Dark mode is becoming a trend that goes beyond design and has benefits on battery level, and this week Google has released a few more versions of apps in dark mode. Apple also has news in this area, integrated in the new iOS14 which is already available in beta and can be tried on the iPhone, as SAPO TEK explains this week, with details on how to install.
And how are we playing games? Fortssimos! The SAPO TEK team continues to do an analysis of casual or more advanced games every week to find out what readers can install on their equipment, and today we bring two more new fun suggestions. But there are also tools to improve the photos you share on Instagram, using new backgrounds, and an app to learn more about books without having to read books from wire to wire.
See our suggestions and take the opportunity to renew the stock of applications on your smartphone or tablet.
No time to read books from wire to wire? With this app you can hear them in minutes
At 12min a kind of 2 in 1: an application on audiobooks, but also on abstracts. The two things together do anything like a micro audiobook app. Or be micro audio books?
The proposal of the creators of 12min is to provide the reading of books in exchange for just – there, as the name suggests – 12 minutes at a time. But it's not entirely books.
The application does not actually provide complete books, but rather micro books, or more precisely summaries of the books in question. The 12min team chews all the pages and removes the main ideas to build the content that is then presented.
It is important to safeguard that the app does not have any fiction books and that the available abstracts can be heard, but also read.
The 12min has a free version, but limited to a few options. Unlimited access can be subscribed to in an annual package, with a three-day trial version free of charge. It is available for Android and iOS devices.
Create an application from databases or Excel documents? With Open as App it is possible
You do not need previous experience in the programming world to create an application from Open as App. The technological solution oriented to companies allows to create applications in minutes from databases or spreadsheets from Excel or Google Sheets.
Applications can help companies to establish better communication between teams of employees, among other organizations or with the public. It is true that having knowledge in the world of code languages ​​is a very useful skill, but for those who are just starting out it can be more difficult to create a mobile application from scratch.
Open as App allows you to create applications in minutes from Excel or Google Sheets databases or spreadsheets without requiring previous programming experience. The technological solution used by more than 16,000 companies, including Siemens, T-Mobile and even McDonald's.
To start developing an application you first need to create an account on the platform. Then, you will have to pass all the data you are going to use to the creation dashboard and choose the application model that best suits your needs.
After customizing the design and features, you can share it. If you need inspiration along the way you can always consult the Open as App application library.
The application is available for both Android, in the Play Store, and for iOS, in the App Store. Open as App has a free mode, more suitable for teams of up to 5 employees, and with several modalities paid from 39 euros per month directed to larger companies.
Quick and easy assemblies. With this app you can place photos on backgrounds that leave no one indifferent
Want to "travel" at Casa Branca? Remove BG makes the process very easy. Just a photo of yourself, an automatic crop of the app and the choice of background.
Photoshop can effectively remove the background from images, but the truth is not available to everyone, nor anyone who can use it. Thinking about these cases, there is an application that allows you to automatically remove the background from the photographs and place the final result in images from places all over the world, from Portugal, New Zealand, the United States and South Africa.
Using the Remove BG application, you can import images from the gallery, or take a photo at the moment, and remove the background. You have the possibility to choose the automatic option and touch up with the rubber what you think can still be tuned. For this, it has the help of a magnifying glass with zoom, which makes the task easier and more precise.
When you have finished this step, you can place the image on a background of your choice, with a wide variety of photographs, both of nature and cities. Do you want to "travel" to the White House, in the United States, or to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, for example? With this app possible. In addition to the funds, add text and stickers to another image.
The app is free and available on the Google Play Store.
Live Link Face: this app can capture movements and facial expressions for video game characters
The application was created by the team responsible for Unreal Engine and is available free for iOS.
It's called Live Link Face and it's a simple mobile application, capable of capturing facial expressions and transforming them into its animated equivalent, applying them to a video game character. The software was developed by the Unreal Engine team, which is a well-known game development engine, created by Epic Games.
This app, which is only available for iOS, uses Apple's augmented reality platform, ARKit, and TrueDepth technology, integrated into the front cameras of the brand's smartphones, to enhance this (almost) instant transformation.
In addition to facial expressions, the app also captures the movement of the head and neck and allows collaboration between multiple devices, so that the capture is even more accurate and reaches multiple angles at the same time.
The company reveals that this is not necessarily a tool exclusively for video game studios, but rather a software that allows for broader artistic creations, either by independent media studios or by artists who work alone and want to introduce a faithfully animated character in a of your creations. "The continuous democratization of real-time tools for virtual production is one of the main objectives of Unreal Engine", writes the technology in a statement.
It is not known if there is a version for Android in development – the company makes no mention of it. However, it would be complicated to ensure that the app would work the same way with all cameras available in the Android ecosystem.
Live Link Face is now available, free of charge, on the App Store.
Topic Twister or a stop to play with the smartphone instead of the sheet of paper
World famous, the stop game (or countries, as also known by some) has a few mobile versions. Free of charge, Topic Twister is one of the possibilities.
Find words, in different categories, starting with a certain letter, in a limited period of time: these are the basic rules of Stop Game and also Topic Twister.
To play this mobile version you must register either with a Facebook account or with an email address. From the choice of an opponent, which can be done among the list of friends you have already invited, and who have also downloaded the game, or randomly, with opponents automatically suggested.
Once the opponent is found, just spin the wheel to determine the letter that will have to be at the beginning of the words chosen for five categories at stake, which could be countries, fruits and vegetables, brands, capitals of the world, professions, among many others.
Each game has three rounds and, in the end, whoever has answered correctly to more words in one minute in more rounds wins.
The free Topic Twister, with advertising and in-app purchases, is available from both the Play Store and the App Store.
Solve puzzles while responding to requests for virtual monsters in Pokmon Caf Mix
In the new game from The Pokmon Company you will have to assume the role of a cafe owner frequented by the virtual monsters. To complete each order, it is necessary to solve puzzles. It is important to create good bonds of friendship with customers.
In June, The Pokmon Company announced the arrival of another title for mobile and for the switch where the virtual monsters are once again highlighted. The new Pokmon Caf Mix combines the strategy of puzzles with the adventure of simulation and commercial space management games.
In the game, you will have to assume the role of a cafe owner frequented by Pokmon. As customers place orders, their mission will be to lead a team of employees, themselves Pokmon, and ensure that all tasks are completed.
To complete each order, it is necessary to solve puzzles. But beware: there are a limited number of moves that can be made and you will need to take advantage of the special skills of the Pokmon staff or resort to the available objects. If you are unable to solve one of the puzzles, you will lose one of your five lives. If the losers are no longer able to accept new orders.
When opening your café, count on the help of Eevee. However, by successfully fulfilling orders, earning stars that will fill customers' friendship bar. If the bar has been filled, the client will offer to work at the café, bringing with him new skills and specific dishes.
When he successfully completes the orders presented to him, he receives golden acorns that allow him to buy new objects and improvements to the coffee, as well as additional puzzle solving techniques.
The application is free and available for both Android, in the Play Store, and for iOS, in the App Store. For those who prefer to play on the Switch, you can find a free version of the game for the console in the Nintendo digital store.
