Android Tablet Update

Welcome back to our regular column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week’s best in Android gaming.

Top 7 New Games This Week

We always try to find the top rated games each week, but now I’m going to limit my recommendations to the Top 7 releases. The number of quality games comes and goes each week, but I felt like 7 suggestions was a nice odd number that I could achieve each week. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below.

Zombie Ace

Developer says: “Come fly the deadly skies in Zombie Ace! These undead pilots guarantee fast service to 14 destinations across the United States of America. When you need to infect the next city fast, trust a Zombie Ace to get you there!”

Taylor says: For the third week in a row we feature a title from Hothead Games. These Canadian developers have been producing quality iOS titles for awhile, and now they are finally bringing over some games to Android. Zombie Ace is free, so check it out to see the quality of games they deliver.

Zombie Ace Hothead Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

GYRO

Developer says: “GYRO is an easy to play, but hard to master arcade game with intuitive touch controls, addictive gameplay, cool minimalistic graphics and gazillions of points to collect! Spin the wheel, match colors, collect power ups, neutralize viruses and earn achievements on your way to the top of the leaderboard!”

Taylor says: Looks super simple, but I bet it gets hard fast. I’m downloading this now since it’s free to play.

GYRO Submachine Factory PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Lords & Knights Beta

Developer says: “Play Lords & Knights now and become ruler of a mighty empire! Join other lords in exciting battles against thousands of players – all to take control of the country. Build carefully crafted castles across a great and glorious empire!”

Taylor says: Not my style of game, but previous MMOs have been popular with this audience. Graphics look simple, but gameplay is said to be very deep.

Lords & Knights Beta XYRALITY GmbH PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Shoot the Zombirds

Developer says: “How long will you survive? Do you remember Pumpkin Boy? Last year he was protecting little Pumpkids from the evil birds. Now, that the Pumpkids have grown up a bit, the undead birds are after them once again. Dive into our new and absorbing game of bird and zombie shooting. Both at the same time!”

Taylor says: I like the developer Infinite Dreams. They released a lot of quality Android games including Can Knockdown, SkyForce, Jelly Defense, Lets Create Pottery, and more. There might be an overflow of Zombie games, but this one is free and has an average review score of 4.6.

Shoot The Zombirds Infinite Dreams Sp. z o.o. PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Mobbles

Developer says: “Mobbles are small and fun creatures living around us. Discover which Mobbles are around you with your Mobbles radar, and catch them if you’re close enough. Grow their affection by taking care of them like real pets when they need you. There are more than 60+ creatures available, can you capture and keep them all?’

Taylor says: I doubt Pokemon will ever come to Android, so this is about as close as you are going to get. Your pets can’t battle each other (boo), but you can still try to collect them all (yay?).

Mobbles Mobbles Corp. PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Piranha 3DD: The Game

Developer says: “Based on the motion picture, PIRANHA 3DD, become a bloodthirsty school of predators and troll the shallow shores in search of soft morsels of helpless prey. This time, nothing and no one is safe from the flesh eating fish as they sink their razor sharp teeth into the visitors of summer’s best attraction, The Big Wet Water Park. Everything is on the menu from small feeder fish to humans. No fish and no human is safe from your starving school of razor sharp teeth.”

Taylor says: This game could suck, but the trailer was pretty funny. I’d wait to read a couple more reviews before I hand over $0.99 to this developer.

Piranha 3DD: The Game TWC Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Castle Master 3D

Developer says: “Humans, abandoned by God for their arrogance and greed, were deprived of all their 45 castles by the evil hordes from Hades. And the last knightage gathered together for the barely survived young prince. Starting from an action to take back the castle ‘Gaia’, humans’ counterattack begins now! Lose yourself in the world of a classic RPG!”

Taylor says: First mobile game to feature 300 vs. 300 castle siege battles. What else do you need to know?

Castle Master 3D Alphacloud Inc. PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Honorable Mentions

Fashion Icon

I just couldn’t list this in the Top 7, but it does come from Gameloft that normally produces quality titles. If you need to “indulge your inner shopaholic in Paris and become a true Fashion Icon”, then grab it from the link below.

Fashion Icon Gameloft PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Android Games Coming Soon

CastleStorm

Zen Studios, the developers behind Zen Pinball THD, announced they have a new game in the works called CastleStorm. Pocketgamer reports that you goal is to prevent the enemy from storming your castle while simultaneously taking out your foe’s. The game is scheduled for release later this year, and there’s a chance it could debut first on TegraZone.

Pocket Clothier

DroidGamers spotted that Kairosoft has revealed their next game called Pocket Clothier. In their latest simulation game you take the role of running your own clothing store. I’m sure Kairosoft fans will eat this game up, but if sim games are not your thing then you might want to pass.

Boom Brigade 2

Pocketgamer reports that Finnish developer 10tons is bringing their line-drawing, top-down shooter Boom Bridgade 2 to Android in June. The game will feature 30 levels that are spread across three themed chapters, and introduce a pause feature that will allow gamers to re-route their troops as they try to defend their base.

N.O.V.A. 3

Gameloft said that N.O.V.A. 3 was coming to Android in May, but they have yet to provide a release date. With only one day left this month, it looks like the game is getting delayed. This has to be our most anticipated Android game, so we will be sure to let you know as soon as it is released.

Games I’m currently playing

Big Win Hockey: We featured this game a couple weeks ago and I finally had the chance to sit down and play it. Big Win Hockey is a simulation sports game where you buy packs of trading cards that let you build your team roster, powerup your skills, and customize your team. The game is free to play, but you will really have to grind to unlock the better players and skills. As with most free games, in-app purchases allow you to buy more cash and speed up the progress of the game. Overall I found it was a pretty enjoyable game and I’d recommend it to others. The developer also offers Big Win Soccer if you are not a fan of hockey.

Big Win Hockey Hothead Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

What Android games are you playing?

Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.

Google’s $199 “Nexus tablet“, that we first reported on back in March, appeared online this week in Rightware’s Basemark ES 2.0 Taiji benchmark test. Most of the details revealed in the benchmark match up with what was previous reported. The device will be made by ASUS, feature a 7-inch display with 1280×768 resolution, and use NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor.

What’s new in this benchmark result is the Android version 4.1. Rightware tells us this is the only device they have ever seen to include Android 4.1. The device also featured a software build number JRN51B, which is important because J represents Jelly Bean.

The device also has the model name listed as “Nexus 7″, which could be the final product name.

Some of us had speculated that Jelly Bean would be a major release and become Android 5.0, but this new evidence suggest it will be more of a minor update and be labeled Android 4.1. We reached out to a second source who claims to have seen the Nexus tablet, and they also said it was running Android 4.1.

Details are still limited, but we are told that Android 4.1 will feature a user experience very similar to Amazon’s Kindle Fire. The device will feature multiple home screens that are dedicated to different types of content (music, movies, books, etc).

We are just a month away from Google IO, when this “Nexus tablet” is expected to be revealed, so look for more details to leak over the coming weeks.

Welcome back to the first ever TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards promotion. Last week we gave away a Transformer Pad prize pack to the lucky winner Droilfade and this week we are back with another one. Don’t forget that NVIDIA is also giving away 7 ASUS Transformer Pads with docks, Logitech Controllers and a Jambox Speaker, so make sure you go vote.

NVIDIA is celebrating the first year of TegraZone, the best place to find the hottest Android games for your Tegra-powered device. ASUS, NVIDIA, and Android and Me are partnering on a sweepstakes in which readers can vote on their favorite Tegra games for the chance to win the new ASUS Transformer Pad. Read on for the full details.

About TegraZone

NVIDIA debuted TegraZone one year ago and it now boasts over 3.5 million installs. Over 1.5 million unique visitors have used the app during the past quarter and the average user visits every 3 days. NVIDIA has also helped developers gain exposure for their games with an average conversion rate of 19%, compared to the 5% average conversion rate of Google Play. There are now close to 40 games optimized for Tegra devices and we are seeing the quantity and quality increase every month.

NVIDIA TegraZone NVIDIA PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

First TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards

Scan to vote.

Starting today and running through May 31st, users can vote for their favorite Tegra games in three categories. Every user that votes in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards will be automatically entered to win a free ASUS Transformer Pad from NVIDIA.

Award Categories include:

1. Best Graphics
2. Best Gameplay
3. Overall fun

Once the votes are tallied, the winners will be announced on June 6th at E3.

Vote now in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards

The Giveaway: ASUS Transformer Pad Prize Pack

Running latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the ASUS Transformer Pad is a value packed tablet that with multi-color style, and productivity with expandability when connected to the mobile dock. With a 1.2MP front and 8MP rear auto-focus camera with large F/2.2 aperture and exclusive office software, staying connected and productive has never been easier.

Gaming to go prize pack includes:

• ASUS Transformer Pad
• ASUS Mobile dock
• Logitech game controller
• Jambox Speaker

How to enter the weekly contest

Leave a comment below and tell us your favorite first-person shooter game on Android. Note that the game doesn’t have to be a TegraZone exclusive. It can be any first-person shooter in the history of Android.

We normally allow anonymous comments, but for this contest you will need to be a registered user to leave a comment. Not signed up? It only takes seconds to join.

Multiple chances to win: Users can win a tablet from Android and Me or NVIDIA. The Player’s Choice Awards will be running for several weeks, so be on the lookout for more chances to win an ASUS Transformer Pad. Don’t forget we are also running a Sonic 4 promotion that has another chance to win a Transformer Prime.

Contest Rules

This contest is open to residents of the United States, Canada, UK and Germany. Entries will be accepted for one week after the contest goes live. We’ll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw.

Contest Winner

(coming soon)

Can our community help discover the next great Android app? Welcome to a new experiment called #thenextinstall where we try to see if we can find an Android app in the rough, and boost its installs and exposure to new highs.

We took a couple weeks off since I’ve been traveling, but last time we did this our community selected Shot Control, a camera app designed to help serious photographers take better photographs. The developer Peter Daly is an awesome guy and he said our users “pushed the app past the 1k install tier, provided awesome feedback, and have been great to work with.” This week he rolled out a new update which fixed a ton of bugs on the HTC One, so check it out if you need an advanced camera app.

Week 5 Winner: Solid Explorer Beta

This week’s we had another clear winner emerge. Solid Explorer Beta by Krzysztof G?odowski is easily the best looking file manager we have ever seen on Android. I installed it several weeks back and it is now my go to file manager on all my Android devices.

Highlights of Solid Explorer include:

• Two independent panels for browsing
• Drag and Drop inside and between panels
• FTP, SFTP and SMB/CIFS clients
• File sharing via FTP
• Support for ZIP, TAR.GZ, TAR.BZ2 and RAR archives
• Creating ZIP and TAR archives
• Dropbox and Box support
• Bookmarks
• Root access
• Indexed search, also available from the system (that means that you can search for files from the Google Search widget/app)
• Detailed file and directory information

Grab Solid Explorer from the link below and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Even though the app is still in beta, I found the overall experience easier to use that previous file managers I’ve tried. Be sure to leave your feedback for the dev, so he can improve it with future updates.

Solid Explorer Beta Krzysztof G?odowski PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Week 6 Challengers

Pair

Pitch: Pair is the easiest way to stay in touch with the person you love, making it easy to share the little things in life with each other. It creates a timeline just for the two of you, where you can post cute video messages and photos that no one else will see.

Pair TenthBit Inc. PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Flud News

Pitch: Flud is the first truly social news reader. For the first time ever, the things you read about give you topical credibility among your friends and followers. Your Flud profile allows you to discover your news personality and become a credible source of information.

Flud News Flud PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

FlyRights

Pitch: FlyRights provides a quick and easy way to report complaints of air travel discrimination in real time, right after the incident occurs. With this application you have the option of reporting your complaint directly to the Transportation Security Administration/Department of Homeland Security so that their offices of civil rights are aware of your complaint and can investigate it.

FlyRights The Sikh Coalition PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Savored

Pitch: Savored saves you up to 40% off your food and drink at hundreds of great restaurants across the country – your reservations are confirmed instantly, and best of all – they’re free!

Savored Savored PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

GO Backup

Pitch: Backup all your contacts,messages and apps. Stable,fast,simple and totally free.

GO Backup GO Launcher EX PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Metal Sniffer

Pitch: Find magnetic fields and use it to detect metals or magnets! This app detects nearby electromagnetic fields using the phone’s built-in magnetometer/compass.

Metal Sniffer ?Metal Detector? Icechen1 PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Lowe’s

Pitch: Finally, an app worthy of your toolbox. The handy Lowe’s app allows you to shop for your favorite products, review ratings, create lists, locate the closest store, and access inspiring photos and how-to videos.

Lowe's Lowe's PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Everyme

Pitch: Everyme is the private social network. We believe most stories are meant to be shared with your closest friends and family, not with 500 random acquaintances. With Everyme, you can share like you do in real life, in intimate Circles.

Everyme Everyme PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Uniqlo

Pitch: UNIQLO WAKE UP is an innovative new social alarm app that aims to make waking up every day an enjoyable experience. Wake up with music that changes with the weather. Share the start of your day.

UNIQLO WAKE UP UNIQLO CO., LTD. PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

AppBrain Ad Detector

Pitch: Free your phone from potential concerns! This app detects all annoyances of apps installed on your phone, such as Push Notifications, Desktop icon spam or privacy concerns.

AppBrain Ad Detector Swiss Codemonkeys PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

What’s next? How can I participate?

If you want to play along, then join the league of app addicts.

• Join Android and Me and suggest new apps in this weekly thread
• Download AppAware and let it track your new app installs
• Share this post with a friend who has an Android device and ask them to try out one of the apps from the list

Over the coming week, we will continue to monitor all the apps and see which generate the most buzz. We will be watching the installs, download clicks, review scores, coverage on other sites, and more to see which app comes out on top.

Next week we will name the winning app, and then put it up against 10 new apps to repeat the process.

Welcome back to our regular column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week’s best in Android gaming.

Top 7 New Games This Week

We always try to find the top rated games each week, but now I’m going to limit my recommendations to the Top 7 games. The number of quality games comes and goes each week, but I felt like 7 suggestions was a nice odd number that I could achieve each week. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below.

Mass Effect Infiltrator

Developer says: “The fate of the galaxy lies in the balance. From the makers of the critically acclaimed Dead Space on Android comes an all-new, original Mass Effect storyline – made exclusively for mobile!”

Taylor says: I purchased this game yesterday and it’s awesome. The graphics are some of the best Android has to offer and the duck-and-cover gameplay is easy to pick up and play. I’ve only played the first two levels, but I’ll be spending a lot of time with this game over the coming week.

MASS EFFECT™ INFILTRATOR Electronic Arts Inc PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Men in Black 3

Developer says: “The official game of Men in Black 3, putting players in charge of the agency. We are the best-kept secret in the universe. We are Earth’s best, last, and only line of defense. We are above the system. Over it. Beyond it. We are “them”. We are “they”. We are the Men in Black.”

Taylor says: I’m not a huge fan of the freemium model and the gameplay looks uninspired, so I don’t think I’ll be spending any of my time on this. But it’s still MIB 3 and the early reviews are good, so I thought we should share it.

Men In Black 3 Gameloft PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Death Racing

Developer says: “Challenge the extreme of speed and distance! Fast paced 3D racing game and easy to get started. Unlock most fantastic cars by skillful plays, and challenge the extreme of speed and distance!”

Taylor says: The developer Feeling Touch has a pretty good track record, and this game looks like it offered some fun twitch action. It’s free and it should make a good time waster.

Death Racing FEELINGTOUCH INC. PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

100 Floors

Developer says: “Apple app store’s #1 game now on Android! Challenge Yourself and see if you can make it to the top! Advance to the next floor by solving the puzzle! 30 levels of puzzles are waiting to be solved! More levels on the way.”

Taylor says: We love a good puzzle game and this one is free. I never played the iOS version, but the dev claims it was the top puzzle game on Appls’s App Store some time back.

100 Floors Tobi Apps PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

The Dictator: Wadiyan Games

Developer says: “The Wadiyan Games lets you step into the shoes of the General Aladeen and compete in his four favorite events – running, swimming, fencing and boxing. The game also features the ultimate finishing moves for each event. Additional sporting events and backdrops can be unlocked with in-app purchase. The app was blessed by General Aladeen and based on the upcoming Paramount Pictures feature film The Dictator in theaters nationwide.”

Taylor says: This game could suck, but I enjoyed the movie and thought this would make me laugh. Just installed it right now, but haven’t played any levels yet.

The Dictator: Wadiyan Games Paramount Digital Entertainment PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Gobber Ninja

Developer says: “Gobber is a chameleon able to perform the most incredible flying stunts! Gobber learned from his masters and needs your help to complete his training. Go through several events where speed, action and skill will be the keys to victory. Gobber has to catch all the stars and flies to surpass all challenges and reach the highest peaks!”

Taylor says: It’s a teenage ninja mutant lizard. Gameplay looks like an interesting mix of Cut the Rope with some extra platforming elements. The game is free so I’d say it’s worth a download if you like what you saw in the trailer.

Gobber Ninja BlooBuzz PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Big Win Soccer

Developer says: “Welcome to world class football fun with Big Win Soccer! No matter what you call the “beautiful game”, Big Win Soccer is the game for everyone. CREATE your own unique dream team, COMPETE against opponents from around the world, WATCH your team battle it out on the pitch, BOOST your player’s passing, shooting, dribbling and other skills and get ready to hoist the Daily Trophy for the ultimate BIG WIN!”

Taylor says: Last week we featured Big Win Hockey and it was met with good reviews, so this week we wanted to share Big Win Soccer. Once again the game is free, so soccer fans should check it out.

Big Win Soccer Hothead Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Android Games Coming Soon

Angry Birds Heikki

This week Rovio launched a new teaser site for their upcoming game Angry Birds Heikki. Expect this latest chapter in the Angry Birds series to have a focus on Formula 1 racing as Heikki Kovalainen is one of the top racers in the circuit. Not much else is known about the game, but it should be released around June 18th.

Ubisoft’s Babel Rising 3D comes to Android on June 14th

PocketGamer reports that Ubisoft will bring their remake of the popular iOS game Babel Rising to Android on June 14th. In Babel Rising 3D, gamers take the role of a god attempting to stop the construction of a tower, by blasting construction workers with lightning and setting them on fire.

Pocket Planes

DroidGamers reports that NimbleBit will bring their “bitizens” back for another run in Pocket Plans. This follow up to Tiny Tower places the pixel people in an airline management simulation where they have to fly cargo to over 250 cities around the map. If you are a fan of Kariosoft games, then you might want to keep an eye on this.

Games I’m currently playing

Machinarium: We featured this game last week and I went ahead and purchased it after watching the trailer and reading the reviews. The early puzzles start off pretty easy, but the game gets hard real fast. There are clues that allow you to kind of cheat, but even with the help some of the puzzles take a lot of work to solve. The graphics, sound, and story are all amazing, so I’m sticking with this game until I finish it and find my robot girlfriend.

Machinarium Hothead Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

What Android games are you playing?

Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.

Are you fed up with your wireless carrier? Wish you could lower the cost of your monthly bill? Tired of waiting on slow Android updates? Upset that Verizon won’t be carrying the current HTC One series? Want to purchase an unlocked Galaxy S III and start using it in the US months before the nerfed carrier versions arrive?

Pre-paid wireless service has existed in North America for several years, but it wasn’t a real viable option for smartphone owners until recently. There are now tons of affordable unlocked devices to choose from and plenty of options for pre-paid data at 4G HSPA+ speeds. Read on to see why you might want to shred your current wireless contract and think about joining the pre-paid club.

1. Freedom to choose your own device

Wouldn’t it suck if your internet service provider dictated what kind of computer you had to buy? What if your cable provider only allowed you to watch programming on selected TVs? That’s exactly the situation we have with some wireless carriers and the phones they allow on their networks.

If you switch to pre-paid, you can buy any unlocked GSM phone of your choice and then choose your wireless service with no contract and no commitments.

Google recently started selling their Galaxy Nexus for $399 and reports say that up to five OEMs will be selling unlocked devices through the Google Play Store by Thanksgiving. Amazon also has hundreds of unlocked phones that will work on any GSM network.

The market for used devices is also rapidly growing. You can buy and sell used Android phones on Glyde, Gazelle, Swappa, and many more online retailers.

If there is a smartphone you really desire, chances are you can buy it unlocked and prices continue to drop. An unlocked phone will cost you more in the beginning, but the long term savings will pay off big time…

2. Save money by cutting your monthly bill in half

Why put up with a $100 bill each month when you could be getting the same services for $30-45? Most post-paid monthly bills are high because the wireless companies subsidize the cost of your handset and spread it out over your 2-yr contract, but there are all other kinds of hidden fees and taxes tossed in.

Many pre-paid carriers offer flat rate pricing, so you pay exactly the monthly rate that is advertised. It’s not like a post-paid carrier that advertises a monthly plan for $59, but then your final bill comes in close to $80 after all the fees, surcharges, and taxes.

Best of all, pre-paid carriers have no contracts or commitments so there are no early termination fees if you want to switch networks. Gone are the days of paying Verizon $300 if you are unhappy with their service and want to leave 6 months into your 24 month contract.

If you do the math, going pre-paid can easily save you over $1,000+ for the span of a typical 2-yr contract. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but pre-paid smartphone service is always cheaper than post-paid.

3. Android updates from carriers are broken

The process in which North American carriers update the software on Android phones is completely broken. First a handset maker must build and test an update, then Google needs to approve it, and finally the carrier has to put their stamp of approval on it.

If one little bug is discovered, then the whole process must start over. And often times, it’s some stupid crap like carrier bloatware that is incompatible with the latest update. I’ve heard stories of certain updates being pushed back months just because they didn’t work with the carrier installed navigation app (that no one uses).

Just look at Google’s flagship Galaxy Nexus on Verizon. That device launched on December 15th with a handful of known bugs, and five months have passed without a single update.

The HTC One X is another good example. I have the AT&T version and the international version. The AT&T model has received no updates since I have had it, while the international model has been updated 5 times already by HTC. These updates has helped to improve performance, extend battery life, and squash annoying bugs. It’s a breath of fresh air to see regular updates instead of going nearly half a year with no new software from your carrier.

When carriers get out of the way, software updates flow much more frequently. A Google employee confirmed this when the Galaxy Nexus went on sale in the Play Store. He said they were “very glad that Google is back in the business of selling phones directly without any middlemen to interfere.”

4. LTE is overkill for the average user

One of the major downfalls to going pre-paid is going to be the lack of LTE service, but I have found that it’s mostly overkill for the average user. Having your smartphone connected to a 4G LTE network is really good for two things – eating up your data allowance 5x faster and draining your battery life.

Unless you are downloading large files on a daily basis or tethering your device to share the internet connection, I have not seen many other use cases that take advantage of LTE speeds yet. Both AT&T and T-Mobile offer 4G HSPA+ networks that offer a similar experience for the majority of tasks performed with a smartphone.

A certain number of mobile workers require LTE speeds so they will be stuck with their carrier, but I have found that I can live without LTE since I’m surrounded by WiFi at home and work.

5. Straight Talk SIM

There are many options for pre-paid, SIM only service, but I decided to go with Straight Talk after doing my homework. Straight Talk is a brand of Tracfone and they offer unlimited GSM service on AT&T or T-Mobile’s network.

For only $45.95 per month (taxes included and no hidden fees), you can get unlimited talk, text, and HSPA+ data. Straight Talk lets you choose between AT&T or T-Mobile compatible SIM cards and they also offer micro SIMs for newer smartphones.

Of course the data is not truly unlimited like Sprint and the terms of service prevent tethering, but you can still get access to a HSPA+ network and get download speeds of 5-10 Mbps depending on your device and location.

For most people this is “good enough”, and it’s the same exact service they are paying double for with AT&T or T-Mobile.

I encourage you to visit Straight Talk SIM for the full details.

6. Simple Mobile

Simple Mobile is another pre-paid SIM only service that operates on T-Mobile’s network. They were recently acquired by Tracfone, but we expect them to keep the brand going.

Like Straight Talk, Simple mobile will sell you a regular SIM card or a micro SIM. Phones that were designed to operate on AT&T will still work with Simple Mobile, but they will only have access to 2G Edge data speeds.

They offer a cheaper plan for $40 per month that includes unlimited talk, text, and web, but data speeds are limited to 3G HSPA. If you want the full 4G HSPA+ speeds, then you will have to pay $60 per month.

Once again, tethering is not supported and your data speeds may be throttled if you abuse the service.

I think Straight Talk SIM is a better deal all around, but check out the Simple Mobile site for more details.

7. T-Mobile Monthly 4G and SIM-only Value Plan

If you don’t need a lot of talk time and really want to save some money, you can also go with T-Mobile’s Monthly 4G pre-paid plans. T-Mobile sells the SIM card activation kit for only $1.99 online.

As you can see above, for $30 per month customers get 100 minutes, unlimited text, and 5 GB 4G HSPA+ data (after that it’s throttled). There is a $60 per month plan that offers unlimited minutes, but it only includes 2 GB of 4G HSPA+ data. And for $70 per month you can get unlimited talk, text, and 5 GB of 4G HSPA+ data.

Just like Simple Mobile, phones that were designed to operate on AT&T will still work with Monthly 4G plans, but they will only have access to 2G Edge data speeds. I believe all the SIM cards are full size, but you can pick up a SIM card cutter for under $5 if you have a newer device.

Head over to the Monthly 4G Prepaid Plans page for the full details.

T-Mobile is one of the only nationwide carriers to sell a SIM-only service. It’s more expensive than the options listed above, but we still wanted to share it.

For $59.99 per month customers get unlimited talk, text, and data (up to 2 GB of high speed). A two-line family plan is also offered at $49.99 per line, per month.

In order to get a SIM-only Value Plan, customer will have to pay a $35 activation fee and agree to a two-year service agreement. This kind of defeats the purpose of pre-paid, and there are much better options out there.

Visit T-Mobile’s SIM-only service page for the full details.

Conclusions

• Pre-paid plans offer access to AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s 4G HSPA+ networks
• Pre-paid has no contracts and no commitments. Switch service providers whenever you like
• Carriers slow down Android software updates. Popular unlocked devices get more frequent updates
• Google’s Galaxy Nexus at $399 is a great deal, and more devices are coming to the Google Play Store
• Pre-paid is not for everyone, but if it fits your needs then it can save you a lot of money

If you have already made the jump to pre-paid, let us know how your experience has been. Would you recommend it to your friends and family? And if you are thinking about leaving your carrier, please share your concerns below.

Welcome back to our regular column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week’s best in Android gaming.

Top 7 New Games This Week

This week I’m testing out a new format. I always try to find the top rated games each week, but now I’m going to limit my recommendations to the Top 7 games. The number of quality games comes and goes each week, but I felt like 7 suggestions was a nice odd number that I could achieve each week. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below.

Machinarium

Developer says: “Discover the award-winning, steam punk world of Machinarium, navigating a clever little robot called Josef from the scrapheap into the city to save his robot girlfriend. Solve puzzles, quests, brain-teasers and mini-games to rid the city of the wicked Black Cap Brotherhood robots. Gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and animations bring the robot’s story to life, using unique comic bubbles and symbols to convey the plot.”

Taylor says: I’m going on a road trip this weekend, so I need a new puzzle game to burn up some time. The video sold me and I just handed over my $3.99. I’ll let you know how it was next week. Update: This game is awesome!

Machinarium Hothead Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Mini Motor Racing

Developer says: “Mini Motor Racing plays like a favorite remote-controlled car showdown, combined with modern tech to nitro-boost your engines! Play multiplayer against up to four of your friends via WiFi! Race in campaign competitions for big rewards! Upgrade your skills and cars to win more! It’s all here in Mini Motor Racing.”

Taylor says: Reminds me of Micro Machines Racing, which I played for countless hours. Asking price is $1.99, but early reviews are good with a 4.3 average score.

Mini Motor Racing The Binary Mill PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Doraemon Fishing 2

Developer says: “You will start going fishing as Doreamon, Nobita or Shizuka and try to feed the beloved dinosaur Pisu. Besides casting the hook as deep as possible to collect coins and catch fishes while avoiding sharks, with the new gameplay, players will touch on fishing jumping out and flick them towards Pisu.”

Taylor says: I think I have a thing for Japanese game music. Game was so odd I just had to share it.

Doraemon Fishing 2 PTT Solution INC. PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Big Win Hockey

Developer says: “CREATE your own unique dream team, COMPETE against opponents from around the world, WATCH your team battle it out on the ice, BOOST your player’s passing, shooting, skating and other skills and get ready to hoist the Daily Trophy for the ultimate BIG WIN!”

Taylor says: I’m not even a fan of hockey and this game looks awesome. It’s free so you have nothing to lose. I’m installing this on my Transformer Prime right now.

Big Win Hockey Hothead Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Lunar Racer

Developer says: “Strap on your moon boots and fire up your nitro boosters! The real space race is about to begin! Sure there’s racing games… but then there’s racing games with powerups! Ever tried racing with homing missiles, land mines, bubble shields and gravity thrusters? Yeah, didn’t think so!”

Taylor says: It’s from the developer of Super Stickman Golf and it’s free. Graphics look simple, but gameplay looks addicting. Average early review score is 4.8.

Lunar Racer Noodlecake Studios Inc PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Plopp

Developer says: “Bubble-like circles, so called ‘Plopps’ emerge all over the place and start growing. When you tap on a Plopp, it explodes and a shockwave is unleashed. If other Plopps are hit by this shockwave they also explode causing big chain-reactions!”

Taylor says: This developer just uploaded four new games to the Google Play store and they all look pretty unique. Plopp looked the most interesting to me out of the bunch. It runs $1.25, so you might want to wait for more reviews to come in before you buy.

Plopp games2be PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Ninja Slash!

Developer says: “Are you tired of always and only cut fruit? No problem! You’re one step away from starting the final cutting experience! Run, Jump and Slice at the same time!”

Taylor says: Odd combination of running and slicing gameplay looks hard as heck. I think this looks pretty fun, and it only costs $0.99. The developer has a good track record, so I think it’s a safe buy.

Ninja Slash! CatfishBlues Games PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Android Games Coming Soon

Gameloft finally supports the ASUS Transformer Prime

This week Gameloft updated their popular MMORGP game Order & Chaos with a new dungeon called Sailen: The Lower City. More importantly, they finally added support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Keep an eye on other Gameloft titles for future Transformer Prime support.

Order & Chaos Online Gameloft PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

N.O.V.A. 3 dropping any day now

Speaking of Gameloft, we still expect NOVA 3 to be available any day now. The iOS version went on sale last week for $6.99 and we expect the Android version to cost the same. Check out the Gameloft Blog for first impressions of the game. (Gameloft, I will freaking love you if you release this on the Prime!)

Will Max Payne Mobile ever come to Android?

Another week and another delay. This game was supposed to be released in April, but it keeps getting pushed back. We were told several times that it would be available in previous weeks, but I honestly have no idea when it is coming out. Keep an eye on@RockstarGames for updates on the release. They seem pretty focused on Max Payne 3, so we might not hear anything for awhile now.

Shoot the Zombies arrives May 24th

It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t mention at least one zombie game this week. DroidGamers reports that Shoot the Zombies from Infinite Dreams will arrive on the Google Play Store around May 24th. This game is the sequel to Shoot the Birds, but this time you have to protect your pumpkin farm from a plague of undead, evil zombie birds.

Games I’m currently playing

Sonic 4 Episode II: This is the biggest release of the week so I just had to try it. I grew up on Nintendo and Mario, so I never really spent much time with Sonic. I played several Sonic games over the years, but I never finished one. I just got a wireless controller for the ASUS Transformer Prime and HTC One X, so look for my review in the coming weeks. Check out our Sonic 4 preview for a chance to win an Android tablet.

Sonic 4 Episode II THD SEGA of America PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

What Android games are you playing?

Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.

A report out of the Wall Street Journal has us thinking differently about the Nexus program. According to the report, Google may be going all-in on their new Nexus strategy, partnering with not one, but multiple OEMs on Nexus devices that Google would sell directly to customers similar to its recent Galaxy Nexus offering. Google hopes to have a full portfolio of devices available by Thanksgiving, and is working on giving multiple OEM partners early access to the next version of Android, currently codenamed Jelly Bean.

This marks a stark change from Google’s previous strategy, where Google exclusively partnered with one key manufacturer to provide the flagship device for its latest OS. Sources for The Wall Street Journal believe this strategy is being taken to provide Google with greater control over the operating system and apps that run on it, thus reducing the impacts wireless carriers have over devices. We assume this will be because the Nexus devices will launch with stock Android, as opposed to the custom skins manufacturers are keen on putting on their devices.

Many are speculating that the move is a response to appease manufacturers concerned with Google’s acquisition of Motorola and what that means for the rest of the Android industry. Taking the potential for Google to play favorites off the table will likely persuade these manufacturers to keep producing and innovating with Android devices.

This story is obviously developing, and Google was unavailable for comment at the time the WSJ story went live. We’ve reached out to Google as well, and will update you as we learn more of the expanded Nexus line rumored for later this year.

My name is Taylor Wimberly and I’m an unhappy Verizon customer. Five months ago I walked into a Verizon store, purchased two Galaxy Nexus phones, and ported my numbers over from T-Mobile. I knew there was a strong chance I might regret that decision, but I wanted to try out Google’s flagship smartphone on America’s largest wireless carrier.

Google bent over backwards to get their flagship device on Verizon’s network so we thought they would provide a stellar experience. However, I found the entire experiment to be a big failure and I wish I could go back in time to purchase the unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus and stick with T-Mobile.

Verizon and Google originally planned to launch the Galaxy Nexus back in October, but numerous bugs were discovered and the launch date was pushed back multiple times. On December 15th, Verizon finally released the Galaxy Nexus to retail stores, bugs still present, and issued a small patch on that same day to address some of the issues.

Unfortunately, the patch from Android 4.0.1 to 4.0.2 only addressed a small number of issues and the Galaxy Nexus was left with a good chunk of annoying bugs.

We were told that Verizon and Google were already working together on another update to address the complaints from those of us that rushed out to purchase the device, and we believed them. But never in our wildest dreams did we think that five months would pass and Verizon would still not release a software update to fix all the known issues.

I’ve already covered the bugs and Google has fixed the majority of them with the latest Android 4.0.4 update. The disappointing thing is that Verizon has been testing this update since February, but they have not rolled it out to customers yet.

We reached out to Verizon to get to the bottom of the delay and they told us they needed more time to make sure the software update “won’t harm either customers’ phones or our network.”

I’m fully aware I could hack my phone and flash one of the test builds which would end my misery, but I decided to stick with the official Verizon software build so I could endure the same experience that the average subscriber would see on their device.

For all we know Verizon could announce tomorrow that a new software update is finally available for their Galaxy Nexus, but the public image of this device is now forever tarnished and I would no longer recommend that any Verizon customer purchase it.

Drive-by Conclusions

In my five months with the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, I have learned some interesting things:

• The process in which US carriers update the software on their Android phones is completely broken, and Google knows this.
• The average Android phone ships with numerous bugs and it could take your wireless carrier half a year to fix them.
• Most Android users don’t hack their phones, and they have a shitty experience.
• Google’s solution to this whole problem is to just buy a phone directly from them.

At the end of the day, I’m still glad that I got to experience being a Verizon customer. Their in-store staff and phone support is top tier, and I understand there is nothing they can do to fix the problem with Android updates. They offered me the chance to switch to a different smartphone, but I think I’m better off paying the $300 early termination fee and returning to an unlocked device.

Maybe Google will fundamentally change the way that Android devices are updated, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. In the mean time it appears that only a Google backed device should expect regular updates, but even that’s not certain.

The Nexus name has come under some serious fire lately; and I can’t deny playing my part in that. Thanks to botched updates, carrier control and an absolutely horrendous initial rollout, Google’s Nexus line just ain’t what it used to be. So why then, did I just recently purchase a Galaxy Nexus as my next personal device? In a nutshell: everyone deserves a second chance.

When the Galaxy Nexus was announced, before the device was actually released, was when the problems first started. We knew the device would launch on Verizon here in the US, but it ended up taking much longer than initially expected. As for those of us not on Verizon, despite a GSM version of the device, compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile HSPA, being detailed alongside the Verizon LTE version, there was no news of that version of the Galaxy Nexus coming to the US at all. In fact, even a Sprint version of the Nexus was detailed before a US GSM variant was.

After that, between the release of the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon in December and this April, a lot of crazy stuff went on. The CDMA version of the Nexus was labeled “fake” since Verizon practically has complete control of it, different versions of the international GSM Nexus were facing update problems as it was discovered carriers and Samsung also had control of those devices. And that’s just the Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus S is still facing update issues, and the Nexus One has been left for dead. But there was still hope for the Nexus name, and it came in the form of the Google Play store.

When Google first announced they’d be selling the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus direct to consumers out of the Google Play store, I was ecstatic. The “Pure Google. No Contract. No Commitment.” slogan on the banner for the Nexus’ sale page had me excited. The software information page for the Play version of the Galaxy Nexus is what had me sold.

“A Galaxy Nexus purchased on Google Play is a Pure Google device and is among the first to receive the latest software updates from Google. We are pushing out updates to Nexus devices as quickly as possible and we will continue to provide the latest updates to these devices going forward. For devices purchased on Google Play, you can expect software updates to come directly from Google, rather than your mobile service provider.”

Could this finally be it? The Nexus I’ve been waiting for? It certainly seems like it. I know Google has messed up in the past, and I know it still has a huge PenTile display (which is what originally deterred me from wanting the Galaxy Nexus). But if Google were to, say, announce and release Jelly Bean at I/O this year, this would have to be the device to get it first. Seeing a new version of Android being released and not being able to use it right away is some strange from of torture I wouldn’t wish on even the most obnoxious of Android enthusiasts.

And to top it all off, a totally unlocked PentaBand device that is guaranteed to get updates directly from Google surely must cost at least $600. Right? The fact that Google is able to get the Galaxy Nexus directly to consumers for just $400 is nothing short of a miracle. Even with tax and shipping, I only paid $435. That is incredibly cheap in terms of brand new unlocked phones. Plus I was able to pass my Nexus S down to a budding Android enthusiast at a steep discount to knock some money off that $435 as well.

Looking past the price and updates, more than anything, I want the Nexus name to succeed. Not in the way that analysts and carrier CEOs do. In the way the developers and die-hard fans do. I know I’ve badmouthed the Nexus name recently, but it’s only because I felt personally betrayed. Not many companies can do that to me, which really says something about the place Google holds in my life.

So I ordered a Galaxy Nexus from the Google Play store. And I’m really hoping for the best. Google, please don’t let me down again.