Fresh Android Apps for June 18: My Xbox LIVE, Carat, Kinectimals

Fresh Android Apps for June 18: My Xbox LIVE, Carat, Kinectimals

Today’s Fresh Android Apps are brought to you by... Microsoft?! Yep, it’s true. Gamers can kick this week off with the official My Xbox LIVE app. Keep track of friends, achievements and the latest game releases. Also from Microsoft comes Kinectimals, the mobile version of the Xbox 360 Kinect title. Meanwhile, Android users looking to get better battery life out of their smartphones may want to try Carat and see if it can help.

Google Play has seen its fair share of knock-off and unofficial Xbox LIVE apps over the past few months, so it’s good to see the official version from Microsoft finally emerge. Of course, you can’t play games through it, but there’s still plenty on offer for all the Xbox 360 owners out there.

Via the app, you can track and compare your achievements, connect with your Xbox LIVE friends, and change/edit your 3-D avatar and profile. You can also see the latest game news and reviews, get tips and tricks for certain titles, message your friends, and much more. If you need to track your LIVE account wherever you are, this app’s for you.

Here’s an interesting concept which is still in beta, but worth a look nonetheless. While other apps out there can monitor which apps are using your battery, Carat claims to be the first to generate personalized recommendations on ways to improve battery life. Reviews are somewhat mixed in Google Play so far, but perhaps with more feedback from users the app will improve, and it sounds like it takes time to achieve results.

Open this free app every few days so it can send data to the Carat servers. Within time, it will start recommending actions and even predict the improvements you will see. Although Carat doesn’t measure energy use directly, it infers what apps are responsible using advanced machine learning methods.

The cute and cuddly motion-controlled baby animal-raising game has been a huge hit on the Xbox 360 Kinect, and Microsoft launched a mobile version on iOS^[1] six months ago. Now Android gamers can join in with the fun using touchscreen controls to keep the little cubs happy.

Kinectimals also includes challenges for you to take part in. You’ll be teaching your cub tricks like sitting or jumping, and playing games with him. As you complete challenges, you’ll earn coins which you can spend to buy new things like different toys and other places where you can take him. If you already own Kinectimals on the Xbox 360, this app will let you unlock five new animals on your console.

Find more great Android games here^[2]

References

1. ^{^} iOS (www.appolicious.com)
2. ^{^} Find more great Android games here (www.androidapps.com)