Five to Try: cturesque perks up your lock screen, Reserve helps secure V-Day plans

BY GreenBot Staff

Published 6 Feb 2015

nt to load up on some new apps games before the weekend hits? Our Five to Try column spotlights the latest intriguing releases significant updates so you always have something fresh interesting to explore enjoy on your Android device.

This week, we have Microsoft’s eye-catching cturesque ck Screen, as well as classy restaurant reservation app Reserve a major update to the much-loved ely arm Clock. And if it’s games you’re after, we have the br new remake of tough-as-nails timing test ve ve, as well as the amusing ( free) downhill winter sprint that is Dudeski. Read on for our quick take on each.

cturesque ck Screen

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Swipe left to see the latest news or access your calendar, plus you can shake the device to pull up a different lock screen image.

oking to break from your usual lock screen? Believe it or not, Microsoft has the latest notable option on the ay Store— even more surprising is the fact that it’s inspired by the company’s own ndows one OS to some extent. As the name hints, cturesque puts an emphasis on bold, eye-catching photography, delivering a new Bing photo every time you power on the display.

Shaking the phone swaps to a different photo, the lock screen shows the weather battery life, offers a Bing search bar. You can optionally display app shortcuts, swiping left pulls up top news stories, as well as access to the flashlight other settings. It’s hy, attractive, free, though the heavy Bing bring might be a bit much. 

Reserve

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Got a fancy joint in mind for an upcoming dinner? Reserve can be your digital concierge, but it’ll cost you extra.

If you’re stressing over Valentine’s Day plans, or just want to book a nice dinner out with a loved one or friends, consider grabbing the newly released Reserve. Yes, there are loads of restaurant recommendation apps, not to mention options for booking reservations from your phone. But Reserve puts it all together in a slick, useful package offers a couple of perks (for a fee, of course).

For example, booking a restaurant through Reserve lets you pay for the entire meal automatically through the app—no need to bother with a bill signature. And if you’re trying to get into an in-dem spot, you can “bid” a percentage fee given to the eatery on top of the bill to improve your chances of getting in. Grimy as that sounds, it might be worth considering if you’re desperate to make a good impression with dinner.

ve ve

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Still images don’t do ve ve justice. Imagine that everything is spinning you’ll probably crash within two seconds, but you just have to get further into the maze. That’s essentially it.

If you like your games to be more like flaming balls of stress rather than cuddly, casual diversions, surely the new improved ve ve ($0.99) will sate that desire. It owes a debt of inspiration to the remarkably brutal Super Hexagon, only here, you’re guiding a speeding line through an obstacle course of sharp turns tight pathways. And if that wasn’t enough, the screen is constantly rotating too. sting 10 seconds on the easiest setting felt like an early accomplishment. (It’s really not.)

The original version of ve ve released last summer has been renamed to ve ve gacy; it had more romized modifiers to throw you off, but also lacked the consistent rotation, so the new game feels quite different.

Dudeski

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Nothing like a little ski brah poetry to pull you further into this downhill tweak on the endless runner genre.

If you’ve been perpetually pummeled by falling snow over the last week (as I have), playing a winter-set game about outrunning an avalanche might not hit the sweet spot right now. But don’t fault Dudeski for its timing, as this arcade-style skiing game delivers breezy fun suitable for any season.

You’ll glide downhill as a little pixel dude, tapping holding left or right to swoop him in that direction. ipping around slalom gates, avoiding hazards, snagging pinecones is the goal, all while keeping clear of the rumbling wave of winter doom. And the ‘tude is amusing, thanks to poetic quips, talking animals, hidden secrets all around the mountain. so, it’s totally free with unobtrusive menu banner ads.

ely arm Clock

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The appealing interface remains, letting you “pull” a new alarm out from the dial on the left, but new customization options Now support are welcome additions.

ely has long been a smart attractive alarm clock option, but with this week’s update—the first significant one since bought app maker Bitspin—the super-sleek app is even smarter more attractive.

The update does a bit of maintenance to make ely run better for llipop users, even if it doesn’t dive headfirst into a Material Design overhaul. But the bigger tweaks come with additions like support for Now-set alarms, further color customization options, the ability to choose your own wake-up songs or sounds. If you stopped using ely for its lack of updates, now’s a great time to revisit.