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Musically yours
Anulekha Agarwal
If music be the food of love, play on… From chart-topping hits to retro songs to golden oldies, if you love timeless music, then Hungama's new free app for Android, BlackBerry and iOS is the just the right pick for you.
Hungama-Free Bollywood Music app has a vast library of songs and videos. One can choose to stream from an extensive collection of songs that have been classified into three categories - latest, top and recommended. You can even watch videos of the songs you play. Ranging from Bollywood to Bhojpuri, along with international hits, you can access the hippest, hottest and latest music and videos on your phone/tablet.
Every song or video comes with its unique set of information like name and year of the album, genre, musician, singers, cast and lyricist. If you love something, you can instantly share it with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, SMS or email.
For each action on the app, you are rewarded with some coins and badges that can be redeemed for downloading music or video, which is otherwise not free. Apart from managing your own playlist, one can also set their favourite songs and videos.
The app also features live radio streaming that includes 'top celeb radio'. The celebrity radio is best for people who specifically like to listen to songs of their favourite artists.
I loved the 'discover' feature that allows you to set your mood as happy, sad, romantic, ecstatic, heartbroken, chilled out or party, after which the app discovers songs to suit your current mood.
Along with a neat display and simple user interface, the app has an interesting 'gym mode' that helps to switch songs with just a swipe and there is a self-explanatory 'sleep mode' as well.
Though there is so much in this app for music lovers like me, glitches like regular crashes and slow buffering on 2G need to be fixed. It would have been better if there was an option to share stuff with WhatsApp contacts, too. Though the app comes at a size of 8.41 MB, it is sadly using much more space in my phone. Absence of option to download songs for free is what most users of this app would miss.
Shorthand for Java, Windows, Symbian
Apoorva Gupta
After I broke the screen of my Nokia E7 last week, I was forced to use my old phone Nokia E63 till the time I can have the money to buy a new device. Being a tech geek, I always need gmail, gtalk, facebook and other networking sites on my phone. The E63 didn't have it. So, one day while trying to get all of it easily on my phone (considering it is not Android), in the Nokia Ovi Store, I found the app 'Shorthand'. And, yes, it is free.
Shorthand is a powerful, mobile app-platform that uses text messaging to provide a rich, branded, graphic, and interactive experience. Shorthand gives you access to a large base of content and services, which it calls TextApps, comprising a diverse set of categories like entertainment, social networking, retail, banking and payments, horoscopes, etc. You can get as many as 30 different apps on Shorthand, which you can also find on its website www.shorthandmobile.com.
It does need a data plan at first to download and activate your connection. Shorthand's TextApps use your text messaging plan and do not require a data plan after initial installation. Standard data charges apply after that. It currently supports phones across different mobile platforms, including java and Windows mobile.
And, thus, it made it easier for me to use my E63 as an E7 and make my work simpler.
Keep running!
Nitin Sreedhar
We have seen Temple Run and Temple Run 2 set the benchmark in the endless-running games segment. Both the versions of the game from Imangi Studios have received rave reviews and they are an Android hit. But as you keep on running and playing them, you reach a certain level of stagnation. So, we went game-hunting and came up with a couple of other endless-running games which will surely fit the bill.
Agent Dash
Have you always wanted to be a secret agent, running at breakneck speed and trying to give the enemy a slip? Well, if that is what you are looking for, then you might as well download Agent Dash on your Android device. Developed by Full Fat, Agent Dash features a tuxedo-clad agent running continuously, collecting diamonds and dodging boulders that are put forth. You get to use guns, jetpacks and many more gadgets through the course of the game. The game packs excellent graphics and sound effects. Unlike Temple Run, Agent Dash does not have a pursuer (primarily the antagonist in endless runners). Hit a boulder, and its game over.
Available for Android,
Price: Free
Subway Surfers - World Tour Paris
Kiloo's Subway Surfers-World Tour Paris is one endless-running game which will surely keep you glued to your Android for hours. Subway Surfers is a perfect combination of storyline, graphics, music, backdrop and characters. You play the role of Jake who is trying to evade a cop and his dog (pursuers) and collecting coins in doing so. Surprisingly, the graphics in Subway Surfers are in high-definition. Apart from Jake, there is a long list of characters to choose from. As you keep running, you need to dodge incoming trains. In the course of the game, you get add-ons such as a hover board, a jetpack fuelled by colours and a pair of high-bounce shoes. The characters also perform spectacular stunts when you change tracks, jump or slide in order to dodge other boulders. If you hit a boulder, it's good night Jake.
Available for Android,
Price: Free
