Author: Dexter Johnson

Dexter is a recent graduate from Hampton University, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Broadcast Journalism. He has had experience in directing, producing and filming several shows and productions for his alma mater's campus-wide television station. In addition to contributing to App Review Central, he is also the administrator for The Blog Is Right: Game Show Reviews And More.

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Reviews

Glimmer (luminous alarm clock) [Android App Review]

Glimmer is an alarm clock app that comes with customizable themes and features that will help you wake up on time as well as sleep distraction-free. Once you set an alarm through this app, the app will softly wake you up 30 minutes prior by slowly increasing the brightness on your screen. Also, if you didn’t wake up on time, it will play a long, boisterous sound one minute after the alarm that is guaranteed to wake you up for whatever you have to do. This app is also built to respect your time of peace and quiet by muting your phone’s notification alert tones while keeping the Wi-Fi/mobile data signal open for you to check your emails and other messages when you wake up.

Some of the other features include adding multiple alarms, customizing the theme with colorful backgrounds and fonts and“night” and “day” modes, set to preserve energy and battery power when needed. The downside of the availability of some of these features is that it will cost you at least one euro (roughly $1.37 USD) to unlock the full version of the app. The free version will still give you the ability to set one alarm for any day(s) using one of two default themes.

Glimmer is a great upgrade from Vuxia’s Glimma, a soft alarm clock app that functions similar to Glimmer. The UI is simplistic, easy to navigate and is aesthetically pleasing with its minimalistic themes. I like how this alarm functions to ensure that you to awaken visually and audibly, as well as easing you into your early morning routine with the soft alarm concept. What also makes this app appealing to use is its smooth and clean graphical interface. Normally, you would expect free apps are not so mainstream, such as this one, to feature attractive graphics. But, Glimmer proved otherwise and I applaud the developers for it. The only change I would make is adding an option to switch between the standard and military time formats for those who may prefer the 12-hour format over the 23-hour format.

Although there are features within the app that costs a one-time fee to unlock and access, Glimmer is available to download for free in the Google Play store for Android devices and is the ideal app for users who are not particularly fond of waking up early.

App Name: Glimmer

Developer: Vuxia

Market: Google Play

Cost: Free

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Reviews

Shellfire VPN [Android App Review]

Shellfire VPN is an app created to connect you to a variety of virtual private network servers from across the globe. For those of you who are not familiar with VPNs, a virtual private network extends a private network across a public network, similar to a WAN (wide area network). This “virtual” network enables a computer, or in this case, a mobile device, to send and receive data shared across public networks and created by establishing a point-to-point connection through means including virtual tunneling protocols or traffic encryptions. In essence, it’s another way to connect to the Internet.

Before you connect to a VPN, you have to create a free account with password protection. Afterwards, if you are using Shellfire for free, you are only limited to access one server connection (with a subpar connection status to a German VPN). If you want to gain access to use servers with stronger connections, you can either pay for a single-payment, monthly or a yearly subscription to unlock the “Premium” and “Premium Plus” VPN server connections. Subscriptions range in value from one to 85 euros.

In order to gain the full, enjoyable experience of using a virtual private network, especially when it come to using this app, you will more than likely need to purchase at least a month subscription of Shellfire’s Premium VPN service, which does not cost more than $7 USD ($14 for the Premium Plus). With the Premium service, you will receive nearly 10x faster connection speed (7200 kbit/sec vs. a sluggish 768 kbit/sec), a choice of server selections from the USA, England, Netherlands, Switzerland and France; the option to change location at all times and full access to streaming websites including YouTube, Hulu, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC.

Even if you don’t buy either of the paid services, Shellfire VPN will promise to at the very least allow users to peruse the Internet anonymously, keep your IP address hidden, safely use public Wi-Fi hotspots and provide you with an encrypted Internet connection. Aside from dealing with a slow Internet connection if you were to prefer using the free version of the app, I like Shellfire VPN and what it had to offer. It’s not to complicated and anyone who knows how to click on a few buttons to get started can use it hassle- and problem-free.

Shellfire VPN is available to download for free in the Google Play store. Get connected today!

App Name: Shellfire VPN

Developer: Shellfire 

Market: Google Play

Cost: Free

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Reviews

ShareON Audio [Android App Review]

ShareON Audio is a media player developed for Android devices and PCs that has the ability to play audio files stored on your phone’s SD card and hard disk space. But, this isn’t your ordinary music player. ShareON Audio uses Wi-Fi technology to stream music saved on your PC and iTunes account onto your mobile device without having to physically download them.

Upon first entering the app, you will be shown an infographic breaking down how to use each feature on the user interface. You can live stream music through either a Wi-Fi signal or by syncing your DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) device to the app. The media player can also organize your song library by albums, songs, artists and genres, search for local audio files via the app’s folder browser, set an internal alarm with a song as a custom alarm ringtone, load album art and song lyrics and playback controls including shuffle and repeat. If you run into any problems or issues while operating this app, open the Help tab to access an array of troubleshooting tips or the 1:1 Q&A tab to contact the Help team via email and explain your problem in detail. Both help tabs are located in the Settings menu.

ShareON Audio is an excellent concept of using a wireless, cloud-based means of accessing your music without having to copy everything over to your phone and filling up your memory unnecessarily in the process. Its unique blue graphical interface design adds some appeal that would make users want to use the media player as their phone’s default music player, similar to how many computer owners would more than likely choose iTunes as their main source for playing music and organizing their audio library.

One of the more impressive features are how this app is vastly compatible with a lot of modern technological devices today. Not only does ShareON Audio have the ability to connect with your DLNA mobile device and PC, it’s also compatible with, XBOX, Smart TVs and many DLNA supported TVs and speakers. The only problem I have with this app, when it comes to compatibility is that it is not Mac/iOS friendly. I hope that Spika will consider releasing a ShareON Audio program for Mac desktops and laptops.

Other than that, ShareON Audio is a great media player to use and easy and simple to use as well. The app is free to download for Android devices and the Windows desktop version is also free to download from the developer’s website.

App Name: ShareON Audio 

Developer: Spika Inc.

Market: Google Play

Cost: Free

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Games Reviews

Get Rewards from your favorite apps-HasOffer [Android App Review]

HasOffer is a reward program app where downloading your favorite games and apps could lead you to virtual monetary rewards. Here’s how it works: once you download the app and have created a new free account, you will be able to download games and apps through HasOffer. Depending on the app, every time you download a program via HasOffer, you will receive credits to use toward redeeming them for gifts including Amazon gift card credits.

The app also gives you the ability to share popular game titles with your friends through a social network medium and a chance to earn bonus credits by paying the daily featured games as well as completing special offers shown on the app’s custom lock screen upon waking your phone up from its sleep mode. You can also earn free credits by sharing the app on Facebook, Twitter, through text messaging and email. As with most free reward programs (e.g.: Swagbucks), you will have meet certain conditions and stipulations in order to earn your credits such as playing a game for at least 30 seconds.

Of all the reward websites and programs available online today, this is one of the easier and cost-free mediums to earn cash rewards instantly. Think about it: by downloading a single game to your phone, you could be nearly halfway to earning an Amazon gift card reward. With this being said, HasOffer also has some drawbacks including low redemption rewards and improper page redirection when clicking on a download link that leads to credit rewards.

Low Redemption Rewards: When you first open an account on the site, you will be only limited to $1 and $2 rewards. If you have the “slow and steady wins the race” mentality when it comes to reward programs, then this is the perfect one for you. Judging from some of the screenshots I have seen, the rewards center will be updated occasionally with new redemption prizes.

Questionable Redirecting Links: This is perhaps the app’s biggest disadvantage. Whenever I would click on a potential credit-earning app link that would lead to the download page, the app would redirect me to a blank page that appeared to be in a constant loading state. I would get the same result regardless of connecting to a strong Wi-Fi or mobile data signal. It seems the problem lies within the app than the Internet connection strength and is an issue that needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

HasOffer is free to download in the Google Play store for all Android devices.

App Name: HasOffer

Developer: Hasoffer, Inc.

Market: Google Play

Cost: Free

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Games Reviews

Get Ready to Feel the Music -Dubstep Hero [Android Game Review]

Put your musical timing and quick reflexes to the ultimate test in Dubstep Hero. Similar to Guitar Hero and the ever-popular Tap Tap Revenge, the goal of this music rhythm game is to play in tune with each song by tapping the beats as they appear on the screen. String together a streak of correct notes to increase the multiplier and boost your score. The game features 20 tracks from dubstep artists including Dirty Stab, Meiosis, Fast Foot and Syberian Beast.

The Play menu has two game modes: Normal and Custom mode. The Normal mode allows you to play one of the game’s preloaded songs. Your score will be primarily based on note accuracy. The Custom mode allows you to choose any song stored on your SD Card and play with any of the four skill levels. In order to unlock this mode, you will have to pay a one-time fee of $0.99 USD. The Tracks menu contains a playlist of unlocked songs on the game, as well as links to the artists’ bios via Promo DJ and song downloads located on Beatport, SoundCloud and VK, a European social networking service.

With its library of a range of fast-paced dubstep songs, Dubstep Hero is definitey more challenging than Tap Tap Revenge. One of the more obvious reasons include having to manage five buttons with two thumbs on a horizontal screen orientation rather than just three buttons with one thumb on a vertical screen orientation. Another reason why this game is more difficult can be attributed to the aforementioned list of dubstep songs. Because this will be the only genre you will have to work with in this game, you will need quick reflexes to keep up with the frequent uptempo rhythm and beats each song is comprised of.

The game has a good selection of song titles, the touch-screen control sensitivity responds well and it’s simple to play. The only improvements that could be made to this game lies mostly within the actual gameplay. As an avid gamer, nothing thrills a player more than watching their score skyrocket into the five and six-figure territory. In this game, you will be very, very lucky to score at least 10,000 points. Some in-game features to add to boost your score could include a “Superstar” meter (similar to Tap Tap Revenge) to temporally increase your multiplier times 10 once the meter is filled, or a crowd meter (similar to Guitar Hero) that will automatically end your game if you fail to hit a certain number of notes consistently.

If you’re not a huge fan of dubstep or electronica music, this might not be the game for you. However, if you are a fan of playing games that will keep you on your toes, download Dubstep Hero today. The game itself is free to download for Android devices and the Custom MP3 mode will only cost you $0.99 USD.

App Name: Dubstep Hero

Developer: Brus Media Pty Ltd

Market: Google Play

Cost: Free

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Reviews

Mobiscope Cloud [Android App Review]

Mobiscope Cloud is a home monitoring app that can turn an ordinary IP camera or webcam into your own personal security camera. This app will give you the feeling like you’re “Big Brother” without paying a big sum of money for it. Similar to the original Mobiscope app, this version is a cloud-based video surveillance service for homes and small businesses. Once you have configured the settings your popular network camera to sync to the Mobiscope Cloud app, you will be able to view the camera stream live, receive notifications for any motion the camera detects, enable DVR playback and save the video archives in a cloud video storage system. Some of the other features include fullscreen viewing, being able to add up to two camera at one time and a UI timeline with color-coded camera events. If you are unfamiliar with this mobile software and how it works, Mobiscope has installed demo cameras in the company’s main office and green room so you can test the controls and features without going through the hassles of installing your own cameras beforehand. All unsaved video archives will be accessible for up to 72 hours (3 days).

The demo cameras feature is definitely a useful feature for first-time users and will even make you consider setting up your own IP camera within your home. This brings me to my next point — in order to fully utilize this app, you will need to either purchase an IP camera with Wi-FI capability or setup your laptop/desktop webcam somewhere in your house. The good news is that IP cameras are relatively inexpensive as the are normally priced around $65 USD; the bad news is I can envision most users justifying their decision to not buy an IP camera (if they don’t already own one) just to be able to use the free app. Aside from that, the app is simple and easy to use. The user interface is streamlined, doesn’t contain a lot of unnecessary features or graphics and it’s very user friendly. This is a great utility app to own if you want a little peace of mind if you are a homeowner going on a trip or a small business owner who has closed shop overnight or during the holidays and want to keep a third eye open to anything that might go wrong while you’re away.

The app is free to download in the Google Play store for Android devices and will only require less than 30MB of room on your phone.

App Name: Mobiscope Cloud

Developer: Mobiscope, Inc.

Market: Google Play

Cost: Free

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Reviews

Tanktastic-3D tanks online [Android Game Review]

Prepare for combat in the combative game of strategic maneuvering and precise shooting: Tanktastic.

Before you begin playing this game, you will have to setup an account, free of charge and accompanied with a simple password, on the app. In this massive multiplayer game, you will be engaged in either a Team Deathmatch battle where each team is comprised of up to eight players or a large single-player Deathmatch battle where up to 16 players may compete. The Capture The Flag game mode is also available in this app as well.

Tanktastic has a wide selection of maps, more than 50 tanks to choose from and customizable upgrades for your tanks to give you an extra edge in the game including a charging system, turret engine, smoke grenade launcher, armor-piercing and high-explosive ammunition and an improved radar system. The various other features this game has to offer include local chat rooms, “clans” you can join and a settings menu, where you can modify game controls, the game’s graphics detail and the volume to personalize your gaming experience to your liking.

This third-person shooter is like a modern, multiplayer version of classic Atari game Battle Zone. While this game has decent sound effects and solid 3D graphics, the overall gameplay will seem slow if you engage in Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch battles with less than eight players competing on a large-scale map. Your overall gaming experience will also seem sluggish if you are not fan of games where the tank is primary and only choice of weapon. Because the game’s default controls may seem a tad slow, you might want to consider manually adjusting the sensitivity controls yourself. Speaking of controls, one of the better features of Tanktastic is its touch screen controls, meaning the directional joystick is not fixed in one specific corner of the screen.

Although this game has realistic elements like a detailed UI scope for aiming, it doesn’t exactly have a fully realistic virtual atmosphere and is not exactly instantly addictive like Battlefield or Call Of Duty is, even on mobile platforms. Although this game is free to download, it will still cost you a decent chunk of storage room on your phone as you will need about 138MB of free space on your mobile device.

App Name: Tanktastic

Developer: G.H.O.R Corporation

Market: Google Play , iTunes 

Cost: Free