Top 10 Best New Accessories for Android Smartphones

1. Fitbit Charge HR Wireless Activity Wristband

(Fitbit)

While the Fitbit line has come under fire a couple of times for wristband-induced rashes, these problems only affect a small number of users. For the majority of users, a Fitbit is a solid choice. This particular model offers continuous heart rate tracking. In addition, the band tracks calories burned, floors climbed, distance traveled, total active minutes, and steps. There is also a silent alarm feature, which is nice if you need to wake up earlier than your partner. Unlike some older Fitbits, this one provides call notifications and time right on the band.

If you’re still not convinced, check out our guide to Fitbit alternatives to see some other options that might work better for your lifestyle.

Another option? Rent instead of buy. Lumoid has a cool program where you can pick 5 devices from their Wearables Store, and try them out at home for seven days. This gives you a chance to check out a whole bunch of Fitbit competitors at once and find one that works for you.

Price: $149.95

2. SoundPEATS Qy7 Wireless Sports/Running Bluetooth Earbuds

(SoundPEATS)

Looking for the perfect pair of earbuds to use while running or hitting the gym? The SoundPEATS Qy7 earbuds offer an easy-to-read battery meter, up to six hours of play time, and specialized features to minimize Bluetooth skipping and a cleaner audio experience. They’re also sweat-proof, which is great for anyone who wants their device to last. These headphones work with select Android devices, as well as iOS devices.

Price: $35.99

3. SolPro Helios 4500mAh Tri-Fold Solar Charging Power Bank

(SolPro)

This cool new charger from SolPro is great for people who love the great outdoors, but want to keep their devices charged. The Helios is its own case, so you just unfold it and place it in the sun to charge. In direct sun, the charging process takes about 4.5 hours. There are two USB charging ports, so you can charge two devices at once. The 4500mAh battery will be sufficient to charge at least one smartphone, with a bit of charge left over. Your mileage with this charger will depend on what type of Android phone you have.

Price: $144.21 (10 percent off)

4. olloclip 4-In-1 Lens for Samsung Galaxy S5

(olloclip)

Originally designed for the iPhone, olloclip recently became available for select phones in the Samsung Galaxy S family. Four versatile lens options are included in this kit: Fisheye, Wide-Angle, 10x Macro, and a 15x Macro lens. A version for the S4 is also available. If you love taking photos with your phone, this will make your vacation photos and selfies look even better.

The olloclip is relatively inexpensive. However, if you’re looking for a more “professional” grade take on this concept, you might want to check out the Sony QX30. This camera lens attaches to smartphones, and gives you the ability to turn your basic smartphone lens into a 30x optical zoom camera.

Price: $62.95 (10 percent off)

5. WoodPuck Bamboo Edition Qi Wireless Charger Pad

(Fonesalesman)

Qi wireless chargers enable you to power up certain Android devices without a charging cable. There are lots of Qi chargers out there, but this one is notable because of its cool bamboo finish. In addition to working with a wide range of Android smartphones, you can also use this charger to power select wearables, such as the Moto 360.

Price: $29.99 (50 percent off)

6. VicTsing Mini Bluetooth Headset

(VicTsing)

Looking for a small Bluetooth headset? This is one of the smallest ones on the market. It has noise-cancelling features, supports music playback, and also supports multipoint connections. If you use your Android phone for work, this is a handy accessory for taking calls on the go. It’s also great for taking calls hands-free while you are driving. The battery is sufficient for about four hours of talk time.

Price: $16.99 (51 percent off)

7. Omaker M4 Portable Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker with 12 Hour Playtime

(Omaker)

This small, waterproof speaker is ideal for anyone who likes to listen to music in the shower, in the bath, or while chilling by the pool. Recharge takes about three hours, but then you get about 12 hours of playtime (assuming you play the speaker at 80 percent volume). The official rating on this speaker is IP54, which means it is protected against dust (though not completely sealed against dust). It also means this speaker can handle being splashed by water, though it should be not submerged in water.

Price: $34.99 (50 percent off)

8. Wilson Electronics AG Pro 70 Indoor Cellular Signal Booster Kit

(WeBoost/Wilson Electronics)

Wilson Electronics, which recently rebranded as WeBoost, specializes in gadgets that boost your cell signal. If you live or work in an area that has terrible cell coverage, this can be a great accessory to get the most out of your Android device. The Wilson Electronics Pro 70 signal booster was named Wireless Product of the Year at CES 2015, but the company has several other signal boosters that cost less. This signal booster increase both voice and 3G data signals for all major North American cell carriers.

Price: $578.32 (11 percent off)

9. Tile

(Amazon)

Tile is, well, a tile. You can attach Tile to any object you want to keep track of, such as your car keys. From your smartphone, you can use the companion app to see where your Tile is located. The Tile is water-resistant, and has a battery that lasts for one year. If you misplace an item with a Tile attached to it, you can mark it as “Lost” and enable other users around the world to help you find it.

Tile has been around for a while, but it started life as an iOS-only accessory. It was only recently that this accessory started working with select Android devices. According to the Tile site, this accessory will work with the following Android devices: Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, HTC One, LG Nexus 4, LG Nexus 5. Any Android device that doesn’t support Bluetooth 4.0 will not work with Tile.

Price: $70 (for a pack of four), or $25 for a single tag

10. iClever IC-F40 In-Car Universal Wireless FM Transmitter with USB Car Charger

(iClever)

This car accessory works with both iPhones and Android phones. This car charger also lets you listen to music on your device. There’s a handy auto-scan function that lets you find an “empty” radio station to use very quickly. Whether you need a way to charge your device on the go, or just a way to play music on your device in an older car, this is a solid choice. Plus, with more states and cities cracking down on using cell phones while driving, this accessory gives you a way to take calls, hands-free.

Price: $29.99 (50 percent off)

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Top 5 Best New Android Action Games of May 2016

1. Gunship Strike 3D

Heading into the air and blasting ground units to bits in an armed helicopter sounds fun, right? It’s pretty easy to enjoy the explosive trials of such an activity in Gunship Strike 3D. This mobile shooter features some great looking visuals, so you’ll truly feel accomplished as you blast apart tanks and other grounded enemies. There’s an amazing amount of helicopters to gain over time, so you have a ton of powerful options to select from. With over 40 levels to engage in during Battle Mode and the hardcore Boss Mode, Gunship Strike 3Dprovides plenty of great gameplay for everyone.

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2. Bleach Brave Souls

There’s a lot of action/adventure games based on popular anime properties. One of the latest mobile games to adopt a beloved IP is Bleach Brave Souls. As far as fun hack and slashers go, this one’s near the top of the list for the best ones. Players will get to take control of several of the anime’s strongest swordsman, such as Ichigo, Rukia, Renji and more. The majority of your playtime within this release focuses on dishing out flashy attacks in a top-down, dungeon crawler setup. You can take teams of up to three into each stage and follow along with the story of Bleach.  

3. Elite Killer: SWAT

Elite Killer: SWAT combines 1st-person and 3rd-person shooting elements to great effect. It’s up to you to wipe out an evil syndicate with your amazing variety of firearms. You’ll get to arm yourself with machine guns, submachine guns, sniper rifles, grenades etc. Every mission will involve you in some top secret global adventures, so you’ll travel from big cities and vast deserts. Your soldier will move from cover to cover, pull off amazing headshots, unlock 30+ weapons, engage in PVP shootouts and accomplish so much more. Elite Killer: SWAT should satisfy fans of military shooters.

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4. Clumsy Hero

The Demon Realm is full of huge dragons and plenty of formidable monsters. These creatures have taken an interest in your kingdom and have set out to destroy it. Clumsy Herotakes an everyday John and sends him on a heroic journey that turns him into someone extraordinary. This action RPG sends your hero onto moving stages where enemies will constantly step into your path. Attacking, defending and using your pets’ magical abilities relies on your active participation. No need to select an action and wait for the battle play out. Bash that attack button and time your defensive maneuvers as you march on to victory.

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5. Crisis Action

Crisis Action takes mobile 1st-person shooters into the eSports arena with this Counter-Strikeinspired release. You’ll be able to squad up with like-minded soldiers and fight to become the top clan in the game. You’ll get to arm yourself with all types of pistols, assault rifles, grenades, sniper rifles etc. as you compete in action-packed multiplayer matches. Traditional PVP modes such as deathmatch exist, plus single-player battles against bots and the Horde Mode-like Zombie Survival horde mode are available. This online shooter has console game qualities, so mobile gamers will definitely become enamored with it.

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Top 5 Best Free Social Media Apps for iPhone & Android

1. Facebook

Facebook is one of the best and easiest social media networks. You can create a profile with a photo and brief information about yourself. Follow friends and check in on how their doing by writing a short status on their wall or sending a message. Find an article or video you like and post it so anyone that follows you can watch and comment. If you have a business, you can create a page describing what you do and share it with people you know. When they like what they see, they will send it along to other people.

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2. Instagram

Instagram is just a platform for photo sharing. Unlike Facebook you don’t create a profile with information about yourself, but just write a short bio. Then you can upload and edit photos directly in the app. People can like and comment on them, and now there is even a direct messaging capability. For personal use, show your friends and family what you’re up to and photos of your cat. For a more professional audience, share photos of what you create and connect with people that do the same thing. Discover topics and people to different people to follow and find your next favorite photographer

3. Pinterest

Pinterest has the reputation of being a place for people to plan their weddings and find DIY crafts to do on the weekends, however it is becoming more than that. The app is laid out like a virtual cork board. Scroll through to find photos attached to articles that interest you and you can pin them to your own account. Create different boards based on certain interests, like quotes, projects and food. If you want to use it for business, you can create a board and start uploading your own photos. If you use the right tags, it can be found in a search and exposed to more people.

4. Twitter

If you’re not on Twitter as a business-owner you are doing something wrong. It is a great way to connect with an audience and deliver news about what you’re doing. Like Instagram, you just write a short bio about yourself and add a photo, then you write short updates, only 140 characters. You can add links, photos and videos, but the writing must be kept short. This ensures that people looking through the feed can read what you have to say quickly. Make sure you like, replay and even retweet tweets from your followers so you can create a community. Search for topics in the search bar to find other people that like your interests.

5. Snapchat

Snapchat may have begun as a way to send naked photos that don’t stay around, but has turned into a fun way to connect with your friends. A photo or video only lasts 10 seconds and then is gone forever. You can write on them and draw them to make them more fun. From a business stand point, you can create an account and send short updates throughout the day of what you’re doing. Whether it is product photos, or just to show silly employee pictures, it is an easy way for a consumer to digest the information.

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Top 5 Best New Free Android Games this week 2016

1. Elsword: Evolution

There’s a vast amount of mobile action RPG’s that exist within the endless vacuum that is the Google Play store. The entry that we’re listing here is one of the few we put our stamp of approval on. Based on the anime, Elsword: Evolution is a fast paced side-scrolling beat ’em up that has the visual splendor you’d expect from it. After you choose your character class, you’ll head out into the game’s beautifully animated universe and take down a myriad of vicious creatures. You don’t have to head into battle alone; selecting and training your own powerful mount is a very viable option in battle. You can also choose to pit yourself against other players and test your mettle. Or you can choose to buddy up with them and form a clan. For fans and even non-fans of the source material, Elsword: Evolution worth a try.

Download it here.

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2. Angry Birds Action!

Hot on the heels of the franchise’s first feature length film comes this brand new Angry Birdsgame. Angry Birds Action! keeps the lovable destruction the series is known for and blends in some pinball action. Red and all the birds that make up his cavalry arrive once again to cause some mayhem. Only this time, they’ve morphed into wrecking balls who can crash through obstacles on stages that look just like classic pinball tables. Each bird comes with their own special abilities, so it’s best to make good use of them and unlock anything and everything. This new spin on the Angry Birds formula is worth diving into. Now go out and save those eggs!

Download it here.

‘Angry Birds Action!’: Top 10 Tips & Cheats You Need to Know

Enjoy this mobile mixture of Angry Birds and pinball with this developer crafted tips guide for Angry Birds Action!

Click here to read more

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3. Skylanders Battlecast

The world of Skylanders has mastered the art of toys come to life in video game form. While its been an unstoppable force on consoles and handhelds, its never been a big player on mobile devices…until now. Due to Kaos’ evil machinations, it’s up to you to amass your favorite hero cards and save the Second Dimension. This card battler employs the use of physical cards, which you scan into the game for some augmented reality gameplay. There’s 300 cards to add to your collection, 3-character teams to dominate with, single-player missions to complete and tough PvP battles to partake in. Consider this game a version ofHearthstone that your young ones would certainly enjoy.

Download it here.

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4. Bejeweled Stars

Anyone’s who’s been around since the freshman days of mobile games has played one of the OG’s of match-three puzzlers. In 2016, this long-running series has gotten a new treatment in the form of Bejeweled Stars. Your puzzle solving prowess will be tested when you encounter new gems, Charms that perfectly capture your personality and game-changing SkyGems power ups. As you run through a near endless run of match-three puzzles, you’ll begin to notice your progress as pretty Constellations fill up the night sky. Enjoy this new foray into the world of Bejeweled and add another match-three puzzler to your download queue.

Download it here.

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5. Squadron 1945

Bullet hell shooters (more specifically vertical scrolling ones) are always a pleasure to play through. Dodging an onslaught of bullets, holding down the fire button to lay waste to incoming ships and taking on screen filling bosses are always the name of the game.Squadron 1945 employs the winning formula for mobile devices, so new gamers can get a taste of one of gaming’s toughest genres. There’s four separate four warplanes to choose from, 30 stages to fly through, two different maneuvering modes, bonus items to collect and achievements to unlock. Squadron 1945 is a top-notch bullet hell shooter.

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Best 12 weather apps and widgets for Android

Here are the best weather apps and widgets for Android. / © ANDROIDPIT

Weather Timeline: best overall

Available for under one dollar in the Play Store, Weather Timeline could be the best dollar you ever spend. It compiles a load of genuinely useful and interesting features into a wonderful interface and library of widgets.

The app gets its name from its primary function, which is a card-based timeline of the weather, but there's a lot more on offer. You can choose what weather service to use, from five options, and there are notifications that warn you of impending weather changes. Then there's the moon viewer, so you always know the werewolf forecast, and several radar maps, letting you see visualizations of the cloud and rain to come. On top of all that, there are also several interactive graphs showing data on things like temperature, precipitation and pressure. 

The depth of data below an elegant, simple interface make this app our top choice.

Weather Timeline is our favorite weather app on Android. / © ANDROIDPIT

Weather Timeline - Forecast

YoWindow Free Weather: best looking

“Watch weather with pleasure” says YoWindow when you first load it and it truthfully lives up to this promise: this is a great looking Android weather app. Instead of using simple icons to represent clouds, sunshine and rain, YoWindow displays a cartoon landscape which reflects the real-time weather in your current location.

The light level and conditions are accurately represented in the app and you can scroll through the hours – as if scrolling through an online video – to see changes over time. It’s a unique and well-realized weather app, which not only looks good, but is also incredibly easy to use. Available for free with ads or paid without, check it out in the Play Store via the link below.  

Want a weather app that looks great? Get YoWindow. / © ANDROIDPIT

Accurate Weather YoWindow

Simple Weather: best for Material Design

This app's design is as clear and simple as a spring morning. It abides flawlessly by Google's Material Design, making it a great choice for anyone who likes their device to be as homogenous as possible.

It could be said to be a little too simple, as it does lack many of the more advanced features and information that some of the other apps we've tried out here, but if you're just looking for a beautiful Material Design weather app that can tell you the essentials, Simple Weather is a great way to.

For my money, it also has some of the best weather widgets available. They look great on pretty much any device's homescreen.

Material Design weather at its most visually appealing thanks to Simple Weather. / © ANDROIDPIT

Simple Weather

MORECAST - Free Premium Weather: best for intuitive design

MORECAST sells itself with its great-looking and intuitive interface: its vertical list layout is easy to use and interpret. At the top, you’re greeted with the current weather and the 'real feel'. Scroll down and you'll see a more detailed view of the day's weather.

Another swipe and MORECAST will reveal what’s happening tomorrow; down again and you’re presented with a simple seven-day view. This streamlined UI is good for beginners and experienced weather app users alike, because it provides access to all of the information you could need, but doesn’t throw it all at you on one screen. 

MORECAST is full of small details, such as webcams that show the weather at different times of the day across the globe, and a weather navigation feature to help you plan routes around the best conditions.

The MORECAST interface is very intuitive. / © ANDROIDPIT

Weather & Radar - Morecast App

WeatherBug: best for extra features

WeatherBug excels in the design and user interface department, plus it is able to pinpoint the weather forecast, not only to your city, but to your neighborhood. In addition to forecasts and severe weather warnings, the developers have incorporated a traffic camera section to avoid jams and the ability to share photos and albums.

You can customize it to your lifestyle, so you can find out, for example, if you can run to the gym on a specific day, as well as personalize your home screen, language, and save multiple locations.

WeatherBug has some social features, including the option to share pictures. / © ANDROIDPIT

WeatherBug

Weather Underground: best for getting involved

Weather Underground employs the combined services of more than 33,000 weather stations to offer “the world’s most accurate hyper-local weather forecasts” from a widespread weather community. 

This is said to produce a more personalized experience, tailored to your real-time location; users can even give updates on the weather in their area. The interface is highly detailed and shows everything you could ask for, on one convenient and useful page.  

You can press the tick and cross in the center of the screen to confirm whether or not your local weather is as described in the app. / © ANDROIDPIT

• Download Weather Underground from the Google Play Store

Transparent clock & weather: best for weather widgets

This weather widget, as its name suggests, rolls a clock and weather display into some convenient home screen widgets. But not only does it provide the latest weather info, Transparent clock & weather also shows your battery level, next alarm and the next event in your calendar. It can even show your internal system information such as SD card storage and Wi-Fi status.

Transparent clock & weather currently houses 10 widgets, in various sizes with varying levels of detail, and is also completely customizable, allowing you to make adjustments to the color, opacity and update frequency of your widgets. There’s something for everyone, and it makes an excellent alternative to the standard weather widget that's pre-installed on most devices.  

The Transparent Clock & Weather widget (left) and its dedicated app menu (right). / © ANDROIDPIT

Transparent clock & weather

Weather from NOAA free: best for emergency weather updates

If you live or are traveling in a region that is often affected by severe weather, we recommend you check out Weather from NOAA free. This app delivers the latest news straight from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide the most critical information on mainland storms, cyclones, tornadoes and other severe weather.

NOAA free offers real-time satellite views of key areas and a news feed, in addition to comprehensive marine updates. You can also head straight to the Severe Weather Outlook section for a daily glance at what's going on. For those who might be affected by extreme weather, this app could be vital.  

The real-time satellite view (left) and the news feed (right). / © ANDROIDPIT

Weather from NOAA free

The Weather Channel: best for world weather news

The Weather Channel is the go-to weather app for many Android users, with up-to-date and accurate weather information. It includes hourly, 36-hour and 10-day forecast options, as well as the usual gamut of weather conditions like wind speed, humidity, UV index, visibility, dew point and pressure. It also has a slick interface, with a weather-related videos section that features clips from around the world.

It’s simple and intuitive to use. It doesn’t contain all of the necessary info on a single page like some other apps do, but you do get extras such as ski conditions, flu and pollen data. (You also can tap on most items to receive more detailed information.) It's one of the best weather apps for Android.

The Weather Channel has everything you could ask for in a weather app – and more. / © ANDROIDPIT

The Weather Channel

Accuweather: best for serious weather addicts

Accuweather is one of the staple weather apps on Android. It's usually accurate and is filled with great information, including the awesome RealFeel index (which suggests what the outdoor temperature feels like, rather than where the mercury stops).

Accuweather comes loaded with graphs, maps, radar and even video weather forecasts for your region. It's a comprehensive app, but some might be put off by its layout – it's not the easiest app to navigate.

Even if you never stop thinking about the weather, Accuweather has more than enough info for you. / © ANDROIDPIT

AccuWeather

Yahoo Weather: best for ease of use

Yahoo Weather offers tons of information without ever feeling cluttered, and features ever-changing backgrounds from Flickr, so it always feels fresh.

There are many sizes and types of widget for your home screen, and you’ll often get notifications in your status bar. It has everything an average user would need without going overboard on professional features. The one thing that could be improved is location precision.

Yahoo Weather uses background images from the huge image database Flickr. / © ANDROIDPIT

Yahoo Weather

Google Now: best for simplicity

Google Now has a lot to offer in the form of cards, which you can customize to show the information you need, when you need it. One of these is a weather card, which displays the daily forecast for your current location, work location and travel destinations. The design is very Google: simple, minimal and informative. 

Another available card is for public alerts, which gets you emergency information that comes right from the National Weather Services and the US Geological Survey. You can get Google Now as long as you have a Google account, and the Google Search app installed on your Android device. Tap on the Google Search app, tap on the search box, or swipe from the bottom up and this will bring you to Google Now.

Apps made by Google are almost always high-quality, this weather app is no exception. / © ANDROIDPIT

Google

Which app would you say is the best weather app for Android? Let us know in the comments below

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