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 today.
There's 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
Dolphin Zero (Free)
Developer Dolphin is pitching its new app as a Snapchat of browsing. No, not because it's full of nudes. It's about privacy: a browser that automatically deletes (or "shreds" in its terminology) your browsing history, cache, passwords and cookies.
Solar : Weather (Free)
Apparently more than 2m people have used the iOS version of weather app Solar. Now it's on Android with the same minimalist design that made that version such a hit. It's simple, colourful and pulls its weather data from the well-respected Wunderground service.
Cross DJ (£3.29)
Budding Android superstar DJs (or, indeed, super round-a-friend's-house-commandeering-the-stereo DJs) will be flocking to Cross DJ, a DJing app with a clean, uncluttered design to get you mixing and scratching your digital music files.
The Box+ (Free)
The Box runs a network of music video TV channels here in the UK, and now it's got an official app. You can stream the main The Box channel to your device, as well as 4Music, Heat, Smash Hits, Kiss, Magic and Kerrang – which just about covers most music tastes.
TalkSide Full Screen Caller ID (Free)
This is an intriguing prospect: an app that "prepares the talk for you" when calling someone by pulling in recent Facebook updates, trending news stories, suggestions for nights out and more, as you talk. A smarter, social phone-calling app, in other words.
Lingualia - Learn Languages (Free)
Talking of "smarter", this app wants to help you learn languages – initially Spanish or English, although I suspect more will follow in 2014. Its courses include vocabulary, grammar flashcards, audio clips and lots of dialogue practice, with your progress shared with the Lingualia website.
VUE Magazine (Free)
You may already know the print version of VUE magazine if you go to the cinema regularly in the UK: it's the mag about films that's distributed in the cinema chain of the same name. This is its digital version, offering the same news and reviews, with added video trailers and interactivity.
PNP - Portable North Pole 2013 (£2.31)
The Portable North Pole website enables parents to order video messages from Father Christmas to their children, with its app version used to order and watch video messages, with a Kids section containing an advent calendar, countdown and map radar to pinpoint Santa's home.
Clip It (Free)
Clip It is new from mobile operator O2, and only for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S3 smartphones at the moment. It's interesting though: a rebadged version of an existing app called Six3, which involves sending private video messages to friends or family individually, or in groups.
Happy Geese (£1.94)
Happy Geese could be in the games section too: it's a pair of board games (Snakes & Ladders and The Game of the Goose) designed specifically for children with special needs to play with their parents, carers and/or teachers. It aims to help children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, among others.
GAMES
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (£4.99)
Hot on the heels of its iOS reboot comes this Android version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, originally released in 2004 for consoles. It's nostalgia, yes, but the game still packs a mighty punch with its sandbox gameplay. It plays nice with Bluetooth controllers too.
Colossatron (£0.58)
Best known for Fruit Ninja, developer Halfbrick's latest game gets you to "take control of a giant robotic snake and smash through cities with ease". Marvellous fun, like Snake meets Katamari Damacy (a bit) with bags of character and plenty of depth.
Blocky Roads (Free)
Blocky Roads looks like someone turned Minecraft into a racing game: you zip through 12 tracks with a choice of nine vehicles, or can craft your own pixelly car "block by block". And while it wears its influences firmly on its sleeves, it's very good fun indeed.
Disney Hidden Worlds (Free)
The hidden-objects game genre is tailor-made for touchscreens, and this new game from Disney shows why (give or take the odd teething difficulty on some Samsung devices). It presents famous scenes from Disney movies and gets you to find the hidden objects.
The Cave (£3.06)
The marketing for this game understandably stresses creator Ron Gilbert's role as the father of the Monkey Island games, but it's good enough to stand on its own merits. It's a rich, characterful adventure that sees you exploring a mysterious cave with three of seven characters.
Kami (£0.69)
Kami is a beautiful, relaxing game based around folding colourful virtual paper in squares, trying to fill the screen with a single colour in as few moves as possible. No time pressures or impossible levels trying to make you buy in-app purchases. A marvellous de-stress tool.
No Brakes Valet (£1.69)
I first played this game on the Ouya micro-console, but now it's made the leap onto handheld Android devices. Your job is to park cars in a top-down-view car park as quickly and efficiently as possible. Although very soon, the latter goes out of the window in favour of blind, crashy panic.
MIMPI (£1.22)
Another beautiful game: it's a really strong week for quirky, creative indie Android games, reflecting a wider trend in 2013. Here, you play a dog searching for his master across eight levels, solving puzzles as you go. There's a real sense of craft here: it's well worth paying for.
RPG Record of Agarest War (£5.29)
If you like your Japanese tactical RPGs, don't be put off by the price of Record of Agarest War, as there's plenty of game to get your teeth into. It sees you taking your crew through a series of fantasy battles, with a sprawling plot and cast, and plenty of challenge.
Hopeless: The Dark Cave (Free)
Finally, another indie surprise for Android owners ahead of Christmas: a reflex-based action game where you're trying to shoot monsters and spare friendly blobs. It has the just-one-more-go factor in spades, as well as a surprisingly creepy feel as the monsters appear out of the darkness.
