It's time for our weekly roundup of brand new and notable apps for Android smartphones and tablets. It covers apps and games, with the prices referring to the initial download: so (Free) may mean (Freemium) in some cases. The equivalent iOS roundup will be published later in the day.

This week: a new structure, based on feedback from readers of previous posts. The non-game apps are listed first, followed by the games. Read on for this week's Android selection (and when you've finished, check out previous Best Android apps posts).

APPS

Helpouts (Free)

Brand new from Google, Helpouts is a service that promises it "connects people who need help with people who can give help over live video". Said experts are grouped into categories, from cooking, beauty and fitness/nutrition through to computers and electronics. You can pay per minute or by the call, with early indications being that the calibre of experts is pretty good.

Google Text-to-Speech (Free)

More Google: this is Android's text-to-speech engine released as a standalone app, which can thus be updated more often than your handset maker of choice releases new Android software (although there's also concern about this also indicating a move to a closed rather than open source model for Android's key applications). For now, this helps various Android apps read text aloud.

JumpCam - Friends Video Camera (Free)

JumpCam is one of a clutch of apps designed to help people shoot videos in groups, then have them edited together automatically (see also: Vyclone). It uses an invitation system to ensure that only friends can contribute clips to your joint movie, which can then be shared to Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.

Band of the Day (Free)

Band of the Day picked up lots of plaudits when released for iPhone when released a couple of years ago. Now it's available on Android too, still with a simple mission: to spotlight a new band or musician every day, with music, biographies, videos and photos.

Movember Mobile (Free)

It's that time of year when men proudly strut the land with moustaches of varying quality, in order to raise money and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer research. This is the official Movember app, offering a rogues gallery of facial fuzz, and the ability to track donations and post updates to social networks.

HPI Check (Free)

A useful tool for anyone buying a used car in the UK, this, offering a quick way to check on the history of a car before handing over cash for it. The app also pulls in data on a car's environmental impact, suggests how much it'll cost in road tax and petrol spending, with full checks costing £16.99 in-app.

Kids Learn English with Busuu (Free)

Foreign-language-learning service busuu's new Android app is aimed at children taking their first steps in English, with other languages also available. It teaches 150 words through mini-games and quizzes, with a virtual "language garden" used to track progress. It's simple to grasp, and fun rather than dry.

[adult swim] bump builder (Free)

This one's for American TV viewers only: a mobile app based on the "bumps" – short sketches – that are aired on the Adult Swim segment on US TV. The app wants to get people creating their own bumps and sharing them with the community, with additional second-screen features designed to be used when watching Adult Swim on Monday nights.

Dayframe (Free)

The full Dayframe app actually comes out tomorrow (Tuesday 12 November), but this is a "placeholder" for people who want to be first in the queue to get it. What is "it" when it's at home? Dayframe will turn an Android device into a digital photo-frame – the idea being you slot your smartphone or tablet into a stand and have it show photos from services including Facebook and Flickr.

ESPN Fantasy Basketball (Free)

Something not just for Americans here – it's available elsewhere in the world too for overseas NBA buffs. It's ESPN's official fantasy basketball app, where players can check their squads and tweak lineups, and get news, videos and tips from the US basketball league to help them refine their strategies.

GAMES

Star Wars: Tiny Death Star (Free)

I've actually had to hide my smartphone while writing this feature, to avoid getting sucked back into my miniature Death Star. This game is based on the equally-marvellous Tiny Tower, where you had to build a tower level-by-level, populating it with "bitizens" to work, play and rest. In this officially-licensed Star Wars version, the tower is a Death Star, and the bitizens are characters from the films. Addictive.

Rayman Fiesta Run (£1.99)

Rayman often gets underrated in the history of great game characters, but his mobile games have been top-notch in recent times. This is the latest one: a colourful platformer with more than 75 levels to scoot through, and bags of charm.

Thor: TDW - The Official Game (Free)

The new film Thor: The Dark World is apparently "punctuated by thunderous boredom" according to The Guardian's review. The official mobile game looks better though: an action-packed breeze through 90 suitably-epic missions, with in-app purchases used to ensure your hammer is primed and ready.

CastleVille Legends (Free)

Social games publisher Zynga has been having a tough time of late, with lots of questions around whether it can recapture its Facebook success on mobile. Will CastleVille Legends help with that? If you're a fan of the kingdom-building genre, it's fun enough – based on but completely separate to the existing Facebook version, it sees you growing your kingdom through trading, questing and looting.

Luxuria Superbia (£1.87)

If you want an in-depth look at Luxuria Superbia, read my colleague Keith Stuart's piece from last week, which does an excellent job of explaining it. It's a game about sex without actually featuring sex: "a simple game of touch, pleasure and joy". And while it's available on computers, touchscreen devices are arguably the best medium for it.

Principia (£2.76)

Apparatus remains one of the best Android puzzle games, but now it's got a sequel. Principia is just as focused on the laws of physics, but this time you're guiding a robot to a goal by building... well, just about anything you fancy, with more than 150 components available. It's like a virtual microelectronics toolbox, with wonderful room for experimentation.

Meltdown (Free)

Meltdown is a more traditional action-shooter game, still with robots – but these ones have to be blasted into bits rather than helped on their way. There's some depth too, with 30 levels to play through, and an online co-operative mode for up to four players to work together too.

Burn The Lot (£0.62)

This one's fun: a game based partly on traditional travelling carnivals (or "carnies") and partly on sci-fi space-hopping. "Stopping interstellar carnies from taking over the galaxy is your job," as the Google Play listing puts it. This takes place as a dual-stick shooter across the various planets, with varied enemies and weapons providing plenty of action.

Call of Duty (Free)

Not a game in itself, but the official companion app to the new Call of Duty: Ghosts console game, to help you manage your in-game clan, check your stats, and ping friends when you're ready for a multiplayer session. It's also good for tweaking your loadouts when not at your console, ready to use next time you're playing.

Ittle Dew (£4)

Finally, Ittle Dew wears its inspiration firmly on its sleeve – if you've enjoyed Nintendo's Zelda games, you'll find much to like here – with heroine Ittle Dew and companion Tippsie exploring a mysterious island. It's a charming mixture of exploration and puzzle-solving.

That's this week's selection, but what do you think? Make your own recommendations, or give your views on the apps above, by posting a comment.