the thermometer, since it can be used not just for babies. It can also be used to get your environment's temperature, just by pointing it towards the sky or ceiling.

The device is shaped like a wishbone because its Y-shape with its 45 degree angle tilt is the natural viewing angle for most people. It makes it easier for users to operate the device and view the app in the attached smartphone at the same time. You can also point the Wishbone in any direction or rotate it any which way you want, because of the way it was designed. It is powered by small lithium batteries and is compatible with various smartphones.

Wishbone has reached its goal of $20,000 and in fact has more than doubled it. If you still want to support it, you have 27 days to go and you just need $26 or more to be able to fund it and get your own Wishbone. Estimated delivery date is April 2015.

SOURCE: Kickstarter

Samsung rumored to make bloatware optional, downloadable

Englightenment or desperation? Whichever your take on Samsung's motives, the Korean OEM is now reported to be slimming down its phone's experience even further. In addition to making the TouchWiz aesthetic fall in line with the new Material Design, it will also be moving much of its less frequently used but pre-installed apps out of the default installation and into Google Play Store, or perhaps its own GALAXY Apps Store, paving the way for a more Nexus-like experience of Samsung devices.

To be fair, a pure Nexus experience isn't exactly completely stellar, and in some cases might actually be downright unusable (no "clear all recent apps button"?). It isn't without reason that OEMs and even Android ROMs add such features into their products, and to some extent, we can be thankful for those. But some go overboard and in that regard, Samsung is probably the most notorious offender. Not only is TouchWiz itself overloaded with features, its phones also come with a ton of preloaded apps that barely anyone uses.

The good news is that Samsung seems to be doing some spring cleaning, perhaps motivated by its slumping standing in the industry. It has been rumored to be revising its TouchWiz skin and now the latest word is that it will be doing the same trimming for its apps, many of which are redundant if not unused. Samsung might not completely be putting them to pasture, though. The OEM might simply make them available as optional downloads via Google Play Store, a practice that other OEMs like HTC and Motorola have already been doing even for some of their core apps. Considering Samsung has its own app store, however, it might choose to put those there instead.

So the good news is that the features you might have loved in TouchWiz, like Air View, Smart Stay, and Ultra Saving Power Mode, are likely to stay built-in, but ones that can be removed, like S Translator or maybe even the underwhelming S Voice might find themselves in a different space. But before you break out in celebration, do note that it isn't known yet which apps and features will make the cut, and we might only find out for sure come MWC 2015 with the Galaxy S6 debut.

VIA: SamMobile, SlashGear

Motorola outs new Moto G with 4G in Brazil

Before 2014 ended, we noted that a new Moto G is coming to Brazil with 4G/LTE connectivity and a bigger battery. It wasn't exactly a rumor because it was spotted on Motorola's Brazilian website. We didn't have to wait long as the Lenovo-owned Motorola has just launched a new version of the 2nd-generation Moto G in the country. Main features are still the same but with the addition of 4G support and Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box.

The Moto G 4G comes equipped with the same 5-inch screen, 16GB of built-in storage, 8 megapixel camera, and a quad-core processor. Phone now has a dual-SIM card slot, an improved battery, and of course, 4G LTE connectivity. This is a higher version so it's now more expensive at R $ 899 which is about $345 in the United States. That's still cheap. Phone will be available in various retailers, operators, and Motorola online store.

The Moto G is quite popular in Brazil mainly because of its affordability. With the addition of 4G and longer lasting battery, we don't doubt more Brazilians will avail of this great smartphone deal. Motorola could expect a bigger market share in the coming months after the Moto G 4G's release in the the country.

Android 5.0 Lollipop may be installed as default on the Moto G 4G but the 1st-gen and the current non-4G Moto G don't have it yet. Motorola has released the official sweet software update for those models. We knew it was coming and India got it first. And of course, who could forget the fact that the Moto G was the first to officially get Android 5.0 Lollipop.

If you own a 1st-gen and 2nd-gen Moto G, upgrade to Lollipop by going to Settings> About Phone> System Updates. For first-gen Moto G owners, just make sure you have the latest Motorola Update Services from the Google Play Store.

Motorola could have easily released the Android 5.0 Lollipop to the supported phones once Google officially released the new platform version but it didn't for good reasons. Motorola wants to test everything first on different units, countries, and carriers. After all the testing, Motorola can then do a "public push".